And I’ve always run into the same fundamental problem.

I’m a stills photographer first. I’ve always felt that video is a useful medium to showcase my photography, but I’ve never quite worked out the correct format for doing it. I’ve leaned into gear reviews, basic vlogs, and documentary-style videos, but I’ve always considered video an inconvenience when I’m out trying to do both. Trying to capture video seriously impacted my ability to get what I considered good photos.

To counter that, I tried POV with a lightweight action camera so I could just run video in the background without thought while focusing on my stills. I was never happy with the results. Not technically, but in how the video represented the act of photography. It never met the vision I had in my mind of what my videos should look like and convey.

A couple of years ago, everyone was raving about the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 as giving great quality while minimizing friction. Even up until last week, I shot using it as my primary video camera. It really does make things easier when you’re a photographer first: I can slip it in my pocket, pull it out at a second’s notice, and because it’s on a gimbal, the footage is smooth. The quality is decent, and it can quickly flip from forward-facing to backward-facing. I have no complaints about it—it does exactly what it says on the tin.

But when I look through the footage, it just doesn’t match my vision.

The video coming from it looks very digital, stuck at the same focal length, with a strange floating feeling due to the gimbal. I also had some issues with micro-jitters and focus hunting during shots. All of these issues I’m sure have fixes, but given the final look of the image, I simply didn’t want to spend the time hunting them down.

During last week’s walk at Knock of Crieff, I shot just a handful of clips with my Nikon Z8 in 4K 30 using the standard picture profile. Seeing those clips side by side with the Pocket 3 footage, the difference jumped right out at me. Everything felt more natural, more organic, and infinitely closer to the feel I produce with my stills photography.

After my recent gear sell-off, I settled on keeping my Nikon Z8 and Z6III—the latter specifically for video and as a backup stills body. But I had reservations. From past experience, I know that anything that creates friction in my video process is likely to lead to me simply not recording as many clips as I need, or abandoning the video entirely.

Would the weight put me off? Would having to shoot dual video and stills become irritating? Would the dual-body approach impede my mind from getting the photos I’m actually out there for?

Now, here’s the thing. I always hear about LOG footage being considerably better than straight-out-of-camera profiles. In the back of my mind, I know this is true. But I’m not a colorist. I can work with raw photo files all day and know my way around image processing to the point that it’s second nature.

Yet, I’ve had many attempts in the past at shooting LOG video, and I always ended up butchering the grade and getting worse results than the standard in-camera profiles.

The problem is that there are so many conflicting opinions online about the process of color grading. There are countless different techniques that pull you straight down a rabbit hole of contradictory advice: Use the official LUT. No, grade it from scratch yourself. LOG is noisier, it’s not worth it. Use nodes—build a complicated node tree. Put the LUT at the start of your node tree! No, put it last.

Now, the footage straight out of the Nikon Z6III and Z8 using their Neutral and Standard profiles does look good, but it doesn’t maximize dynamic range because the contrast is baked right into the file. Sometimes that results in crushed blacks and a slightly digital look that I couldn’t help but feel wasn’t optimal. I knew LOG would give me the flexibility to create a more organic-looking video, so I had this nagging voice telling me I finally needed to sort out this whole LOG puzzle.

I spent many hours last week doing just that, and set out yesterday to put everything into practice.

If I’m going to do video regularly—which I am—I don’t want to live with that constant feeling of disappointment when the final result doesn’t match my vision. I’d noticed technical issues in my previous videos: micro-jitters from handholding, focus hunting, and awkward framing. I decided that if I’m going to do video, I need to do it properly.

And that means separating my video body from my stills body and giving them both equal weight.

It means not treating video as an inconvenience I have to tolerate, but putting the same thought and effort into it as my photography. It means bringing the gear needed to get the quality to match what I see in my mind. Ultimately, it meant tweaking every single thing—from testing mic setups to finally giving in and packing a tripod and fluid head on my hill walk.

For someone who has often espoused the benefits of a minimalist, lightweight setup, it was quite the mental leap.

This week’s trip was intended to test whether that extra weight and effort are actually worth it, and whether this workflow is right for me.

And here’s the surprising bit…

Once I changed my mindset to giving video equal weighting—in fact, priority weighting, since my video skills need more work than my stills do—I actually started to enjoy the process.

This was not a lightweight setup. I had my 30L backpack, which contained a waterproof jacket, fleece, lunch, and a drink, as well as basic essentials like a compass and first-aid kit. It also held my 85mm f/1.8 S lens wrapped in a sock and stuffed in a dry bag, along with audio gear, spare batteries, and a camera cleaning kit. Clipped to the strap was my Nikon Z8 paired with the 24-120mm f/4.

On top of that, I carried my Leofoto LM364-C carbon-fiber tripod, a Sachtler Ace XL fluid head, and the Nikon Z6III with the 14-30mm f/4 S mounted to it.

In the past, one of the main friction points I found with video was the constant setup: mounting the camera to the tripod, attaching mics, checking audio levels. So I went out yesterday with the intention to avoid most of that by simply sticking the Z6III on the tripod, leaving it there all day, and carrying the whole rig across my shoulder.

Was it heavy? Yes, if you count the kilograms. But was it restrictive? Not really.

I’m not some super-fit 20-year-old. I’m 44, my right shoulder hurts, and I’m building my fitness back up naturally through walking after a sedentary decade living in the Philippines with little exercise and a bad diet. I’m not particularly overweight, but my daughter Sofia does like to point out that I have a belly.

Yet I found the whole setup surprisingly friction-free in terms of workflow and weight. With the Z8 clipped to my Capture Clip, I could simply place the video rig down and shoot stills. When I wanted to switch to video, I could quickly re-seat the Z8 and be hands-free to focus entirely on motion.

