21 Photography Lessons I wish I knew in my 30s | Nikon Z6III
It’s great, but I don’t “need” the Nikon Z6III.
It’s technically better than my current cameras, but I’m trying not to get blinded by the specs. While the Z6III comes with 6 headline grabbing features, it’s still missing 3 things that Nikon shooters have been demanding, for years.
After shooting with 31 cameras from the major brands for both photo and video over the past 10 years, I’ve learnt 21 photography lessons - things I wish I knew in my 30s - which will hopefully help with this decision. Is the Z6III the right camera for me and for you?
***
By the time this blog post goes live, I’ll have turned 40.
But instead of celebrating I’m going to the doctors later this morning.
I need to do a blood test. It’s a bit nerve-wracking really.
So help distract me by obsessing over the Nikon Z6III together.
***
I have a Nikon Zf, a few Z lenses, but haven’t fully committed to Nikon. What I did in my 30s is go all in too quickly, but camera brand loyalty can stop you from finding the best tool for the job.
Lesson 21: The Speed You Need.
The Z6III’s first headline feature is the the world’s first semi-stacked sensor, fast readout speeds to minimise rolling shutter at a fraction of the price of a fully-stacked sensor. But… I don’t need it. I don’t shoot sports or wildlife, and any events I shoot are very manageable at even 5 frames per second? There was a time when I thought I needed it:
Lesson 20: Don’t Fall for the Flagship.
I bought the Sony A1 at launch, fully-stacked sensor, 50 megapixels… then its hardware and software was out of date in 6 months. The features I actually needed weren’t there - better auto white balance, more stable IBIS, and by being an early adopter I was just subsidising their R&D for lower end models. The Nikon Z9 is fantastic, so’s the Z8, but the Z6III is the tool that enthusiasts might actually need. These top tier specs are available in the mid-tier Z6iii at not-so mid tier launch pricing ($4500 AUD!), which brings me to:
Lesson 19: Second Mover Advantage.
I’ve stopped pre-ordering at launch, because we shouldn’t have to pay full retail price just to be beta testers. Firmware bugs and camera recalls are not an if but a when, and I’d rather wait til the dust settles.
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6 months ago I couldn’t sleep.
I thought I was active, healthy for a 39 year old, but I was always tired - more than usual.
I had a sneaking suspicion of what’s going on, because the men in my family are cursed.
I come from a long line of diabetics. Late onset type 2 diabetics, my dad, grand-dad, both diagnosed in their 60s, and their quality of life changed overnight.
I pride myself on being punctual, but at 39 I didn’t want to be ahead of the schedule.
***
Lesson 18: The Value of Time
I’ve wasted too much time in my 30s just offloading photos. You should just buy the fastest media possible, and the Z6III holds CF express Type B and SD cards, same as the Z6ii, much faster than the SD and microSD of the Zf so for me this is an upgrade.
Lesson 17: All About Redundancy
While it works fine for photos, the Z6iii still can’t do dual card recording for video - no Z camera can. This is the first big feature that was missing from the Z6III - which rules it out for a lot of solo film makers? It’s not a deal breaker for me, I shoot video to one card and photo to both, but still a letdown. What wasn’t a complete letdown was the Z6iii’s second headline feature: 120FPS, continuous blackout free shooting with an endless buffer but comes with a 1.5X crop AND it’s JPEG only. The fact it’s not RAW is the second feature missing from the Z6III, though to be fair is not in the Z8 or Z9 either.
Lesson 16 - Shoot for the Edit
Even if you shoot RAW, it’s worth taking the time to pick the right JPEG profile. Get your white balance and metering right in camera, on the off chance your RAWs get corrupted, the JPEG is still usable. But going through 120 frames to find one shot? I don’t shoot sports or wildlife, but that sounds like a suboptimal workflow to say the least.
Lesson 15 Slow down the process
Waiting at the same spot for the right subject rather than spray and praying, but…
Lesson 14: There is such a thing as TOO slow.
120fps for video? I’ve used the Sony FX3 for the past 4 years - want to know how many clips I’ve shot at 4K120? 2, maybe 3 clips, tops. What used to be the holy grail effect now looks a bit dated? With vertical video and quick cuts galore, ultra slow-mo montages aren’t in vogue anymore.
Lesson 13: Don’t Overpay for what you don’t need.
I definitely don’t need the Z6III’s third headline feature: 6K RAW. Either Prores RAW or N-RAW for video, unlimited choice in post production to change the ISO and white balance. The trade-off is enormous file sizes - and for my work a good log-profile and a 10-bit codec is enough, but the Z6III’s fourth headline feature is the basis of
Lesson 12: You can never get too close.
