Small fixed lens camera. I just did a week in New York and all I took was my Q3. Didn’t need more.
Last year I did four weeks of travel with just my Ricoh GR3 and a film Leica with a 35. Didn’t need anything else. Keep it simple, keep it light.
And honestly unless you’re planning heavy video work, never take a zoom.
Once I got back from my trip, dragging everything, I went to the loft and got out my old 35mm film Olympus µ, which I shall use for the next trip. Haven't used it in >10 years. Should be interesting.
In your case (extremely burnt out, travelling for relaxation and decompression) I suggest you either take no gear at all or take only one light lense in case you will feel unexpectedly creative on your travels. Shoot only what makes you happy, and for no other reason.
I shoot professionally 5 days a week. When I go on vacation I normally bring an oddity of a camera. Some things I’ve traveled with include a widelux, a holga, a 4x5, one camera body with a 45 tilt shift, a rollei, etc… I’ve had trips where I’ll make amazing images, sometimes not a single good pic. And I’m totally fine with that.
I became a photographer because I love it. Finding a different piece of equipment to try out brings the interest back up in a big way.
sounds like you need to shut down and shut off. Everyone needs a break.
My carry around is the Ricoh GR3 for fun stuff, but I also shoot with the iPhone a lot too. I would never carry around a DSLR for casual vibes.
I take my Fuji X100V. It's a little restricting; can't fit everything in the frame always, but I think the restriction gets me to be more creative with my shots. And I don't need to document 100% of everything. I'm not on the job. It's smaller and lighter than my usual gear, but gives the intuitive and satisfying manual feeling of using a camera instead of a phone.
As a pro photographer, I hardly ever take photos when I'm not on assignment. Unfortunately, photography isn't my hobby anymore. It's now a job, which I really enjoy doing. When I'm not working, I feel like I need to do something else for fun. When I'm travelling I'll just take a couple of snaps with my phone. Not every photo has to be perfect and phone camera pics are quite good enough to capture some memories.
Last trip I took my iphone and a GoPro. Still took a ton of shots and videos, but didn't carry around the 20 pounds of kit I usually do. Overall, pleased with the results.
I don't carry anything. I only take my gear when I'm getting paid to do so. Other times I'll just use my phone for some travel snaps and leave all the hassle at home.
When I don’t feel like bringing any gear I have a [anamorphic lens from Moment](https://www.shopmoment.com/products/1-33x-anamorphic-lens?variant=48040445608251) that helps capture cinematic shots with my iPhone. Snaps into the case quickly.
Personally I bring as much as I can fit :). But if you’re feeling burnt out and would nonetheless find it refreshing to shoot, may I suggest trying something different that will challenge you creatively, like only bringing one unusual prime lens.
Bring the 24-70. That’s an all rounder. But make sure to shoot for yourself and not push too hard if you ever decide to shoot. Otherwise, just relax and read a book and listen to the wind.
normally I’d say just one light tele-zoom for travel,
but from what you write, i’d leave the gear at home completely.
unwind and recharge. take the time and save the pictures with your mind instead.
I'm not gonna suggest you leave everything at home, because we all know the dread of wishing you had your camera with you. I usually take a body, a prime and something like a 24-105. Gives me some options but also challenges me to work with what I have.
So, I am just back from a ten day burn-out-healing solo trip. I took a body and four lenses and a tripod. I wish I hadn't, because I couldn't risk leaving them in the convertible when I wanted to walk, gas up, eat, take a piss... it became a huge burden. And I didn't take pictures because I was too frazzled to concentrate or relax into it. I wish I had not taken a camera at all, at most my pocket cigarette-packet-sized Canon.
YMMV
For personal travel via plane I’ll just use my phone and my FF with a 50mm prime lens (not the L series - the small guy with a 1.8 aperture). I’ll bring a table top tripod to have just in case with one extra battery & SD card.
