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I don’t buy camera gear because a new model comes out. I buy it, learn it, and use it for years.
That is why my camera bag looks a little old school. My Nikon D80 has been at the center of it for a long time. More recently I added a used Nikon D7500. Around them sit five Sigma lenses, a Nikon telephoto I have owned for more than twenty years, a pocket camera and my phone.
This is not a “best cameras of the year” list. It is what I carry, why it earns the space, and what you should know if you want the same gear. Some of it is no longer made, and I say so clearly below.
My camera bag at a glance
- Nikon D80. My longtime DSLR. Discontinued.
- Nikon D7500. My newer Nikon, bought used.
- Sigma 10–20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM. Wide shots of landscapes, buildings and crags.
- Sigma 18–35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art. Low light and street photography.
- Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 EX DC. My everyday walk-around zoom. Discontinued.
- Nikon 80–200mm f/2.8D ED AF. Climbing and distant subjects. Discontinued.
- Sigma 24–70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Art. The lens that stays on the camera.
- Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports. Details, portraits and mountain layers.
- Manfrotto MT190XPRO3 and Befree Live. One steady tripod, one light one.
- Sony RX100 III. For days when the DSLR stays home.
- iPhone. The camera that is always with me.
- BAGSMART Camera Backpack. Carries and protects all of it.
You don’t need all of this to take good travel photos. Most days I carry only part of it. Having a bigger kit just means I can choose before I leave the house.
The camera bodies
Nikon D80: my longtime workhorse
The D80 is not new, and that is part of the point. It has traveled with me for years. I know its strengths and its limits without thinking about them. When something happens fast, I don’t hunt through menus. I take the photo.
Newer cameras have better sensors and autofocus. I won’t pretend otherwise. But a camera does not stop making good images because a new generation comes out.
Buying one today: Nikon no longer makes the D80. It is only available used. If you want one, check reputable used-camera retailers that grade condition and offer a return window or warranty. Ask for the shutter count and check the battery and memory card slot before you buy.
Nikon D7500: my newer used upgrade
When I wanted a real upgrade, I stayed with Nikon and bought a D7500 used. I got a much newer camera without leaving a system I already owned. All my lenses still fit.
It gives me more when I need it, especially with movement and difficult light. But it did not retire the D80. I use both. Some trips call for the D7500. On others I am happy carrying the older camera.
Why used made sense: camera bodies lose value fast when new models come out. A newer body in good condition can cost far less than it did new. That is why I am happy to buy bodies used, even though I prefer newer lenses.
Why I use Sigma lenses on a Nikon
A Nikon body does not need a bag full of Nikon lenses. I care about what a lens does, not the name on the barrel. Sigma has given me the image quality and build I want for less money than the matching Nikon lens. For lenses, I also prefer buying newer glass rather than gambling on the used market.
My lenses
Sigma 10–20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM: when the setting is the story
A wide lens shines when the place matters as much as the person. A market is more than one stall. A climbing photo is often more than the climber. The wall, the valley and the scale of the place make the image.
- Best for: landscapes, buildings, environmental climbing shots and tight spaces.
- Why it stays: it gives me a view my walk-around zoom can’t.
Buying one today: this is the constant f/3.5 version for Nikon F. Don’t confuse it with the older, slower Sigma 10–20mm f/4–5.6. New stock is hard to find, so it is mostly sold used or renewed.
Sigma 18–35mm f/1.8 DC HSM art: my fast everyday zoom
An older version of this page called this lens a prime. It isn’t. It is a zoom with a constant f/1.8 aperture across the whole range. That is rare, and it is why I like it.
The wide aperture helps in low light and gives me control over depth of field. I still get to change focal length without swapping lenses. On a Nikon DX body it covers a great range for travel and street photography.
The tradeoff is size. It is not a small lens. When light and image quality matter more than weight, I take it anyway.
Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 EX DC: the practical travel range
Not every day needs a special lens. Sometimes I want one zoom that handles most of what I will see. The 18–50mm range does that. I can shoot wide, then move to a normal view without changing lenses.
That matters because I am rarely traveling just to take photos. I am climbing, hiking or spending time with my family, and photographing it as it happens.
Buying one today: this lens is discontinued and only available used. Make sure the listing says “EX DC” and “for Nikon.” It is a different lens from the newer Sigma 18–50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary, which is made for mirrorless cameras and will not fit a Nikon DSLR.
Sigma 24–70mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM art: the lens that stays on the camera
If I could only take one lens on a trip, this would be it. It covers wide scenes, street moments and portraits without a lens change, and the f/2.8 aperture holds up when the light fades. I use it for golden hour landscapes and low-light scenes, where it lets me keep the ISO down.
It is a full-frame lens, so it works on any Nikon F body. On my D7500 and D80, which have smaller DX sensors, it frames like a 36 to 105mm lens. That makes it a superb everyday and portrait range on those cameras.
