Let me say from the outset I’m not a photographer I just like taking photos, I like documenting my trips, and I like capturing moments.
Depending on what I am doing, where I am going, and what room I have available will dictate what cameras I take. When I am away on the bike I generally rely on my smartphone for photos for my blog (I usually rely on my phone to compose and post blog posts). This means that at times I take photos of the same thing with different cameras as the phone can’t do what the DSLR can.
Edit: I read the other day that the best camera to take on a trip is the one you are going to use. For the last few motorcycle trips I have not taken the DSLR as I realised that I pack it safe and secure on the bike which makes it hard to get to, so I don’t get it out.
Cameras
Canon EOS550 -I had an old Pentax ME Super film SLR for many years and as digital photography came more popular I only had a point and shoot for many years as DSLRs were quite expensive. DSLRs have come down in price considerably and are now very affordable. I bought the 550 a few years ago as an entry point with the view of upgrading later.
The Canon entry level kits often come out in 3 different options
- single 18 – 55mm lens
- single 18 – 135mm lens
- 2 lenses 18 – 55mm and 55 – 250mm lenses
I like many were dazzaled by getting multiple lenses for their shiny new DSLR camera and opted for the 2 lens kit. However what I found was that I was often shooting from 18 to 100 so it was a real pain to always be changing the lenses. And travelling on a bike carrying many lenses is often not practical so I purchased a Tamron 18 – 200mm. This is a great all round lens and is only the same size as the standard 18 – 55mm lens so I can get away with only taking a small camera bag.
I also purchased a Tamron 90mm Marco lens as I wanted to have a play with macro photography.
Olympus TG-2 tough camera – This is a great little camera and I am very happy with it. It takes a great photo and it doesn’t matter if it gets wet which makes it ideal to take on the bike. These little point and shoot cameras also have handy scene modes making it much easier and quicker to get great sunsets, as well as other scenes.
I generally have this camera in a little camera case attached to my tank bag on the bike tethered to the bag in case I drop it. It turns out that the tether lead is just long enough for the camera to touch the ground. And that’s why we purchase tough cameras!
Phone Camera – typically I only use the phone camera for those quick shots to be posted on FaceBook.
Tripods
Having a tripod can be really handy for those times when you want to be in the shot of a longer exposure is required. However, the biggest problem with carrying a tripod is carrying a tripod. My original tripod was bought for my SLR and I found it too bulky and inconvienient to take away, therefore it stayed at home.
So I looked for a small tripod that I could put in my tank bag, so it is readily available to pull out and use. However, what I found was that it was too low to the ground and gave the wrong perspective. So it wasn’t used.
And then after a bit of searching I found the Benro tripod / selfie stick which combined lightweight, small, tripod and 90cm tall. The Benro also comes with phone and gopro mounts and a detachable bluetooth remote. This little unit ticks all the boxes and is stable enough to hold my TG2. And it fits in my tank bag.
Zed14 