Tanzir Uzzaman (@tanziruz) is a travel and landscape photographer who is always on the go. Because of this, he focuses on trying to keep his gear as light and compact as possible. When backpacking in remote countries or hiking up mountains, the last thing he wants is to have a heavy backpack slowing him down. Not only does he need his kit to be light, he needs it to deliver high-quality results, and those are what matter to him most when it comes to choosing his gear. We connected with him to find out more about his lightweight three lens Sony Alpha kit for travel and landscape photography.

See why travel & landscape photographer Tanzir Uzzaman goes with smaller zooms and one fast prime in his compact Sony Alpha kit for travel & landscapes.

Travel and landscape photographer Tanzir Uzzaman shares his compact Sony Alpha kit for travel and landscape photography.

Camera

Sony α7 II: This camera works great for my purposes, with its 42MP full frame pixels I am able to capture sharp detailed images. The image stabilization feature is essential for me as I am often shooting handheld images. The sturdy metal body has lasted through my travels in many countries and the weather sealing has allowed me to shoot in the mists of Iceland and in the sands of Namibia without having to worry.

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 16-35mm f/4. 1/640-sec., f/4, ISO 2000

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 16-35mm f/4. 1/200-sec., f/4, ISO 100

Lenses

Sony 16-35mm f/4: This is my primary lens that stays on the camera pretty much all the time. The 16mm is excellent for capturing wide angle landscape shots, with the option to zoom in for tighter shots if I want. The constant aperture of f/4 is plenty for my needs as I mostly shoot landscapes in daytime. It provides good bokeh as well. The main feature I love about this lens is its sharpness. It provides some of the best sharpness and clarity in images I've ever seen.

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 16-35mm f/4. 1/2000-sec., f/4, ISO 100

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 16-35mm f/4. 1/2000-sec., f/4.5, ISO 100

Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G: This is my telephoto lens I use to capture wildlife or super tight landscape shots. For a 300mm lens this is surprisingly compact and lightweight. The zoom range is more than enough for tight shots I take of landscapes, and great for most wildlife photography as well. For smaller subjects like birds or super far away wildlife a telephoto converter can be attached for even greater reach.

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G. 1/320-sec., f/5, ISO 100

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 G. 10-secs., f/6.3, ISO 2000

Sony 50mm f/1.4: This is a nice little lens I pull out for the odd portrait shot or if I need a larger aperture for some nice bokeh. For its size and weight it’s a great option to fill the gap between my wide angle and telephoto lenses.

Photo by Tanzir Uzzaman. Sony α7 II. Sony 50mm f/1.4. 1/1600-sec., f/1.8, ISO 100

Accessories

Vanguard VEO 2 tripod: I rarely use a tripod, but when I shoot the odd long exposure or astrophotography this little guy comes in very handy. Super compact and lightweight, it only weighs 1.3kg. It might not hold up in strong winds or when shooting star trails for several hours but for waterfalls, streams, or milky way shots, it's a great stable and lightweight tripod.

DJI Mavic Air: A great addition to my cameras for a different perspective from the sky. Looking at a landscape from above really gives you a sense of how vast some places are and also makes you notice things that would have been missed otherwise. The drone comes with obstacle avoidance and auto landing which has saved me in more than one occasion from crashing into cliffs or trees in remote locations where the signal was poor.

Hoya CIR-PL: A great piece of glass, I have started to leave this on my lens more and more. It's great for cutting out reflections on water or haze in the sky, and for making images pop out more and extra vibrant.

K&F 8-2000 ND Filter: This is a nice little cheap ND filter with 11 stops of reduction for those extra sunny days. The stops are clearly marked and there's no crossfading issues if I stick within the limits. The filter does add a slight green tinge to images but it's easily taken care of in edits.