My Nikon Z-System Gear
Updated November 2024
As of now, most of my full-frame camera gear is Nikon mirrorless. The performance of the Z-system is compelling and only impresses me more each time something new comes out. With the exception of a few special Nikon F-mount lenses, I have sold off most of my old Nikon DSLR gear. I have always loved Nikon’s legendary ruggedness and image quality so the decision to go with the Z-system mirrorless was a pretty obvious choice for me. When I picked up my first Nikon Z7 camera, everything was natural with very little transitional learning curve from DSLR to mirrorless.
Since I work in a variety of areas and often push the limits in many of them, I have acquired a number of cameras and lenses to best suit what I am doing at the time. Right now I am very happy with my current gear set, which is as follows.
Camera Bodies
I almost always bring at least two camera bodies with me when traveling. One usually serves as a primary and the other as a backup or as a secondary with a different lens.
Nikon Z9 –
This is my go-to camera for fast action and wildlife photography with long lenses. The new focusing system in this camera is amazing. That along with its 20 fps in raw makes missing great wildlife action a thing of the past. This camera does things I could only dream of with my old Nikon D850 or the Z7 II.
Nikon Z8 –
Essentially a smaller and lighter Nikon Z9. For field work when I am doing more run-and-gun shooting or traveling with weight restrictions, I typically go with two Z8 bodies. Having two bodies of the same model and set up identically means I don’t have to think about which camera I am using.
Nikon Z7 II –
This is my main camera for landscape, astrophotography, and art reproduction work. None of these requires fast AF and high frame-rates, so I generally prefer this body over the larger and heavier Z8 or Z9. Even though it has the same resolution as the Z8 and Z9, I have also found this to be a better deep sky astrophotography camera. Images seem a bit cleaner at the typical 3200 or 6400 ISO settings that I use. The Z7II is also a nice lightweight body making it a little less load on my star tracker as well as easier to carry in the backcountry for landscape photography.
Nikon Z6 II –
I really like the Z6 II for travel and general photography. The 24MP sensor is plenty for most situations and makes post processing much easier due to its smaller file sizes. This is also a great camera for nightscape or low light photography due to its excellent high ISO performance.
Lenses
I have a combination of zooms and primes. I don’t view zooms vs. primes as an either-or proposition, but rather which is the right one for the job. Zooms are great for their convenience and flexibility and I prefer them for the vast majority of my shooting. Primes, on the other hand, are great for low light and shallower depths of field with their typical wider maximum apertures. I do not view sharpness as much of a deciding issue since both zooms and primes, especially in the Nikon Z-system, these days are both incredibly good.
Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S –
This is a fantastic all-around ultra-wide zoom lens. It is optically excellent and easily as sharp as the previous much bigger and heavier Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G. This lens is also compact for hiking and travel with its retractable lens design. With a minimum focus distance (MFD) of only 11″ (28cm) I can get up nice and close to subjects for some creative perspectives. Another big advantage of this lens is that it uses standard 82mm circular screw in filters rather than specialized adapters and square filters typical of other ultra-wide zooms.
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 S –
Sharper, lighter, and better handling than the F-mount 14-24mm f/2.8G , this lens is an upgrade in just about every way. I especially like this lens for nightscape photography as it performs very well optically and covers a focal range that keeps me from having to bring along multiple primes.
Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S –
This is pretty much my standard zoom lens for travel or anytime I want to go fast and light. Even though this is a so-called “kit lens”, it is incredibly sharp and well made. Like the Nikon 14-30mm f/4 S it is has a retractable lens design that makes it compact for travel carry. If there is any single lens that I am out with the most, this one is it.
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 S –
This lens is a serious upgrade to the previous F-mount versions. It is optically excellent edge to edge throughout the entire focal range. Comparatively big and heavy, it still feels natural and well balanced when mounted on a camera body. The extra stop over the f/4 version gives it better low-light performance and a little better subject isolation. I use it mainly for indoor event shooting.
Nikon 24-120mm f/4 S –
Another major upgrade to the previous F-mount version. I was not sure whether I wanted to pick-up this lens as I really like the smaller size of the 24-70mm f/4 S. However, there were a lot of occasions where I wished I had a little more reach without resorting to a lens change (like to the big and heavy 70-200mm f/2.8). This lens does it all and is my go-to for general, travel, and landscape shooting.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 S –
While I was quite happy with the performance of the previous F-mount Nikon 70-200mm FL, I decided to go ahead and switch to this native Z-mount lens for the convenience of not having to use the FTZ adapter. This is a great lens for lower light close-in fast action photography. It also works very well with the TC-1.4x teleconverter when I want a little more reach.
