Having subscribed to your channel for years, I'm glad to see you carrying way less weight and having Rick help you with tripods and videos. With all of the back surgeries and recoveries, I think it's fantastic you can continue with a lighter package. Like you said, 2.8 lenses are marginally sharper but eliminating sharp back pain is far more important!

I think that a video about fast pro lenses vs slower optics at "Landscaper" apertures would be very interesting. For decades I used the latest and greatest "Pro" lenses for their enhanced image quality. I hauled the weight and size thinking this is what I need to do to to achieve the best image quality. Now with todays optics, even inexpensive lenses stopped down gets close or even match their Pro counterparts. Today I carry much less weight and no one, not once has been able to tell the difference. My photos look great and my entire spine and the older knees truyly thank me for it!

I really like when you put yourself in the composition and explain it. You walking around the scene and pointing things out really brings your explanation of composition to life and gives a great sense of depth. I hadn’t realised this had been missing in some recent videos until it came back and it’s a really great and unique feature. 😊

I became frustrated with my f/4…f/5 lenses because of trying to work with them in marginal light handheld, so went on a kick of getting a couple of fast primes, and a 2.8 full aperture zoom. But for working on a tripod, and hiking in, as you do, there isn’t much point to a fast lens. Your photography is quite inspiring, I find it really difficult to find great compositions in woodlands. It’s a lot of hard work to get the results you create.

@ThatNorma

8 ай бұрын

Humm ive been doing handheld landscape alongside with my tripod as well and f4 always worked awesome even for handheld. also happen to shoot a lot in low light woodlands and it still works perfecly fine. Dont think people realize how much of a boost mirrorless cameras are in that regard compared to DSLRs

@baselsalam

7 ай бұрын

With modern sensors, with usable 6400 ISO, F4 is fine.

@maeu59

4 ай бұрын

Exactly, 2.8 is more for portraiture and low light, but in landscape you need smaller apertures for more depth of field , why would you want 2.8? This title is a bit deceiving.

Hi Nigel - Both your fantastic photos and your enthusiasm are a great motivation to keep shooting. Heartfelt thank you for that!

Nice to see Pebbles out and about again! I was going to ask if you'd ever considered using Pebbles for a "Mad's Style" shot and up popped a portrait. I guess shutter speed is the limiter. I fully agree about f4 lenses but you've got me thinking. When I jump to Z I was going to get the 14-30 f4 but now the 2.8 is in my head. 😉

You exude such joy at being in the field! Your delight as you see possibilities is infectious. Another wonderful and informative video. Thank you.

Enjoyed the video as usual Nigel. It's nice to see Pebbles out and about again. What a great woodland for photography where there are so many compositions. Great images as usual.

Great advice, as always Thanks for taking me along!

What a lovely, lovely video Nigel. It's so nice to see you back in the woodlands with Pebbles.

Great video. As I get older I tend to usually just carry a micro four thirds body with a 12-40 and Panasonic Leica 100-400 which gives me a FF equivalent of 24-800mm in a small package for hiking. The creative compositions are endless. Can stand in on spot and knock out almost anything in sight.

@12symmo

8 ай бұрын

As long as you don’t need 80-200mm FFE that sounds great!

@SpruceUp612

8 ай бұрын

@@12symmoheh sometimes I bring the Pana Leica 50-200 as well. In a pinch I’ll just shoot the 80mp sensor shift mode and crop if needed. Lately I’ve been shooting medium format though and stuck with 44 and 118mm equivalent primes.

I really love the atmosphere captured in image with the ferns bottom right of the image at 12:33 and the diagonal path above these ferns. Captured the fog beautifully. Thanks Nigel for a peaceful start to Sunday morning!

@NigelDanson

8 ай бұрын

Thank you very much!

