As the new episodes of On The Road with Alex and Ryan air on Adorama TV, I thought it would be the perfect time to update the viewers on the gear we used to shoot the current season in northern Europe. These trips are generally a month long and are massive undertakings in terms of planning and funding
The primary focus of the series is to document incredible landscapes, highlight local creatives, and explore the general process of adventure-based travel photography through photo and video. In order to effectively do this, we need a decent amount of gear, and this is what we brought to film On The Road: Season 3.
What’s in Alex’s bag?
Cameras:
- Nikon D850: The newest offering in Nikon’s professional Full Frame line, the D850 is a true beast of a camera. At 45+ megapixels, this camera is a dream for still images and it shoots beautiful 4K UHD video as well.
- Nikon D500: The last 2 seasons of On The Road have been vlogged on this camera and it has been indispensable and a true workhorse in the series. It doesn’t have the insane resolution of the D850, but its smaller file sizes make processing the days work much quicker without sacrificing video quality.
Lenses:
- 14-24mm f/2.8G NIKKOR: With an ultra wide focal range and a maximum aperture of f/2.8, this is one of the best landscape lenses on the market, for any camera system. Best used when trying to dramatize perspective or capture an entire landscape in one shot.
- 24-70mm f/2.8E VR NIKKOR: Probably the most widely used zoom lens by professionals and enthusiasts alike, this particular focal range can capture just about any scene and is a true go to if you had to choose one lens for an entire shoot.
- 70-200mm f/2.8E VR NIKKOR: Wildlife, action sports, portraits, landscapes: this lens can literally do anything. The telephoto zoom can provide the extreme compression that is optically unavailable to the human eye, which can be used to create some pretty unique images.
- 58mm f/1.4G NIKKOR: A classic portrait focal length, this lens offers great compression and beautiful bokeh due to its maximum aperture of f/1.4. Excellent results in low light conditions as well.
Drones:
- DJI Phantom 4 and Mavic Air: The ability to gain an aerial perspective on trips like this is a must and the variety of content created with this piece of kit is simply invaluable. The Phantom 4 is the much sturdier of the two drones listed and was flown when conditions were variable. The Mavic Air is so small and lightweight that it made for the perfect addition to any hike that we did. It can withstand the elements to a reasonable degree, but we only flew it when the weather was calm and predictable.
Audio:
- RODE VideoMic Pro: Many DSLR cameras have built in microphones, but they simply aren’t sufficient for capturing audio for a blog series of this nature. We used the Rode VideoMic Pro and it performed pretty well under the weather beaten conditions we experienced in Northern Europe.
Gimbal:
- DJI Ronin: In order to capture smooth, cinematic footage, you need someway to stabilize your camera while you film. We used the Ronin for all of our follow shots and to generate quality b-roll video as well. An essential tool for videographers.
Tripod:
- Manfrotto + Joby: We knew we had a good chance to catch the end of the Aurora season in Norway, so a sturdy tripod is an absolute must if you hope to photograph them. The Manfrotto travel tripod breaks down super small, which is pretty important when you are packing for international trips. The Joby tripod was attached to the vlog camera the entire time, we primarily used it at arms length for the trip.
Computer and hard drives:
- Macbook Pro + LaCie: A staple for any content creator while traveling, you need a way to process your photos and videos while subsequently backing them up to ensure that they’re not lost to damage or corruption. A MacBook Pro and 8 terabytes worth of external memory are the perfect system to edit and catalog large video files.
What’s in Ryan’s bag?
Cameras:
- Sony a7R III: Comparable in many ways to the Nikon D850, the Sony a7R III is an incredible system for both photo and video work. It was a new addition to my bag before the trip started and there was a small period of adjustment to be made. As I became more familiar with the camera, I was continually blown away by the image quality and the cinematic look of the video straight out of camera.
- Canon 5D Mark III: if you have the luxury, its always wise to bring a backup camera body while traveling, and the Canon 5D Mark III has been as reliable as it gets for me. I knew we would be shooting in inclement weather and was confident in the supreme weather sealing of this camera. When conditions were at their worst, this is the camera I pulled from my bag.
Lenses:
- Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM: This is quite simply the best lens that I’ve ever owned. Outside of the practicality of the focal range, I am always impressed with the sharpness, autofocus and lack of distortion.
- Sony 70-200mm f/4 G OSS: I was hoping to shoot some wildlife portraits and a telephoto zoom is the only way to do that while maintaining a safe and respectful distance from the subject. I also used it to create some fun road shots and was able to pick out details of all the beautiful mountains that we saw.
- Canon 17-40mm f/4L: A backup body needs a backup lens and I chose to bring this awesome one along. I’ve had this lens for awhile and have taken some of my favorite landscapes images on it. I love that it is weather sealed and super sharp, and at 17mm, its wide enough to shoot just about anything you want in one frame.
Tripod:
- MeFoto RoadTrip: Lightweight, sturdy and super packable, its the tripod I always take with me when I travel.
Computer and hard drives:
- MacBook Pro + SeaGate 2TB: Whether I’m at home or on the road, I always have my laptop with me. It allows me the opportunity to stay in touch with clients or edit a photo set wherever I am. The external drive has plenty of space for all my photos and serves as a backup device until I can get home and back it up again. Redundancy is the key to making sure you never lose your work.
Camera bag:
- LowePro Whistler 450: This is the ultimate camera bag, in my opinion. Theres a fully customizable ICU that easily houses 2 camera bodies and four to five lenses. It has room for my laptop and is water-repellent, making it my favorite bag to travel with.
Check out our first On the Road: Season 3 episode below, and stay tuned for more on AdoramaTV.
The Perfect Reflection: On the Road 3 with Alex and Ryan
