Planning a vacation and want to record lots of really great videos while you’re there? Have you started to go over all the gear that you’ll need to take to do that?
While you could theoretically pack all the photography gear you own, and more – that wouldn’t exactly be packing light. Instead it is probably best that you focus on the most essential gear that you’re likely to need:
Video camera
While in most cases it is best to just pack whatever camera you already own and are comfortable using – if you have several then you may want to pack something light and portable. Of course there’s nothing stopping you from lugging around a DSLR, but a mirrorless camera could be just as good and half as heavy.
Tripod, monopod, or camera holder
It helps to have some way of keeping your camera steady while you record all those videos – so you’ll want to pack at least one of the above. Typically a tripod is the most stable but requires longer to set up, while a monopod can be used to record videos while you’re moving.
Of course a camera holder will let you be the most mobile, but it also will keep your video less steady than the other options.
Decent external microphone
Assuming you’re going to want to record not just the sights but also the sounds – you need to bring a decent external microphone. Nowadays there are lots of options, but your main concern would be whether you want a lavalier mic that you can clip on and record yourself – or an omnidirectional mic that will record the sounds from all around you.
Decent external lighting
Another situational item that may or may not need to be on your list is decent external lighting. If you’re going to be recording lots of videos at night it can help to have some external lighting, but it really isn’t something that you’d want or need to carry around otherwise.
Spare batteries
No matter how quickly your camera may charge or how long it can last on a single charge – you absolutely must bring at least one spare battery. Vacations are unpredictable, and you never know when you’ll record more video than expected and run dry.
Lots of storage
Another good time to have spares is when you inevitably run out of storage. Videos take up a ton of storage space (especially if you’re recording in RAW), and you will want to have more than you ever need. The good news is that the microSD cards (or other equivalent) that your camera probably uses are small, light, and it really doesn’t hurt to carry around more of them.
International charger or adapter
Assuming your vacation is taking you to a different country, having an international (i.e. universal) charger or adapter will definitely help. The last thing you want to do is have to find an electrical store as soon as you land so that you can buy a charger with the type of plug that they use.
Waterproof and light bag
While you could get a specialized travel camera bag, at the end of the day any bag will do – so long as it is light, and more importantly waterproof. Getting your gear wet is not going to be good, and so you want a bag that will shield it from even torrential rain.
The one last thing you may want to include on your list is a laptop that you can use to free up storage by uploading your videos to the cloud, or perform basic edits on the go. For example a simple laptop with Movavi Video Editor will let you brighten and adjust the colors of dark videos by following the steps at https://www.movavi.com/support/how-to/how-to-brighten-video.html.
At the end of the day you should have a much better idea of the essential gear that you will want to pack if you’re going to be recording videos on vacation. As you can see it is a pretty long list, but a lot of the items are situational or optional. In short you should choose what you feel will help you to record the kind of videos that you’re planning to capture.
