The Travel Series: Jet-Set Shooting with Mirrorless Cameras and iPad Apps

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Imagine traveling with a small camera kit that weighs less than 5 pounds and produces photographs worthy of a National Geographic photographer. Imagine being able to shoot all day, walk to the top of the mountain, and not have an aching back? Then imagine returning home and all the post-processing work is done and your images are ready to be printed or posted to your blog. How about traveling with just one rolling suitcase and a small camera bag while avoiding checking-in luggage? In short, carry-on luggage rocks! Checking bags is time consuming and can be problematic—light travelers are happier travelers. If this sounds like a dreamy way to travel and shoot, then read on and learn how the Jet Set Photographer travels.

Above image: Highway overpass between Monterey and Zacatecas, Mexico 
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Zeiss 12mm f/2.8; 1/480 second, f/9; ISO 200 

The Gear

For starters, unless you have been happily shooting under a rock with your ancient Canon Rebel XT (or Canon T70 for that matter,) the newest thing to cause excitement in digital photography is the rise of the Mirrorless Camera. These cameras offer all the quality and speed of their larger and older brother, the DSLR, but without the size and weight. How do they do this? They incorporate an electronic viewfinder instead of the pentaprism system that a DSLR utilizes, which vastly reduces the cameras’ size while making them perfect for travel photography. They don’t have the “hump” on the top of the camera!

Cortona, Italy
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Zeiss 12mm f/2.8; 1/55 second, f/8; ISO 200 

The only real shortcoming mirrorless cameras have is the lack of super-fast telephoto lenses and very high frame rates. I would still recommend a DSLR for anyone shooting sports or doing wildlife photography. But for travel, they are absolutely perfect. There are many camera offerings and all of the choices will yield results equal to your photographic skill. If I had to offer camera suggestions, I can only make general statements about some select brands.

Olympus produces mirrorless cameras with very accurate focus and a fine assortment of lenses. The cameras are also ergonomically dynamic. The only downside to Olympus is the menu system―while being extremely comprehensive, the navigation can be clunky. Panasonic has a cult following, and the Lumix GH4 is also known as the best in class for video. Can’t say I’m a huge fan of its menu navigation either, but it’s a solid performer. Sony might be the best of all the worlds, great for stills, excellent for video, proven performers, and the company offers two types of Mirrorless systems, the Alpha (formerly the NEX system) and the A series. The Alpha sports an APS-C-size sensor and the A series is the first interchangeable full-frame mirrorless sensor camera. The a7S offers outstanding dynamic range and is a new standard for video. Nikon presents some unique features, especially in the Nikon V 3, which can shoot slow-motion video and has an amazing burst rate of 20 frames per second! Don’t let the small 1-inch-size sensor fool you, this camera performs. Personally, I’m a huge fan of the Fujifilm XT1. Fujifilm roared back to the camera market with this line of mirrorless models, featuring their super-high-quality X-Trans sensor and a matching line of high-performance lenses that have become new classics (like the 23mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.2). The super-easy ergonomics and menu navigation set these cameras apart from all the others, and is one reason I shoot with them. However, if you want video, the Fujifilm cameras are really created for the still photographer—they are behind the others in terms of video capabilities.

  

Guanajuato, Mexico
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Fujifilm 35mm f/1.4; 1/600 second, f/5.6 

Considering lenses, I would like to point out a tenet of travel photography that emphasizes a sense of place. In short, your image should imbue the local flavor and suggest to the viewer what it would be like to be there. Generally, this means that you want to include a foreground, a subject, and a great background in the image so you have many elements in the photograph to illustrate that sense of place. That will be hard to do with a tele! Travel photography is the realm of wide-angle lenses. I love to shoot with fast, prime wide angles. For Fujifilm X system and Sony NEX/Alpha cameras, we are blessed with exceptional Zeiss Touit lenses, in particular, the Zeiss 12mm Touit, which delivers a crisp-cornered, super-sharp extreme wide angle that is capable of making dynamic images. Another aspect of primes that you are going to love is they tend to be both smaller and lighter weight than zooms. Bonus! This last comment on primes might be a little hard to quantify, but I, as well as many pros believe it all the same: primes make you a better photographer. You have to work a little bit harder to make that well-composed image than with a zoom lens. You “feel” the focal length better and have to physically move backward or forward to control the cropping. This extra work will translate into being more intimate with the subject and you will find that, while it slows you down, you will come away with an image containing more soul.

