Preparing for Yellowstone
I’m heading off to Yellowstone later this Fall and have updated my gear in preparation for just this trip. Maybe it will be too much but looking forward to the opportunity to capture some amazing wildlife and stunning landscapes in one of the nation’s most beautiful national parks. I’m a Nikon shooter and am now invested in the Nikon Z-mount ecosystem.
So what am I bringing:
CAMERAS:
Nikon Z8 - My move into the world of mirrorless, the Z8 replaces my previous D850 DSLR. I’m looking forward to the 20fps I get with this primary camera body. I don’t like the bulk of the battery grip which is largely why I went with the Z8 versus the Z9. I’m prepared for the often complained about battery life with 4 extra EN-EL15c batteries. I am also running with the Delkin Devices Black CFExpress 325GB memory cards that I plan to offload each evening to a couple of external hard drives.
Nikon Z6iii - Right now, I am just considering this my backup camera body if the Z8 takes a digger during the trip. Similar button layout and AF performance I can set this up similar to my Z8 and keep on keeping on. Now, I may find I want to sling 2 cameras, I have a dual camera harness, and have this one already loaded up with the 100-400mm ready to shoot if the circumstances change too quickly to change lenses on the Z8.
LENSES:
Nikon Nikkor Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S: This big lens with a built-in teleconverter that can extend the reach to 800mm with a 1-stop loss. I’m looking forward to the reach and sharpness of this lens when wildlife is out in the distance. This replaces my 200-500mm lens I used in the Grand Tetons and actually my first prime lens. I can’t wait to see what I can capture with this.
Nikon Nikkor Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S: Sometimes 600mm is too much reach so having a lens with some mid-sized reach is probably a necessity. I think I’ll be glad to have this lens. The question will be if I have it ready on the Z6iii or just swap lenses on the Z8. I’ll see what works best in the field.
Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8S: I don’t have a “wide angle” lens and have traditionally shot my landscape photos with the workhorse 24-70mm. I have the 24-70mm for my D850 but decided to keep my mirrorless kit entirely with Z mount lenses even though I do have the FTZ-II adapter to use all my previous lenses.
TRIPOD:
FotoPro E6L Eagle Series: I’ve worked my way through four or five different tripods and finally landed on this gimbal head tripod and absolutely love it. I’m a bit concerned if it will handle my 600mm prime (need to test that out since it is rated for up to 400mm) but I’ll figure it out if I can’t.
BACKPACK:
Atlas Adventure Camera Backpack: I picked up this backpack before heading to Monterey and it’s been a beast. With the optional hip belt, I can comfortably carry an annoying amount of weight and have found even without the hip belt I can still carry everything quite easily. The collapsible internals can easily transform from a 35L to a 60L pack, the larger capacity needed to carry the 600mm lens. It has enough extra room to carry extras like a rain jacket, gloves, hat, snacks, and even has a slot for my MacBook Pro. It’s a good carryon size (though I put my tripod in my checked bag when traveling) so airplane travel is a breeze.
Of course I have other accessories I’m bringing with me - circular polarizer, head lamp, cloths, lens wipes, etc. but this is the big list for this upcoming trip that includes 5 guided days and 4 others on my own inside the park. I can’t wait to see what I come back with.