Whether it is the fresh air or exercise that you crave, hiking is the favourite past-time of many. One of the bonuses of heading out into the great outdoors for a long trek is witnessing the awe-inspiring views that Mother Nature has to offer.
If you don’t want to rely on your memory alone and would like to have photographic evidence of those amazing hikes, it’s a good idea to start looking into hiking friendly camera gear. Ted’s Cameras are helping us put together the best camera kit for hiking, from the best camera and lens for hiking to important accessories to bring along.
What’s the best camera for hiking?
The best camera for hiking is a camera that’s good enough to capture the brilliant details and colours of the sights you will come across on your hike, and lightweight enough that it isn’t weighing you down.
You will be carrying a certain amount of non-photographic items with you, so your camera can’t take up too much space. While a DSLR camera is probably the best camera for landscape photography, it’s not the most portable option. A mirrorless camera is a much more comfortable and lightweight camera for hiking, and still captures great photos.
While you will no doubt be checking weather forecasts and planning your hike for the clearest and best day of the week, you never know when the weather can take a turn for the worst. For this reason, it’s a good idea to opt for a weather-sealed camera. This ruggedness also comes in handy if you find yourself trekking through dusty, dirty or damp terrain.
What’s the best camera lens for hiking?
Similar to your camera, you’ll want to select a lightweight lens to keep your kit portable. For the best lens for landscape photography, have a look at wide angle lenses. While prime lenses offer brilliant image quality, we recommend considering a wide-angle zoom lens as your number one choice so we can decide to shoot from up close or capture faraway subjects.
That being said, wide angle lenses can be limiting if you want to frame more distant subjects or looking for the best lens for wildlife photography. In this case, you can either consider adding a second lens, such as a telephoto zoom lens, or even swapping your wide angle lens for an all-in-one lens. As their name clearly states, all-in-one lenses perform the tasks of multiple lenses in a single package, although they can be slightly less portable than other options.
Once again, you can never quite be sure what mother nature has planned, so make sure you pick up a weather-resistant lens.
Other hiking essentials to consider
There are a couple of accessories that you can include in your kit to get the most from your camera, or to protect your gear while hiking. Here is a short checklist of camera accessories for your next hiking photography trip:
- A hiking camera backpack - A rugged and weather-sealed backpack will safely hold all of your gear as you travel. The best hiking camera backpack will have room for all of the essentials, including camera gear, accessories, personal items, water, and a tripod section.
- Spare batteries and memory cards - As you will likely be away from a power source for some time, pack enough spares so your camera doesn’t run out of battery during your hike. And pack some extra memory cards to make sure you don’t run out of storage space!
- A travel tripod - A tripod is great for reducing camera blur without boosting the ISO of your camera too much, and help you create images with better compositions.
- A camera cleaning kit - Brushing and wiping away any offending dirt and dust during your hike is essential for keeping your camera gear functioning at its best for a longer time.
- A power bank - For safety, you should always have your smartphone charged up and ready. A portable power bank should be kept in your backpack, so you can give it a burst of power if your hike is longer than anticipated.
For a good hiking camera kit that won’t weigh you down and will help you capture all of the best moments and views of your hike, head to your local Ted’s Cameras store or browse their online store. Their camera experts will be happy to help you pick up the best cameras and lenses for your next hiking trip!
Now that you know what gear you need make sure you enter year's Wilderness Photographer of the Year, presented by Southern Ocean Walk. There are luxury guided walks, PLB and cold hard cash all up for grabs! Click here to enter.
This story was sponsored by Ted's Camera store.