Thank you for making this video Nigel. I still have moments or the itch to spend money on a 2.8 lens when in fact my current lenses are absolutely fine. As you said, having a larger focal range really helps the aesthetics of my shots. I’ll put the wallet away for now… 😂

I hope more people realize that good composition is way more important than technical perfection. That also goes for 24-120 vs 24-200 if one needs the extra reach/compression

My Fuji 16-80 F4 is my favourite lens for woodland. For the woodland i like to shoot it at mostly f5.6 to f11. Add to this the fact that i share your love of a more painterly edit in LR then faster lenses would be useless to me. Lenses like this get written off as necessary compromises for travel but that may only be the case for those who are obsessed with shallow DofF. Speaking to this point, I think the obsession with faster glass today is mostly driven by online creators who are relatively new in their photography journey (and I'm sure we've all spent a time being impressed with shallow DoF) but do a good job of positioning themselves as experts and pushing the idea that faster is better but without any context. You'll save a lot of people a lot of money with this content!

@CC3GROUNDZERO

7 ай бұрын

I remember that phase very well. Last year when I got my camera, I would do portrait shots with the little Nikon 40 mm f2 prime. Needless to say, many of the images focused on the eyes but nose and ears were already massively out of focus 😅

i have the sony equivalent (24-105 f/4) and this video resonates with me. while not 120mm, the added 35mm with the 105mm adds a lot for me and provides enough bokeh past the 70mm mark, if i want to knock out a portrait while i'm out. i usually keep a 85mm 1.8, anyhow, since it's my focal range of choice. fantastic vid and i love your work!

Beautiful picture's again!!

Love the evf capture❤ Seeing what you saw when composing makes all the difference!

Yes, Nigel, that lens has also become my favourite go to all round best lens in my landscape photography. Superb work...as usual Nigel!

Awesome video Nigel! Stunning woodland

I enjoyed the video as always and the beautiful woodlands. It was nice to see Pebbles with you again.

Nigel, Thanks for your explanations of the different lenses and practical applications. I am learning about the unlimited possibilities and nuances with the different lenses available. Your videos have helped me save a lot of money on kit that I don't need. As someone who has taken well over a million photos with advanced point and shoots, the transition to a full frame is a fun challenge. At the end of the day, I realize the equipment helps, but the creativity and eye help you capture incredible shots that far surpass limitations of an average camera. I look forward to learning much more from you. Thanks

Thanks Nigel for a great episode and explanation on your lens choice. It was also great to see out in the bush with Pebbles.

Fabulous images, love them all, great shot of Pebbles.

What a fantastic collection of photos you got there, Nigel! Although I just returned home from Slovenia with an insane collection of photos, I have the worst FOMO when seeing a video like this 😅

Thanks Nigel another great video, very inspirational.

Great photos as always Nigel, love the one with the ferns too

Thank you. Nice to see Pebbles out with you again. Really good topic, this. It is a big deal choosing lenses; what you can afford vs what they will give back, and what matters most. Cheers, Nigel.

I am very happy with my Olympus om-d e-m1 mark II and Olympus 12-45mm f4 pro. Work just perfect

@dayeah765caoni3

4 ай бұрын

Save for a 12-100mm f4 . Wonderful one lens solution

Your videos are definitely one of the best and provide realistic information to photographers. I am thinking of getting rid of my Nikon 2.8 Z holy trinity lens. I have become a huge fan of the f4’s. Thanks for sharing your views on this topic. Thanks 🙏

Beautiful images Nigel your photos are spectacular 😊

Nigel, you have some wonderful images. I agree with you on the f2.8 versus f4 thinking. As a landscape photographer, I have migrated in the same way. Your woodland images are fabulous and the one with Pebbles is so precious! Cheers!

Thanks for this thoroughly educational vid Nigel. You’ve convinced me to go for the F4 after many weeks of deliberation, so thanks it’s really appreciated 👍

Loved all the images really like the shot of Pebbles 💜

Such a happy dog and a happy video!

