Photography is about freezing a moment the way we perceive it. Although it is more about creative composition, one cannot deny that the right gear is also essential to the process.
On this page, we share with you all the photography gear that we use for shooting photos and videos on our travels.
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For Aerial Shots
Seeing a place from up in the sky adds a whole new perspective. Of course, flying in a small plane over every place we visit is not a possibility. But drone cameras can get you close to seeing that perspective on screen.
Indranil started flying drones in 2020 and loves it!
DJI Air/ DJI Mini
We have seen many cool perspectives of beautiful places with our DJI Mavic Air 2 but then we lost our drone in El Salvador!
We now fly a used first generation Mini. But if we have to (we want to) buy a drone now, this is what we would get:
DJI Air 3 for longer flight duration and better range, or DJI Mini 3 Fly More Combo, an excellent choice for quality and easy to manage logistics. The drone weighs only 249 g and hence does not require any separate registration.
For Landscapes and Portraits
After using DSLR camera for ages, in 2021, we finally jumped on the bandwagon and started using a mirrorless camera.
It was the best decision we made regarding our photography gear. Since mirrorless cameras are lightweight, it fits well with our travel style and we do not hesitate to carry it even when packing for long overnight hikes.
Nikon Z6II Mirrorless Camera
We use Nikon Z6II and so far have been happy with the product. Not just photos, the video qualities are amazing.
Lens: Nikkor Z 24-70 mm f/2.8 S
For shooting a wide range of subjects, from landscapes to portraits the Nikkor Z24-70 mm f/2.8 S lens is a good option. The f/2.8 aperture helps shooting in low light. Yet, at that wide aperture level, it shoots fast and produces fine images.
For Wildlife Photos/Videos
From Royal Bengal Tigers in Maharashtra to Resplendent Quetzals in Costa Rica, Indranil has been photographing animals and birds for a decade now. He loves wildlife photography.
Not just the camera work, but he also enjoys the process of spotting by himself different species in the wild.
However, wildlife photography is one area where we seriously need to consider upgrading our gear. For the camera body, we shifted from Nikon D5100 to our mirrorless Nikon Z6II. But for the lens, we have been using the same one since 2012. Should I insert a facepalm here?
Nikkor F-Mount Lens + FTZ Mount Adapter
A telephoto lens is the most important part of your wildlife photography gear as it helps focus on subjects from a distance. But, as hobbyist wildlife photographers like us say, whichever lens you use, you will always feel a 100 mm short!
We use our good old Nikkor 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 AF-S VR lens for wildlife shots. To make this lens compatible with our mirrorless camera body, we use this FTZ mount adapter.
Nikkor Z Lenses for Mirrorless Cameras
But if you are buying new, get the mirrorless lenses for your mirrorless camera bodies.
A few lenses that we have on our lens upgrade buying wishlist are:
- NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 along with a teleconverter
- NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S
- NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
For Action or Underwater Photos/Video
If you are into adventure activities and want to capture the memories on camera, get an action camera and the right accessories related to your chosen activity.
We use GoPro HERO7 Black along with accessories like protective housing, GoPro 3-Way for its multifunctional use as camera grip, extension arm and tripod, and head mount.
The latest edition GoPro HERO12 Black comes with several new cool features.
To get accessories too, buy the bundle pack of GoPro HERO12 Black + Accessories.
GoPro HERO12 Black Creator Edition combo is perfect for video creators as this package comes with all the tools needed for a compact audio video recording set up in the outdoors.
For Vlogs + Regular Videos/Photos
For everyday photos and videos, what better photography gear to use than the device that is always in our hands? A smartphone! Although phone cameras still cannot replace camera photo qualities, the good ones can give the entry level cameras a run for their money.
We primarily use our phones for vlogging. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, if you haven’t already! 😊
iPhone
After being long term Android phone users, we have been using iPhones for a few years now, and can vouch for their excellent phone camera lenses and quick editing tools on phones.
Pubali uses iPhone 12 Pro Max and Indranil uses iPhone 13 Pro Max. Although both yield good photos and videos, the lens and the image creation on 13 Pro Max is significantly better than on the previous edition of iPhone.
We have also had the chance to check the features on a friend’s iPhone 15 Pro Max. The new features, particularly the stabilization capability, are wonderful.
Tripods & Gimbals
A good grip on your camera device is essential for stable photo and video shots. And the best stabilization can be provided by a tripod. That is why, tripods constitute important components of our photography gear.
Peak Design Travel Tripod
For our cameras, we use the Peak Design Travel Tripod.
It is an easy to pack and easy to set up lightweight tripod that is perfectly suited for travel, justifying its name. There are two options based on difference in material of the tripod. We use the carbon filter one and the other one is aluminum.
Joby Gorillapod Mobile Rig
For different angles and perspectives, we use Joby Gorillapod Mobile Rig. It works in both landscape and portrait models – so suffices for both YouTube videos and Instagram Reels (our Instagram: paradisecatchers).
Although we do not really use all its features, the gorillapod mobile rig offers the option to add up to 3 additional devices to it, like mics, lights and action cameras.
Insta 360 Flow Gimbal
We recently got the Insta360 Flow Gimbal Stabilizer Creator Kit for Smartphone. It provides excellent stabilization, has AI powered tracking abilities while shooting, and we like it that the gimbal is foldable and easy to carry.
Accessories
Our photography section would not be complete without the mention of some of our must have accessories.
Camera Bag
To start with, all these camera gear need a well protected house. We have been using the same Lowepro camera backpack for more than a decade now.
We like it as it is a sturdy bag with compartments for multiple camera bodies, lenses, memory cards, cables, laptop and other knickknacks.
If you plan to buy a camera backpack now, we highly recommend this brand Lowerpro. Check out their new backpack models with various functionalities and pick the one that best suits your needs.
Memory Cards
Ah, data! – the most precious possession in the modern world, ain’t it? We can capture all the photos and videos, but we need the space to store all those gigabytes of data. We use multiple high speed memory cards for our different gear, most of them being from SanDisk.
Rode VideoMic Me-L
Another accessory we often use for vlogging or for adding voiceovers to our videos is an USB connected microphone for our iPhone. We use Rode VideoMic Me-L Directional Microphone Bundle with Custom Windbuster.
Special Section: Books
Well, the product in this section is not exactly photography gear. It is a book! However, this book is an integral part of all our travels and bird photography in Costa Rica, as it is a birding field guide. Indranil always devours the content of this book!
Birds of Costa Rica
The best book to carry for birding in Costa Rica – Birds of Costa Rica.
It is an excellent field guide with detailed descriptions and images, that help birders spot new species or ID spotted species. If you enjoy birding, we recommend getting this book, even if you are not into photography.
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