Is Less Camera Gear Better for Your Landscape Photography?

Do you ever feel like you carry too much camera gear when out practicing landscape photography? A camera bag, a camera body, a trio of lenses, batteries, filters, a tripod, maybe a drone or action cam: it all adds up. This video looks at taking a minimal approach and some of the advantages that it brings.

In this video, Henry Turner heads out into the Lake District with a minimal camera gear setup for an evening of landscape photography. Normally, he is like many of us landscape photographers, heading out with a large camera backpack filled with a variety of camera gear and tripods.

Turner first looks at the mid-sized hip pack he downsized to for this trip. He then shows the camera equipment he packed, including the Nikon Z30 camera body, a Nikon 24-200mm lens, a circular polarizing filter, and spare batteries he is carrying in the hip pack.

Turner then covers several of the advantages of not overpacking and taking a minimal approach. Some of the key advantages include better mobility, which allows better movement along the trail and access to gear, all while having less fatigue from carrying a heavy camera backpack.

Turner utilizes a key camera technique to help facilitate a one-lens setup, which he demonstrates in the video. It is a very handy technique to help reduce the number of lenses a photographer might carry.

As a habitual overpacker, I found the video quite useful, and it has me wanting to try a few landscape photography trips with a minimal camera gear setup.

Jeffrey Tadlock is an Ohio-based landscape photographer with frequent travels regionally and within the US to explore various landscapes. Jeffrey enjoys the process and experience of capturing images as much as the final image itself.

It depends.

I agree - it can depend. I know there are times I wish I didn't choose to lug so much camera gear on every trip.

What are some of the deciding factors for you? Are there times you think a minimal approach is best?

There are too many factors to list, but, generally, if I'm going somewhere I've never been and will likely never go again, I'm taking everything I might want for the type of location and depending on the approach: car vs walk vs hike vs long hike vs long hike in the mountains where I live. If it's somewhere I've been, and know what to bring, I'll bring that. If it's somewhere I've never been but will be able to visit again, I'll take the bare minimum (D750 + 28-300/18-35; no tripod) and also depending on the approach.

It sounds like you go through a very similar decision process as me! When I travel, I tend to bring my normal trio of lenses (14-30, 24-120, 100-400). Especially if the photography is the main point of the travel.

I'm actually traveling right now and those are the lenses I packed. Yesterday, all the things I photographed were short hikes, so I carried all three lenses. This morning I was doing a hike that was more elevation change than I get in Ohio and had to be back off the trail before the desert heat kicked in too much - so I only put the 24-120 in the camera bag.

And just caught you sometimes go with no tripod - I have a really hard time doing that! It is like a safety blanket!

I love using a tripod and have four (Massive, regular, hiking & mini), but that combo is for scouting rather than what I would consider serious photography.

Yep - tripod addict here as well!

Totally makes sense going without a tripod for scouting.

Jeff why not smartphone is the question... I mean are we really trying to cut down on gear or not? Isn't smartphone designed for this exactly? Are we going to print those photos in at least A3, or is it only serving us to record and share moments with others? Btw... Overpacking is story of my life... Proof below 🙈

Smartphone isn't a camera. Or smart! 😂

Its smarter than me for sure... 🤣

Now that's a camera bag! I'm down to pretty much a three-lens setup that I am very happy with if I am taking a "full kit". I do the YT thing, so I also have video and audio gear that starts to add up.

As for the smartphone - I think they are great for fast pics that look pretty good right after the shutter click. In fact, last night I was out at the Superstition Mountains with all my "real" camera gear - but took a quick iPhone photo that I ended up posting on social. It will be a bit before I edit the photos, and the iPhone shot looks pretty good! (I posted it with the comment - 'I hope my real camera shots look as good as this!'

This is only half of our gear. Landscape is 16-35, 24-105 and 100-400 with 2x teleconverter and 24/1.4 for astro... One camera is enough 😉🤣did you shoot RAW on iPhone?

That trio of lenses is a great setup - super similar to my 14-30, 24-120, and 100-400. I don't do

I did not shoot RAW on the iPhone.