Wow, wonderful photos in this video!! That picture of Pebbles is such a perfect autumn snapshot ❤🍂 Thanks for yet another great video!

Thank you especially for that quick lesson on pulling up the metadata, I've been struggling trying to figure that one out. Incredibly useful for figuring out my next lens purchase.

I've watched few channels that are reviewing lenses, cameras and explaining photography, but Your channel, is just so satisfying and so warm for the ear to listen and pleasant to watch, Sometimes I'm just playing video to hear some stories you are talking and learn just from listening. I'm similar type of person if it goes about photography so I really enjoy and wish to see such beautiful landscapes you are visiting

@NigelDanson

8 ай бұрын

Thanks so much! Appreciate that

Great to hear your thought process when you select scenes to shoot Nigel. Many fabulous images, I esp like the one at 5min and of course the shot of Pebbles

Big fan of the channel Nigel and always nice to see Pebbles from time to time. Love your approach to the channel and your willingness to share your wealth of knowledge. I did a quick search of your previous videos looking for your thoughts on paper choice given the frequency of your printing. Was wondering if you might consider doing a video on what paper you use, why you choose one over another, B&W vs. colour and finally how subject influences paper choice. As always, thank you for putting so much time into making this valuable content for all of your "fans".

Fabulous video and its good to see Pebbles again.

Thank you for posting this video. I mostly use the 24 - 200 with my Nikon Z 6. It’s definitely sharp enough with the 24 MP sensor. I may buy the 14 - 30 F4 at some point. F4 is all you need for landscape photography.

@jonfletcher147

8 ай бұрын

I've got the 24-120 f4 and 24-200. The 24-200 has never left me wanting a sharper lens and I'm a pedantic pixel peeper. I've used the 2.8 and flicking from image to image, I really couldn't say the 2.8 was any sharper than the 24-120 f4. It was so close at 100% you couldn't see. Even my copy of the 24-200 is as sharp as I'd ever want. I dont worry about the corners much where there may be the tiniest of improvements with the 2.8. I do agree the 14-24 2.8 is an absolute stunner!

Another excellent video, I have come to the conclusion you are without doubt a master of landscape photography, but your dog training skills are lacking! Pebbles can always find the mud, so you should have trained him to find the fog and the mist. LoL Go Go Pebbles

That is a great location. So many images to shoot, and to get the fog as well, just makes for a great day.

Fantastic photography Nigel some of the best Woodland photography I have seen well done 👌

Some of my more striking photographs of Peak District were actually shot using my D800 and 80~200 AFS- D lens at F2.8. Generally though, I prefer to take the 70~200 F4 VR. Half the weight, almost as sharp in mid apertures and it has VR.

Thank you for this! It was always a question to use and go the 2.8 route but your vids laid out the facts for me to choose and buy the 24-120f4. 👌🏻

Wow, that place is beyond gorgeous. Thanks for your thoughts on gear.

Your joy in this video is wonderful to see.

@liamminerYT

8 ай бұрын

@nigeldanson bot alert?

This scene with you walking away is so beautiful and the depth is so defined that it almost looks like you’re walking toward a backdrop of one of your photos. 6:19 Great video. Good to see pebbles. And ps who knew you actually have hair.

great video- wonderful place and really nice music track!

Hi Nigel, great video and the Z 24-120/f4 lens indeed is a wonderful and practical lens. I just finished a 5 day-photography tour in the Scottish Highlands, to shoot mountains, lochs, shores and woodlands. The 24-120 has been my most used lens. The Z 100-400 combined very good with it, especially for mountains.

Thanks for an interesting video from Padley Gorge - and, of course, great images!

Thank you Nigel great content.

Great video Nigel. I appreciate your image count at the end as I was wondering whether the greater FL of the f/4 was the primary reason for keeping the f/2.8 at home. So seeing how you've transitioned did help answer the questions bouncing around in my head.

Fantastic video thank you for being real

You are such a woodland wizard, love all your shots! Pebbles' portrait is awesome!!!

