Minimalist Travel Kit For Professional Videographers
I remember my first travel assignment over ten years ago. It was Baja, Mexico and I was shooting 4 different trips over the course of 3 weeks. You can get hired for many different kinds of travel assignments, but most of the time I get hired by outfitters. Companies that offer all inclusive adventure experiences to people. You pay the company a fee and they take care of everything for you. These assignments involve following a group during their vacation, interviewing the clients and guides about the trip, and editing together a promo video that the company uses to sell more trips. You get it.
The Baja trips included a week long kayak around the island of Espiritu Santo. Petting gray whales in San Ignacio Bay. Visiting thousand year old cave paintings in Santa Teresa Canyon. And more whale watching in Magdalena Bay. I remember carrying two huge pelican cases full of our gear. Lights, drone, gimbal, the works. I remember the guests feeling so bad for us, some would take a turn helping us carry a case.
12 years and many more assignments later, all my gear fits into one carry on backpack. Including my laptop, batteries, and any cables, chargers I might need (which won’t be covered here). This is what’s in my bag for travel assignments.
The Camera
Today I’m using the Sony A7 IV Mirrorless Camera. When I started 12 years ago we were using DSLR’s, and o boy was the industry excited. A tiny DSLR, what a breakthrough! Thinking about those cameras now, they were like big ole bricks. Thank god for mirrorless camera’s, and if you’re shooting on assignment today, better have a mirrorless.
The main reason I use the Sony a7 IV is for the versatility. Almost every client wants photos and videos and taking two cameras is out of the question. We used to always take a backup camera in case one went down. But that backup camera is now in your pocket. I used to shoot on an A7S III which has to be my favorite video camera of all time. Unfortunately the photos that come out of it are horrendous. So I sold it and got the cheaper A7 IV. Of course you sacrifice a little bit on the video side with the A7 IV. It doesn’t shoot 120fps and the oversampling of the sensor gives your image a pretty significant crop when shooting 4k 60fps. But even though the image is cropped, it doesn’t lower your image quality and after some practice you get used to it. It can even be useful in some situations (like long shots). And the 120fps is overkill in most cases. Of course if you primarily make ski films, 4k 120fps might be necessary. But assignments like the one I described above do just fine with slow motion at 60fps. The A7 IV has 15 stops of dynamic range, dual native iso’s at 800 and 3200 (useful in low light). It’s full frame, shoots in slog and slog cine, shoots in 10 bit 4:2:2, has stabilization and auto focus. It has an articulating screen to help you capture those weird angles. Let’s just say it’s a great video camera. I could go into more detail, but you might as well just read the specifications page.
The real game changer with this camera is a small knob on top that allows you to switch between photo and video mode in seconds. So you can capture one raft going through white water in video mode, quickly flip to photo mode, and capture the next raft with photos. The camera shoots raw 33 mega pixel images on a beautiful 7k sensor, and that is the main reason I use this camera. Of course with the announcement of the Sony A1 Mark II, there may be a better dual threat on the market soon. But at $5000 less, the Sony A7 IV will make you consider whether or not you really need all that fire power.
Microphones
Rode Video Mic Pro+
The old saying goes that audio is 51% of the story. Viewers will ignore a shot that’s not quite perfect, but nothing will make someone turn your video off faster than bad audio. I use the Rode Video Mic Pro+ as the shotgun mic mounted to the top of my camera. It’s a little bigger than I would hope for, but it’s light and the audio quality is so good I’m ok with the extra size. This is mainly for ambient sounds, but you can use it for vlogging or an interview as long as you’re close enough to your subject.
Speaking of interviews, for those I use the Rode Wireless Go II microphone system. Obviously size is a big component. These small boxes are easy to pack and take with you. I love how the setup allows you to record two microphones into one receiver plugged into your camera. So you can record two person interviews without an extra piece of gear like a Zoom recorder. The microphone boxes (transmitters) also have a slot for a micro sd card with the ability to auto record internally. So you can put a box on a subject and record without even having your camera on. Maybe you’re shooting a ski video and want to gather audio from your skier. Place a Go II under their jacket and pick up all the audio as they fly down the mountain. The transmitters have a microphone built into them so you don’t need anything but the box for this. But I do recommend picking up an actual lavelier microphone to plug into the transmitters for interview setups. It’s much cleaner and way more professional looking with a small lavelier attached to someone’s collar, rather than a big box.
