Panasonic Lumix GH5II – This is a micro four-thirds camera which basically means it’s a lighter-weight DSLR camera. Weight was a big factor since hiking is hard in itself and carrying around a ton of camera gear can make it miserable. This seemed to be the best compromise.

I’m still learning so much about this camera and I’m nowhere near an expert but I do like the Panasonic lineup also due to the cost – these are MUCH less expensive than other vlogger setups using the Canon or Sony lines.

The biggest challenges are low-light conditions and autofocus. I tend to use manual focus most often and manually refocus during a shot. Better than the focus pulsing.

I did buy this right before the Lumix GH6 came out, but I knew I couldn’t justify the added cost.

Lumix 12-60 Kit Lens – I bought this lens with my first Lumix G85 camera body and still use it today. It works well as a general-length lens. I like to have a little bit of a zoom lens since it can add some interest beyond just zooming in post.

I typically start our hikes out with this lens on and depending on the situation I may bring the telephoto lens below.

Lumix 100-300mm Lens – I bought this one pretty early as well – in early 2020 to help capture more wildlife. It’s a great lens and more economical vs. the Leica lens which I just couldn’t justify. Even so, this one was pricey (glad I got this while I still had my old job).

I added a mounting bracket on this one to help more with the vibration from being on a tripod (which you would definitely want when using this). I could only purchase it online through a very small company in Germany but so glad I did! I used the contact information on the website and sent an email.

You can see some of the videos with this lens when I captured bison and a herd of antelope at Antelope Island State Park and our video when went though Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky.

Lumix G Vario 7-14mm Lens – This lens was something I honestly wanted to play with, especially when heading out west with epic views.

This gives you that GoPro view with better clarity. It’s a pretty specialized lens so I don’t use it often. I wanted originally to try to vlog with it using the GH5m2, but I didn’t like the wonkiness in the background while I was walking.

However, several clips when we were in Zion National Park were filmed using this lens. It’s great for large views. Or very tiny areas – if I’m filming in our camper I do tend to use this one since you can get more in. But, I honestly could just use our Osmo (but I like the better picture from my Lumix).

K&F Nano-X VND Filter (72mm) – Similar to the philosophy of using my 12-60mm kit lens, I wanted to have a VND filter that was adjustable since I won’t have time to take on and off filters while we’re hiking – it’s just not practical.

This gives me the ability at the beginning of the day to determine if I need it (most of the time I do), and then I can adjust as needed throughout the hike.

I did try a lens that included some black diffusion but I simply didn’t like the look – everything looked muddled to me so I returned it.

I purchased a 72mm lens so that I could use this on both my kit lens (58mm) as well as my 100-300mm lens (67mm) and also try to minimize the “X” when using greater stops. Luckily, I haven’t had any issue with that!

I did purchase some less expensive step-up rings and I regretted that instantly. Had to return and purchased a 58-72mm and the 67-72mm step-up rings so I could use this on both lenses.

Peak Design Clip (V3) – We have 2 of these now (one V2, one V3). It’s great to have my camera on the side of my backpack – easy to remove, take a shot, then put back. I ended up adding one to Gary’s day-use backpack since sometimes we don’t both need to wear one. I’ll take a strap to hold the camera but I always have this clip if I need to climb and need both hands.

Honestly, I wouldn’t want to go hiking without this.

Osmo Action – We currently use 2 Osmo Action cameras and will continue to use these until they break. This camera is no longer available and the closest is the Osmo Action 3 camera – which will be our next purchase.

We like that the Osmo Action cameras are simple to use, and more importantly – they WORK when we need them to work. This was not the case when I first purchased a Go Pro 8 a long time ago. Will not buy GoPro because of this. And, Osmo Action cameras tend to be a little less expensive.

I do want to get these Action 3 cameras because of the cool magnetic release but I can’t justify the added cost yet due to the coolness factor. I’ll just have to wait…

Mavic Pro Drone – As far as our drone goes, it’s an oldy! I honestly don’t use this as much as I should. I’m trying to use it more to justify getting a newer one, but honestly this isn’t doing too bad.

I’m still eyeing the DJI Mini 3 Pro drone, though when maybe we can make enough off YouTube to justify a new one!

Foldable White Balance Gray Card – Especially in our camper with the softer light color, I have a hard time getting accurate colors in our rig. I’m still working, but when I use this to verify my white balance before shooting, it tends to make it a LOT easier. This is small enough for me to throw in my camera case and it’s easy to use. And cheap (er, I mean “inexpensive”).

Movo Mic – This was a pretty inexpensive microphone to use on my Lumix camera and it’s done well over the years I’ve had it. I don’t use it as often as I should and am starting to bring it with me more often.

When I first started video editing and adding voice overs, this is what I used (just left it on my camera but plugged it into my computer). Worked pretty well but now I use the powered

Camera Gear Bag – I have tried several bags on Amazon and ended up coming back to these inexpensive ones. I have one to carry my camera and kit lens with my Movo microphone, my K&F VND filter and my portable gray card along with cleaning cloths and a dust blower. The second one has my other lenses, more cleaning supplies and my rode microphones.

Rode Wireless Go 2 – I bought this when it first came out and this thing is essential when we’re in windy conditions. When I remember it, it can save a shoot. I Can use it directly with my GH5m2 without issue. However, I needed to get an adapter and a different cable for it to work on the Osmo action cameras. From what I can tell, the old adapter doesn’t work with the Osmo Action 3, so I won’t add it here.

Oh, these are what I use when recording voice-overs on our videos now. They can connect up to my laptop that uses usb-c ports using a specialized Rode Cable. A generic usb-c to usb-c doesn’t work unfortunately.

DJI RS3 Mini Gimbal – I just recently got this, so I’m still making up my mind about it. It’s certainly not great for any length of hike, unless you stow it then spend 10 minutes fiddling around with it to balance. So not very effective. Even as a mini gimbal it is NOT light.

That being said, doing product reviews, timelapse options (still working on that), and videos on working around our truck and camper seems like great opportunities. You’ll probably see me take it here and there. I’m still in the learning curve mode!

Lumix G85 with 12-60mm kit Lens – This was the first camera I purchased back in 2019 to begin taking YouTube videos. It was a great starter camera and I still use the lens.

Honestly, I’d probably still be using it now if it hadn’t broken during one of the first of our trips. The sensor went bad. Not a common thing according to the internets but I guess I was just “lucky”. I have since upgraded to the Lumix GH5m2 which has a lot more functionality. I’m glad I started out with this one, though!