I walked about 8km around Loch Turret. It was only on the final stretch home—where I had to rush back for about 2.5km non-stop because I was late picking Sofia up from school—that I felt a little discomfort across my shoulder from carrying the tripod and Z6III. I changed its position a couple of times on the walk back, switched shoulders at one point, and it wasn’t too bad.

The thing is, once I checked the initial video clips and saw how great they looked right there on the back of the screen, that was all the motivation I needed. It pushed me to shoot way more clips and angles than I normally would, and to actually think about how to convey what I’m doing in a video format.

And because I have so many years of stills experience, I found I was still able to get photos I was happy with in a very short time. One did not negatively impact the other in the way I used to feel it did.

Once I got home and viewed the LOG footage, running it through my simple workflow to bring the color back to a Rec. 709 look for viewing, the results instantly confirmed it: this setup, and this way of working, is worth the slight inconvenience of carrying a bit more gear. It resulted in me capturing more coverage, getting better-looking clips, and ultimately, it’s going to get me much closer to using video the way I envision to showcase my photography.

Now, could I just use one camera and make the Z8 pull double duty?

Absolutely. But the mental friction that adds is simply too much. I know I would miss both photos and video clips because it would require constantly removing the camera from the tripod to shoot stills, or vice versa—resulting in me doing both much less often. It would mean constantly switching camera settings between stills and video mode (not a massive deal, but another small point of friction), and my suspicion is I’d end up heavily prioritizing one format over the other out of sheer annoyance.

Is a single-body approach doable? Absolutely, but…

I’ve always been of the opinion that if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. My mum instilled that in me. As I’ve got older, I’ve realized there are no real shortcuts in life. If you want the results, you have to be prepared to put in the effort and the work. I think that goes for content creation, photography, video, and every aspect of life. In today’s age of instant gratification, this middle-aged stills photographer is quite happy to put in the work before any rewards. I’m not quite there yet but for the first time ever, with video, I see the way forward.

As I wanted the day to be about her and not photography, I took the Nikon Z50II and the diminutive 16-50mm kit lens to keep things small, light, and unobtrusive. In the morning, I checked the camera over; everything was fine, the battery had only one bar depleted after it’s last outing, and the memory card was inserted and formatted. I attached it to my Peak Design Leash camera strap, and we headed out to Auchingarrich Wildlife Park.

I thought I was prepared for a relaxed day of shooting. It didn’t quite turn out like that.

Struggling with your Z50II settings? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the menus or aren’t sure you’ve got your camera configured for the best results, I’ve put together a dedicated Nikon Z50II Quick Start Setup Guide. It covers the essential configurations I recommend to get you shooting with confidence—minus the complex technical jargon.

As we walked around the park, shadowed by two particularly greedy young goats, Sofia’s mood seemed to lighten. I could tell she was really enjoying the interactions with the animals as she fed them the contents of the little animal snack bag we had bought.

After around 10 minutes of walking, I’d estimate I had taken 20 photos when, to my surprise, the camera’s battery warning light started flashing at me. How could that be? At home, it had shown only one bar depleted. I turned it off and on again; the indicator briefly returned to white, but within seconds, it went back to flashing red. Despite the battery issues, I still rate the Z50II as a great camera for beginners. You just have to be aware of your battery level throughout the day and perhaps buy a spare.

‘Okay, it’s Sofia’s 10th birthday. It’s important, and I want some memories of the day‘, so I switched into battery management mode. I reduced the number of photos I took and picked my moments a little more, making sure to switch the camera off after every single opportunity.

I only have the battery that came with the camera, so I knew it was unlikely I’d be able to shoot through the day unless I seriously restricted my shot count. Instead, I decided to focus on the experience and spend time with Sofia, even more than I’d planned.

I watched on as my little girl—now a ‘big girl’ at 10 years old, as she likes to tell me—smiled as a meerkat approached her until it was literally on the other side of the glass. Sofia moved her hand slowly towards it, I’m certain wishing she could stroke it. She has an unbreakable love of animals, and this was exactly the kind of medicine she needed today.

We continued around the park, seeing owls, searching for the elusive Scottish Wildcat (who never made an appearance), and walking amongst wallabies and emus in the Australian section, before heading for a delicious lunch at the restaurant. Sofia’s mood had perked up, and I’d still managed to avoid the dreaded black screen of death by carefully managing the battery level.

At lunch, I remembered I had an Anker Nano powerbank with an integrated USB-C cable in the car, so I nipped back and retrieved it. I expected to have to leave the camera and powerbank in my pocket for at least half an hour, but in the end, I managed to rig it up so that the camera could remain around my neck and the powerbank could stay in a chest pocket of my waterproof jacket, allowing the cable to reach without having to put the camera away.

After lunch, now with me feeling more relaxed knowing I could continue capturing moments, we enjoyed wandering the park, which is actually half wildlife experience and half working Scottish farm. The highlights weren’t actually the exotic animals but the interactions Sofia had feeding sheep, donkeys and Fallow deer which shes dreamed of seeing up close for a long time. Our day ended with Sofia spending plenty of time stroking and fussing the beautiful resident sheepdog of the farm before letting her choose a soft toy in the giftshop to add to her collection.

So how did the camera perform for a day of family photography?

I actually found the camera really good; it was light and fast to focus, although I miss a focus joystick as using the rear 4-way controller is not as intuitive. Autofocus with my setup—which I’ve configured to replicate my Nikon Z8 and Z6III—worked well.

The 16-50mm lens is competent and sharp in the centre, but it feels a bit meh. It’s interesting, actually: you can’t use shallow depth of field as a crutch, which makes you work a little harder for compositions. On a day out where spending time with family is the priority, that resulted in fewer keepers, as I didn’t want to keep re-taking shots and delay the day. Having to always unlock the lens is also irritating, but the incredibly small size and weight is a trade-off I think is fair.

