What kind of camera do you have?

I’ve gotten a LOT of questions about what kind of camera that I use on vacation and my travels. With summer coming up, everyone will be taking trips and family vacations, and I know we ALL have iPhones, which basically records our everyday life- right? But there’s just something about taking a camera with you to document your time with your family or friends.

I was in the same position as you, wasn’t sure what kind of camera to get- didn’t want to get a huge DLSR that I didn’t know how to work-I just wanted something small, light and easy to use. Last summer on my 40th birthday trip, my good friend Nicole Gaylon, brought her Sony A6000 and was capturing everything with a breeze. It was AWESOME. I was hooked once I got my hands on it and was able to see how easy and accessible it was. As soon as we got home, I went to our local camera store and purchased one- and let me tell you, it’s been one of my favorite purchases, EVER. I actually got it right before we went to St. Lucia and that was the perfect vacation to take this new camera for a test drive.

One of my favorite parts about it is that it has built in wifi. WHAT?! I didn’t even know camera’s could do that. The fact that I can take a picture and then immediately upload it to my phone, that was a game changer. Remember when we used to wait for film to be developed?

photos from our St. Lucia Trip

What camera lenses or attachments do you have?

Now, I know I have mentioned before what kind of camera I have, but I also have gotten a few questions on whether or not I have different lenses or attachments. When I purchased the camera, I purchased it with the “kit lens”- basically the lens that comes with the camera. The kit lens is a 16-50mm. With this lens, you can zoom in and zoom out, which is a great feature to have, especially if you want that close up shot.

When I was first purchasing this camera, I asked the camera salesman if he recommended another lens to go along with the kit lens. He told me to go for the Sony 35mm F/1.8 prime fixed lens. He said that quality was a better buy than the kit lens and the photos are over all better. And YEAH, he was definitely right! I never take this lens off my camera, it’s the perfect match.

WHAT ACCESORIES DO YOU RECOMMEND?

One of the great things about this camera is how small and light it is to carry around. I’ve had people ask me if I use a camera strap and even with how small this camera is, I still use the basic strap it came with- because let’s be honest, when you’re at Disney World and you want to eat a turkey leg, you need both hands. But maybe a camera strap isn’t your thing, that’s okay, there is a place on this camera for you to use a wrist strap. Anne Claire has a Sony too, but she prefers a wrist strap over the actual strap. It all depends on your preference.

How do I travel with my SONY? I actually purchased a small travel bag. That way, I can store all my chargers, batteries and my extra lenses safely. We all know how baggage check goes at airports, and I would be SO upset if I opened my suitcase on my vacation to see that my camera was ruined..

What about batteries? When I purchased my camera, it came with one battery and a cord to charge it. I knew there would be times where that battery would be dead and I would want another one to use while that one was charging. So I went to Amazon, where I purchased two extra batteries that can charge right on your wall. These are perfect, especially for traveling and making sure you always have a charged battery.