Road66Warrior's Travel Blog and Other Random Thoughts: August 2021

It's been awhile since I posted any updates to my blog, so I decided to do one on "What's In My Camera Bag For 2021?". I thought about doing this as a vlog and posting the video to my YouTube channel, but I'm not an experienced talking head so for now I prefer this written format. Perhaps, I might give vlogging a try during my next trip to Las Vegas. LOL

Photography has been one of my hobbies, since I was in grade school. My first real camera was a Kodak Instamatic camera. If you're old, you may remember those point and shoot cameras that used film cartridges and disposable flash cubes on top. This photo of the Kodak Instamatic 104 was taken from the internet.

As I got older, I started borrowing my dad's Minolta 35mm SLR which I pretty much took over until I was able to buy my own camera gear.

During my college days, I bought a used Nikon 35mm SLR with a 35mm lens from a local camera shop. It was one of the Nikon FG models like this one.

I used that camera all through my college days, until I graduated and joined the work force full-time. Eventually, I ended up owning 2 other camera bodies including a Nikon F4s and Nikon N90s, several prime lenses, as well as a couple of zoom lenses, not to mention all of the accessories (flash units, filters, tripods, etc.). At one time, I actually thought about converting my hobby into a business, but I was already on track with my career as a chemist so that never came to reality. Although, I surprisingly won a few photo contests sponsored by one of the companies where I was employed. I also shot photos for a couple of my friends weddings. They were too cheap to hire a pro, so they asked if I would do the honors. LOL Both weddings were rather small, so they were not much different than taking family photos at a party.

Fast forwarding to today, I sold most of that old camera gear when film cameras started becoming obsolete and digital equipment became more popular (and less expensive). I slowly started switching over to more modern gear.

So, what's in my camera bag for 2021?

I actually have 2 bags, a smaller one for everyday carry and a backpack that serves double duty as a carry-on when I'm traveling by air.

The Everyday Sling Bag (above) is made by Peak Designs and has a capacity of 10L. It has enough room for a full size camera body, 2 or more lenses (depending on their size), and a few accessories. It's compact in size so it doesn't draw a lot of attention like lugging around a backpack. I have the Peak Design Capture Clip attached to the side of the bag, so I can easily attach a camera to the outside of the bag via the quick release mount for easy access. That also creates more room inside the bag for more junk. LOL

The backpack is the 21L Prvke made by Wandrd (above). The top section of the bag also unfolds and is expandable which provides an additional 5L of storage space, so the maximum capacity is 26L total. It's weather resistant so my stuff inside won't get wet, if I get rained on. Inside is a padded camera cube with removable dividers for storing cameras, lens, etc. There is also plenty of space for other stuff too. On one side there is an expandable pocket for a water bottle and on the other side is a quick access compartment for removing your camera without having to open the entire backpack. There are also 2 compartments inside which can fit an iPad and my 13" MacBook Pro fits inside with plenty of room to spare. This backpack also fits nicely under the airline seat which is convenient.

My main camera is the Sony Alpha 7C (above) which is a compact full-frame 24 megapixel mirrorless camera. Lenses include the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G lens, FE 50mm f/2.5 G lens, FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM lens, and the FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS G lens. Also pictured is the Deity V-Mic D4 Duo connected to the camera and the Mantispod Vlogging Tripod. I recently sold my Sony Alpha 7 III which was my first digital full-frame camera and have the new Sony Alpha 7 IV on preorder which is due to ship in late December 2021.

The Sony Alpha 7C is a very nice camera for traveling, since it's compact and weighs less than a full size mirrorless camera. Sony's E-mount lens system is standard across all of their Alpha series cameras, so all of my older Sony lenses work on their current and future models.

The Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GMaster lens is a great all around wide angle zoom lens for vlogging, as well as for photos/videos requiring a wide angle lens. Although, it's a heavy lens so I often opt for the Sony FE 20mm f/1.8 G prime lens when I want to travel light. It's a compromise, but it is a nice wide-angle lens for vlogging, as well as for shooting photos/videos in low light conditions with it's f1/8 aperture.

The Sony FE 50mm f/2.5 G series prime lens is also light weight, compact, and a nice all around lens for shooting street photography, landscapes, and even some portraits. Along with the 20mm prime lens, this is a nice combination for when I want to travel extra light.

If I only want to carry one lens, the Sony FE 24-105mm f/4 OSS G lens is a nice all-around wide angle/mid-range zoom lens. It's my "go to" lens in many situations, except for shooting in low light situations.