I didn’t use the rear LCD screen even once during the day. I found the viewfinder adequate for shooting; it’s not the best at 2.36 million dots, but it never felt like a deal-breaker. It does the job well enough to function, and that’s what I care about. A better viewfinder is always nice, but I’d take this over not having one at all.

When I got home, after eating a slice or two of the cake my mum had made for Sofia, I took the opportunity to view the photos I’d taken. I shot 117 photos throughout the day and ended up with 12 that I thought were worth editing. Some are nice; others I edited simply because I liked Sofia’s expression or because they serve as a record of the time we spent together—especially during what has been the hardest three months of our lives. A few were edited specifically to give me more insight into how the Z50II RAW files behave in post.

Overall, considering the lens used, I was happy with the files. They felt like Nikon files in terms of color and dynamic range, and I was even able to shoot a couple of indoor shots at ISO 12800 that turned out to be perfectly usable—one of which I converted to black and white just to see how the result looked.

Would I have gotten ‘better’ images using a full-frame Nikon Z camera with a prime lens? Almost certainly. But would I have even taken it with me on a day meant for Sofia? I doubt it. That is what I took away from today regarding the Z50II: it’s just like a Nikon, only smaller.

For a bit of context, if you have not read my site before, I shoot with the Nikon Z8 (full Z8 review here) , Z6III (full Z6III review here), and Zf (full Nikon Zf review here). I’ve been using Nikon cameras for over 10 years, dating back to the DSLR days, and I’ve also shot a lot of different systems, including Fuji, Canon, Sony, OM Systems, and Panasonic, as well as the Ricoh GR series. I started off with entry-level cameras before moving to my first full-frame Canon 5D MK II while working as a professional landscape photographer before moving toward travel photography. My writing comes from the point of view of someone who is used to using professional-level tools.

Struggling with your Z50II settings? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the menus or aren’t sure you’ve got your camera configured for the best results, I’ve put together a dedicated Nikon Z50II Quick Start Setup Guide. It covers the essential configurations I recommend to get you shooting with confidence—minus the complex technical jargon.

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My Nikon Z50II + 16-50mm lens arrived from Amazon on Monday; I paid £851.44 (just over US $1100). I don’t remember the exact price of my Canon 450D, but I recall it was somewhere in the region of £400 (just over US $500) back in 2008. These are my initial thoughts, from my notes, after having unboxed it, set it up, and taken it out for a couple of hours on a local walk in the countryside. I’ll be writing much more on the Nikon Z50II as I continue to use it as I did at Sofias birthday recently and when I finally took the kit lens off.

It doesn’t, for the most part, feel like a beginner camera; it feels more like a miniaturized proper Nikon Z camera, almost like a miniature Z6III. The ergonomics feel familiar, with only a few things noticeable, one being the smaller battery, which on a two-hour walk with intermittent shooting, dropped one bar. Other differences include the memory card slot not being on the side of the grip but within the battery compartment, and the Z50II having a dedicated picture mode button on the top of the camera. The PASM dial also has an extra scene mode and is located on the right-hand side of the top plate where, on my Z6III and Z8, the top LCD screen would normally be.

Handling Impressions

In terms of handling, it feels incredibly light and compact. Combined with the 16-50mm kit lens, I hardly even noticed it when it was clipped onto my Peak Design Capture clip, attached to my backpack. At a combined weight of 685 grams (or about 1.51 lbs), it’s getting into compact camera territory.

First thoughts about the ergonomics are that they are way above what I was expecting; the grip is deep, really ergonomic, allowing my hand to get great purchase on the camera. The on/off switch is in the usual Nikon place, wrapping around the shutter button, and the top plate features the familiar 3-button setup just behind the shutter button—Record, ISO, and exposure compensation—exactly as my Z8 and Z6III. There are some other slight variations in button feel; they are not quite as solid as the higher-end cameras, but it feels very similar and coherent with the rest of the Nikon Z line.

Setup

I already did an initial custom setup to replicate my Z8 (I detailed my Z8 settings for wildlife here) as closely as possible in terms of button functions so that I can swap pretty seamlessly between my full-frame Nikon Z cameras and the Z50II. The fact that this is even possible surprised me, and it shows Nikon’s intent to make the Z50II more than just an entry-level camera.

I initially set the display button on the rear of the camera to activate single-point AF but found that the button is slightly awkward to activate due to the position my hand sits in. So, I am changing that customization and swapping that function to the AE-L/AF-L button instead, as that’s easier to reach more naturally. In terms of ergonomics, this is a world away from how I remember my beginner camera, the Canon EOS 450D. It feels refined, well-built, and capable. Surprisingly so, if I’m honest. I didn’t expect quite this level of customizability and feel from a camera aimed at this level.

My First Outing

For my first outing, I took the Z50II with just the 16-50mm kit lens on a walk where beavers are located. We knew we wouldn’t see them in the daytime, but I wanted to show Sofia their lodges. The walk there initially cuts through some farmland with beautiful ancient trees lining a narrow path before entering woodland and signs of beaver activity all around.

We got slightly off-track due to the incredible amount of fern growth which has sprung up since the last time I was here. We ended up having to find our way through dense woodland, across the pools and bogs that the beaver activity has created. Eventually, and after pushing through foliage that dwarfed Sofia, we got back on track and made our way toward the lodges. All along the walk, I was picking out shots and getting a feel for what this camera and lens combination could do.

I’ve set the autofocus up exactly as I have it on my other Nikon Z cameras for familiarity. A couple of things immediately impressed me with the Z50II, the first being that it was even possible to so closely replicate the functionality and setup of professional-level Nikon Z cameras. The fact that Nikon has allowed this, rather than differentiating the Menu system between a beginner-level camera and pro-level cameras, is an inspired choice in my opinion. It allows someone like me, who uses top-of-the-line gear, to pass down my experience from those cameras and use it with the Z50II. I never got the feeling that the camera had been dumbed down, which in turn gave me a feeling not of “ah god, this is restrictive and basic,” but more so that Nikon genuinely set out to make a smaller, cheaper version of their pro-level bodies. It feels every bit a Nikon Z camera of this generation.

