NZPhotographer Issue 61, November 2022

many circumstances. I regularly use my D500 body
for biology fieldwork, as it’s a much lighter, more
compact, and I have enough spare batteries to last
me through at least a week without charging. If I’m
shooting high-stakes bird photography (for work or
fun!), it’ll be with the Z9.
I love the versatility of shooting with a full-frame body
that can easily swap to a cropped sensor mode for
extra ‘reach’. The autofocus technology with eye
detection is amazing. I’m also exploring the ability
to take high-quality videos while looking through the
viewfinder, which is impossible with a DSLR. Moving to
an electronic viewfinder has been an adjustment, but
I can swap between the two pretty seamlessly now.
I must stress that you don’t need the latest gear
to take great images. It’s nice to have but not
necessary. For most of my photographic life, I’ve shot
with second-hand, hand-me-down equipment, and
it’s never held me back. I’ve been waiting a while
for mirrorless technology to catch up with the solid
reliability of DSLRs for wildlife photography, and the
Z9 is finally that step change. It’ll be interesting to see
how the technology develops over the next few years.
Lenses
I’m still using all my F-mount lenses with the Z9 via an
FTZ II adapter, although I’ve had the chance to shoot
with some of the new Z lenses and have been very
impressed! They’ll be on my wish list for a while. My
go-to lens for the past six years has been the Nikon
80-400mm f/4.5-5.6. Versatility is key to my work, from
intimate portraits to wider environmental ‘birdscapes’.
My other favourite lens is the 300mm f/4, for absolutely
unrivalled sharpness. If I’m packing light for a research
trip, the 300mm is the lens I reach for every time.
Sometimes if I need a bit more reach, I’ll pair it with a
1.4x teleconverter.
For wide and occasional astrophotography work, I use
a 12-24mm f/4. This DX lens is limited in that regard, but
it’s light and sharp enough for my needs. When I have
to really travel light, I have an old 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3.
This lens is getting on a bit and isn’t very sharp at the
long end, but it’s a great all-rounder for tramping with
when I don’t feel like taking the whole lot!
I very rarely use a tripod, except for night work. I have
a small SIRIU T-025X travel tripod which works for my
forays into astrophotography. I’m not sure it’ll be up to
the weight of the Z9, though I haven’t tried it yet!
Other Gear
Carrying telephoto lenses around on a neck strap
isn’t fun. I have a CarrySpeed shoulder sling strap
that distributes weight a bit better for carrying the 80-
400mm around, which clips onto a dovetail lens plate
attached to the small foot of the lens – I find this extra
length makes it much more comfortable to hold. I’ve
actually managed to wear through the metal ball
and socket joint on one of these straps, and I’m on to
my second. Otherwise, I have neoprene OpTech neck
straps that are a bit more comfortable to wear than
plain webbing ones.
Spare batteries and spare cards are a must. Usually,
these are tucked inside a small waterproof drybag,
along with a few smooth microfiber cloths for cleaning
lenses. Things that I always have in my bag (regardless
of whether I’m biologist-ing or photographing!)
include a knife, a multitool, and some good duct
tape. I once forgot to pack my camera strap and
managed to rig up a serviceable sling strap out of
duct tape, so it’s definitely a worthy inclusion!
The top of my bag always has sunscreen, snacks, and
safety gear (PLB, first aid kit, head torch). The front
pocket can swallow a lot of things as well – there’s
usually a water bottle, waterproofs (top and bottom),
a beanie, a rain cover for the camera, and sometimes
my pair of binoculars (Nikon Prostaff P511 8x42) as well
if I need to be identifying distant flying things.
NZPhotographer
November 2022
9