My Top Adventure Photography Gear for 2024
Gear Preview: My 2024 Essentials
Chosen with eager anticipation for the challenges of 2024
By Sam Bugas - January 2024
To end a year is to look back at what defined it. What worked, what failed, and how can each moment ahead be handled best? To enter a new year is to take these reflections, to organize and analyze them, and to leverage your experience for a more effective year. 2023 was far and away my most successful year of both photography and adventure, and it left me with a body of knowledge I’ve never had before. If a stranger asked me to build a list of my essentials, the adventure photography gear I wouldn’t be caught without, this is the list I’d give. At the end, I’ll list some bonus items that may not be essential, but will most likely accompany me on most outings. As always, many thanks for taking the time to read!
Let’s Start with the Camera - The Nikon Z8
This is a photography blog after all, so I’ll start with my excalibur, my inanimate best friend, my climbing, hiking, and most consistent partner in pursuit, my camera. The Nikon Z8 has been my favorite piece of equipment to work with since first getting on a climb with it. The truth is that it’s a brute, and it wont fit everyone’s tastes, but it is uncompromising in its capabilities and yearning for abuse. Beyond shooting video-like frame rates in stills mode, and aside from it’s notoriously true to life color reproduction, and even ignoring the fact that it has the photo quality and sharpness to rival or exceed all other industry leaders, it’s the feeling in hand, the robustness, that has earned it a place in my pack. I feel as though there isn’t a setting or circumstance the Z8 would struggle to withstand, and that’s as valuable as the clothes on my back when photos are the ambition
Low Light
The Z8 handled a night under the Aurora comfortably with minimal noise and exceptional detail.
Weather Resistance
Soaked by the persistent pouring of water from the roof of this ice cave, and the stream flowing through it, the Z8 showed no discomfort. Since them, I’ve put it through enough rain to feel confident in any setting.
What Lenses Are Essential
I’ll keep this one short as these are the two lenses I relied on most in 2023. There are a few others that may be on this list by the end of the year, but today, these are my essentials
Nikon Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S: This is my favorite lens that I’ve ever used. The truth is that it’s not glamorous like a bright prime, doesn’t shock with it’s maximum aperture of F/4, and can’t compete with the ultra zooms like the 24-200mm or 70-300mm lenses used by many. What it does is produce nearly flawless results from 24mm all the way through to 120mm with as much durability as the camera I pair it with. I can, and extremely often do, utilize stitching to get wider fields of view, and with most cameras I can crop to reach further if needed. If I were left anywhere on earth and told to make a compelling photo book, this is the lens I’d have.
Nikon Nikkor 70-180 F/2.8: This one may come as a surprise to some. It’s not an S lens and it doesn’t reach all the way to 200mm or beyond like most of it’s competitors. Instead, it relies on simplicity and size to make its case. For the right photographer, most likely one that loves the range and aperture but not the typical size of other comparable lenses, this lens is unique and not to be ignored. In fact, this lens was part of what convinced me to switch to Nikon, and since doing so, it has been on my climbs, my backpacking trips, and all my travels. It’s never let me down.
Nikon Nikkor 70-180 F/2.8
Nikon Nikkor 24-120mm F/4 S
My Pack
I have a guilty admission… I haven’t invested in a true camera bag. Two years ago, my wife got me the F-stop Guru bag as a gift, and I had few complaints about it. Unfortunately, a man I now deem a pirate, stole the bag, and the majority of my camera gear at the time. I consider him a pirate because he showed up in a boat, stole the bag quite literally behind my back, and swiftly left to the sea where I presume he tossed my phone, GPS, and so soo sooo much more. It was a hard day… That pack aside, I don’t have a camera pack I can suggest, but I do have a pack that has empowered my adventurous and international pursuits more than any other.
The Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism Pack
When the walls are steep but climbable, when there’s snow on the mountain, when the skis are waxed and the skins packed, or when I need to ride scooters in eastern Asia, this is the bag on my back. I won’t try to convince you that this is a perfect camera bag, because it most definitely isn’t. However, I believe that I am in the minority when I say that a dedicated camera bag is an overrated thing. When I’m climbing a mountain or doing a multi pitch, I am most certainly not going to have a large camera insert in my bag to organize lenses and filters. Take that out and these camera bags are akin to most others, aside from the fact that they are rarely the best option. I speak honestly when I say that the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism Pack is the best option, at least for me. I believe we should all invest in the equipment that allows us to pursue our dreams and our dream photos. As much as my deceased camera bag of the past was a luxury while travelling, the Prism has served a tangible role in my outdoor pursuits for years. I suspect it will be there for most of my best adventures in 2024 as well.
Hyperlite equipment is a mainstay in my, and my wife’s, gear list.
