By Paul Carter: Updated April 2024
I travel for more than six months a year and I am often away from home for months at a time so I only have equipment that I can travel and fly with and that is partly based on a 20 kg check-in allowance and 10 kg carry-on. I am also inspired by the ultralight backpacking community who weigh everything in their packs and I do the same. The items listed below are the core items of my wildlife photography and travel kit. My camera gear is centered on a body with a 500 mm lens and a back-up body with a macro lens.
Camera 1 setup:
– Nikon Z8 – my main wildlife camera (usually with 500 mm attached). 2024.
– Nikkor AF-S 500 mm f5.6 – my main wildlife lens. 1510g.
– Nikon FTZ Mount Adapter – needed for the above 500 mm lens on the Z7 body. 165g.
– Nikon Speedlight SB-5000 – the best of the Nikon range (2023). 418g.
Camera 2 setup and backup gear:
– Nikon Z7 – backup camera (usually with 50 mm macro or 24-200 attached). 870g.
– Nikkor MC 50 mm f2.8 – macro lens usually on Z50. 330g.
– Nikkor 24-200 f4-6.3 – travel lens; also used for larger mammals and whale-watching. 623g. Replace with NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Zoom Lens due April 2024.
– Nikon Speedlight SB-500 (spare flash/speedlight). 227g.
Lightweight tripod setup:
This is for use in confined spaces and allows for flash beneath camera (good for bats in road culverts):
– Tripod: Zomei T50 Portable Tripod Aluminum Alloy. 495g. There are many other options.
– Tripod Ball-head: SmallRig Aluminum Panoramic Ball Head 3034. 171g.
– Long Bracket: HITHUT PU-200. Arca-Swiss Compatible. 199x38mm. 128g.
– L-Bracket: 98mm and 64mm sides. Arca-Swiss Compatible. 92g.
– Tripod Clamp (Arca Swiss type): e.g. FOCPRO; with Hot Shoe Mount Adapter.
– iTTL Flash Cord: Vello OCS-NK3 iTTL Cord – 3 ft.
Tripod setup: Add the Long Bracket to the base of the camera or 500 mm lens; the ballhead is attached to that plate. Add the Tripod Clamp to the Long Bracket and mount the flash on the clamp (above or under the clamp). Connect the flash to the camera with the iTTL Cord. This is a lightweight setup and should not be left unattended, especially in windy conditions.
Other Optics and Electronics:
– Swarovski EL 10×42: they once fell off the top of a 4WD at 20 km/hr and onto rocks, still fine. 870g.
– Pulsar Quantum Lite XQ30V: setup and user tips here – after a drop or two it still works. 380g. This model is no longer available.
– Wildlife Acoustics Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro: for bat identification but use with care.
– Garmin GPS model GPSmap-64: 190g. My GPSmap64 sometimes has start-up issues and can then only be started with a powerbank; other users reported the same issue; I would not buy this model again.
Torches and Lighting:
– Handheld: Acebeam L18: 250,000 candelas; max 1500 lumens; uses 21700 batteries. 160g.
– Headlight (2024): HM61R V2: max 1600 lumens; High is 600 lumens with runtime 3 hours (on 3400 mAh battery included); 96g (excl. battery). $90.
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I use the headlight to light my way whilst I am thermal-scoping and generally only use the handheld once I locate a mammal. The Acebeam L18 has a has a highly focused beam and has replaced my Fenix TK35UE; I compared the numbers on both the Fenix HT18 and the Acebeam L18; the latter seems to be a better thrower, lighter and cheaper; and my Fenix headlight already gives me flood lighting when needed.
Batteries:
– Nitecore 21700: 5000 mAh (3.6V, 18 Wh). Model NL2150R. Recharge via USB-C port. 73g.
– Nitecore 21700: 5000 mAh (3.6V, 18 Wh). Model NL2150HPi. Can be recharged with a micro-USB cable through a small add-on cap (MPB21 Powerbank) which also allows the battery to be used as a powerbank. A small (11g) ML21 CRI light can be added to the battery for use as a reading light (80 lumens).
– Acebeam 21700: 5100 mAh (3.7V, 18.9 Wh). Model IMR21700NP-510A. No USB port. 73g.
– Fenix 18650: 3500 mAh (3.6V, 12.6 Wh). Model ARB-L18-3500U. Micro-USB charging port. 50g.
– 18650-21700 Sleeve: this sleeve with an 18650 can be used in place of a 21700 battery.
– EBL AA batteries: 2200 mAh (1.5 V; 3300 mWh); recharge with micro-USB cable. 19g. (USA).
– Beston AA batteries: 2200 mAh (1.5 V; 3300 mWh); recharge with micro-USB cable. 19g. (Thailand).
– Nitecore UMS2 battery charger: a backup charger that takes Li-Ion/Ni-MH/Ni-Cd/IMR 18650, 21700, AA, AAA.
Other Useful Gear:
– TurtleSkin SnakeArmor gaiters: reportedly tested with rattlesnakes. 270g.
– Crepe Bandages (2m x10cm): for compression on snake bites, ankle sprains etc.
– Leech Socks: calico; also good for ticks and micro-critters heading for your underwear.
– Leather Boots: Timberline Mt Madsen Hiking Boots (mid-weight; I also use them in the tropics).
– SOG Survival Knife (FK1001-CP): 4-inch tactical knife and bushcraft knife with full tang. 155g.
– Serpentia Collapsible Snake Hook.
– Pesola Spring Scale 100g. 33g.
– Korean Spoon: 37g (to open burrows of fossorial rodents such as Mole-rats, Zokors and Tucu-tucos).
Some events that helped shape the type of gear I use:
Backup Cameras: On a solo night-hike in rain in Borneo (2014) I slipped and rolled 4 meters down a bank into a rocky stream gully, coming to rest flat in the gully with my head next to a rock and a bruised hip where I had rolled over my camera and lens, in the process ripping my flash and hot shoe off the camera body. Since then I have always carried a second camera body with a macro or landscape lens attached. That strategy paid off on a two-month trip in South America (2023) when the shutter release button on my Nikon Z7 failed only two weeks into the trip and I then had to rely on my Z50.
Snake-bite Protection: In Costa Rica (2019) I stepped inches away from the head of a 5-6 foot Terciops pit-viper (Bothrops asper); I was lucky that it did not strike (three of my friends have been bitten by pit vipers). After that and other close calls I now always wear leather boots (even in the tropics) and knee-high snake gaiters.
Equipment changed out in 2024:
Nikon Z50 – backup camera (usually with macro lens attached). 510g.
Fenix HL60R headlight: Max 950 lumens; High is 400 lumens; uses one 18650 battery. 122g (excl. battery).
Lume Cube Panel Mini (incl 1200 Li-ion battery): Bought for macro use; mostly used in hotels. 110g.
Equipment changed out in 2023:
– Eneloop Pro NiMH AA batteries: 2450 mAh (1.2 V). 30g. Replaced by Li-ion AA batteries.
– Energizer NiMH AA batteries: 2300 mAh (1.2 V). 28g. Replaced by Li-ion AA batteries.
– Fenix ARE-A4 Smart Battery Charger: accepts 21700, 18650, AA and AAA. 271g. No longer needed as Li-Ion batteries charged by USB cables.
– Anker Powerbank: 10,000 mAh. 205g. Replaced by Nitecore NL2150HPi battery with powerbank cap.