My subjects were mainly trees, farmland, and the odd shot of Sofia, so I didn’t get to test out autofocus tracking, subject detection, or the more advanced AF elements yet. My default AF mode is Wide-Area AF S on all my Z cameras and so I set the Z50II up in exactly the same way. It feels responsive in my limited testing so far, but I will dig deeper into that in future outings.

A lot of the time I used my custom setting button to activate Single-point AF to ensure accuracy when photographing the landscape and ensuring the correct depth of field in shots. Speaking of which, due to the smaller APS-C sized sensor, depth of field is naturally deeper than my full-frame Z cameras which makes it easier to get front-to-back sharpness with larger apertures, something quite useful for landscapes. So instead of shooting at my usual f/8, I found myself at f/5.6 more often. One issue of course is the variable aperture of the Nikon Z 16-50mm kit lens, which when zooming through the focal range, sometimes makes f/5.6 impossible. At the long end, you’re at f/6.3.

Another factor I had to keep reminding myself of was that the Z50II does not have In-Body Image Stabilisation, so I had to remain aware of shutter speed so as to not introduce any camera shake into images. I rarely dropped below 1/30–50 of a second for this reason, and so on a couple of shots, the camera was at a higher ISO than I would normally have chosen.

Image Quality: Initial Impressions

Still, the image quality seems excellent, especially considering this is a kit lens. My initial instinct, although I will test this properly later, is that the lens is sharp in the centre, may soften slightly as you zoom towards the extreme end of its focal length, but as someone who uses some of Nikon’s top Z lenses, I never felt like the lens was terrible; in fact, for its tiny size, I was pleasantly surprised.

I should mention that the weather for this walk was pretty grey and overcast for the most part with drizzle turning to more persistent rain as we headed back towards the car. The Z50II has weather sealing and so I simply left it out in the elements, either on my Capture clip or in my hand, and continued to shoot.

When I got home, I went through some of the files and applied my usual editing style in Lightroom on my iPad. The files look good; they seem to offer the same ability to edit in terms of colour, dynamic range, and malleability that I’ve come to expect from Nikon. Technically, I haven’t tested them side-by-side to the full-frame photos coming off my Z6III or Z8, and will do so in due time, but as an initial impression, they seem to be in the same ballpark, if you allow for the sensor size difference. Overall, so far, my initial impressions of the Nikon Z50II are that it’s every bit a modern Nikon Z camera, in a smaller package, not a stripped-down beginner camera. That’s what impressed me the most when I first unboxed it and after taking it out on an initial shoot.

You can see the latest price for the Nikon Z50II kit I bought here.

As part of that series, I took the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S lens out on a local walk through the Perthshire farmland near my home yesterday with the intention of seeing how it changed the way I shoot, the images I could make and whether I could make it work for the wide-open countryside near my home. You can see how the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S compares against the 24-120mm f/4 here.

It was a beautiful sunny, summers day which sounds lovely, and it was, but it’s not my preferred weather for trying to shoot landscapes.

The high contrast light means that you have to carefully watch your exposure, ensure highlights aren’t clipped and it tends to flatten everything. That combined with being faced by a wall of green at this time of year has resulted in me looking more for interesting pockets of light across the landscape where it creates more depth than simple flat looking sunny scenes.

The 50mm focal length changes the way I shoot, It gives a feeling of peering in to the landscape rather than being immersed in it. The images often end up feeling more intimate. I tend to look for foreground elements that can frame a subject which sits deeper in the image.

I started out the walk, up an old railway path, looking for exactly these kind of compositions, peering through leaves and branches toward something that caught my eye. The light was a mix of bright sunshine, and the ocassional cloud rolling across the sky which would briefly cast shadows on to the land below.

Initially, I was still looking for similar compositions as I would normally, perhaps some foreground interest, leading towards the subject, framing it or leading in to it. To be honest, whether it was having my wife with me as I’m teaching her to create videos, or it was simply that I didn’t adjust my thought process enough, I was struggling to get anything other than snapshots of a nice subject.

One such location was a beautiful field of crops, blowing in the wind, creating swirls and patterns as the tops of the crops swayed during each gust. It immediately caught my eye and I headed down off the path to get closer. My instinct was to place the crops right up front in to the foreground and find a point of interest in the distance that could act as an anchor to the frame.

The problem, I found was that the 50mm focal length, didn’t allow me to get in close enough to feel immersed in the stems and seeds of the crop, while allowing enough depth of field and space in the frame to include the beautiful Oak tree in the distance that I had picked out as the anchor. I moved around, changed angles, raised the camera, lowered it, moved in closer, further out and stopped down my lens to f/16 but no matter what I did, it just wasn’t working. The second issue I was having is that I really wanted to capture the movement of the (wheat or barley, I think) as it swayed in the wind, almost as one organism rather than individual crops. Sadly, I hadn’t brought an ND filter and so in the bright sunshine, I couldn’t slow my shutter speed enough to capture the movement.

In the end, I got some shots, but they weren’t any good and didn’t capture the vision I imagined when I spotted the scene.

The 50mm is a fantastic lens that combined with any of my Nikon Z cameras, offers great image quality and performance. But having a fixed focal length meant I had to adapt my shooting style, which so far on the walk just wasn’t happening because of my pre-conceived ideas of the shots I would try and capture.

Thats was, until we continued walking along the path and to my right were tracks weaving thier way through the exact same field. I couldn’t resist trying to use these tracks in a photo as they created a beautiful S-curve through the crops.