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 S –
I have been looking forward to a lens like this from Nikon for a long time. I never really liked the F-mount Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G since it is a little weak optically, especially for serious wildlife work. This new Z-mount lens, however, is amazingly sharp and fast focusing with virtually the same size and weight of a 70-200mm f/2.8.
Nikon 20mm f/1.8 S –
While I really liked the older F-mount 20mm f/1.8G, I find this lens to be even better in terms of overall sharpness and edge related aberrations for nightscape photography. I do wish that it were smaller in form factor though. It is a big lens.
Nikon 35mm f/1.8 S –
I use this lens mainly for my art reproduction work where I need to get close up detail without the flattening effect of a longer telephoto or the perspective distortion of a wider angle lens. I also use it for nightscape photography when doing mosaics or just getting tighter shots of the Milky Way. I also really like the 35mm focal length for general shooting as I find it to be the most natural perspective in full-frame.
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 S –
Another lens I like to use for art reproduction work. I typically use this lens for larger paintings where I cannot get back far enough for my 85mm f/1.8S. Optically, this lens is incredibly good. I also like to use it for tracked or stacked nightscape photography for more prominent shots of the Milky Way.
Nikon 85mm f/1.8 S –
My first choice for most art reproduction work as it allows me to get back far enough to work with lighting between the painting and the camera. Sharpness and virtually zero uncorrected distortion make this lens nearly ideal for this type of work. It is also a great portrait lens for when I do bio photos in advertisements and brochures.
Nikon 400mm f/4.5 –
At first I wasn’t too sure about this lens given that the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 does pretty much the same thing with the added flexibility of a zoom. The difference for me, though, is the extra 2/3 stop and better performance with the 1.4x teleconverter for a 560mm f/6.3 combination. The 100-400mm with the same TC is just too slow and does not have near the same optical quality. The 400mm f/4.5 is also ridiculously light making it easy to hand-hold for extended periods of time. This factor was probably the biggest motivation for selling off my previous favorite, the 300mm f/2.8. I was almost always using it with the TC-14EIII 1.4x teleconverter to get a 420mm f/4 combination. That, along with the FTZ adapter made for a rather ungainly combination. The 400mm f/4.5 Z by comparison gives up only a third of a stop, 20mm in focal length, and a lot of size and weight while offering even better optical performance. Pretty much a no-brainer for me.
Nikon 400mm f/2.8 TC –
This is my go-to wildlife photography lens. I absolutely love the versatility I get with its built-in TC. With a flick of a switch I have a 400mm f/2.8 or a 560mm f/4. This lens is also amazing for low-light work, which is critical for a lot of wildlife action that usually happens in the early or late hours of the day. The wide f/2.8 aperture also gives me an astonishing amount of background separation. Image quality, with or without the internal TC, is beyond description. It is hard to tell the difference between the two. When I need more reach, I don’t hesitate to use it with the 2x external TC for an 800mm f/5.6 combination. Optical performance is still excellent. What’s more is that I can also engage the internal TC along with the external 2x TC for an 1120mm f/8 combination. Even with all that, image quality is still excellent!
Nikon 600mm f/6.3 –
Another lens I was not too sure about at first. It was released at nearly the same time as the Nikon 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 Z which has essentially the same reach and optical speed with the flexibility of a zoom. A couple of things, however, really sold me on it. First, it is smaller and lighter than the zoom making it much easier to hand-hold for extended periods of time. For times when I need shorter focal lengths, I prefer going with the much easier to hand-hold and optically faster 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 on a second body. Secondly, this lens turns out to be an excellent upgrade for my F-mount Nikon 500mm f/5.6 PF for astrophotography. Optical performance is similar, but the extra reach gives me a little more to work with when imaging distant small astrophotography targets. I also don’t need the FTZ adapter with this native lens.
Nikon 600mm f/4 TC –
When shooting birds or smaller wildlife, reach is always a major factor. This lens gives me that and more with the built-in teleconverter. I find myself frequently spotting subjects at 600mm and then switching in the teleconverter for a tighter shot at 840mm f/5.6. The optical quality of this lens is also ridiculously good. Sharpness with or without the TC is almost indistinguishable. The f/4 maximum aperture helps extend my shooting times early and late in the day when wildlife is frequently the most active. Background separation is positively dreamy. While certainly not a lightweight lens at 7.7 lbs., it is still remarkably hand-holdable. The balance point is more towards the back of the lens, making it feel lighter than it actually is. I can actually hand hold this lens easier than I ever could with my old 6.4 lb. 300mm f/2.8 VRII!