Cold temp haven’t been so cold, yet, but now seems to be a good time to post my annual glove post. This Glove Review is to help you find the right gloves for your photography. Many years ago my friends started to talk about their gloves in levels, a system I have come to embrace with the higher the number, the heavier the glove for the colder the ambient air conditions. Levels 1 – 4. (I have an entire 90min class on being prepared for winter photography over at KelbyOne for much more in-depth discussion). Here’s the thing, my gloves from 2023 are still in great shape so, I’ve not gone looking for new ones. There is one I have tried, liked and not purchase I want to pass along to you. They are the Vallerret Milford Photography Glove which feel great, are fingertipless and have a waterproof mitten cover you can quickly install over them. Quite brilliant, wish I needed them this year as I really like them!

The gloves and mittens you see here, I take them ALL with me whenever I think it’s going to be cold. And when I go out shooting, I have them ALL with me to keep my hands warm according to temperatures. When the wind comes up, you put on Level 1, when there is wind and cold, Level 2 and when it’s really, really cold, Level 3 and since I’m the only crazy one who owns the mittens (besides my wife Sharon), I have a Level 4 (see below). And there are times when I will wear a Level 1 under my Level 4 so I guess we could call that a Level 5. Bottom line is pretty darn simple, you think you’re going to need gloves, have Level 1 through Level 3 with you IN THE FIELD so you can enjoy the great shooting at hand. Here are my recommendations for Level 1 through 3 gloves for this year.

Gloves A (Level 1) are the all-important windstoppers with this year making the switch to the Manzella Men’s Lightweight Gore-Tex Infinium Glove. Gloves B (Level 2) are what I wear most often, the SEALSKINZ Men’s Waterproof Dragon Eye Gloves. The first glove ( A ) is when it’s just starting to get cold. This next glove SEALSKINZ Men’s Waterproof Dragon Eye Gloves ( B ) is what I wear probably the most of all of these. The SEALSKINZ Men’s Waterproof Dragon Eye Gloves simply rock with lots of warmth and flexibility. They have three layers, a non-slip liner, and a special cut, and are waterproof! These are the gloves I always have in my jacket and they take care of my hands for the majority of my shooting. When going to extremes like when the air temp hovers around zero or lower, I turn to ice climber gloves or Level 3. I was pleased the pair I got last year (Gloves C ) the DAKINE Titan Insulated Gloves which are not available this year. When you click on the link, you will find this year’s model on the REI site. They do look bulky but I found them to work really well. They keep the digits warm, and permit basic operation and the ability to push some buttons. You can push all the buttons on the camera body. You can even run a video camera with them.

My favorite though are ones my family gave me years ago for ultimate in cold weather protection. These gloves mittens I love to shoot with! Actually, they are custom made trapper mittens that are strictly for cold weather use.

How cold? Well, at 12degrees my hands were almost uncomfortably warm, not perspiring but almost too much warmth. Working in places like Yellowstone or the Arctic in the winter, these mittens are so perfect. Yeah, I can squeeze off the shutter, no, can’t work any other feature on the body. No, can’t buy these at REI. They are a two-layer mitten, a heavy wool removable liner, and outer Beaver fur. I just can’t wait to get out in the cold and put them to use! Thanks, family!

The key here is, no one glove does it all. I hope this helps you keep shooting in the worst weather which often yields, the best photography!

Long glass, they have been in my kit from the very start. I acquired my first 600f4 AI back in ’92, replacing the 800f5.6 AIS opting for a “shorter” lens to gain autofocus operation. I had the 600f4 AFS when I replaced it with the 800f5.6 AFS in 2013. There was an incredible leap with each lens most noticeable in MFD, sharpness and operation with each update in long glass I made. In May of this year I received a Z600f4 TC from NPS to give it a test drive. Thanks to Nikon NPS and Bedfords, I now have had the Z600f4 TC in my kit for a while and wanted to provide some insight of what I’ve learned shooting with it so far.

