What do you reckon is the most gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, clothes-rending decision a photographer will ever have to make? For our money, there’s only one candidate. ‘What cameras and lenses should I bring on holiday?’
You probably had one of two reactions to that statement. Either you laughed, in which case this is probably your first time reading the mag (welcome!). Or you nodded sagely, because you too have embarked upon the trial of trying to put together a combination of camera(s) and lenses to deal with every eventuality – every shot – that you might encounter on your upcoming travels.
A set-up that covers your bases, but isn’t so heavy you’re always leaving half of it at your hotel. One that doesn’t cause an argument with a spouse, who has just discovered upon arrival in Antigua that earlier you nipped into their suitcase and swapped out their moisturiser and/or Kindle and/or insulin for an 85mm f/1.4 lens, ‘In case I want to shoot street portraits!’
If the above tale sounds hauntingly familiar, we’re here to help. Over these next few pages, the AP team has assembled a selection of bespoke mirrorless kits for travel – complete combinations of cameras and lenses that will cover everything you need for a range of situations, without weighing you down. We’ve crafted a mix of kits for different tastes, different systems and different budgets – but all of them are capable, versatile, and light enough that they’ll fit right in the case alongside your socks.
Kit #1: APS-C for Beginners Total cost: £1,537
Camera: Canon EOS R10 (£799)
A good travel camera should do a bit of everything, and the R10 does just that, at a sub-£1k price point. With a 24MP APS-C sensor and the RF lens mount, it’s got all the fundamentals you need to create images full of colour and detail.
Its AI-powered subject-detect autofocus, inherited from the sports-shooting EOS R3, can recognise and lock onto people, animals and vehicles with impressive accuracy. In a similar vein, its electronic shutter is capable of shooting at 23fps.
Travel photography is often about capturing one-off moments. For that, you need a reliable camera with the ability to consistently nail the shot, and the EOS R10 is streets ahead of any comparably priced DSLR.
Lens: RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM (£519)
RF-mount lenses that have been specifically designed for APS-C sensors are in short supply, so it makes sense to snap up one of the few that are out there as the workhorse for this set-up. The RF-S 18-150mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM is a dependable all-in-one travel zoom, weighing just