Normally, I would have moved off the elevated path overlooking them and tried to get in close, using a similar thought process as my last unsuccessful attempt.

Instead, I saw clouds moving towards us which might offer some interesting shadows on the field. This could be the cherry on the cake of any image, if I could snap my brain in to thinking a little differently than it curretnly was.

This time I decided to stay on the elevated path as it gave a good vantage point over the field, emphasizing the shape of the leading lines of the path. In the distance, a beautiful row of trees framed the farmland. Knowing that I could use the compression of the 50mm focal length to pull the background closer, I framed up the shot multiple ways to see which worked best. The 50mm in this case, was actually giving me more sky in the frame than I wanted, but before the crop field was dead land, that was ugly and which I definitely didn’t want in the frame.

This is where a fixed focal length forces you to try multiple compositions and really think, often having to try multiple positions and framing options before settling on the one that works best. It forces you to really explore a scene and consider what it is that you want to show. Of course, the reverse of that is that sometimes, you have to make compromises you wouldn’t necessarily have to with a zoom.

In the end, I shot in portrait orientation to better align the frame with the flow of the tracks leading through the frame. In landscape orientation, there was too much dead space on the right of the frame that looked out of place. I decided that this was the best compromise, including more sky, rather than more field. Then, I simply waited for those clouds to move in and create some light pockets over the field that would bring out the texture and add a little more depth to the shot.

There are a few scenes on this walk that remind me of the time I spent in Tuscany, Italy and so I edited the image with that in mind. I go in to more detail on my thought process and techniques when shooting and editing on my personal website.

But as part of my series looking at whether the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II is really a bag of primes, I wanted to shoot the 56mm f/1.2 WR the way I naturally use gear: in my local landscape, on walks, photographing mainly nature, or at least being out in nature.

So for the last week or so, I’ve had it glued to my Fujifilm X-T5 and have been shooting it whenever I go out.

This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the website and allows me to continue creating free content.

Seeing Differently with the 56mm

One of the things that surprised me during these walks was just how much I enjoyed using the 56mm focal length.

Like many photographers, I often gravitate towards wider lenses. They feel natural for landscapes, travel and documenting everyday life. But spending time with the 56mm reminded me just how differently a scene can be interpreted simply by changing focal length.

The additional compression allows you to pull elements in a scene closer together, making distant objects appear more connected and helping to simplify what can sometimes be a chaotic frame. Subjects can be isolated more effectively from their surroundings and images often feel less like you’re standing within a scene and more like you’re quietly observing it from a distance.

It’s something I’d encourage every photographer to experiment with. Using a focal length outside your comfort zone teaches you how different lenses see the world and helps you recognise opportunities that you might otherwise miss.

In many ways, that’s what I enjoyed most about taking the 56mm f/1.2 WR on these walks. Rather than trying to capture the entire landscape, I found myself drawn to smaller details and quieter moments. The texture of bark on a tree, the craftsmanship of a dry stone wall, repeating patterns in nature, or the way light fell across a particular part of the woodland.

These intimate landscapes are often some of the most rewarding photographs to make. They encourage viewers to slow down and notice things that might otherwise go unseen.

The ability to work with shallow depth of field adds another creative tool. You can direct attention towards specific parts of the frame, simplify distracting backgrounds, or create images with a softer, more atmospheric feel.

The same applies when photographing family. The extra reach allows you to focus on expressions, gestures and interactions from a comfortable distance. Rather than feeling like you’re standing in the middle of the moment, you’re able to observe it unfold naturally.

Of course, the 56mm f/1.2 WR is great for photographing your family, creating images with a more intimate feel than you would typically get from wider lenses. What I enjoyed most, however, was the way it encouraged me to look for pockets of light, small details, patterns, textures, and more intimate compositions.

It’s not a lens that would naturally come to mind for this type of photography, but it’s more than capable of the job should you decide to challenge yourself and use something a little different. In doing so, you’re likely to come away with a different perspective and a different kind of photograph than you would normally take, while also pushing yourself to think more creatively about composition and subject matter.

And because it’s a prime lens, you can’t simply zoom out and fall back into your usual way of working.

You can read more articles like this below:

When Life falls apart: Why the Fuji experience helps with my mental health.

That was certainly the case today.

A fellow photographer had kindly shared the location of a nearby beaver colony, explaining how the animals had transformed the landscape beyond recognition. The chances of actually seeing a beaver in the middle of the morning were slim, but that wasn’t really the point. I wanted to show my mum the location, stretch my legs and spend a few hours exploring somewhere new with a camera.

The weather couldn’t have been more different from my recent walks through Perthshire. Low cloud hung over the landscape, hiding even modest hills from view. A steady drizzle fell throughout the morning, occasionally becoming heavier before easing again. Rather than being unpleasant, it felt refreshing. After several warm days, the cooler temperatures made walking far more comfortable.

We began across rolling farmland before skirting the edge of woodland and eventually following a narrow path deeper into the forest. As we moved further from the open fields, signs of the beavers gradually started to reveal themselves.

Trees had been felled. Watercourses altered. Areas that once looked entirely ordinary had been reshaped through years of quiet activity.

It was fascinating to see how dramatically wildlife could alter a landscape without the need for machinery, roads or development.

Why I Chose the Fujifilm X-T5

For this walk I carried the Fujifilm X-T5 paired with the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR II. I also had the Fuji 18mm 1.4WR in my bag.

The reasoning was simple.

Unlike some outings where I head out with a very specific subject in mind, today felt open-ended. I wanted the flexibility to photograph woodland scenes, wider landscape views and perhaps even have enough reach should a beaver somehow decide to appear in daylight.

The updated 16-55mm f/2.8 II continues to impress me. Compared to the original version, it’s noticeably smaller, lighter and easier to carry throughout the day. Combined with the X-T5, it creates a kit that feels remarkably manageable considering the image quality it delivers.