Love the videos that feature Pebbles too 🥰

Amazing woodland photos Nigel - I watch a lot of your videos, was surprised I hadn't actually subscribed...well i have now! keep up the good work!

Great video Nigel. I was out in the (very muddy!) local woods with my Z8 earlier. I usually use the 14-30 and 24-120 and when I want to do long distance, the 180-600. Like today, I also like to use primes for woodland photography, so today 24, 50 f1.8s and probably my fave woodland lens, the 105mm MC.

I recently came to the same conclusion with my Fuji, and switched from the superb 16-55 f2.8 and 50-140 f2.8 to the 16-80 f4 and 70-300. They're not quite as sharp, especially at the ends of the ranges, but are so much more versatile and a lot lighter to carry. Definitely getting images I'd have otherwise missed.

Great video as always. I live my 24-120 lens is my goto for so much.

I settled into being a woodland photographer after years of trying different types of photography until I realised that it's my favourite and its really accessable for me in terms of locations, less than 1hr from my house etc.. I've been using a 24-70 2.8 on dslr and now on mirrorless as my goto lens of choice + 90mm laowa macro. Its really all I need to get the job done 👍

I used to buy the biggest and best lenses but now retired and having moved to Nikon, I use a 24-200 and 14-30 f4 for most of my shots. When I need a larger aperture I have a Viltrox 24mm 1.8. all these are more than good enough for me.

Great video and glad I bought the same lense. Use it all the time 👍🙂🍂

When my 24-70 f2.8 and 24-104 f4 broke, I bought the 24-70 f4 and I love it ! It's my go to lens for outdoors.

Having switched over to Nikon from a rival 'C'ompany ... lol, the 24-120mm was on the top of my list as my everyday lens to be matched with my Z7 II. Having shot with my prime lenses for most of my life, I was blown away with the quality of this lens and could not be more happier with it. Couldn't agree with you more that the extra reach is more practical than the 2.8. Great video as always Nigel !!

Thanks Nigel. The 24-120mm is my favorite lens.

I always thought that f4 brings out more detail of a landscape. It just depends on how and what you use it. Great video and sweet Pebbles is back 😍

That's so cool! I like the atmosphere of this video! When you say : 'This is so good, and this and this' it's exactly like me😂 when I am on a walk with my camera😊 Great pics! 📸👍

To make my bag light, I now carry a 14 to 30 mm lens and a 28 to 400 mm lens. In the past, I used a 2.8 aperture to narrow the depth of field or to allow more light to come in the camera. Now I can control depth of field with post processing, and I can use very high ISO. Newer sensors make for very little graininess, and if you do have grain, you can remove it with post processing as well.

I love my 24-105L F4 Canon Lens and as you say hardly ever shoot wide open! Great video thank you.

I love a good F4 lens. Recently picked up the 20-70 from Sony and I’m absolutely in love with it. Small, light, and that extra 4mm on the wide end was easily worth giving up 2.8. Decades ago my canon 70-200 f4 was the first lens I truly fell in love with.

@philipk4475

6 ай бұрын

the 24-105 f4 on sony is a great one too

Olympus 12-100 f4 is my go-to for versatility. It’s much sharper at the short end, but it’s nice to have the extra reach occasionally.

@mofi3641

8 ай бұрын

so the nikon 24-200 would be the equivalent....stop it down to f/8 and you will get the same impression as with the olympus. i like this zoom range also - but on nikon ;) btw. due to the 4 times bigger sensor you will still get less noise.

@remembershooting2064

8 ай бұрын

Superb lens, very versatile and the IS still surprises me a couple of years on.

@12symmo

8 ай бұрын

@@mofi3641 why does everything have to be a competition? I own the Olympus, I don’t own a Nikon camera. I’m happy with the Olympus, and I’m not saying anyone else shouldn’t be equally happy with their choices. The video is about f/4 vs f/2.8 lenses with larger or shorter focal range, not about one brand vs another. PS I own canon and Sony full frame cameras, I still reach for the Olympus especially when I want this zoom range in a single lens and am happy with the results.

