I haven’t but the time you don’t could be the time they decide to pull you over in a random check. It’s always better to be safe than sorry IMO

Thanks Darlene. Have you ever not done this and had a problem with customs?

It’s hard to decide isn’t it but once you got there you just made it work right? No matter what you brought?

Just go to the customs office in your departing airport or city before you leave. If you have the same gear no need to do it every time just keep the card with your bag and gear. If you get something new get it added.

I left the big telephoto lens, such as Canon 70-200L f2.8 at home due to weight and space. This was really tough decision because it is such a great lens, but in the end it was the right decision. I never missed it and only used the 1.4X teleconverter a few times on the 24-205. Never used the 2X teleconverter. Most photos were either wider angle landscape, both day and night, and indoors. My tripod is a Benro cftravel angel II. The tripod is a necessity for me since I enjoy late nightphotography. How can you go to London and Parisand not shoot night photos on the rivers?!

All of the gear fit intoa GuraGear Bataflae 26L including the tripod. The GG was only used as an airline
and train carry on bag. No camera gear was checked and I never had a problem with the GG as a carryon with all the equipment inside. Although expensive, the GG is definitely worth it. There are informative reviews for the GG on many websites. One side was for the tripod and small misc stuff packed around the tripod. The camera bodies and lens were on the other side. I made room in the GG for a Clik Elite Camera Capsule which held one camera body and lens. I also brought a ThinkTank CityWalker 10 for easy walkarounds. The Clik insert fit perfectly in the CityWalker 10 and made for easy switching. The CityWalker worked out great and is the perfect size for what I needed for day or night shoots. When empty without the insert, the City Walker could fold flat inside my checked luggage. It also doubled as a small personal bag without the insert and photo gear.

I did not take a portable hard drive for backup, but instead bought 2 Sandisk 128 gb usb thumb drives to backup the old Toshiba netbook hard drive. I also had enough CF, SD cards so that I never came close to using all the storage.

Thanks Darlene.

That one never occurred to me before. How do you go about doing that and is it a one-time thing (assuming you still have the same gear), or do you need to do it every time you leave the country? So far, it’s never been an issue for me, but I can understand how it could potentially become one.

good suggestion Blake. Leave the gear at home and enjoy the trip. (Unless you’re a photographer and want to take pictures when traveling and have asked what Darlene would do. Then.. Consider the information and use it if it applies to you the reader). As you say.. take a camera, any camera. Learn to use it without buying anything else. Good advice. Great advice actually. In fact… both are what Darlene has said, many times over. Her summary is the same as yours. Just take any camera and a couple simple lenses. So.. you’re on the same page. Thank you. In a previous post, Darlene even says “Learn to use what you have before you buy anything.

What’s happening here on this post, is that Darlene is answering the questions she’s receiving about what to take.. what to buy.

Nobody is “falling for” anything. They’re asking and she’s answering

Great comment. Thank you

Perhaps we should rather assist Mr(?) Lewis with some of the English words and sentences in the article.
It is evident that 99% of the article wasn’t understood………
The other commenters didn’t seem to have a problem.

yeah you can’t go wrong with that lens, look for them used you can pick them up for like $50 sometimes

nice shot!

My next step is to mirrorless and smaller lenses, maybe all primes if they make them.

You didn’t see my summary – this is a list of what I take as I get asked this all the time.

In summary: a camera, a wide lens, a normal prime lens (35mm on cropped sensor, 50mm on full frame), a medium telephoto lens and a bag.

See my comment above. I agree any camera, whatever you have. In fact I’m likely going to be getting a mirrorless camera and will be taking that with one or two lenses on my next big trip.

As for leaving your gear at home – personally I would not enjoy my trip if I couldn’t take photos. This is a photo learning site so I make the assumption that is what people reading enjoy too. I don’t buy trinkets or souvenirs, I take photos. So those are my momentos that I bring home. I feel naked without a camera and go to friend’s weddings with my gear also even if I’m not the hired pro.

I photographed my cousin’s wedding even though she wanted me to just “come and enjoy myself” I said that I could not in good conscience sit and watch another photographer doing her photos, and that I DO enjoy myself the most when I’m taking photos.

If that’s not your thing so be it.

that’s just what I take cause that’s what I have as a pro. You see my short list that is: a camera (any one) a wide lens, a long lens, and fast lens. That’s the simple list. The wide/long could be one lens like an 18-250mm. I still highly suggest the fast f/1.8 lens for low light also.

Yes depending where you travel. In Nicaragua not so much. In Asia, in cities, on every corner.

perfect!

Don’t fall for the idea that Darlene here is selling that suggests you need all that expensive equipment to travel.

Better yet, leave the gear at home and just enjoy your trip.