My everyday camera kit in Washington DC

My considerations when picking gear

One of the main considerations I think of when traveling is weather and transportation. Even before what focal lengths I want and what lens I will bring. Washington DC is quite hot currently.

So I decided to bring my Bellroy 10 liter Camera Sling as it will keep my back less sweaty than if I wore my normal camera bag. It has served me well as I can slide it to the front of my body when in crowded areas such as the metro or at attractions such as the Lincoln Memorial.

Limitations

With the limited space of a sling I had pick what focal lengths I would like to shoot. I typically shoot on zooms rather than primes but use the zoom as a prime, setting the focal length I want and walking around. Shooting telephoto is very rewarding too with the compression so I chose to bring the Sigma 24-70, Sony 50 1.8, and Tamron 70-180. My trusty GoPro Hero 12 replaced my A6700 as my “filming” camera. But I find constraints breed creativity as you no long are worrying what lens to use but how to compose using your current gear.

Why I brought a sling

One of the best things in my opinion about the Bellroy sling is the fact it isn’t made by a camera bag. So it offers me peace of mind that if my camera is in the bag I won’t stand out as photographer in a crowd. The ironic thing for me is that camera theft happens most often in “touristy” areas and those areas are considered “safer” in terms of normal crime in DC. Therefore many times I would slide the bag to my front or keep my hand over the zips while shooting one handed (mainly rush hour metro center station and the monuments at night.)

I was comfortably able to carry my Sony A7RV, Sigma 24-70, Sony 50 1.8 nifty fifty, and Tamron 70-180. I used my GoPro for B-roll for a video which sat at the top of my bag. Along with extra batteries and a battery bank sitting in the internal pockets. The most important thing was no one really looked when all my gear was in my bag while going to the metro late a night in grungier areas of DC where my AirBnB was located.