NIKON Z f (20mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO125)
This is the sixth time we visited Croatia but it is the first time that I brought a full frame camera. My new Nikon Zf.
Short vacations in the South usually mean that I leave my big gear at home and only take big sensor compacts or mirrorless cameras. On the first trip in 2012 I took my Fuji X100, later the Fuji X-Pro1, Ricoh GR, Fuji X-Pro2 and Fuji X-H1.
But before I talk about gear here are some details of the trip. We went straight to Podstrana, a small town close to Split. That’s a 9 hours drive including the lunch break. Not exactly next door but it is worth it. There we stayed for four nights before we started to move a little further north. This time we visited Trogir, Split, Šibenik, Vodice, Pag and Senj.
All beautiful cities located on the coast. Croatia is a wonderful place no matter if you plan to sail along its coastline, go sightseeing or just to enjoy sea, sun and food.
NIKON Z f (24mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (24mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/200 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO220)
As already mentioned this is a short vacation where I prefer to go light regarding my camera gear. It still never crossed my mind to leave my cameras at home and rely on my iPhone for photography. I just enjoy real cameras too much.
It was clear that I would bring my Nikon Zf plus the Z 26/2.8 and the Z 40/2. But since I went by car I also packed the Z 24-120/4 S and the Z 20/1.8 S in an additional camera bag. I chose the Z 24-120/4 S because it is so versatile and the Z 20/1.8 S in order to cover the old towns of Trogir and Split. Most of the time I only took my small shoulder bag with the Zf and the Z 26/2.8 and the Z 40/2. Very small and light but very capable. When I planned to shoot with the Z 20/1.8 S or the Z 24-120/4 S I simple put my Zf in the second camera bag and left the small camera bag in my car.
I took nearly half of my photos with the Z 26/2.8, about 27% with the Z 24-120/4 S and the rest was a split in between the Z 40/2 and the Z 20/1.8 S. With the small shoulder bag and the two small primes it felt like shooting with my favourite Fuji gear.
In the past I used to travel with an excessive amount of camera gear. Big heavy DSLRs and fast zooms. And before digital I also brought a big and heavy tripod. Those days are gone. No more tripods, no more DSLRs. Today I prefer to keep it simple and light. To take nothing but the Nikon Zf plus the small two prime lenses is liberating. When the Zf hangs around my neck my shoulder bag is almost empty because it hold nothing but the Z40/2, my iPhone and one spare battery.
From my vacation in Japan I’ve learned that the Z 26/2.8 is an excellent lens. Very capable and sharp even at close distance. I also learned that though the Z 40/2 has its flaws it is a really great lens too. I took some of my favourite shots with this lens in Japan and also in Croatia.
The three shots below are taken with the Z 40/2. The first and the third are shot with the lens wide open at f2 where the centre is sharp but the corners are soft and there is tons of vignetting. There is a lens profile in Lightroom but I preferred the uncorrected image. If stopped down to f4 or f5.6 this lens renders like every modern lens which means it is really sharp across the frame. This lens is cheap and it has a plastic mount but optically it is something special.
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/2, 1/3200 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/5.6, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/2, 1/2000 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO200)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO125)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/2500 sec, ISO100)
I already established that in my opinion the two small primes are great and the compliment each other. This could be the perfect minimalist travel camera gear except for one thing. 26mm is not wide enough in tight spaces like old towns or churches. That’s why I also brought my Z 20/1.8 S. Optically one of Nikons finest lenses but with some major flaws. It is way too big and heavy and most of all comically long for a 20mm prime lens. It’s hardly any smaller and lighter than the Z 14-24/2.8 S and that’s crazy.
As much as I love the optical quality I just dislike its design. As a consequence I sold it right after my Croatia trip. Next time I’m going to take the Z 14-24/2.8 S or something small and light. Originally I planned to get the Voigtländer Color Skopar 21/3.5 for Leica and adapt it to my Zf. The Voigtländer is really tiny! At 21mm there is no need for AF at all. Just stop down to f8 and everything from 1.5m to infinity will be in focus. I already checked it out in my camera store but it only reminded me that I hate adapters.
I hope that there will be a Z-version of this lens in the future but meanwhile I have ordered the dirt cheap Viltrox AF 20/2.8 Z. First test shots already confirmed that while of course it is no Nikon Z 20mm F1.8 S it’s fine when stopped down to f5.6 or f8. This is where I would shoot the lens most of the time anyway. And if used after sunset nobody cares about corners. Best feature of the lens: it’s truly tiny and light. I will write a review of this lens soon.
Just because something is perfect doesn’t mean that it is perfect for what you plan to use it. I understand if someone just uses the excellent Nikon Z 24-70/2.8 S in order to avoid to swap lenses but the Nikon zoom doesn’t give me that Z 40/2 look or 20mm or the shooting experience of a small camera/lens-combo. For me photography has to be fun. To shoot a small camera/lens-combo is fun.
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO250)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO125)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (120mm, f/8, 1/250 sec, ISO100)
I just realised that this has become a purely gear focused blog post and I’m not even done yet. I still have to write about the Z 24-120/4 S. I said that I love a small camera/lens combo and that’s true but I also enjoy all in one solution sometimes. For landscape photography nothing beats a versatile lens like the 24-120 especially if there is little to no compromise regarding sharpness.
The 24-120 is just excellent for many occasions: photography from a viewpoint, on a ferry, at the beach, … There are many occasions where it’s better if you can avoid to switch lenses. 24mm is wide enough most of the time and 120 is really long. This time I was shooting with the Zf but on a high res sensor like on the Nikon Z8 you can even crop in to get to 200mm and the resolution will still be high enough. The 24-120 is even a competent portrait lens because it allows really good subject isolation at f4@120mm.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/640 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/8, 1/200 sec, ISO140)
NIKON Z f (91mm, f/8, 1/320 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (24mm, f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
I love photography but I think the most important thing is that your photography doesn’t dominate your vacation. That’s especially important if you don’t travel alone. The most important thing is to have a good time and to enjoy the experience. I shoot much less now and put the camera back in the bag often. That’s much easier if the camera is small and light. It feels more casual. “Roam like a tourist, shoot like a pro.”
Cameras have become exotic. I started to travel in 1990. Back then everyone traveled with a camera. It was the only option to record memories. People serious about photography traveled with tripods. Digital cameras can shoot at very high ISO values and because of image stabilisation tripods practically disappeared. Starting around 2012 I saw less and less real cameras when on vacation or on my business trips in Asia. Smartphones replaced cameras for most people. People take more pictures than ever before but they simply use the device that they already care around 24/7. I’m not any different. If I accidentally leave my iPhone at home or in my car I almost feel naked.
And I take a lot of pictures with my iPhone too. I just don’t enjoy it as much. But I’m not blinded by the power of nostalgia. There is no way that I would ever go back to shoot Kodachrome or Velvia. I was much younger back than which of course was great but regarding photography we live in better times now. There is zero doubt about that. “Not everything looks better in black and white.”
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/2000 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO140)
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec, ISO100)
So was our short trip to Croatia beside photography? In short perfect! The people, the sea, the sun, the food. It was a great trip and even though I shoot less I still took enough images to help me remember this vacation.
“I got a Nikon camera, I love to take a photograph …”
That’s it. Two more shots taken with the Nikon Z 40/2 in beautiful Velvia-colours. Last sunset at the sea.
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/2, 1/1250 sec, ISO100)