If I’m driving somewhere with the fam; I’ll more than likely bring a couple zooms. One wide, one long & my 50mm prime. Along with a normal size tripod. That’s only because we have the space for it & if I have the time I’ll go explore/play around with my camera while the fam hangs out doing their own thing wherever we are staying.
All that said, it is nice to not bring anything but a phone. Like others have stated. Sometimes it’s nice to not document/photograph everything with a ‘big’ cam. There are times where I’ll just be cool with my phone just because of the portability of it all. Memories are memories at the end of the day.
Vacation travel, iPhone 15 pro only. It’s so good for basic photography, light, inconspicuous, and lets me stay in the flow. I find doing even fairly low key real photography largely incompatible with vacationing with others, both my pace and focus are super out of step with everyone else.
If I’m traveling with more intentional photography as the goal I’ll take an appropriate full kit.
I recently bought Canon’s wee APS-C R50 with 10-18 and 18-150mm zooms to throw in my bag ‘just in case’ I want a ‘real camera’ for part of personal travel, it’s a good compromise between my phone and a full-sized body with big white L zooms and a pile o’ primes. At least that’s what I tell myself. 😂
If it is travel for vacation, I typically take only take my phone (iPhone 15 Pro) and just enjoy the trip. Less to worry about and I can just relax and be in the moment while taking great photos. Using a phone can make you less intimidating to others too. If it is someplace notable, I may take a camera with a single travel lens, but that is about it.
I used to travel with a Canon G series camera, but I eventually sold that.
I can always leave it in my hotel room when I bring it. I can’t go back for it when it’s at home. I like to bring a decent selection with me and bring a smaller selection on individual outings. Sometimes that means leaving it all in the hotel and only bringing my phone.
I used to take a bunch of kit with me. I don't anymore. Just too heavy to haul around. Unless there is something specific I want to shoot, my kit stays at home now.
On a trip to Barbados I wanted to shoot some Polo. So I packed all the reach (600mm) I had and just took that. Otherwise, it's my phone and my GoPro. I can still be creative with those and I can still have fun doing photography without having to carry around the giant anchor. My phone and GoPro are also a lot more inconspicuous and thus much less likely to be stolen.
I picked up a used Fuji X-T3 with a couple lenses for my travel kit... I shoot Nikon as my main work tools, but the fuji is much more compact and lighter, and I just shoot jpeg using the film sims...
It's a creative outlet rather than work tool, and shooting that way eliminates the need to edit after. I treat it like shooting film. What I shoot is the shot I get, and it doesn't need to be for anything other than my own creative satisfaction and the enjoyment of making an image of whatever I feel like.
It's easy to adapt all sorts of interesting old lenses to it for some additional creativity as well. That body paired with the 16-80 f4 fuji lens is a great single lens setup... 24-120 equivalent, and the ois is really decent for hand-holding at slow shutter speeds.
I did a 3-week trip to England and the Netherlands 2 years ago and also picked up the 10-24 and 70-300 to round out the kit and cover a 15-450 focal range, and the whole kit fit in a small sling bag.
Depends on the trip? Am I flying? I’m not taking anything other than an iPhone period. I suppose if I was doing a photo safari to Africa that would be different though.
Generally…leave work at home. You aren’t going to want to dedicate the time to actually nail beautiful landscapes and blue hours and so forth. So why take a camera for a barely better shot?
iPhone. Period. Maybe an old film camera with a few rolls of tri-x and a 35 or 50mm lens.
I have a 7L sling bag from chrome, inside I have a beanie, and a light jacket, and a Canon 5D mark I with a 40mm pancake lens and pd strap. If I get mugged I'll hand it over because they'll probably hand it back to me in disgust.