Accessories
My aside for a moment is that if you have a camera, a lens or two, and a bag to carry them, you are in a pretty capable spot to head out and create. If, however, you are like me and gear is like gold, here are a few of my favorite accessories that I would consider nearly essential.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera Pod (Large Version): For many years, the answer to how to effectively carry a camera while keeping it accessible on the move felt elusive. I put a couple years of time in with the Peak Design Capture clip, and until 2023, that would have been at the top of my list. However, it was dethroned and replaced by the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Camera pod. The HMG pod clips on both the shoulder straps of my bag and sits in the middle of my chest. It keeps my gear cushioned and dry while weighing next to nothing. I’ve used it while mountaineering, mulipitching, and trekking, and it is nearly without fault. My only complaint is that I wish it were 10-15% larger for my plus size camera, and perhaps a touch more water resistant (I managed to get a few drops of water through the zipper system after hours of prolonged rainfall.
Garmin InReach Mini 2: As an adventure photographer, there are certain pieces of gear that are a necessity based on the amount you will rely on them in the field. However, being an adventure photographer also means putting yourself into precarious situations, often deep in the back country, and nearly always with at least some level of risk. Exposure, or remoteness, mean that even small accidents can have large consequences. This is why there are some tools that are essential, even when they may (hopefully) never get used. I 100% never leave for a climb, hike, or any other type of adventure without my InReach. This is first and foremost because of a single button and function it offers, SOS. If I need to get out, and I can’t get myself out, this button suddenly becomes the most important tool in my kit. I also use my InReach, typically paired with my phone, as a GPS system. Lastly, an InReach Mini 2 weighs only 3.5 ounces, meaning there is no excuse to not bring it along.
Safety Kit: Each adventure demands some form of safety kit. If it’s just a day out hiking, this kit is a pretty basic med kit and my InReach. However, if I’m out photographing while mountaineering, my safety kit includes a full crevasse rescue system, a glacier travel system, and the education necessary to use both. Research what’s needed and make the investments necessary to stay safe.
A Map: This could likely have been grouped in with safety kit, but I think it’s worth giving extra recognition to the importance of having a map. A map is both a safety item that backs up your GPS and your phone, but also a great scouting item for planning shots. Before nearly every outing, I sit down with a physical map and plan where I will shoot, which direction, which faces and subjects may be part of the composition, and so much more. Plus they are very fun to collect!
My Notebook: I use a moleskin, you can use a pile of printer paper, whatever works! A notebook has proven invaluable for remembering details of a trip, recollecting a special moment, jotting down photo/video/writing ideas, and so much more.
Lens Cloths/Batteries: These aren’t the glamorous items, but if you can’t see through your lens or you can’t turn on your camera, your gear and shooting intentions are all for not.
A Tiny Tripod: Truth be told, I absolutely hate tripods, and 99% of my work doesn’t include one. However, I’ve started doing timelapse’s and astro work more often, and in both cases I far prefer a small/light tripod over balancing my camera on a rock or pile of sticks to point it towards the sky…Although I have made a pile of sticks or rocks work on multiple occasions!
The Hyperlight Mountain Gear Camera Pod
Ignore my closed eyes and generally awkward demeanor, and instead note the camera pod on my chest. It lives there on nearly every adventure I go on, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Camera Batteries
The moment I took this photo was one of the best of my life. It was also quite cold, and I needed every last battery I had to make it through the day and night of shooting…bring more batteries!
Bonus Gear!
I’ll close this out with a few items that I do not consider Essential, but that I really enjoy using.
Nikon FE Film Camera: This is the first year I’ve shot film, and like the masses, I am hooked. Whether it’s this camera or another film camera, it can be loads of fun to include one in your kit with a simple 50mm lens.
Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Lens: This is the newest addition to my lenses, and by next year it very likely will make it on my list of essentials. If you like compressed scenes (super compressed), or if you are starting to dabble in wildlife photography, a super long zoom like this can quickly diversify and improve your portfolio.
DJI Drone: I recently picked up a DJI Mavic 3 Classic, and I have yet to determine how much I’ll use it. When they work, and laws allow, nothing else provides as much artistic potential. Still, I often struggle to get mine out and haven’t yet decided if it will stay in my kit.
Circular Polarizer: I have never been one to use filters. Modern cameras provide so much dynamic range and file depth that you can often create an effect after the fact. However, I recently grabbed a circular polarizer and feel increasingly confident it will always be in my pack. The contrast, cleanliness of the colors, and ability to dehaze certain scenes make it nearly impossible to recreate while editing, depending on the specific scene.
About Me:
I have shot photos for nearly five years, with a consistent focus on capturing moments of action and environment while I am outside. I’ve dabbled in quite a few different genres of photography, and I’ve found that my favorite moments to take a photo are when the wind is whipping, the air is freezing, and I’m far away from home. Over the last year, I’ve come to the realization that taking photos and telling stories are two very different things. My goal is to keep improving as a story teller that can work in the worst environments and come away with compelling sets of photos and written stories that help me, and others, to relive the essence of an adventure. I am focused on continuing to grow as a visual story teller so that I may someday leverage my skills to successfully work within conservation, expedition photography, and commercial photography.
Lastly, if you are a climber, backpacker, photographer, scuba diver or whatever else on the South Island of New Zealand, let’s get in touch! I will be moving there in a month, and I need as many friends and partners as possible to go explore the whole island!