A travel & wildlife photographer’s gear; what’s in my camera bag?
If you’ve ever wondered what gear a professional travel & wildlife photographer carries in her backpack, this is the blog for you. In 2025 I managed to round up all the gear I had wanted so this is an incredibly up-to-date list of my current gear; from bodies to lenses & filters. I’m here to spill the beans.
Why did I choose this setup?
When choosing a kit as a photographer, and especially one that travels, ‘variety’ will be a keyword. You want a minimal amount of lenses that you can take the majority (if not all) of the photos with. This is why I’m a big fan of zoom lenses; they’re incredibly versatile and make for a smaller kit. Although in my case I have had to compromise on light sensitivity as I bought most of my kit as a student I couldn’t always go for the most ideal light sensitive lens. That will slowly be changing though, and as it does so will this blog as I will keep it up-to-date.
Now I feel like a disclaimer is necessary, because I do not carry all the gear with me at all times on every travel. I pack according to what I will most likely be encountering and photographing on a certain trip.
On a wildlife focussed trip I will be packing my specialised telephoto lens for wildlife. While this is not a lens I will take with me on a trip to Portugal for example. I do this so that I can have the best quality of gear for any occasion. What gear to take with me remains the question at times. But that’s a priviliged problem!
Camera gear
The main camera body
My main camera body is my most recently bought Lumix s5ii. This camera was bought as a second body but has stolen my heart and therefore gets used the most often right now. It is much more compact than my (now) secondary body, is much faster but because it has less megapixels it is, in my opinion, less ideal for landscapes.
A secondary camera body
My secondary camera is a beast of a body, I’ve been using it since my student times at the academy in 2021 and still holds a special place in my heart. My Lumix S1R usually sports the wide-angle lens but is also used for whatever lens I think I may need so that I have to switch less while I’m on the road. Especially comes in handy when I need to be able to switch fast!
A small camera body & its kitlens
Despite loving my gear, I will admit that most, if not all of it, is heavy; which is why I bought this small member last year. A camera meant for small city trips & for my partner to use on our trips so he can express his creativity. The Olympus PEN E-P7 is a great camera with a retro look, and sports its Olympus 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens.
I love using this camera to get creative and try new things as I started to notice I was doing that less with my bigger more professional camera’s. Since buying this camera I’ve been getting more joy out of photography again with my other camera’s too. Because the camera is small I also tend to use it for streetphotography so that I don’t stand-out.
An all-rounder lens
My Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 is probably my most used lens as it is incredibly versatile, from landscapes to portraits and even macro-photography; this lens can do it all! I love it’s fixed aperture at f/4, although it is a lens that I am looking to upgrade in the coming year for one that’s more sensitive. This all-rounder lens is usually fixed on my main camera body for a fairly light and easy set-up while exploring a city or hiking through beautiful landscapes.
An ultra-wide lens for landscapes
Though my all-rounder lens is already good for landscapes, sometimes I want to showcase that wide and vast landscape is the best way possible. In this case my Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f/4 has me covered. This lens gets used for astro- and landscapes alike and is usually fixed on my secondary camera to really get the most out of these photos.
A telephoto lens for details & wildlife
Another versatile lens that is almost always in my bag. The Lumix S 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 is favourite for photographing the details and sometimes even wildlife. I actually also use this lens for the less traditional landscapes from time to time and love using this for portraits as well. It is a favourite in my kit but will be the first lens to be replaced sometime in the coming year. I’m looking for a faster lens with a fixed aperture to make it fit my needs better.
A specialised telephoto lens for wildlife
Now this is a beast of a lens; the Sigma Sport 150-600 f/5-6.3 is my specialised wildlife photography lens. I have used it mostly on birds, but was originally bought for my safari trip in october 2025 which I’ll be planning more of in the future. This lens has quickly grown on me and has made me appreciate the wildlife in my own neighbourhood more as well. Unfortunately it is a very big and heavy lens which means that it doesn’t always get packed into my bag for every trip.
A nifty fifty for portraits & low-light situation
Unfortunately I currently have a lack of light-sensitive lenses right now which has brought in this Lumix S 50mm f/1.8. It is your classic nifty fifty and is great for portraits but laos gets used for a lot of indoor photography. It is a tiny lens in comparison to its brother in the L-mount series which is why I love to take it with me on literally any occasion.
The bag, tripod & accessories
A sturdy backpack and the accessories
My pick for a trusted backpack is the WANDRD PRVKE 31L bag with the Pro camera bundle, though I do also own the Essential cube for when I (or my partner) doesn’t want to log a heavy backpack with me; or simply when I need some space for snacks. The Pro cube holds almost all my gear (all minus the 150-600 lens) while the Essential cube can hold one camera with 4 lenses. With accessory straps attached to the bag I can carry my tripod underneath or when I don’t have the tripod with me I can strap a jacket or sweater to the outside of my bag instead. The bag also sports waiststraps and a chest strap for maximum comfort while hiking. For added space but also quick and easy access to my camera I have attached the Peak Design Capture Clip to the bag. This clip is great for when I’m hiking and don’t want my camera to be swinging and potentially hit a rock.
A waterproof tripod
A tripod is neccessary for any landscape photographer, but even when I don’t plan on taking landscape photos with the use of filters this tripod comes along for self portraits. My chosen tripod is the waterproof Sirui W-2204 with the Sirui ST-10 ballhead, which unfortunately isn’t in rotation anymore. However the Sirui ST-10X is and upgraded and similar version.
This tripod has had quite the experiences during my ownership; it has stood in the salty waters of the Mediteranean sea and was almost blown off a cliff in Madeira.
Filters
The creative filters
The necessary filters
My filters are stored in a WANDRD filter pouch, I have two which respectively hold my ‘necessary’ and ‘creative’ filters. Most of my filters are by sustainable brand Urth who focus on conscious design and reforestation programs. I do have a few filters from different brands like Rawster and K&F, from which I mostly have protection filters for lenses. All of the creative & necessary filters I have are 77mm in diameter, which is the filter size of most lenses I have. The only lenses they don’t fit on are my ultra-long telephoto lens & the nifty fifty. For that last one I’ve found a cost-effective and sustainable solution: a step-down ring which lets me use all of my filters on this lens as well. These step-down rings can be found on Amazon or pretty much any camera-store.
Creative filters
Necessary filters
What is second hand
Photography is expensive, which is why I’m such a sucker for secondhand gear. Quite a few of my gear purchases were done secondhand, most recently the Lumix S5ii and Sigma 150-600 which I purchased from a notable camera store here in the Netherlands, my nifty fifty was also purchased this way. Buying secondhand from a camerastore can be a great and safe way to purchase gear, you know the condition has passed their test so there will be no surprises. You can also purchase secondhand gear from MPB, a wellknown provider for this exact market. If you know a bit about camera’s and can do the neccessary checks, or know what questions to ask you can also buy secondhand gear from private individuals through facebook marketplace for example. This is what I did for my Lumix S PRO 16-35 lens which I got for a great deal.
Buying secondhand can sometimes be half the cost of buying new, so not only is it better for the planet, you wallet will benefit from it too!
