Hello and happy Friday Monday from a confusing week of weather here in Zürich.
We started off last Sunday at a glorious 26C/79F squinting into the sun, sweating a little, and watching children in period costume throwing candy in a parade for Sechseläuten. By Thursday, our lovely spring weather proceeded with a morning snowfall (!!!) that was fairly heavy, actually, at a balmy -1C/30F—which I stared at incredulously, while sipping my first coffee of the day, after putting on a big Irish sweater.
This California-born girl will just never get used to snow in April. It still feels like a novelty. I don’t hate it. Actually, unlike everyone else, I seem to enjoy winters and unpredictable springs here quite a bit. It’s fun, and lush, and if only I skied!
Onward.
This post is going to be all about gear and recent purchases. It’s a bit of a follow up to my Miscellany post a couple weeks back.
A bit of background
I have been a Nikon user since about 2007 when I got my first dSLR, the D40, then moved on to a D300, D810, D850 and Z6. I have had a few years of limited use with the Z6, and I loved the smaller package but with a sensor not far off my D850. I got used to loving the ease of the flippy digital touchscreen in the back, and also the image preview in the viewfinder. Plus, the results from my Z6 spoke for themselves. Great low-light capability, fast, quiet, a breeze to use and a terrific backup camera. Up until now, I hadn’t used any native Z lenses with it because I had a ton of nice FX ones already. Besides, I had the adapter, and I wasn’t ready to invest in Z lenses, yet. I wanted to see how I felt about the camera first.
Then the pandemic hit. Work slowed considerably. And my life drastically changed.*
*I weathered the pandemic like everyone else, then moved overseas while pregnant, then a few months later, we had a baby. It was a lot.
The point of all of that is to say that I got the Z6 right before everything changed, and since then, it got a very little use.
The Nikon Z8, the Nikon Zf & Going Mirrorless
Back to current day. After a bit more mulling, and even though I am desperate to own a Nikon Zf, I decided to purchase the Z8 first. Oh, quit whining I can hear myself, it’s a superior camera, costs more, has better ergonomics for handling in a professional capacity (all day), has double the megapixels, and it will be perfect as a new workhorse camera body as part of my professional kit. (Despite this, I would be fibbing to say I am not still longing for that Zf.) However, I’m excited to get to know the Z8, to play with the incredible features, and to use it at my longtime gig shooting BottleRock for Williams-Sonoma later this year. I’m particularly jazzed to utilize the face-detection autofocus features for this event, which is a perfect shoot environment for it.
Since this is a gear post after all, here’s what I’ll be using to cover the fast-paced festival and culinary stage antics.
Nikon D850 + 70-200 f/2.8 VR Nikkor lens
Nikon Z8 + Z 24-120mm f/4 Nikkor lens
First Impressions of the Z8
It’s so lightweight!
I know it’s not the lightest, but compared to my D850 with grip which is what I am used to carrying, it feels almost delicate.
The electronic shutter that looks like a digital screen glitch is SO WEIRD. And oddly unsatisfying.
Here’s hoping I get used to it. If this is my only gripe, I can live with it. I DO miss a real shutter though. Even if they fake it, can they add that back somehow? Will the Zf, which does have a real shutter, fix this for me when I finally get it?
It’s fast and very sharp.
Of course it is. Being a Nikon user for many many years now this level of quality, in terms of speed and sharpness, I have come to expect with the brand. Also, with all my investment in Nikon already, financially it makes sense to continue on. I toyed with converting to Sony, but the investment would be so high. And I really do like Nikon’s menu set up as well. I’m very comfortable shooting fast without having to look down or go into menus. A good photographer friend here just switched from Nikon to Canon because she does double exposure in camera for her fantastic abstract artworks. And she’s happy with it, but as we discussed over lunch, she laments the loss of her old Nikon menu design.
Ok, this auto face/eye/animal/bird detection is rad!
I’ve only just started playing with it, but this is a game-changer for event type or other fast paced shoots.
Summary
Ok, I only got the camera less than a week ago, and have not had a chance to really explore yet, but I’m happy so far. I think the things I’m most excited about are how capable it is, how high quality the results are, and how LIGHTWEIGHT the whole Nikon Mirrorless system is. It feels like a breath of fresh air. I just know that I’ll grab my camera far more often (especially with a small prime), instead of lazily relying on my phone. And that is a big point for me. I’m not talking about major commercial shoots. But really for every day. I think this has reignited my love of taking photos all the time, that I had when I first started. And that spark makes me feel very happy, and very fulfilled creatively.
To keep this post from getting too verbose, missing my Friday deadline I’m going to stop here.
In the next update…
The Zf
I have lots of thoughts about the sexy yet very capable Nikon Zf, but I don’t have it yet. So I’ll revisit once I have it in my hands and have had some time shooting with it.
MPB
I’m selling a couple old bodies and a lens through the popular photography gear site, MPB, for the first time. I discovered MPB from another photographer here on Substack, Wesley Verhoeve who writes great photography content if you’re interested. MPB is a camera gear site where you can sell, buy or trade in used gear. They offer free insured shipping both ways, and you can still decline to sell after they receive your package. They’ll even return it to you for free. So far the process has been pretty good, with a couple hiccups which I will share later. Once I am on the completed side, with the money in my account, I will pass along my take on how it all went.
If you’re interested in getting some new camera gear—at any level of photography—a service like MPB’s is terrific. You can save quite a bit of money and upgrade what you’re using more often. Which is more fun.
Roundup of Z lenses
I’ll go through what I decided to purchase first of the Z mount lenses and why. I’ve always been a lover of primes. But they aren’t as versatile, nor the best choice for lots of professional work. There are lenses that are workhorses for professional shoots, but these aren’t the ones I necessarily want to lug around for a casual travel day with family. Nor are they often the most artistic choice. There are also weight considerations to think of. Overall, it’s good to have a mix.
That’s it. Perhaps—I hope—you found it helpful or even insightful. You now may have a better idea of the kind of gear and equipment (and high costs of those items) that go into being a professional photographer. It adds up to quite a hefty sum all in all. Part of being a professional is keeping your gear in tip top shape, and keeping it current.
By the way, it is STILL snowing off and on, and the temp is hovering around 37F/3C. I couldn’t believe I was pulling out my wool tights, gloves, beanie, and long winter coat to go out to the playground with Edie this afternoon. Is this because Zürich didn’t light the Böögg this year? Is it warm and sunny and springlike where you live? If so, don’t tell me ;)