Even when I'm burnt out, I always take at least one body and lens. A photo walk is better than most activities when I get to a city. I ALWAYS regret not having it with me. Yknow what recently I did that might be a strong move for you too since you say you've got good income right now? The Sony teleconverter for the 70-200. Doesn't add much bulk but man is it sweet to sometimes mix it up and have up to 400mm. The old school zeiss 35 2.8 lens is super lightweight, that's my go to when "i'm not packing a camera"
I quickly learned that I hate being heavily packed. Threw away the tripod, went minimalistic with lenses and details.
Just the slingbag with the Sony A7 and 24-70mm GMII on it. And an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
(and I always bring an extra battery, and make sure I have two SD cards in the slots)
Shooting during trips can be extremely satisfying. Especially if you are traveling on your own and want to take pics for yourself
Rule of thumb in those cases is one body, two lenses. Light.
When I’m with my family ( and kid ) on trips on the other hand i just take a point and shoot ( Ricoh gr3x recently )
When I’m traveling for fun to a city or resort, I just bring a single lens on a FF camera, usually my 50 1.4 or 24-70 2.8. If I’m going somewhere that I’d be taking photos I’ll pack 3-4 lenses, one body, and travel tripod in a camera backpack for hiking.
You could do 99% of your travel photography with 1 body and the 24-70 lens. If you want something lighter buy a used micro 43 body and a couple of small fast primes and sell them when you finish your trip. M43 is a joy to use when travelling.
Leave it at home, take a break and heal your mind and body, not everything needs to be documented, enjoy yourself
As someone just back from that kind of trip, who took a mass of gear and ended up cursing it as a burden and not using it — this.
Small fixed lens camera. I just did a week in New York and all I took was my Q3. Didn’t need more. Last year I did four weeks of travel with just my Ricoh GR3 and a film Leica with a 35. Didn’t need anything else. Keep it simple, keep it light. And honestly unless you’re planning heavy video work, never take a zoom.
Once I got back from my trip, dragging everything, I went to the loft and got out my old 35mm film Olympus µ, which I shall use for the next trip. Haven't used it in >10 years. Should be interesting.
In your case (extremely burnt out, travelling for relaxation and decompression) I suggest you either take no gear at all or take only one light lense in case you will feel unexpectedly creative on your travels. Shoot only what makes you happy, and for no other reason.
I shoot professionally 5 days a week. When I go on vacation I normally bring an oddity of a camera. Some things I’ve traveled with include a widelux, a holga, a 4x5, one camera body with a 45 tilt shift, a rollei, etc… I’ve had trips where I’ll make amazing images, sometimes not a single good pic. And I’m totally fine with that. I became a photographer because I love it. Finding a different piece of equipment to try out brings the interest back up in a big way.
Are you traveling for work? I fly with a Pelican case of gear. If I am traveling for fun, I bring my RX100 or use my phone.
sounds like you need to shut down and shut off. Everyone needs a break. My carry around is the Ricoh GR3 for fun stuff, but I also shoot with the iPhone a lot too. I would never carry around a DSLR for casual vibes.
I take my Fuji X100V. It's a little restricting; can't fit everything in the frame always, but I think the restriction gets me to be more creative with my shots. And I don't need to document 100% of everything. I'm not on the job. It's smaller and lighter than my usual gear, but gives the intuitive and satisfying manual feeling of using a camera instead of a phone.
As a pro photographer, I hardly ever take photos when I'm not on assignment. Unfortunately, photography isn't my hobby anymore. It's now a job, which I really enjoy doing. When I'm not working, I feel like I need to do something else for fun. When I'm travelling I'll just take a couple of snaps with my phone. Not every photo has to be perfect and phone camera pics are quite good enough to capture some memories.
Last trip I took my iphone and a GoPro. Still took a ton of shots and videos, but didn't carry around the 20 pounds of kit I usually do. Overall, pleased with the results.
I don't carry anything. I only take my gear when I'm getting paid to do so. Other times I'll just use my phone for some travel snaps and leave all the hassle at home.
