Camera gear & Photography

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Smartphone cameras are pretty impressive these days, in fact, they have more or less crushed the compact camera market, and justifiably so. But if you are really serious about photography, then you still want to get your hands on a DSLR camera. Sure, we regularly use our cell phones to snap quick shots here and there; but if you truly want high-quality images and creative flexibility, a DSLR camera is the way to go. Although smartphone cameras are slowly catching up in terms of image quality, you lack the creative control over your shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings so that you can create those blurred waterfalls and beautiful bokeh (out-of-focus) backgrounds. Sure, smartphones can simulate these effects, but they are only as good as the software that they ship with.

What is a DLSR camera?

A digital single-lens reflex camera (DSLR) is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a digital imaging sensor. DSLRs largely replaced film-based SLRs during the early 2000s. The DSLR market is currently dominated by Japanese manufacturers: Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax, and Sony. Together, Canon and Nikon represent around 75% of the market is they both produce a wide range of DSLR models.

Our model

From 2010 to 2016, we were using a Nikon D3000, which at the time was Nikon’s most inexpensive entry-level model. The current equivalent entry-level camera is the Nikon D3500. We have since upgraded to Nikon’s D5500 camera (the most recent version is the D5600), which is part of the Nikon D5000 lineup that lies just above the Nikon D3000 models in the entry-level to pro hierarchy. We are extremely happy with the current D5500 and don’t have any immediate plans to upgrade.

Camera lenses

A distinguishing feature of DSLR cameras from most other compact digital cameras and smartphones is that the ability to use interchangeable lenses. There are all sorts of lenses for specialized functions, from wide-angle lenses for landscapes t0 telephoto zoom lenses for sports and wildlife to macro lenses for close-up shots. Although we have several lenses, we primarily use three lenses, especially when travelling.

  1. The kit 18-55mm lens. Don’t diss the kit lens. Just because it’s the most inexpensive lens (that can often be purchased in a bundle with the camera) doesn’t mean it’s not practical and useful. In fact, more than 80% of the pictures displayed on our travel website were taken with an 18-55m kit lens. While the image quality is slightly less than what you would get with more expensive lens, it more than makes up for it via its flexibility. The lower end of focal length (?18mm) acts like a moderate wide angle lens great for landscape and travel photography. The higher end of the focal length (?55mm) acts like a short telephoto lens, perfect for portrait photography to zoom on small details.
  2. The Tamron G2 150-600mm telephoto zoom lens. It’s an expensive and heavy beast, but boy does it deliver some amazing pictures. We primarily used it during out trip in Namibia 2019, but it was also great to capture the coastal wildlife during our 2020 trip in Gaspésie.
  3. The newest member of our lens family is the TAMRON 10-24mm wide angle lens. It is a great option for landscape and architecture photography.

Note: we recommend getting lenses with vibration reduction (VR) (or image stabilization for Canon users). This feature will allow you to take photos at slower shutter speeds than would otherwise be possible. This effectively reduces the need to shoot from a tripod when you don’t have the option to.

Note #2: You might have noticed that we use Tamron lenses with our Nikon camera. Tamron produces lenses for several of the major DSLR manufacturers, that are mainly available in Canon and Nikon mounts. Tamron has some excellent high-quality lenses in its lineup that are good alternatives to the more expensive Nikon and Canon lenses.

Lens filters

There are several filter types are there, each with its own purpose. We will highlight the three main ones here.

  1. UV lens filters. Although initially designed to attenuate the amount of UV light, these filters are primarily used a lens protector these days. They protect the front element of a lens against moisture, dirt, and scratches, which makes them ideal for shooting in wet, dusty, or muddy environments. If for no other reason than to protect your lens, you might want to consider a UV filter.
  2. CPL (circular polarizer/linear) lens filters act pretty much like sunglasses. They add depth to an image by saturating its color and reducing reflections. Polarizers are best for shooting landscapes. They darken skies and make colors pop, as well as eliminate glare and reduce reflections on glassy or water surfaces. You can control the extent of these polarizing effects but simply rotating the filter mount at the end of the lens.
  3. Neutral density (ND) filters reduce the amount of light that enters your lens and hits to the sensor. By doing so, this filter allows you to shoot with slower shutter speeds without overexposing your image. In other words,they are great for long exposures and action shots.

We are huge fans of B+W and Urth lens filters and have a CPL lens filter appended to most of our lenses. Be careful though when looking to purchase lens filters. There are a lot of cheap imitations that will not deliver the expected or desired effects.