The weather sealing was also reassuring. Rain fell for much of the walk, but I never once felt concerned about the camera. The setup spent most of the day attached to my Peak Design Capture Clip where it remained instantly accessible regardless of the conditions.

The Joy of Returning to Fujifilm

One thing I noticed almost immediately was how naturally I slipped back into Fujifilm’s way of doing things.

I’ve spent a lot of time recently shooting Nikon cameras, but the transition back to Fuji felt effortless.

The physical control dials remain one of my favourite aspects of the system. There’s something satisfying about adjusting shutter speed, aperture and exposure compensation directly rather than through menus or command wheels. It slows me down slightly and makes the process feel more deliberate.

Although I normally use custom film recipes, today I chose to shoot using Classic Chrome as a starting point while retaining the flexibility to edit later. As I continue building a growing library of Perthshire woodland images, I want consistency in the final edits while still benefiting from Fuji’s excellent colour rendering.

Classic Chrome once again delivered exactly what I expected.

Muted tones, restrained contrast and colours that feel natural without becoming dull.

Even before editing, the files looked excellent.

A Camera That Gets Out of the Way

What struck me most wasn’t image quality, autofocus performance or specifications.

It was how enjoyable the camera remains to use, even after owning it for over two years now.

That’s something I think often gets overlooked when discussing cameras.

The X-T5 isn’t exciting because of any one specification. Instead, it simply gets out of the way and allows me to focus on photography.

The camera felt light throughout the walk despite carrying a professional zoom lens. The controls became second nature within minutes. The viewfinder remained bright and easy to use despite the gloomy conditions.

Most importantly, I never found myself thinking about the camera.

I simply enjoyed being there.

Listening to the rain.

Watching the woodland change as the path wound deeper into the trees.

Observing the evidence of wildlife hidden throughout the landscape.

The X-T5 quietly did its job and allowed me to focus on everything else.

Building a Library of Perthshire

Although the beavers were the original reason for visiting, the photographs I ended up making were mostly woodland images.

That feels fitting.

The more time I spend in Perthshire, the more drawn I become to its woods.

The Highlands will always provide the grand vistas that Scotland is famous for, but increasingly I find myself fascinated by the smaller landscapes much closer to home.

The texture of tree bark.

The way light filters through woodland canopies.

The relationship between weather, season and atmosphere.

These quieter scenes are becoming just as important to me as dramatic mountain views.

Today’s walk added a handful of new images to that growing collection.

Final Thoughts

The Fujifilm X-T5 continues to be one of my favourite cameras for outings where the subject isn’t entirely defined.

It offers excellent image quality, dependable weather sealing, intuitive controls and a level of portability that encourages me to take it almost anywhere.

Combined with the XF 16-55mm f/2.8 II, it proved to be an ideal companion for a damp morning spent exploring woodland and following the subtle signs of beavers hidden throughout the landscape.

The beavers themselves never appeared.

But that hardly mattered.

The walk was enjoyable, the woodland beautiful and I came home with a few more photographs that help tell the story of a landscape I’m slowly getting to know better.

As a result, the Fujifilm X100VI hasn’t seen as much use as it once did. That doesn’t mean I’ve fallen out of love with it though. In fact, after more than two years of ownership, I still consider it one of the most enjoyable cameras I’ve used. I’ve covered my experience in much greater detail in my Fujifilm X100VI review.

That changed this week.

A family walk through Strathearn Castle Estate gave me the perfect excuse to take the X100VI out again and remind myself why I enjoyed it so much in the first place. I’ve also been taking out the X-T5 more recently too.

A Camera That Fits Around Life

The main purpose of the walk wasn’t photography.

It was family time.

My wife, Sofia, Isobelle, my mum and I wandered through the estate’s old woodland, following the main track towards the lake below the castle.

Before long Sofia and my mum had wandered off together, leaving me pushing Isobelle’s pram for most of the walk.

That was exactly where the X100VI made sense.

It’s small enough that bringing it along never feels like a commitment. If I use it, great. If I don’t, it never feels like a burden.

After carrying the Nikon Z8 with various lenses on recent outings, the X100VI felt tiny by comparison.

Not in a bad way.

Just refreshingly light.

Relearning an Old Friend

Initially I found myself needing a few minutes to readjust.

After shooting Nikon almost exclusively lately, the Fuji controls felt slightly unfamiliar.

That didn’t last long.

The old muscle memory quickly returned.

I shot in manual exposure mode using Classic Chrome, a simulation I’ve always enjoyed for its slightly muted colours and gentle contrast. It looks great straight out of camera while still providing an excellent starting point for later editing.

One thing I had to consciously remind myself was depth of field.

Having spent so much time shooting full-frame cameras recently, I automatically found myself thinking in terms of f/8. With the APS-C sensor in the X100VI, I often found myself comfortably working at f/5.6 instead.

Woodland and a Familiar Perspective

The woodland looked as beautiful as ever.

Scots Pines, birches and mature broadleaf trees filled the estate, their branches gently swaying in the breeze.

The light was subdued.

Not dark, but certainly flatter than when I visited recently with the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S.

That brought another adjustment.

The X100VI’s 35mm equivalent field of view felt almost conservative after spending so much time shooting 20mm. In many ways, this walk reminded me why I continue to enjoy the X100VI despite owning larger and more capable cameras. I’ve previously compared it directly against an interchangeable lens setup in my X-T5 and 23mm f/2 vs X100VI comparison, and many of the same strengths became obvious again here.

At first my images felt a little flatter.

Less dramatic.

Less immersive.

But after a while I began to appreciate what the 35mm perspective offers.

The photographs remain about the subject rather than the lens. That’s one reason I continue to recommend the camera so highly for travel. It remains one of the few cameras that genuinely encourages me to carry it everywhere.

