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Nikon Z8, with the Nikkor VR 200-500mm f/5.6E lens.
I had no idea that Nat Geo rated cameras or any other photography related equipment for that matter. I was very surprised to learn that back in October of 2024, Nat Geo published an article on their website listing their preferred cameras for travel in the form of an interview with Tom O’Brien and Eric Flynn from Nat Geo’s photo engineering team. They recommended several cameras in various categories such as travel, wildlife, waterproof, etc.
In the professional category, O’Brien says of the Z8 “It’s just good,”. “The Z8 can do everything—sports, wildlife, street, all of it.” He goes on to say that it’s a proven workhorse in the field for National Geographic—O’Brien says that the Z8 has consistently held up for him and other professional photographers.
The article includes promotional purchase links to both Amazon and B&H. Nat Geo discloses that “As a participant in multiple affiliate marketing programs, National Geographic will earn a commission for certain purchases.” Even knowing that there is an incentive for them to post this type of content due to the affiliate links, I do think the review is reasonable and they aren’t really saying anything over the top just to get you to click on the retail links.
Let me know in the comments below if you think their review is unbiased or tainted due to having affiliate links.
Nikon Z8 with the Nikkor VR 600mm f/4E lens.
I was out with the Nikon COOLPIX P1100 on a very clear evening monitoring flight radar 24 and noticed a wide-body aircraft approaching. It turned out it was a United airlines Boeing Dreamliner flying from London (LHR) to San Fransisco (SFO) at 40K feet.
RIP Nikon Image Space. It was nice using you all of these years for client photo delivery.
Travel to the moon. Soar with the birds. Or keep your feet on the ground and explore the tiny details of nature—all with one extraordinary portable camera, the Nikon COOLPIX P1100.
I have shot over 5 thousand (5,000) photos with this lens. What’s not to like; it’s sharp, light and has great Bokeh. Here is just a small sample of what this lens can do. Some were taken during event assignments while others were taken in studio settings and other situations.
A gallery of sample real photos (no AI photos) from my much loved Nikon Z7II mirrorless camera. I use the Z7II mostly in the studio and when out of the studio, for landscapes and general scenery. Let me know your thoughts on the Z7II in the comment section.
The Z5IIC delivers the same level of performance as the Z5II (released in April 2025), which offers advanced shooting functions that support a wide variety of shooting scenes and situations, yet makes it easy for even first-time camera users to express themselves through images.
As Nikon struggles financially, they are starting to make organizational changes to hopefully start to bring the company into a profitable position once again. Only time will tell if these early changes will be effective.
Today, I received the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.4 mirrorless lens. Considering that it’s not a S line lens, the build quality is pretty good. It’s light and the lens hood is not too big or too small. I would say overall, the design has a pleasing esthetic compact look.
Interview with photographer Bob Cumins who took a photo just a split-second before the second plane made impact during the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 using his Nikon F4 camera.
Nikon released a new firmware upgrade 1.20 for the Z5II camera with the following changes:
With yet another Z9 firmware release (ver 5.32), I thought I would put together a comprehensive guide to all 17 of the Z9 firmware updates to date. This also serves as a historical record of how far the Z9 has come, starting with its firmware at birth with version 1.00 upon release.