Last year I wrote about my ideal personal kit for doing photography while on vacation. Since then I’ve made some changes, based on the kind of photography I plan to do. That sent me in two different directions: wider and longer.

My original vacation photography kit: Nikon Z50 II with Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 and Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7.

As you can see above, that first kit was the Nikon Z50 II with its pair of kit lenses, plus a short fast lens (24mm f/1.7). Fitting into a small bag, that worked great for a vacation that included lots of people photography opportunities (Cambodia and Vietnam). The one thing I was missing, though, was a super-wide lens. So I added the Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 lens (Nikon doesn’t make anything like that in DX). Before, the widest lens in my vacation kit was the 16-50mm, a DX lens, meaning an equivalent focal length of 24-75mm. I’ve always been a fan of super-wide, so the Viltrox, at an equivalent of 13.5mm, filled that need.

Part of what makes this photo of the Yarra River in Melbourne unique is the super-wide look, thanks to the 9mm lens. I brought it, instead of the 24mm f/1.7 lens, for a tour my wife and I took to Australia and New Zealand in February. Nikon Z50 II, Manual exposure, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 800, 1/30 at f/2.8 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Viltrox 9mm f/2.8 Z lens.

Another photo from that trip with the super-wide lens, during a cruise on Milford Sound. Nikon Z50 II, Manual exposure, Natural Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/400 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -1.0 EV, Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Z lens.

Now I have four compact DX lenses to use with my small Z50 II. However, since I mainly use larger full-frame cameras and full-frame lenses (not DX), I also own other (larger) Z lenses. Remember, Z-mount is Z-mount, so while the Z50 II is DX (smaller sensor = smaller body), it can use any of Nikon’s other Z, non-DX lenses. While planning a family vacation to Yellowstone National Park this spring, expecting to see lots of wildlife, I knew I’d want more reach than the DX 55-250mm lens offered. Looking at my shelf of Nikkor Z lenses, I spotted the 28-400mm f/4-8 lens sitting there. Aha!

Over the past year, that lens has become part of my “work” travel kit, alongside the Nikkor 14-30mm f/4 lens and a full-frame body (usually the Nikon Z8). Those two give me a range of 14mm to 400mm, are sharp, relatively small and fairly inexpensive. Neither of them are “fast” lenses, but for most of the travel and landscape photography I do for work, wanting to carry less weight, I can live with the slower apertures.

And that brings me back to planning for our Yellowstone vacation. Used with my DX Nikon Z50 II, that 28-400mm gives me an equivalent focal length range of 42-600mm! Adding the tiny DX 16-50mm gives me a wider option and still keeps the kit I’d be carrying to a minimum. I’ll let the photos below show how well that longer lens worked out.

I needed all the reach that 28-400mm lens could give me to photograph this mama bear and cub near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone last month. Nikon Z50 II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 1250, 1/640 at f/8 in multi-segment metering, +0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens at 400mm.

I also needed that reach to photograph these bison climbing the bank after crossing the Lamar River. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 800, 1/400 at f/8 in Matrix metering, +0.7 EV, Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens at 400mm.

This red fox was hanging out where we stopped to picnic in Yellowstone. I didn’t need a lot of lens, but was able to put the camera on the ground for an eye-to-eye photo. And no, we didn’t feed it! Nikon Z50 II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 1250, 1/640 at f/7.1 in Matrix metering, +0.3 EV, Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens at 130mm.

We had great weather in Yellowstone, and, of course, I didn’t just photograph wildlife. These are the Lower Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Nikon Z50 II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1/60 at f/25 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens at 120mm.

Often in life, the decision comes down to, “what’s the best tool for the job.” And when it comes to my professional photography, that means bigger, heavier, more expensive gear. But I’d rather not carry that on vacation. So now when I think I’ll need a longer telephoto in my vacation kit, that 28-400 will be first into the bag.

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