What traveler doesn’t like gadgets and techie things? To prep for my upcoming travels – I had to do some serious tech shopping during my time in NYC.
Low Light
I decided to purchase 2 new lenses for my upcoming travels. First – I wanted a better low light lens so I decided upon a 28mm 1.8 lens that should give me more ability to shoot those low light situations I’m always confronted with while traveling. Even though I have a flash – it sits in my storage unit as I just don’t want to mess with it. For me I’d rather have a lens that can handle the light situations better instead of carrying a flash and batteries with me.
Zooming In
In the hopes of getting some great photos ops in Antarctica I also decided to replace my long lens that I’ve had for 7 years with something that is a bit better quality (and unfortunately for my back – heavier) I got an image stabilized 70-300 mm lens. I don’t often use a long lens so I wasn’t prepared to invest a lot – but it is much better than what I had.
Finally – A Tripod
For 6 years I’ve avoided carrying a tripod. The thought of carrying another piece of equipment is a giant pill to swallow. I decided to sort of compromise and go with a Joby mini/flexible tripod. It’s not a full tripod size, but it’s also much more flexible as you can wrap it around poles which strangely seems like something I need. I’m excited to start to learn more about night photography now since I can actually do it!
Of course with these new gadgets come new cases, lens covers, and hoods – it’s never just one thing is it?
A Big, Exciting Phone Change
One of the most exciting new gadgets I am using on this trip is a new smart phone – the Samsung Galaxy S3. Every month that goes by I tend to use my smart phone more and more so it was finally time to retire my old illegally unlocked iPhone 3Gs. Thanks to my ailing eyesight and desire to have the best camera and video capability on my smart phone – I opted to try out the Galaxy S3. It has initially turned my world upside down as I learn a new operating essentially – but so excited to play with the image capabilities – I can suffer through the learning curve frustration. As an added bonus – the Galaxy S3 is larger than my old phone – which my degrading eyesight is happy about!
As an added bonus, my girlfriend Michaela has her share of new gadgets she’s bringing with her to Lana’i too! She just got the new GoPro Hero 3 camera so that we can get the best adventure footage possible. I can’t wait to see what she captures.
What new gadgets are you carrying with you on your travels?
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
