Cameras + Lenses

Sony Alpha 37

I recently managed to add this wonderful camera to my kit and I love it. I primarily bought this for wildlife photography (you can see the fruits of my labours here: www.curiosityphotographic.co.uk), and the Tamron telephoto lens makes genuine ‘wild’ photography possible in many cases where it used to be impossible (“you see that spec in the center of that photo….?”).It also boasts continuous autofocus and 7 frames per second, making it fantastic for shooting moving animals (or people!) and it’s a very good all-round camera as well. It has a panorama function that is just fantastic.

I use the camera primarily with the 18 – 55mm lens that came with it, which is a good all-rounder. Additionally, for wildlife photography I use a Tamron 70 – 300mm lens which I adore; it takes beautiful photos right to the end of its range and it has a great macro function.

Since I bought this SLR they’ve released a newer model of the same camera – the Sony Alpha 58 – I can’t directly vouch for it but it has very similar features and a similar price tag, so I would expect similar things from this camera.

UPDATE: I have recently upgraded to the next model up – the Sony Alpha 68. I’m still getting used to it but so far it seems to be a great camera and a good next step on my photography journey. I’ll update this page when I’ve had a little more time to explore the camera.

Camera Accessories

This is small, cheap and a great way to get images straight from your camera onto your laptop or another computer. I usually take two of these with me, just incase!

This is a fantastically versatile form of memory – it works in both my cameras with the SD adapter, and then it slots into my tablet as a MicroSD card. It stores loads of photos, too!

Travel Towel

Lifeventure Soft Fibre Expedition Trek Towel

I tried this towel out for the first time on my most recent trip around Asia and I absolutely love it. Ok, so no travel towel is going to have the soft, comforting feel of a normal towel, but then again they take up a fraction of the space (and weight!). I opted to buy quite a large travel towel as it seemed a luxury worth having, and I definitely think that was wise. This towel is a full length one (measures 123 x 80cm), it’s very soft and it dries unbelievably quickly – perfect for backpacking. It has also been treated with an anti-bacterial formula so it won’t start to smell after months of backpacking (I can vouch for that!). It comes in a case that I never managed to get it to fit back into as neatly as when it arrived, but it was useful nonetheless.

City Hopping Essentials

Scarfs and Wraps

I usually take several light weight scarfs and wraps with me whenever I go away. They take up very little space in your bag but solve a variety of problems – they can cover up your shoulders for visiting temples and religious sites (or if you’re sunburnt!) giving you a flexible outfit, especially useful in hot climates; they can turn a casual outfit into a fancier evening outfit if you need it, larger wraps and sarongs are also very useful at the beach and beach resorts. They’re also great for increasing the diversity of your wardrobe without adding lots of extra weight to your bag – one outfit becomes 3 with 3 different scarfs :)

Lifeventure Fabric Wash Leaves
Great for getting some laundry done on the go!
Just be sure to follow their instructions and don’t try and pick the leaves up with wet hands. You’ll end up with a sticky, soapy mess.

Into the Jungle

Platypus Hydration System

For trekking or walking long distances the platypus hydration system is a life saver. Mine holds 2 litres of water and you can choose between using a normal cap or a hose end – if you use the hose this allows you to carry the platypus in your backpack and clip the end of the hose to your shoulder – hands-free water whenever you want it, without having to stop to open your bag. This has been amazingly useful to me in Honduras, South Africa, Wales, Brazil and Borneo, and I would never go traveling without it.

Invaluable for any jungle expedition, it’s especially useful to have a pen knife that includes scissors (and a corkscrew! ;) ). The original and best, I love my Swiss Army knife.