I wanted to buy a new lens – but I ended up buying a new camera body instead. Here’s what happened…

High-quality lenses are pricey commodities, especially big ones. I’ve been steadily building up my collection of Nikon Z-mount glass since embracing the system back in 2020, and I npw have enough lenses to cover pretty much any shooting scenario. One thing I’m still lacking, however, is a super-telephoto zoom for the likes of action, sports and wildlife photography. With that in mind, I’ve been keeping tabs on the price of a Nikon Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR, which officially lists for around $2,199 / £1,799 / AU$2,949. The Nikon winter savings offer had me reaching for my credit card, with the lens reduced by just over 9% in the USA and UK, to $1,999 / £1,629.

But here’s the thing. Just as I was about to order my new lens, I noticed an even more tempting offer that was frankly too good to pass up. The Nikon Z6 III is currently reduced by 30% in the UK and 22% in the USA, priced at just £1,749 and $2,099 respectively. That makes the camera body’s sale price a mere £120 / $100 more expensive than the lens. Those numbers completely stopped me in my tracks.

My trusty Nikon Z6 II was looking distinctly worried at this point. How on earth could the Z6 III with its revolutionary ‘partially stacked’ image sensor, immensely powerful EXPEED 7 image processor, ultra-realistic electronic viewfinder, incredible autofocus system, blistering 120fps frame rate for stills and high-end video specs cost so little more than a single lens? And the Z 180-600mm isn’t even one of Nikon’s high-end S-line lenses.

So there you have it. Well, at least I have it. After due and careful consideration for all of about two minutes, I promptly ordered my Nikon Z6 III camera body and part-exchanged my old Z6 II. A super-telephoto lens will just have to wait for another day and do you know what? If I suddenly feel the urge to go out on a sports or wildlife shoot, I might just hire a top-ranking Nikon Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S and maybe a Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-1.4x instead, if and when I really need them.