Camera gear and gizmos

This is a blog about travel experiences, not photography but I'm more serious than some so I carry more equipment. Everyone packs differently and I like reading what other photographers take.

My priority is to be able to capture mostly landscape, architectural and street photos under a variety of conditions without being bogged down by equipment. One checked bag and a carry on is my limit because I want to be able to move around without a car or taxis.

Here's the camera gear and electronics that I brought on this trip.

From left, roughly counterclockwise: Macbook Air with homemade sleeve, external hard drive with homemade sleeve, Nikon D7000 with Nikkor 12-24mm lens and soft case, Fuji X100s and soft case, UltraPod mini-tripod, Feisol carbon fibre tripod, power supplies and battery chargers. The Nikon and Fuji battery chargers share the same little power plug and don't require a power cable. In the centre is a short extension cord with a European adapter taped to the plug end. Lastly, a Delorme inReach satellite communicator that can send and receive emails from anywhere with a view of the sky.

Comments

• I got the Delorme inReach for backcountry travel. It hasn't been essential on this trip, so far. 
• The little homemade extension cord in the middle of the photo is great for charging multiple devices. 
• The small and light Fuji camera has an excellent lens, is a joy to carry and is less conspicuous than my DSLR for street photography. 
• I took the above photo with my "new" refurbished iPhone 3 which I planned to use mainly for GPS. However, I also got a SIM card at a Vodaphone store in Naples for voice and text within Italy for 20 Euros/month and it has been worth it. 

More gear doesn't guarantee more good photos but it can help. The tripod allows capturing moody and unusual images when the harshness of daylight is gone. The mini tripod does the same thing but less well. I use it while walking in the evening when the full size tripod is inconvenient. I often use it sideways, braced against a wall.

I'll say more about bringing two cameras in another post.