Lenses
Sony FE f/4 24-105mm
This is my workhorse. When traveling it’s important to have one lens that covers a wide focal length. At 24mm I’m able to get wide enough to cover landscapes like mountain ranges, with the ability to push in for detail shots or intimate close ups. This lens also has stabilization built into it, and that extra stabilization goes a long way with all the hand held shooting you’re gonna be doing on a travel assignment.
I also take a prime lens, though if you only have space for one lens, take your workhorse with more coverage. But having a fast prime lens with the ability to shoot beautiful bokeh and in low light can take your videos from good to great. A 50mm is probably the more popular choice for a prime lens, but I prefer a 35mm. The wider coverage allows for some really cool shallow depth of field landscape shots. It’s wider for night time star timelapses. And you can get closer to subjects without losing focus so food shots and detail shots are easier to pull off. It’s also great for interviews.
Filters
PolarPro 77mm QuartzLine Circular Polarizer
To get the most out of your expensive lenses, you’ll want to use filters. I like PolarPro filters. I’d also like to point out that money does go a long way with filters. You can get cheap filters and they will look cheap. I don’t want to break the bank, but I want quality gear that will give me quality shots. PolarPro is reasonably priced and gives me the most bang for my buck when it comes to image quality. On my 24-105mm I use the PolarPro Quartzline Polarizer. You’re gonna be shooting a lot during the middle of the day when your light is less than optimal, and a polarizer goes a long way in helping your images when the sun is high in the sky.
PolarPro Peter McKinnon Signature Edition II Variable ND Filter
On the 35mm I use a neutral density filter to cut light so I can shoot a low f stop at any time of the day. This ND filter comes in two versions. A 2-5 stop version and a 6-9 stop version. I use the ND filter with 6-9 stops because I shoot mostly outdoors and when you have bright sun, you’ll need more stops.
Tripod & Accessories
Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod
It’s rare that I take a gimbal on my travel assignments. They’re just too big, too cumbersome, too hard to use, and take too much time to set up. But I always take a tripod. My go-to tripod is the Peak Design Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod. It’s lightweight, compact, and sets up in 6 seconds. It also extends up to 6 feet, giving you a lot of versatility in the kind of shots you can capture. They offer this tripod in an aluminum version for a cheaper price, but weight in your tripod is always an issue and I want the lightest tripod possible. Peak design offers a lifetime warranty on their gear so if a leg breaks (like mine has) they’ll send you a replacement free of charge. So if you spring for the more expensive carbon fiber you can sleep soundly knowing your investment is protected.
Peak Design Camera Strap
Peak Design is all about the run and gun. Speed of use, durability and lightweight. Their tripod comes with a whole kit that works seamlessly together. One piece is the Peak Design Slide Camera Strap. I don’t use a strap a whole lot, but when I do this strap pops on and off in a matter of seconds.
One of my favorite pieces of gear is the Peak Design Capture Clip. The mount for the tripod works seamlessly with this tiny clip that you can secure to the strap of your camera bag or backpack. So if you’re on the move you can quickly take your camera off your tripod and clip it to the strap of your bag, ready for action at a moments notice. I can’t tell you how great this clip is when I’m shooting ski videos or hiking videos. It’s a game-changer for my run-and-gun shooting style, letting me move quickly without worrying about my camera.
Drone
DJI Mini 4 Pro
When it comes to aerial shots, I use the DJI Mini 4 Pro Drone with the RC 2 Controller. I’m gonna say now that the image is not the best image produced in the DJI catalogue. I used to travel with the DJI Mavic series, a drone that I loved and an image I find better than the mini. But as the Mavic series progresses, they get bigger and bigger. It’s important to remember that not only does the drone get bigger, the batteries get bigger. And you’ll need to travel with several batteries (I travel with 3). DJI for their credit understands that the Mavic series is changing and they’ve put significant RND into the mini series. Once a drone for hobbyists, the mini is now a professional drone. It’s compact but powerful. Fitting in the palm of your hand and still delivering quality images. It has a fixed f/1.7 lens so you’ll need to use ND filters to make this image professional. You never want to have to crank your shutter speed to get your exposure right. I pair the mini with the PolarPro Vivid Collection Filter Set. It gives you 3 ND filters for different exposures and enhances your colors for cinematic aerials.
And that’s my complete travel videography setup. If you have any questions about the gear I mentioned, drop them in the comments below.
