NIKON Z 8 (61mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO125)
Seasons are great. I can’t imagine to live in a place where it’s summer all year round. I hope I remember that in a couple of weeks.
In Austria we have spring, summer, autumn and winter. It’s getting warmer like anywhere in the world and there is barely any snow in the winter (except in the mountains) but you can still clearly tell whether it’s January or August. Winter is cold, summer is hot and spring and autumn are kind of in between. But of course there is more to it.
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO360)
NIKON Z 8 (37mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO320)
The seasons are the circle of life. There is spring (birth), life (summer), death (autumn, winter) and rebirth (the next spring). When I was young I loved winter because of the snow. Now winters are mostly just dark and cold but it makes you appreciate spring and summer even more.
In my opinion the real star of the seasons is autumn. The heat of the summer is gone but it is not cold yet. The days get shorter quickly but there is still a lot of sun and the light is just beautiful.
And when the leaves finally turn yellow, red, orange or brown it’s just magic. For a very short time nature shows its most beautiful colours. Just before the leaves fall down and the landscape almost turns into black and white. The peak autumn color is easy to miss. It lasts only for a couple of days and it varies with the temperature but usually it happens around the 1st of November. I took those images on a bright and sunny day on the 29th of October. I visited the place again today and most leaves have fallen down already.
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z 8 (61mm, f/8, 1/50 sec, ISO125)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
This place is just a five minutes drive away from where I live. A narrow road in the woods lead up to a little hill with an observation tower. Usually I drive straight to the tower but this time I had to stop a couple of times to take pictures of the foliage. I also took pictures on my way down from the tower and put them all in this blog post. There will be another blog post with the shots I took from the top of the tower soon.
I used to shoot landscapes a lot but my many trips to Asia have changes that. Now I prefer to shoot street life and architecture. This spring I got myself the Nikon Zf and since then I mostly shot the Zf with small prime lenses. I guess my years with Fuji have spoiled me. There is something magical about the simplicity of a small, old style camera with a small prime lens.
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/11, 1/50 sec, ISO560)
NIKON Z 8 (120mm, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z 8 (120mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO100)
I didn’t shoot a lot with the Nikon Z8 since I got the Zf. To the point where I even consider to sell it. The Nikon Z8 is a fantastic camera, the best camera that I have ever owned (and I owned many) but I’m not sure if it is the right camera for me anymore.
I don’t shoot any kind of action. No sports, no kids or pets at play. No more birds or wildlife. I have become a travel photographer. I love to shoot architecture, street and portraits. There is no need for speed in those genres not that the Zf is a slow camera. Not at all. It is almost as fast as the Z8. The Z8 is the most complete camera that I have ever owned but it feels like it is an overkill. It’s like if you take an enduro bike on an easy trial. It takes away the challenge, it takes away the fun. Ride the same trail with a hardtail or a gravel bike and the fun is back. You will be slower but it will feel faster and more exciting.
The Nikon Z8 is a professional camera. For a professional the only thing that really matters is to get professional looking results. All the time, every time. The easier the better. The camera needs to be reliable and quick as their business depends on it. For the amateur it’s different. If we would miss a shot it’s not the end of the world. I take photos because I just enjoy the process of taking photos.
And I think I enjoy the process more when I shoot with my Zf.
NIKON Z 8 (120mm, f/4, 1/2000 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z 8 (48mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z 8 (73mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
That being said I didn’t hesitate one second to pick the Nikon Z8 over the Zf when I left the house. For landscape photography I prefer the flexibility of zoom lenses over prime lenses. Especially the Nikon Z 24-120/4 S which is just perfect for landscape photography. And this lens just feels more at home on the Z8 compared to the Zf. And even though I don’t really need the resolution I still like the idea of a high resolution sensor when taking landscape pictures.
But there is no way to deny that just one year after I’ve bought the Nikon Z8 I already need to find a reason to justify to keep it. If I had to decide in between the Nikon Zf and the Z8 today it’s clear to me that I would keep the Zf.
NIKON Z 8 (115mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z 8 (24mm, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
The last image was taken during a short walk with my wife two weeks earlier when the leaves just started to change colours. I took my Zf and mostly shot with the Z 40/2. Of course I could have taken exactly the same image with the Nikon Z8 plus Z 24-120/4 S but I just love the fact that I can take such an image with a rather compact camera/lens-combo.
My years with Fuji X have spoiled me reading camera size and weight. The Nikon Zf gives me the Fuji experience but with a full frame sensor and fast AF. And that’s pure magic for me.
NIKON Z f (40mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec, ISO110)