There is no better way to edit your images on the road and stay connected while traveling than with an Apple iPad. The iPad is a wonderful tool with excellent native color management and an elegant, easy-to-use IOS. You can get a full-size iPad or go with the mini; either way they are superior to traveling with a laptop, due to their small size. Have you ever tried to use a laptop on a plane? In coach? It’s really quite difficult. The other benefits of the iPad are that you can use it for other travel necessities, such as reading books, checking email, and posting your best images to your social media outlets (twitter and Facebook), which is a great way to let your friends know what you are up to.

Aguascalientes, Mexico
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Fujifilm 18mm f/2.0; 1/45 second, f/2.0 

The iPad can’t run Photoshop―it’s not that powerful. However, for the Jet Set iPad traveling photographer there is Google’s Snapseed. Snapseed is a free app that works with jpegs extremely well and, the best part: Snapseed maintains your files’ original size (other apps can shrink photos). When I process jpegs from my Fujifilm Xpro1, I end up with 45.5MB files. Snapseed maintains a high level of inherent image quality with little effort. Play with the Drama filter, convert to B&W, or use the Grunge filter. They are all winners!

So now you have a mirrorless camera system, complete with great lenses, to create awesome travel photographs. You will need a few more items to be a Jet Set travel photographer, such as card readers and the perfect travel camera bag. Almost all mirrorless cameras use SD memory, and if you are working with an iPad generation 1, 2, or 3, then go for the Apple Camera Connection kit. If you have a Mini or iPad 4, then go with the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader. Camera bag choice is something about which I feel strongly. I think that a discreet bag with lots of pockets is the way to go. I say “discreet” because sometimes your travels won’t take you to posh destinations, and thieves with good taste in cameras are everywhere. The best defense―camouflage it with a bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag! My first choice is the Domke F803 satchel. They travel great, offer protection, can hold it all, have lots of pockets, and the best part, the Domke doesn’t look like a camera bag. Domke also offers custom inserts, so you can take your favorite old army satchel or shoulder bag and convert it to a camera bag.

For our Gear Wishlist, have a look here

Cortona, Italy
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Zeiss 12mm f/2.8; 1/1700 second, f/2.8; ISO 200 

The Workflow

The cornerstone to the Jet Set travel photographer is a disciplined workflow using the iPad. This workflow is made to be used after each segment of the trip. Ideally, you should be editing and downloading during your down time between sights. This includes: on flights, buses, before you go to sleep, and breaks. Since the iPad does not have unlimited storage and Snapseed can only work on images that are local on the iPad, you need to be very diligent and exercise prudence when choosing which images to download and perform post processing with Snapseed. I recommend using your camera playback function and a Hoodman Collapsible Hood Loupe to review your images in-camera. By picking only the best shots and being decisive with your edit, you then download the images to your iPad. After you download, the iPad will ask if they should be deleted from the memory card. Make sure you keep the images. Once images are downloaded, you may edit them with Snapseed and they will be saved to the camera roll. I would also encourage you to set up folders for each trip in the photo app so you can stay organized. Once you have returned home, you can download the cards to your PC and archive them securely. By using an app called Photo Transfer, you can take the images you edited in Snapseed and save them to a folder in your archive. I like to call these images, “worked.” At this point, you have images you shot unprocessed out of the camera and images you already edited available for printing, making a book, or to just add to your blog.

Cortona, Italy
Fujifilm X-Pro1; Fujifilm 18mm f/2.0; 1/900 second, f/4.0 

The end result is a body of work, edited and processed when you have returned home after traveling. For a more in-depth look at this process, please take a look at the B&H Event Space presentation on which this blog post is based. There is much more information in this presentation, such as workflow details, adding photo style and also a tour of Snapseed.

Enjoy, and travel lightly and safely.


About David George Brommer:

David George Brommer is a New York City-based photographer, specializing in alternative culture. In the mid-’90s, Brommer was the creative mind behind Suspect Photography, a studio-gallery acclaimed for exhibiting maverick and emerging photographers. During the past two decades, his extensive oeuvre has been widely shown across the country in several solo and collective exhibitions. In recent years, Brommer has become a sought-after speaker on matters of contemporary photography, as well as technical teaching. Among others, he has taught seminars at the International Center of Photography, The Maine Media Workshops, and industry conventions. Currently, Brommer is the Director of the B&H Photo Event Space.