@mofi3641

8 ай бұрын

@@12symmo oh, i am so sorry...i really thought nigel danson war talking about his nikon lenses....until...well until you decided to write about "extra reach". so not me, but you started comparing and i just showed you why you don't get more zoomrange because the nikon 24- 200 does not only offer the same range but is even smaller (!) then the olympus. p.s. i am not sure if you understand my posting...the 24-200 offers the SAME range as your olympus 12-100 . The SAME! the olympus f/4 does not matter in this case. maybe you should invest into FF-lenses?

@12symmo

8 ай бұрын

@@mofi3641 lol I was comparing the range to lenses with shorter ranges, not to other brands. Have a nice day and enjoy your Nikon lens.

These are all beautiful but the one at 10:20 just knocks my socks off! Love the mood and light

Always blown away by your images Nigel. A true master of composition. They seem to offer a serenity I struggle to find in my own images, but I'll keep trying. lol BTW, Is it easy to fix typos in a blog - "I would rather have the flexibility of the extra 50mm of reach without having to change lens that the increased sharpness of the lens."

Thanks Nigel , nothing like a good walk in the woods and you help me to see images everywhere . great tips. Can I just say that in the country close all gates as you find them, Sorry!

Nigel, glad to see you back at your best, this is also accessible to the masses so we can go out and follow your lead. I am recovering from a new knee, and need a lightweight option, what bag do you use.

Hi Nigel. We travelled to the Lakes last weekend from Cheshire. We noticed a huge difference in the tree colours...❤

Yay for Pebbles, true star of the show.😊 My original trilogy was the 20mm 1.8, the 24-70mm 2.8 and the 70-200mm 2.8. But last year, my wife got me the 24-120mm f4, thinking it would be my primary travel lens. Thing is, I started using it and pretty soon the 24-70 was staying home all of the time. I still use the 70-200 (love that lens), often with the TC1.4 on it, giving me combined reach from 24-280mm. I’ve thought about the 100-400, it looks like a very good lens but I’m happy with the versatility of my 70-200, which does double duty for shooting our grandkids in action. But if I was starting from scratch, knowing what I know now, I’d definitely go the route you’re taking. Go Pebbles!

Some of the best Woodland images I’ve ever seen. It’s nice to see Pebbles again.

I love the 24-120mm as an always-on-lens, especially when I don't want to carry the other lenses.

Nigel you do a wonderful job seeing different compositions when you are out in the woodland. Out of chaos you find simplicity and the results are wonderful. Do you typically use a polarizer when you are shooting in the woodland? It appeared that you had one on your 24-120 lens. Many thank for your recommendations on Square Space, I just signed up with them last week to create my website.

The shot of Pebbles at 12:48 is th shot of the day for me😂

Thanks so much Nigel, I am at the aesthetics end too. The are many examples of great photos that are not sharp, the “Monsoon girl” for instance.

Good video - I especially liked how you explained your composition choices. I have Sony a6500 and used previously mainly Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 lens for all around photography. It was a great lens even when photographing birthdays and the like, but many times on family trips and trekking I would have liked to have more reach. So I switched to Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS. Only drawback after over year of use is that indoors Tamron was better, but I can always switch to Sigma's 30mm f/1.4 prime if needed.

One perhaps elusively obvious lesson of this is that the best composition for any given shot usually requires something *in between* the extreme ends of the zoom range. Starting out, my tendency with zoom lenses was often to go for either of the extremes, either fully zoomed out, or fully zoomed in, almost as though I considered the entire zoom range in between as "flyover country" between two discrete focal lengths available to me. Not sure why this was the tendency for me, or whether this is only me, but I somehow suspect that this might be an issue for quite a few beginners. Maybe this could be an idea for a future video focusing on zooming as a tool for composition?