You can learn things shooting a lens? You betcha! I was talking about glass with a peer who has shot extensively with every Nikkor lens ever made a couple of weeks back (he’s my go to guy). The conversation started with the new Z135f1.8 which Mike wondered if I would be getting it. I said I had spent my gear allowance on the Z600f4 TC so I had to start saving again cause I need that lens. Mike just said, “ah, the Z600f4 TC, it’s something special!” That phrase might sound odd, but “something special” is above legendary status as far as we are concerned. This is the first thing I have come to learn about the Z600f4 TC.

As I mentioned in my first post about the lens, weighing four pounds less and focusing five feet closer than my love, the 800f5.6 AFS is a big deal for me. For example, the Golden Eagle that has been coming to The Ranch for the carcass, the lighter weight of the Z600f4 TC permits me to just grab the lens and go out and attempt to get shots of it shooting handheld. The closer MFD permits me to get the image size I desire while shooting in locals prior where I had to backup limiting my shooting possibilities. The biggest lesson comes from the internal 1.4x teleconverter (the TC in its name). You engage it with a simple flip of a level with your right index finger. The number of images I have gotten with this huge time saver boggles my mind! And on at least two occasions, I know with the critter in front of me, adding an external teleconverter would have moved them off. With that said, I shoot with the external Z1.4x & Z2x attached to the Z600f4 TC quite often (I see no image quality loss doing this at all). The balance of any of these combos with the Z 9 makes operation very smooth which aids in obtaining the sharp images as well of ease of acquiring subjects in the viewfinder.

Have I created images with the Z600f4 TC that I could have created with gear I already had in the locker? This is a great question and very valid! We have always worked on the basic photographic formula, gotta earn $5 for every dollar we spend on gear. Going by that formula, image sales from the Z600f4 TC so far and the most important, images I wouldn’t have had otherwise, the Z600f4 TC has already in six month proven itself an essential tool in my kit. I would go so far to say, the Z600f4 TC is not only the sharpest lens I’ve had the privileged to shoot, it’s something special!

The Benro Mammoth / Wildlife combo is simply magical, I’ve so enjoyed using it the past six months so I went looking for a new general tripod and looked no further then Benro. After trying a couple, I came upon the Tortoise an oh my, what a light rock solid versital tripod! It goes flat with a click, goes back with a click like no other tripod. Is a columnless design with leveling platform perfect for stills or video. Its minimal collar permits it to close up into a tiny package. And so light I can take the Tortoise and Mammoth in my luggage and the combo weighs less than my old big tripod. I totally love it an highly recommend you check it out!

Tortoise Specs

The sunrise started out like most, a glow on the horizon that slowly spread overhead. Then like normal, it began to fade but with the blink of an eye, it came roaring back. The color overhead seemed to have been recalled by the rising sun and went towards the east. The intensity of the moment overwhelmed the senses which I took as a queue to switch out from the Z24-70f2.8 to the Fisheye. Bringing back this memory required two important technical things, -1 exposure comp and 10k WB. The underexposure saturated the red the 10k WB was recording. For over twenty minutes the red blazed, the sun coming up behind the clouds but hidden from view. The show was so magnificent the God Beam you see I never saw while shooting. I couldn’t take my eyes off that color! It was only once I got back and got the images on the computer and stood back from the moment did I see it. It was like no other sunrise I’d experienced. It was simply, grand!

It’s so small, I think of the Z40f2 as a glorified body cap. It is with me all the time, all the time! And I love to shoot with it especially on the Z 8, the pair making a great, compact shooting kit. Last week while at Philmont I was out shooting Metcalf before sunrise when another shooter said, “I’m shooting with the Z40f2 too.” Then another said, “I am as well and just love this lens!” Not sure if it is its price, feel or what but it would seem not too many know about the Z40f2 and those of us who do simply love this little lens. It made this photo real simple to capture. Shooting handheld at ISO100 f2 in Mode #17, when the porch light was turned on, I walked over in front of the station, bent down a bit (eyelevel is often not the best angle), dialed in -1 exp comp, went clicked and was done. Had plenty of time for a couple cups of coffee before the light came up and the main show began. You want a simple, clean, sharp little lens, can’t recommend enough the understated Z40f2.