Best Gear for Shooting Videos and Photos in Europe

Best Gear for Shooting Videos and Photos in Europe

This summer, my family and I had the opportunity to visit family that we have in Norway. Being a photographer, videographer and major drone nerd, I took this trip as the perfect opportunity to shoot some amazing photos and video. Given that we would be moving between different cities with my whole family packed into a smallish car, I knew that I would have to travel as light and efficiently as I could. Here are some tips on how to prepare with the best gear for shooting on the fly.

Pack Light

When choosing what to shoot with of course you want to bring the absolute best gear, but when you’re on the road, there are quite a few features to consider. I decided to bring my Panasonic FZ300 as my main camera, my GoPro Hero 4 Silver as my time lapse and action camera, and my DJI Mavic Pro as my drone. Fortunately, I also had a Lowepro Droneguard BP 250 backpack that held all my camera gear, spare batteries, chargers, 15” laptop, magazines, and even some snacks! One of the main things I needed was a way to charge all the equipment and found that a single transformer/converter, a US plug power strip, a European plug adapter, and a European plug USB charger were all that I needed. Because all of my standard 110 volt, US plug gear had transformers built in, I didn’t have to worry too much about using my transformer.

Choose Wisely

Let me start with the Panasonic FZ300. It is currently my favorite camera for taking video and photos while traveling. While is does not have interchangeable lenses, the lens that it has is a 28-600mm optical zoom, which allows you to get very close to your subjects! It has a flip around LCD screen for “vlogging” or “selfies” and it even has a 1/8” microphone jack for a shotgun or lavaliere microphone, which vastly improves your audio quality. Best of all, it is light weight and costs around $500 USD. This means that I’m much less stressed about losing it than other, more expensive cameras that I might use at home.

The next thing that I find essential for travel is my GoPro Hero 4 Silver. I use this for time lapse video as well as anything where my Panasonic camera is just too bulky. There are newer GoPro cameras available (Hero 4 Black and Hero 5), but I’m a big fan of the Hero 4 Silver because it has a built in LCD screen and a pretty good battery life. Next, of course is my DJI Mavic Pro. This drone is amazing! I own several other drones including the new DJI Phantom 4 Pro and the DJI Spark – but for travel, you just can’t beat the Mavic Pro!

It folds up into a very portable and compact package. It flies for around 20 minutes on a single battery charge. It takes amazing still images and 4K video. And it holds up really well in windy conditions, which there were plenty of in Norway! To hold all of this gear, I used the Lowepro Droneguard BP 250 backpack, which was perfect for my needs. The BP 250 has a special compartment on top that holds the drone and most things you would need quick access to while shooting. I often found myself taking the Mavic Pro up in the air while my family was getting a snack at a roadside rest stop. This quick access to your cameras and drones is key to getting amazing shots quickly, without making everyone wait around while you pack and unpack your gear.

Power Smart

Finally, for power, I found that all I really needed was the adapter that fits the “brick” (transformer) on my Macbook Pro, a European USB adapter, and a European plug adapter that I connected to my US plug power strip. I also had a small USB charger called the Hubmax, which came in handy when there were no outlets available. As I mentioned above, I did bring a 110 to 220 transformer, but rarely had to use it because most of my gear already has transformers built in or charges directly via USB.

Prepare for Takeoff!

One last thing to note is the question of flying with this much electronic gear on an airplane. In the US, the FAA limits the total amount of lithium batteries you can carry onto a plane. But not to worry, the limit is much bigger than your average photographer would ever bring on. I had 4 batteries for my DJI Mavic Pro, 2 spare batteries for my Panansonic FZ300 and 2 batteries for the GoPro. This was no problem. However, there are three things to keep in mind.

First, some airlines prohibit lithium batteries in the cargo hold, so you should carry them on with you. Second, it is a good idea to drain the batteries to below 50% capacity before you get on the plane. Drained batteries are less dangerous than fully charged batteries. Finally, it is a good idea to get some “lithium safe” battery cases to put your spare batteries in. These cases are flame retardant and prevent your batteries from possibly short circuiting by isolating them from other items in your bag. With those tips in mind, checking your bag through security should not be any problem.

I will say that Norway was one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. There were lakes, waterfalls, rivers and fjords everywhere. And having the right tools to document the trip was great. If you are interested in learning more the best gear for travel, about drones, or would like to see more video/photos that I took in Norway, please check out Ready Set Drone on Youtube or Instagram!

I hope you are now equipped with some detailed knowledge of some of the best gear out there for international travel and shooting on the go. Please let us know if you’ve had some good experiences with any other tools that you could share with community in the comments section below!