The catch is weight. It is around a kilogram, and you feel it at the end of a long day of walking. The optical stabilization helps with slower shutter speeds when I do not have a tripod.
Sigma 70–200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM sports: details from a distance
This is my modern telephoto. It pulls small details out of busy scenes, compresses mountain layers and lets me photograph people without walking into their space.
It overlaps with my old Nikon 80–200mm, and that is fine. The Sigma adds optical stabilization and weather sealing, which matter in rain, dust and low light. It is also heavy, about 1.8 kilograms, so it only comes when I know I will use it.
Sigma has since moved its newest 70–200mm designs to mirrorless mounts. For Nikon DSLRs, this version is now mostly found used.
Nikon 80–200mm f/2.8D ED AF: the old friend in my bag
I have owned this lens for more than twenty years. I paid about $300 for it, and it gets better value every year I keep using it.
It is heavy. It is old. It still does exactly what I bought it to do.
For climbing it is ideal. I can shoot a climber from the ground without making them a tiny dot on a huge wall. It also helps any time I can’t, or shouldn’t, get close to my subject.
Buying one today: Nikon no longer makes this lens. It is only available used. Check the zoom and focus rings for smooth movement and look for haze or scratches on the glass.
When the DSLR stays home
Sony RX100 III
Some days a DSLR and a bag of lenses make no sense. That is where the RX100 III comes in. A small camera is useful because you actually bring it.
If photography matters but a camera bag would get in the way, I travel lighter with this. Sometimes the right camera is the one you are willing to carry.
And yes, I use my phone
There is no prize for taking every photo with a “real” camera. My iPhone gets used constantly. For family moments and quick snaps, pulling out a DSLR would interrupt what is happening. The DSLR gives me capability. The phone gives me availability. They are different tools.
Tripods: one solid, one light
I learned the value of a tripod the hard way, trying to handhold the Northern Lights in Iceland. Every frame came out blurry. Now I own two.
Manfrotto MT190XPRO3: the steady one
This is my main tripod for night skies, low light and long exposures. It is solid, quick to set up and stable in wind. The center column can swing horizontal for low or overhead angles. The legs are sold without a head, so you choose the head that suits your style.
It is not light. It comes along when the photography is the point of the outing.
Manfrotto Befree Live: the travel one
On travel days, hikes and family trips I carry the lighter Befree Live instead. It folds small enough to strap to the side of a pack. It gives up some stability, but a tripod that comes with you beats a better one left at home.
The bag that carries it all
Bagsmart camera backpack
Good gear is less useful if carrying it is miserable. A travel camera bag has to protect the gear and still let me reach it fast.
It also has to work with the rest of my life. I may be traveling with kids, hiking to a crag, carrying a laptop or getting on a plane. I don’t want the biggest bag. I want the smallest practical bag for what I am taking that day.
What I leave behind
Owning gear does not mean carrying all of it. A street day might mean one body and one lens. A climbing day could mean the wide lens and the telephoto. A family outing may mean the RX100 or just my phone.
Spare batteries and memory cards always come. Filters and a tripod only come when I know I will use them. Everything has weight, and the farther I walk, the pickier I get.
How I decide if new gear is worth it
My test is simple. What photo will this let me make that I struggle to make now? If I can’t answer that, I don’t need it.
My bag reflects the photos I take: travel, street scenes, landscapes, climbing, family life, and images that sometimes end up with stock agencies. Yours may look different. What is worth copying is the process. Pick a system you know. Buy lenses for what you shoot. Look beyond the camera maker’s own lenses. And don’t replace gear that still does its job.
Camera bag questions people ask me
Are discontinued lenses worth buying used?
Often, yes. A good lens does not get worse because a newer version comes out. Buy from a store that grades condition and offers a return window. Check that the zoom and focus rings move smoothly, look for haze or fungus inside the glass, and confirm the mount matches your camera.
Will an old Nikon af-d lens autofocus on a newer body?
It depends on the body. Lenses like my 80–200mm f/2.8D rely on a focus motor inside the camera. The D80 and D7500 have that motor, so autofocus works. Many entry-level Nikon DSLRs and Nikon mirrorless cameras with an adapter do not, so those lenses focus manually only. Check before you buy.
What does DX or crop sensor mean for my lenses?
Nikon DX cameras like the D80 and D7500 use a smaller sensor than full-frame cameras. Any lens on them frames about 1.5 times tighter. A 24mm lens looks like 36mm. That helps with telephoto work and hurts with wide angles, which is why I keep the Sigma 10–20mm for wide scenes.
How much of this should a beginner buy?
Very little. One body, one standard zoom, a spare battery and two memory cards is a complete travel kit. Add a lens only when you keep missing a kind of photo you care about. My bag grew over many years, one problem at a time.
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- All photography guides and my story
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- Ten small details that make a great climbing photo
- Street photography for travelers
- How to make money with stock photography
- Turning family travel photos into passive income
- Kid-friendly climbing destinations
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