Backpacking with a camera, do or don’t?

Traveling the world whith a backpack is one of the best ways to discover our globe. Roaming the world like this is amazing and the freedom of not carrying a trolley pays off in most situations. But there is an exception, when you love travel photography too. In this case, you will have the problem of weight and space and the usual question arises: Backpacking with a camera or without one?

How much are you willing to carry

I think this is the main question you must ask before deciding whether you will be carrying your camera. If you are extremely fit and don’t have any problem carrying 25kg in your back for hours…. Well, first congrats, and second, you can stop reading! Ha! In any case, if you are a normal human being, my guess is that you want to carry as little as possible (here you have some tips on how to master travel light!). Then you only have once choice: you will have to reach a compromise between your camera and the rest of your luggage. At this point you should consider the size of the backpack that you want to carry and the type of camera that you need.

The size of the backpack

Depending on the weather in your destination you will have to carry a bigger or smaller volume. If you are traveling to warm weather, you won’t need more than 40L for clothes, toiletries and shoes. In the other hand, if you are heading towards colder locations, you will need a bit more, specially if you want to ski. If you are only going to spend some time in a slightly cold place, you should be fine with 50 to 70L. But if you plan on skiing… I am not sure backpacking is the best option.

Choosing the right type of backpacking camera

Then, you will need to consider the type of camera you want to carry. Nowadays mobile phones can be amazing. Some of the latest iphones and most Samsungs have awesome cameras in their back. If you are a good photographer, it is likely you will get nice pictures with good composition and lines. But, if you are indeed a good photographer, you will want to take it up a notch and a simple phone will not be enough.

If you want to get the perfect backpacking camera you will have to choose between a compact camera, a bridge camera, DSLR or EVIL.

A compact or point-and-shoot camera

Although the quality of a compact camera can be matched by many phones, it is the type of camera almost everyone has at home. And it weights close to nothing. It is often a relic from the pre-smart phone era but there were some very good instruments out there. For example, I had an Olympus that could take very good shots. If you really like photography you will soon notice, like I did, that the control you have over the parameters of the shot is not enough. The following types of cameras are the solution to this problem!

Bridge cameras

These cameras are a bridge (hehehe) between a compact camera and a DSLR. These are a good choice of backpacking camera because they don’t weight or take up much space. With them, you can choose parameters such as speed and light, they are the next step. They have a problem too. Even though you can have very long zooms, bridge cameras do not allow the exchange of lenses. Depending on your level of expertise, this could be a nice option to travel with a backpack: with a battery these will weight less than 1kg and will only take up about 5L of your backpack.

DSLR

The next logical step are “Digital Single Lens Reflex Cameras”, also known as DSLRs or simply Reflex. These cameras are perfect for people who want to control their shots. Or at least they want to learn how to do it! They can range in price from 300€ to several thousands but you can get professional shots with them. They are awesome and a fantastic option if you are an amateur aiming to improve. The problem is that they are bulky and heavy. A DSLR with its battery often reaches 1kg, and that’s without even considering lenses. A camera and a 2-3 lenses plus a camera bag can often increase the weight of your luggage 2-3kg. And that’s without considering the space they need. If you decide to get one, keep in mind that you will need about fifteen extra liters in your backpack.

The “Pro” option, EVIL cameras or mirrorless

The last (and more expensive) option are EVIL cameras. These cameras are similar to DSLRs but they are mirrorless. This “little” modifications makes these cameras lighter and smaller, which is crucial in a camera for backpacking. Also, it makes them way more expensive. In the past few years, the price of these babies has gone down significantly, but their price is still well above DSLRs. Moreover, you’ll find less lenses available for these models. Expect size and dimensions similars to a bridge camera, but consider how many extra lenses you want to carry!

Backpacking with a camera, yes or not?

If you like photography, I think this should not even be a question. Yes, phones take amazing shots, but you can get even better ones with a real camera. Moreover, the price of some compact and bridge cameras is actually cheaper than some very (good and) expensive phones so take that into account if you are considering buying a phone only for its camera.

I hope I convinced you to buy a camera if you don’t have one already. And now you have an approximation of the space you will need and the extra weight you will be carrying!