essential items to take in your camera bag

see also:

• photography and camping main index page

• there is a surprising amount of gear one needs for general versatile walkaround photographic kit when you do not quite know what you will need
• you should avoid taking too many options as this often results in poor image quality as you can't make your mind up - I often only take 2 or 3 lenses to reduce this issue
• nevertheless you CAN carry ALL of the following in a fairly small backpack which won't break your back IF you buy Micro Four Thirds system
• if you have a heavy, bulky Nikon or Canon digital SLR then get a sherpa or be really frugal about which lens you take and whether you will be taking a big tripod or not.

1. camera(s) with battery charged and memory card emptied
2. lenses
   • walkaround zoom lens (eg. Olympus mZD 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro weatherproof lens)
   • wide aperture portrait lens
     • I prefer 3 such lenses:
       • 35-50mm for environmental portraits / street photography / social events such as parties (eg. Olympus mZD 17mm f/1.8 lens, Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens or Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 ASPH lenses)
       • 85-100mm for normal portraits (eg. Olympus m.ZD 45mm f/1.8 portrait lens or Panasonic 42mm f/1.2)
       • 135-150mm for outdoor portraits (eg. Olympus m.ZD 75mm f/1.8 lens)
   • +/- macro lens (eg. Olympus m.ZD 60mm f/2.8 macro lens)
   • +/- 24mm wide angle (eg. Olympus m.ZD 12mm f/2.0 lens)
   • +/- a fisheye lens (eg. Samyang / Rokinon 7.5mm f/3.5 manual focus fisheye for Micro Four Thirds)
   • +/- telephoto lens (eg. Panasonic 35-100mm f/2.8 OIS X or better still, the Olympus mZD 40-150mm f/2.8 pro lens when it comes out)
3. spare battery
4. spare memory card
5. filters for your lenses:
   1. circular polariser filters for each lens
      • these are important in:
        • giving nicely saturated leaves in forest or garden scenes
        • giving deep blue skies
        • reducing reflections from glass and water
        • allowing wide aperture shots in bright sunlight if your camera only goes to 1/4000th sec and ISO 200
        • allowing wider aperture shots outdoors with fill-in flash without resorting to high speed sync flash
   2. 10x neutral density filter
      • great for allowing long exposures in daylight for lovely flowing water or blurred crowd shots
      • this will allow 1/4 sec f/2 at ISO 200 in bright sunlight and if you have a tripod or an Olympus OM-D E-M1, the exposure can be further prolonged by closing the aperture down
   3. optionally, a Hoya R72 infrared filter if you are into infrared photography
   4. 0.6 ND gradient filter
      • great for avoiding blown highlights in skies and for giving more dramatic skies
      • for sunsets, also consider a reverse ND gradient filter
6. lens cleaning kit eg. blower brush, optical cleaning cloth
7. perhaps a tripod, particularly if your camera does not have sensor-based image stabiliser as good as the Olympus OM-D E-M1 or Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera
8. if your camera is not highly weatherproof like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 or Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera then additionally you should consider rain protection gear
9. for indoor portraits, a small flash with a tilt/bounce head for bouncing it off walls
10. for outdoor portraits, a fill-in flash or a silver/white bounce sheet (eg. car dash sun protectors) to fill in shadows under the eyes
11. for sunrise or sunset shots, a torch so you can see your way in the dark
12. if bushwalking in Australia:
    • a snake bite compression bandage
    • water
    • sun hat
    • UV protection lotion and lip balm
    • raincoat
    • snacks
    • consider a ePIRB personal distress radio beacon in case you get lost, bitten by a snake or break an ankle
13. your phone with ear phones
14. reading glasses if you need them