Imagine the following scenario: You're going on a one day city trip to a place you've never been.
You'll likely be out from morning until after dark and you'll be doing a ton of walking. The last thing you want to do is to slow yourself down with a heavy camera bag.
That being said, you'll be encountering a bunch of new scenes and maybe you get to see a gorgeous sunset. Who knows when you'll be back to shoot these things again?
What is the very minimum amount of camera gear that you can bring to still shoot high quality timelapse footage?
It's specifically for this scenario that I've made the following video.
Timelapse camera
The Canon EOS 6DMkII is a great all round timelapse camera. It features a built in timelapse intervalometer, has a 4K timelapse movie mode and shoots holy grail footage automatically (in video mode).
The battery life is great, and the flip and touch screen is super useful when shooting at weird angles.
It's got decent weather sealing and has wifi and NFC connectivity built in.
One of the few downsides is that it only has a single SD card slot.
Timelapse lens
The Canon 24-70 f4 L lens is a sharp, light weight zoom lens.
It has a dedicated macro mode, which allows you to shoot subjects from super close by.
It's got a 77mm filter thread (same size as my 16-35 and 70-200 lenses) and has great weather sealing.
The 24 to 70 mm focal length means I can shoot wide angle to tight, allowing me to isolate a subject.
Tripod
Depending on how much walking I'll be doing, where I'll be going and what I'll be shooting I'll use one of the following tripod solutions.
Smaller option: Manfrotto tabletop and micro ballheadgives you a super small and lightweight yet incredibly sturdy mini tripod solution. The only downside is that you need a surface to put it on and often it's not high enough to shoot over for example a railing etc.
Bigger option: Manfrotto BeFree Carbon FibreIt doesn't get much better than this tripod when it comes to weight and reach. It's expensive but I've had this thing for years now and it's never let me down.
Accessories
Don't save money on your batteries and memory cards, use legit brands because this will come and bite you in the butt if you don't. I use these Lexar cards and the original Canon batteries.
Polar Pro 77mm Circular Polariser – This circular polariser is my daily driver, great build quality and great optical performance.
The Lens skirt is a must have if you're ever shooting through glass balconies or windows. It blocks reflections and allows you to shoot otherwise impossible footage. It's lightweight and folds down and I never leave the house without it.
My bag of choice is the F-Stop Dalston. This is a day to day backpack that has a camera gear compartment at the bottom half that you can access from the sides. It also features a laptop compartment that fits 15 inch laptops and has a weather resistant outside. The top bit rolls out and you'd be very surprised at how much gear you can fit in here!
If you'd like to learn how to shoot amazing timelapses, check out my e-books.