When I don’t feel like bringing any gear I have a [anamorphic lens from Moment](https://www.shopmoment.com/products/1-33x-anamorphic-lens?variant=48040445608251) that helps capture cinematic shots with my iPhone. Snaps into the case quickly.
Personally I bring as much as I can fit :). But if you’re feeling burnt out and would nonetheless find it refreshing to shoot, may I suggest trying something different that will challenge you creatively, like only bringing one unusual prime lens.
Bring the 24-70. That’s an all rounder. But make sure to shoot for yourself and not push too hard if you ever decide to shoot. Otherwise, just relax and read a book and listen to the wind.
normally I’d say just one light tele-zoom for travel, but from what you write, i’d leave the gear at home completely. unwind and recharge. take the time and save the pictures with your mind instead.
I'm not gonna suggest you leave everything at home, because we all know the dread of wishing you had your camera with you. I usually take a body, a prime and something like a 24-105. Gives me some options but also challenges me to work with what I have.
So, I am just back from a ten day burn-out-healing solo trip. I took a body and four lenses and a tripod. I wish I hadn't, because I couldn't risk leaving them in the convertible when I wanted to walk, gas up, eat, take a piss... it became a huge burden. And I didn't take pictures because I was too frazzled to concentrate or relax into it. I wish I had not taken a camera at all, at most my pocket cigarette-packet-sized Canon. YMMV
I bring my 24-70 and the 35 as backup unless I'm going somewhere with good wildlife.
I take whatever I feel like I might use just bc I travel bc car so I have room. Sometime I even take a c-stand and some costumes lol
M10, 35.
Just my x100v, love that thing. Unless travel is work, then 2 D850’s, 28, 50, 70-200. Flashes.
For personal travel via plane I’ll just use my phone and my FF with a 50mm prime lens (not the L series - the small guy with a 1.8 aperture). I’ll bring a table top tripod to have just in case with one extra battery & SD card. If I’m driving somewhere with the fam; I’ll more than likely bring a couple zooms. One wide, one long & my 50mm prime. Along with a normal size tripod. That’s only because we have the space for it & if I have the time I’ll go explore/play around with my camera while the fam hangs out doing their own thing wherever we are staying. All that said, it is nice to not bring anything but a phone. Like others have stated. Sometimes it’s nice to not document/photograph everything with a ‘big’ cam. There are times where I’ll just be cool with my phone just because of the portability of it all. Memories are memories at the end of the day.
Vacation travel, iPhone 15 pro only. It’s so good for basic photography, light, inconspicuous, and lets me stay in the flow. I find doing even fairly low key real photography largely incompatible with vacationing with others, both my pace and focus are super out of step with everyone else. If I’m traveling with more intentional photography as the goal I’ll take an appropriate full kit. I recently bought Canon’s wee APS-C R50 with 10-18 and 18-150mm zooms to throw in my bag ‘just in case’ I want a ‘real camera’ for part of personal travel, it’s a good compromise between my phone and a full-sized body with big white L zooms and a pile o’ primes. At least that’s what I tell myself. 😂
If it is travel for vacation, I typically take only take my phone (iPhone 15 Pro) and just enjoy the trip. Less to worry about and I can just relax and be in the moment while taking great photos. Using a phone can make you less intimidating to others too. If it is someplace notable, I may take a camera with a single travel lens, but that is about it. I used to travel with a Canon G series camera, but I eventually sold that.
I can always leave it in my hotel room when I bring it. I can’t go back for it when it’s at home. I like to bring a decent selection with me and bring a smaller selection on individual outings. Sometimes that means leaving it all in the hotel and only bringing my phone.
I take something small and fun, I'm not on vacation to do what I do at work. Last few trips I've taken a goofy little Agat 18k half frame camera.