You don’t get the immediate visual impact that ultra-wide lenses can provide, but you gain flexibility and simplicity. Compositions become easier to arrange, and the field of view rarely calls attention to itself.

The result feels natural.

Perhaps that’s why the 35mm focal length remains so popular.

Why I Still Love the X100VI

What stood out most wasn’t image quality.

I already knew the image quality would be excellent.

What struck me was how enjoyable the camera remains to use, even after more than two years of ownership. In an industry where the excitement of new gear often fades quickly, the X100VI still feels like a camera I genuinely want to pick up and use.

The colours are beautiful.

The film simulations are still among the best available on any camera system.

The camera itself encourages me to stop thinking about equipment.

Actually, forget my understated British ways for a second.

I’ll just say it.

It felt great to be back shooting with the X100VI.

Its fixed lens, its constraints and its simplicity force me to stop thinking about lenses, specifications and endless choices.

Instead, I simply focus on photography.

And honestly, I think I need more of that.

Final Thoughts

This wasn’t a dedicated photography outing.

It wasn’t a review session.

It wasn’t a carefully planned landscape shoot.

It was simply a family walk through one of my favourite local woodlands.

And perhaps that’s exactly why the X100VI felt so at home.

Over the past few months I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about cameras, lenses and systems. Yet a simple afternoon in the woods reminded me that sometimes the best camera isn’t necessarily the most capable one.

Sometimes it’s simply the camera you want to carry.

And after more than two years of ownership, the Fujifilm X100VI remains one of those cameras for me.

Woodland is notoriously hard to photograph. Clutter everywhere, difficult light, endless distractions. You would naturally think using a longer focal length would help isolate subjects and simplify compositions, yet I’ve found myself opting for the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S lens for my woodland walks lately. For more details see my full Nikon Z 20mm 1.8S review.

Today, I wanted to get a walk in my local woodland. It was the hottest day of the year so far, blue skies and harsh midday sun by the time I was free to get out. Not exactly the conditions we dream about as photographers, but that’s the time I had and, unlike in my younger years when I was free to pick and choose the best light, I’ll take whatever time I get these days and try to make the most of it.

So I headed out with the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S attached to my Z8, a bottle of water and nothing else. I considered other lenses but decided I really do enjoy the focus and challenge of one lens, one point of view and the simplicity that offers. With everything else going on in life, a prime lens removes at least one more choice from my brain.

Photographing Woodland in Harsh Midday Light

Today was hot, the sunshine was beautiful, but the light was harsh and contrasty, creating huge differences in dynamic range between the pockets of light and the dark forest floor. The kind of light where you have to pay attention to your histogram and, more often than not, make choices about where you want your exposure to sit.

As I walked into the woods, huge Scots Pines towered over me, offering welcome shade and relief from the sun. I could hear a chorus of birdsong all around me. A few minutes in, I stumbled upon a Roe Deer feeding at the side of the path, no more than 10 metres away. I half rued my choice to shoot woodland instead of wildlife as the deer froze and stared straight at me. I watched her for a moment before deciding to keep walking slowly away, allowing her to relax and continue feeding.

The Scots Pine trees in particular evoke a sense of awe in me as they tower straight up into the sky, their trunks covered in incredible bark so textured I could spend the whole day simply admiring them.

This kind of harsh light, with trees and the forest canopy strongly backlit by the midday sun, lends itself to strong compositions, but more than that, it makes me look for light breaking through the canopy and illuminating small areas of interest. That was my focus today, not picture-postcard woodland images, but light and how it felt on and reacted with the environment.

Why I Chose One Lens and Nothing Else

Yesterday I had laid out several lenses and even cameras to take out with me for a walk. I actually swapped lens choice a couple of times. Maybe I’ll take two cameras for coverage. At one point I had the 50mm f/1.8 S on the Z6III and the 20mm f/1.8 S on the Z8. I looked at my 400mm f/4.5 and wondered if I should take that as well to capture any chance wildlife encounters. Maybe I’ll just go light and take the OM-3.

All of this was adding to my mental load when really all I wanted was a walk in nature for some peace, relaxation and to take some photos should I see anything interesting.

I laid the Z6III down and said to myself, no, just take one camera with a fixed lens. Then I know what I have and what type of shots to look for.

And this is the real strength of prime lenses for me. Instead of trying to cover every possible scenario, they limit you in a way that a zoom doesn’t, but that limitation actually helps focus your mind. It removes indecision, not only about what lens to use, but also about the types of images you are able to make. That leads to clarity, calms your brain and, in my case, actually allows me to think about the photos I am going to make rather than being overwhelmed by choice.

In my experience, that clarity and focus allows you to concentrate on creative thinking, composition and light. More often than not, I end up with a coherent set of photos which are usually better than if I’d taken a zoom or multiple lenses.

And in the past year or so, when I’m out taking photos for myself, when it’s my time, I value that clarity more than being able to cover every possible scenario with zooms or multiple lenses.

Maybe that’s just me and a reflection of how busy my headspace has been lately, but it’s something worth thinking about. Rather than trying to cover every possible shooting scenario, make a decision, introduce a creative constraint and see if it helps improve not only the photos you make, but also your enjoyment while making them.

Why the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S Works So Well in Woodland

The Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S is perhaps not the most natural choice for woodland photography, and neither is it a particularly small lens, but it pairs well with cameras like the Z6III and Z8.

What it does well is encourage you to look for compositions you may not otherwise consider, to push in closer, get lower and really pay attention to your framing. In woodland especially, where clutter is everywhere, you start looking for angles that create separation and order within the frame intentionally. Moving in and out with your feet to remove distractions and arrange elements becomes part of the process because you cannot simply zoom in to eliminate them.