I’m talking about uncropped 4K60. Your wide angle lenses stay wide angle, and you can get closer to the subject without messing up your framing, but…
Lesson 11: You can work with what you’ve got.
Other than Canon R6 Mark II shooters we’ve all had to adapt. A 1.5X crop for slowmo has become everyone’s second nature, so full frame 4K60 is now just a nice to have rather an unsolvable pain-point in the process.
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Diabetes doesn’t hurt, not at the start, and that’s why it’s so insidious.
All that sugar in the blood numbs your nerves so by the time you feel the damage to your heart, liver and kidneys? It might be too late.
It’s easy to be in denial, but I was turning 40. No more quick fixes or half measures. My doctor gave me an ultimatum - change my diet or lifestyle, then come back in 6 months.
We’ll know from the blood test whether I’m doomed to follow in my family’s footsteps.
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I don’t mean to sound like a downer, but so far I don’t need any of these Z6III features.
But the Z6III’s fifth headline feature may be reason enough for me to switch - best in class EVF. But viewfinders are very subjective, and..
Lesson 10: The Eye of the Beholder.
Do you wear glasses, are you right or left eye dominant, do you prefer SLR or rangefinders, the eye relief and magnification,… you can’t trust what reviewers tell you about EVFs, because…
Lesson 9: Numbers DO Lie.
The Z6III’s viewfinder can display HDR content - P3 color gamut - but this is mainly useful if you’re shooting HDR video”, not so much for photo. The Z6III’s 5.7 million dot EVF doesn’t SOUND as good as Sony A7RV’s 9.44 million dot panel, but on the Sony the resolution drops as soon as you start tracking. I’ll reserve judgement on how smooth the EVF feels on the Z6III - it’s anywhere from 60 to 120fps.
Lesson 8: Don’t buy all your gear online.
So many agonising purchase decisions only take a second to resolve by walking into a physical store. Nothing beats holding the camera in your hands and up to your eyes.
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1 in 3 diabetics develop irreparable eye disease.
Some go completely blind.
For a photographer this seemed unthinkable.
For the past 6 months I couldn’t stop imagining broken blood vessels, haemorrhages, and slowly but surely losing my sight.
All of it made me lose my appetite.
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The best part about getting older is the possibility of getting wiser, and for me this comes in the form of less workflow friction:
Lesson 7: Find a good keyboard
Something with haptic feedback that compels you to keep typing. Mechanical or not, doesn’t really matter, you just have to like the sound it makes as you work.
Lesson 6 - A mouse with more than two buttons.
Ideally programmable shortcut keys and two scroll wheels like all the Logitech mice, especially useful for huge lightroom catalogues or a long video timeline.
Lesson 5 - Get a height adjustable monitor,
Don’t just slump at your laptop, your shoulders will thank you 10 years from now,
Lesson 4 - get a good chair.
Doesn’t have to be expensive, as long as it’s height adjustable, enough back support, and up to you if you go with arm rests.
Lesson 3 - Tablet, laptop, or both?
A lot of my friends swear by iPad editing so I really gave it a shot. But I’m a laptop person, I need the extra control, no compromises on any feature sets with the software I use.
Lesson 2 - Everything will be a subscription.
Adobe promised, Capture One promised, look where we are now. Luminar Neo and RAW power offer one-time purchases, but they all need to make money. If you’re not prepared to pay for software as a service at some point don’t sign up in the first place.
The Z6III’s sixth and last headline feature is also the third thing it’s missing. The screen.
It’s not the 3-axis tilt screen on the Z8 and Z9, or the 4 axis screen on the Sony A7RV, just the love it or leave it flippy screen. Apparently a lot of Z6II shooters were requesting this? I’m yet to meet one - online or in person, but the biggest lesson that I wish I knew in my 30s about photography is this:
Lesson 1: Nothing’s a dealbreaker.
Tilt or flip, or close the screen entirely, I spend less time worrying and more time shooting, to put in the work. Now that I’m 40 I can redirect all that nervous energy towards productivity, something 30 year old me could never have managed.
In fact writing this post made me stop worrying about the letter from my doctor that arrived in the mail an hour ago.
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My test results are back.
Cholesterol down, sugars normal, my bloodwork is clean.
I’m healthier now at 40 than I was even in my 20s because nothing’s a dealbreaker if you put in the work.
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Will I get the Z6III? It looks to be a fantastic camera, but I’ll hold off for now. More time shooting, less time worrying, to keep putting in the work.
Happy shooting everyone, talk soon.
Jack.
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