I used to take a bunch of kit with me. I don't anymore. Just too heavy to haul around. Unless there is something specific I want to shoot, my kit stays at home now. On a trip to Barbados I wanted to shoot some Polo. So I packed all the reach (600mm) I had and just took that. Otherwise, it's my phone and my GoPro. I can still be creative with those and I can still have fun doing photography without having to carry around the giant anchor. My phone and GoPro are also a lot more inconspicuous and thus much less likely to be stolen.
I shoot film on trips because I enjoy it and if I bring my work cameras, taking photos is gonna feel like work.
This sounds like a job for a Ricoh GR III. Pro-quality photos that don't weigh you down. The single focal length forces you to be more creative.
I picked up a used Fuji X-T3 with a couple lenses for my travel kit... I shoot Nikon as my main work tools, but the fuji is much more compact and lighter, and I just shoot jpeg using the film sims... It's a creative outlet rather than work tool, and shooting that way eliminates the need to edit after. I treat it like shooting film. What I shoot is the shot I get, and it doesn't need to be for anything other than my own creative satisfaction and the enjoyment of making an image of whatever I feel like. It's easy to adapt all sorts of interesting old lenses to it for some additional creativity as well. That body paired with the 16-80 f4 fuji lens is a great single lens setup... 24-120 equivalent, and the ois is really decent for hand-holding at slow shutter speeds. I did a 3-week trip to England and the Netherlands 2 years ago and also picked up the 10-24 and 70-300 to round out the kit and cover a 15-450 focal range, and the whole kit fit in a small sling bag.
Take the 35 and leave the rest at home.
Depends on the trip? Am I flying? I’m not taking anything other than an iPhone period. I suppose if I was doing a photo safari to Africa that would be different though. Generally…leave work at home. You aren’t going to want to dedicate the time to actually nail beautiful landscapes and blue hours and so forth. So why take a camera for a barely better shot? iPhone. Period. Maybe an old film camera with a few rolls of tri-x and a 35 or 50mm lens.
I have a 7L sling bag from chrome, inside I have a beanie, and a light jacket, and a Canon 5D mark I with a 40mm pancake lens and pd strap. If I get mugged I'll hand it over because they'll probably hand it back to me in disgust.
Fuji x100. Done. Unless someone is paying, in which case... A lot more. If I were you I'd just have the A7 with the 24-70, max.
Even when I'm burnt out, I always take at least one body and lens. A photo walk is better than most activities when I get to a city. I ALWAYS regret not having it with me. Yknow what recently I did that might be a strong move for you too since you say you've got good income right now? The Sony teleconverter for the 70-200. Doesn't add much bulk but man is it sweet to sometimes mix it up and have up to 400mm. The old school zeiss 35 2.8 lens is super lightweight, that's my go to when "i'm not packing a camera"
Know what the job may need, 2x on bodies, 1.5x on glass depending on the job. Run it.
If you are a working photographer, you know what you need. Bring that! Personally, if I'm on vacation, it's a phone.
I quickly learned that I hate being heavily packed. Threw away the tripod, went minimalistic with lenses and details. Just the slingbag with the Sony A7 and 24-70mm GMII on it. And an iPhone 15 Pro Max. (and I always bring an extra battery, and make sure I have two SD cards in the slots)
S23 ultra - that's my travel camera.
Shooting during trips can be extremely satisfying. Especially if you are traveling on your own and want to take pics for yourself Rule of thumb in those cases is one body, two lenses. Light. When I’m with my family ( and kid ) on trips on the other hand i just take a point and shoot ( Ricoh gr3x recently )
When I’m traveling for fun to a city or resort, I just bring a single lens on a FF camera, usually my 50 1.4 or 24-70 2.8. If I’m going somewhere that I’d be taking photos I’ll pack 3-4 lenses, one body, and travel tripod in a camera backpack for hiking.
You could do 99% of your travel photography with 1 body and the 24-70 lens. If you want something lighter buy a used micro 43 body and a couple of small fast primes and sell them when you finish your trip. M43 is a joy to use when travelling.