Nice to see Pebbles again ❤ 🐕

Nigel, good video. I've have had similar thoughts for some time and the 24-120 f/4 is my go to lens and is almost permanently on the camera. It's such a versatile lens for a lot of genres of photography. I have the 24-70 f/2.8 S and the 70-200 f/2.8 S, and really have in mind to sell them. Apart from anything else, they are substantially heavier for travel photography of when you need to lug them in a backpack, and they don't offer much advantage to the image. I tend to like to travel light and the 24-120 f/4 is a perfect lens.

Great video as usual Nigel. I was actually wondering why you always use a zoom. I recently bought the Z 28mm f2.8 and I love it! So light and sharp, and zooming is done by feet…😂 From now on this is my hiking lens (with the fantastic Zf).

I’ve been using a couple f/4 lenses on my Fuji X series cameras, and really loving them.

I just sold my Canon EF 70-200 f2.8... I just wasn't using it... Hey Pebs... missed ya. Having fun in the background is so cute ! Amazing photos.. almost painting like... Wow good.

Thank you for the luscious scenery, and your BTS scenes with your rationale of how you create your compositions. Your demo of how camera height affects how the image is presented is on the mark. I do the latter all the time (though I need a taller tripod!) That said, I will keep and continue to use my 2.8 lenses for three reasons: 1. Better Sharpness (which you mentioned). These are Nikon's top-of-the-line lenses with excellent corner-to-corner sharpness. 2. Internal zoom and focus. With the 24-120 you are using, any moisture, dust, grime etc on the lens barrel when zoomed out, will get sucked back inside the lens body. With time, some of these lenses start loosening up. I had an old Nikon 2.8 70-200 push-pull lens (the original heavy all-steel type) and when pointed down, the lens barrel would extend on its own, as the friction had weakened. The pumping effect of lenses that extend out (and that includes the 200-500) will ultimately introduce dust into the internal lenses. 3. Close focus ability. I really like the close focusing ability of my 2.8, which is better than the f4 24-120. Great for semi-macro shots of mushrooms, flowers etc when you want to fill the frame or even flat-lay photography. The weight difference may be small between the 24-70 and 24-120, however I have no problem with carrying around the 24-70 and 70-200 to make sure I have the reach I want, with the sharpness and flexibility, when I want to shoot wide open with a creamy smooth bokeh. Anyway... my two cents. Enjoy your superb videos and the scenery you show your viewers. Cheers, Frederic in Montréal.

I love my 24-120 and the only 2.8 lens I use is the 14-24. The 24-120 was perfect in the Fanal Forest and for hiking with only one lens.

Pebblws! Long time no see, the woodland photos are very impressive and the minute decline in sharpness of the f/4.0 is not noticed with so many details woodlands offer.

Nigel, I always wondered why you would go for a heavier f2.8 lenses with your history of back injuries. I have the Z 24-70 f4 and love it. It’s lighter than the 24-120 and less expensive. With a 45mpx Z7 etc can shoot in DX mode to get 105mm so effectively it’s a 24-105mm and post cropping to zoom closer if needed. I’ve just used it for shooting a fireworks display and the colours are awesome.

love my 24-120 f4... it lives on my walking camera! also love your woodland shots! (oh how I wish my lens would just "do that" for me!)

Another great vlog mate, im currently using the Nikon z 24-200 for woodland but about to sell it for the 24-120mm.

Gorgeous photos, fabulous informatuion in the narration. But I kept thinking, "If he doesn't get a shot of his dog in this I'm gonna.....". But 12:44 made everything complete! lol

The most important part for landscape photography is a lens without heavy distortion, very good center and edge sharpness and great contrast and colors. If it’s already tack sharp from F4 to F10 then it’s a keeper. But often, lenses are sharper one or two stops down, so F2.8 lenses will sharpen around F4 ans become very good at F5.6