I’ve had the new Nikon 12×25 Stabilizer bins for a few weeks now. I just love them! Along with being so small, so light, and so bright, with the stabilizing engaged (you can use them without it turned on), I can one-hand scan with them. This is huge to me! It gives me a free hand to like swing the Z600f4TC onto the subject or use the Merlin app on my iPhone. All while keeping the subject in sharp view. I just love that!! I made one big mistake though, one I regret I’ve made twice before. You see, my lovely bride doesn’t always remember to grab her bins when we head out, so she borrows mine. That’s not the issue, I don’t mind sharing with her. But what has happened twice before when I got new bins, she falls in love with them, and I don’t get them back. Looks like that’s happened again, I gotta order another pair, my pair of 12×25 Stabilzer bins, looks like history repeats itself!

I just learned about the SmallRig HawkLock H18 Quick Release Support with Cold Shoe, Dual-Direction QR-Slide Cold Shoe Mount with Anti–Drop Pin & Silicone Pad and instantly ordered two for my Hummer Rig. They can hold up 1.8lb and are designed for heavy items like LED Video Light, and Microphone so I thought they could easily support the Profoto A10. They do and truly make operations just that much simpler. The sweetest part is they are only $19! If you’ve checked out the prices of cold shoes, you know this is a steal! You have two pieces, one attaches to the flash/LED light/Microphone/etc foot and the bottom piece to a stand, bracket, arm, etc. You the simply slip the accessory into the bottom foot where it locks into place. The simple push of the lever and it’s out. Love these, and ordered more, you might wanna check them out.

Wakadahatchee Wetlands is a spectacular location in Florida spring birds! In this short video, I go through some of the basics of when, where, and why you want to shoot at this location. Enjoy!

When I go out with long glass like the Z400f4.5 or Z600f4TC, I like to just have that with me. I just don’t like gear on my back or hanging off my shoulder anymore, I just wanna concentrate on shooting with the big glass. But one lesson I’ve learned the hard way is, never forget the landscape lens when out with the big glass. That’s why I had the backpack or camera on the shoulder back in the day. I can’t be more emphatic about how much I love the Z26f2.8 because this tiny lens with ease slips into a shirt or pants pocket and provides a landscape lens when shooting with the big glass. This is a perfect example of what I’m referring too. Photographing the Wood Storks at sunrise, getting that fireball behind them when the clouds come in. You can see the drama in the light but the Z600f4TC is waaaaaay too much lens for the shot. I simply pulled the Z26f2.8 out of my pocket and made the click. It’s a simple and little thing, but the Z26f2.8 is the greatest pocket lens, ever!

My trusty Z 9 is back from Nikon Service and it has that brand-new, Corinthian leather smell. Of course, if you’re old like me you remember that commercial and the fact there is no such thing as Corinthian leather but it tells the story. I took advantage of the Nikon NPS Platinum service for my Z 9’s annual servicing and as part of that, the “leather” grips were replaced. They were worn for sure after nearly five years of heavy use, they even replaced the memory door! No, it doesn’t smell like leather but it feels like brand new. Why is it better than new? I sent it in two days before Nikon dropped firmware 5.10 (which they installed for me), a free update making the Z 9 a better camera with more features than five years ago. The “better than new” BTW is all free, we don’t pay for those firmware updates which is pretty darn cool! I realize celebrating simple servicing is silly, I’m just so happy to have my friend back. I expressed it when I opened that box and said, “ah, that Corinthian leather smell!”

Riparian Preserve at The Water Ranch AZ is a spectacular location for bird photography! In this short video, I go through some of the basics of when, where, and why you want to shoot at this location. Enjoy!