As with some of my shots of the horses, the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S also allows you to get creative with depth of field, opting for a shallower depth of field which is quite unusual in wide-angle photography. That creates a very different look to standard landscape-style images shot at f/11 and beyond. Instead of trying to maximise depth and sharpness throughout the frame, I found myself trying to create atmosphere and, in yesterday’s harsh light, almost an ethereal quality.

I’ll go into the specifics of the Nikon Z 20mm f/1.8 S in much more detail in my full review, but for now I can say that the optical performance is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Nikon’s Z S-line lenses.

The 20mm perspective, when used in this way, can give the feeling of being immersed in the landscape, almost as if you are part of it, rather than feeling like an outside observer, which shots taken with 35–100mm lenses often create. It feels intimate when you push in close to your subject, yet expansive at the same time.

I was photographing the horses yesterday from no more than around 1.5 metres away. The ability of the 20mm lens to get that close while still giving context to the environment is unique to these wider-angle lenses. It’s a viewpoint that challenges you creatively but is ultimately very rewarding when you get things right, very similar in fact to the way I felt using the Fujifilm 18mm f/1.4 WR lens. I recently shot the same woodland with the Fuji X100VI which gave a very different look to the images.

Why I Processed the Photos This Way

I don’t usually enjoy sepia toning. It’s not something I use often as I tend to prefer darker, moodier edits with more contrast and weight to them. Yet when I was editing the photos from my walk yesterday, I found myself wanting to remove the saturated greens and focus instead on the pockets of light breaking through the trees.

Black and white immediately felt like the right direction. As I edited the first image, initially without any intention of processing the whole set in the same way, my usual black and white style simply didn’t reflect how the woodland had felt to me yesterday. The darker, moodier processing I normally gravitate towards felt too heavy for the atmosphere I had experienced walking through the woods.

As I’d wandered beneath the trees, the overwhelming feeling I got was that this was a little slice of heaven. The heat, the birdsong, the shafts of light breaking through the canopy and the huge Scots Pines towering above me all combined to create a feeling that was peaceful, ancient and almost dreamlike. Naturally, that pushed me towards warming the images in editing, controlling the highlights while still allowing the overall brightness to come through.

In the end, I replicated that processing style throughout the set and I think the images work well together as a group, all shot with a single lens to represent how that walk and that place felt to me in that moment.

And I’ve realised this more and more over the years: photography for me is less about trying to create images that will be popular, follow the trend of the day or even accurately show how a place looked. What matters to me now is trying to convey how a place felt.

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. I’m dealing with a few things behind the scenes at the moment and don’t really feel capable of writing anything meaningful right now.

Sometimes just getting outside with a camera is enough.

I took the Nikon Z 20mm 1.8S lens out on my Z8 recently too and have now written a review of the Nikon Z 20mm 1.8S lens.

It started off in the Philippines, trying to sell our belongings and arrange our international family move back to Scotland. Sorting out all the loose ends while also getting a home organised from the other side of the world was a bit of a logistical nightmare.

However, we managed to arrange everything after basically culling our belongings down to the bare minimum.

At the end of January, we arrived in Scotland and spent the next few weeks making the new house feel like a home. Buying the essentials, finding suitable furniture and helping Sofia settle into school.

Things finally started to calm down a little.

Then I received a phone call from the lettings agent.

The call left me stunned.

We had taken on the house as a long term let, somewhere to settle and build family life here. A place to give Sofia and Isabelle a secure, comfortable environment to grow up in.

But after the call, everything changed again.

The owners of the house had changed their minds and decided they wanted to move back in themselves. So with just two weeks before my wife and Isabelle arrived in the UK, I suddenly found myself desperately searching for another house for us to call home.

By that point Sofia had settled into school really well, made new friends and joined the local horse riding club, so I had to limit my house search to somewhere within a reasonable commute because I wasn’t prepared to disrupt her again.

With the whole move being driven largely by our developmental concerns regarding Isabelle, and with her arrival already delayed due to the situation around Iran making the usual transit through Dubai unsafe, I was suddenly juggling rearranged flights alongside trying to secure another home and dealing with uncertainty over how long we even had left in the current one.

I didn’t tell my wife about the house situation at the time.

I didn’t really see the point. It was up to me to sort it out and try and do so without making her worry even more during an already stressful move.

Now, nearly two months after their arrival, I’m relieved to say that I found another home for us.

It’s a bit smaller and a bit further away from Sofia’s school, but it’s in a lovely countryside location and it genuinely feels like somewhere we can make home.

So for the last few weeks, I’ve really struggled to think straight, let alone get out for as much photography as I’d like.

We’re settling Isabelle into nursery life here, arranging medical appointments and thankfully she seems to be adapting really well to life and routine in Scotland.

My mental load though still hasn’t really reduced.

There are still tensions within the house and unfortunately I suspect those tensions are going to come to a head over the next few weeks as I look to ensure that my youngest daughter’s best interests remain prioritised, even if that creates some conflict.

With all of this going on, and having spent a lot of time lately shooting wildlife with the Nikon Z8 — a camera built around speed and responsiveness — for the last few days, whenever I’ve managed to muster the energy for small local walks, I’ve found myself taking the Fujifilm GFX100S instead. If you want to see how detailed GFX100S files are then I wrote this post about them.

A camera that even when it was released back in 2021 wasn’t exactly considered fast.

And honestly, I think that’s part of why I need it right now.

The fact that it isn’t a fast camera forces me to slow down a little. It forces me to focus more carefully on shooting technique because that 100 megapixel sensor is brutally unforgiving of sloppy handling.

But more than that, after shooting a lot of bursts lately with wildlife on the Z8, I think my mental space right now requires something slower, more purposeful, more meaningful and ultimately more calming as I sense an oncoming storm building again. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve been using it more lately. I’ve also written in more detail about that choice in my latest GFX article.

I’ve also been exploring the opposite end of the spectrum recently, returning to the compact Fujifilm X100VI for a family walk through local woodland.