 

23 Comments

A good article but too heavy on the iPad. I have a small Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II with Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens, Panasonic Lumix 20mm f/1.7 and am getting the LUMIX 35-100mm f/2.8. So far great clear shots, very little weight to carry about, and lots of fun. Hard to make good bokeh backgrounds but there is more to life than that... enjoy shooting! 

Excellent presentation . New to travel photography and going on a month trip to Paris and Morocco. Thanks for the great tips . This will be very helpful.

As I am getting up in years, I find my DSLRs are getting heavier and heavier.  Although I greatly appreciate their size because I have very large hands, I'm willing to make that sarifice to get lighter eguipment. A MILC system certainly seams the way to go.  I am particularly enamured with the Sony and Fuji systems. However, Since this type of camera is developing so rapidly,  I'm waiting to see what else comes ou and get more reviews as well as save the money to buy a system. Any additional input would greatly be appreciated.  Thanks in advance.  By the way.  I don't do video.

I'm wondering why you are so highly recommending the Fujifilm XT1 when most of the photos in the article were taken with the X-Pro 1. As an old guy who is happier with optical viewfinders I would probably go with the X-Pro 1. Are there significant advantages to the XT1? Thanks!

Some good info here. but way too heavy on the ipad crap. an android or windows tablet will do just as much or more. I'm getting tired of my DSLRs because they're starting to intrud upon my enjoyment. Looking, looking, looking at MILC because of lens change capacity, so thanks for sharing your experiences.

Hi David, Thanks for the great article.  I recently purchased a Fuji X-E2 and so far, love it!  Just back from California and it traveled well and took clear, incredibly sharp images.   I bought it with the kit zoom, Fuji 18-55.  I enjoy shooting architecture and architectural details as well as street candids of people. What would be your recommendations for my next two lens.  Thanks and you photos are impressive. Skeets in Florida

Some constructive pointers, thanks.  

Still shopping the mirrorless world while i tote my little Canon SLR with "travel" lens.  Addicted to zooms, for multiple reasons; shooting people who do not want their picture taken, being in fast-moving crowds where choosing distance from subject is a luxury, not being in control of personal transport.

Great article David.  I have a NEX 7 and iPad Air combination that I've been using the past year.  I love the stock iPhoto App that allows you to dodge and burn while editing the photos.  This on-the-go system frees me to shoot, edit, and share from anywhere.

I don't know what this article says, I stopped reading when I saw they neglected to mention one of the best selling Mirrorless camera systems in the world, the Canon EOS M and Canon EOS M2.

I'm a Canon guy, big time. In fact I just bought another, but to me their MILCs just don't make senseSorry you were offended but would love to hear about your use and success with their MILC. Maybe I'm wrong.

I have used Fuji X-Pro1 with Fuji prime and zoom lenses. Excellent lenses but Zeiss makes a difference when odd situations and difficult lighting is captured flawlessly.Love to see more articles on equipment performance and cultures.

I don't know when this article was written. But it must have been some time ago because Adobe Lightroom now lives and rocks on the iPad! Snapseed is so out-of-date!

Just great article! I am using now a Sony NEX-6 with a Tamron 18-200mm, which is about 60% less weight than my Canon 7D! The picture quality is really good. And excellent pictures!

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

 

Dave,  Cool article. Funny thing is I am going to Spain in a few weeks and am taking my Nikon 1J instead of my D700 and all those heavy lenses. I think its the perfect way to travel abroad. I love my D700 but I want to save space and weight and not attract attention.

Very good article, specially about the iPad. I never thought I could use it this way, and I liked that I can check all the gear at BH with just one click. Thank you.

Sebastian. 

I loved this article  and the photographs. There is a quiet quality to these photos most inspiring. I made me feel like taking my camera and going outside. Congratulations and thank you.

What an excellent article ! I'm an old film guy now making his way into the digital stuff. Your article was great and to the point.

The new Sony A6000 has caught my attention, and the lens selection seems better than average. I like sharp, and agree with you in your comments about prime lenses.

Please continue to write. B&H needs to give you a Gold Star !

Mike

Hello Mike.  a6000, eh?  Get it!  I have a NEX 6 and it is a fabulous camera!  You can get one for around 500 bucks now that the a6000 is out.  I played with the a6000 at a Sony store and the focus is wickedly fast.  I think it is worth the extra 300 bucks to go with the a6000.  Your are right, this is a very good article! 

Thank you Mike, that means a lot with you coming from "The Show Me State".