My other cameras include the Sony ZV-1 (pictured above on the far left) which is a compact camera designed for content creators. I also added on the Small Rig Cage so I can attach additional accessories and it has additional mounts on the bottom to attach a tripod which doesn't block the battery/SD card door located on the bottom. Without the cage, the tripod would block the door making it inconvenient to swap out batteries quickly. It has a 20 megapixel/1 inch sensor, a fixed 24-70mm f/1.8-2.8 zoom lens, along with a variety of features for shooting both videos and photos. The ZV-1 is small enough to fit in a coat pocket so it's convenient to carry around practically anywhere. I originally bought it to take along on my trips to Las Vegas instead of bringing my Sony A7C, then the pandemic hit and everything was shutdown. So, I've only been using it around town until the travel industry gets back to normal and I start traveling again. The Sony bluetooth vlogging handle works seamlessly with the ZV-1 with buttons to start/stop video, control of the shutter button for taking photos, operate the zoom lens, and a programable button which corresponds to the C1 button on the camera.

The DJI Pocket 2 (pictured to the right of the Sony ZV1) is a tiny, but versatile video camera which also takes pretty good photos. It is also good for vlogging or shooting any videos, since it has a built-in gimbal for creating smooth/jitter-free videos, especially when walking around. Both my Sony A7C and ZV-1 has built in stabilization, but neither is as smooth as when shooting with a gimbal which unfortunately adds extra weight and bulk. The Pocket 2 is small so you don't stand out in a crowd like when shooting with a full size camera on a gimbal. The only weakness of this camera is the tiny sensor, so it doesn't perform well in low light situations which is similar to a lot of camera phones.

The Insta360 One R (pictured to the right of the Pocket 2) has the Ulanzi cage attached to it. This camera is modular, so you can swap out lens modules for shooting in different formats. It currently has the Leica one inch module attached which makes this a high resolution action camera like the GoPro. It also has a 4K module which can be used similarly. The 3rd module turns the One R into a dual lens 360 degree camera. The One R replaces my ancient GoPro Hero 3.

The Insta360 GO2 which is shown in it's charging/battery case (pictured on the far right above). The GO2 is a mini-action camera. It only weighs 26.5 g which is less than an ounce and its dimension is only 52.9 x 23.6 x 20.7mm. It also comes with several accessories including a magnetic pendant that you can wear around your neck, then the camera attaches magnetically to the pendant. There's a clip that can attach the GO2 to the brim of a hat, as well as other mounts that you can attach to other surfaces. It's good for shooting short video clips as high as 2K resolution. You can capture 10 - 30 mins of continuous video on a single charge depending on the quality and mode being used.

Pictured above are 2 of my 360 cameras. On the left is the Insta360 One X2 (I also have the first generation One X which is no longer being sold). This is my primary 360 degree camera. It shoots both photos and videos in 360 degrees, so you can capture everything surrounding you unlike conventional cameras. It has a video resolution of 5.7K, although that resolution is spread out over 360 degrees so when viewed, it will not look as sharp as a standard video which is only capturing videos/photos in one direction within a small field of view. That's probably the only drawback of the current generation of 360 consumer cameras. To get the ultra high resolution in 360, you need the professional cameras that shoot in 8K resolution or higher which will set you back thousands of dollar and a super high-end computer is required to process those massive video files. I'm not a professional photographer making money from this, so the consumer grade cameras are good enough for me. LOL

The camera on the right is the Insta360 EVO which was my first venture into shooting both 360 and 180VR photos and videos. In its current configuration it can capture photos or videos in 180 degrees 3D. This camera also folds so that when each lens is facing in opposite directions it converts into a 360 degree camera similar to the One X2. This camera is also no longer being sold, but the manufacturer is supposably working on a 180VR module for their current Insta360 One R.

Both 360 and 180VR/3D photos and videos appear as flat 2D media when viewed on a computer or mobile device. So if you really want to experience the most out of this type of content, you need to view them from within a VR Headset like the Oculus Quest 2 (above).

Some of my other gear include the DJI Mini Drone (pictured above on the far left) along with its controller and extra batteries. The Zhiyun Crane-M2 Gimbal, a couple of tripod bases, monopod used with the 360 camera, a smartphone mount, and a suction cup mount. I have various other accessories including extra camera batteries, lens filters, miscellaneous cables, power banks, etc. which aren't shown.