N Photo 100% NIKON INDEPENDENT

I was in a taxi the other day and the driver asked me where I was going for my holidays. In fact I’d just returned from a trip to Barcelona with my family, so travel was uppermost in my mind.

Which is why our main feature this issue is so timely! It’s written by top travel photographer Steve Davey, who offers 25 tips for getting your best ever travel shots this year, and illustrates them with a selection of his own photos (see page 27).

Some of his advice really struck a chord! In my early years I always took practically every lens and body I owned, just on the off-chance I might need it. I had to drag a heavy bag everywhere I went, and as often as not the bit of kit I wanted was buried so deep under the rest I didn’t have time to find it.

Now I know better, and I prefer to travel light with just one camera and no more than two lenses.

And speaking of lenses, Nikon’s new 400mm f/2.8 telephoto lens (see New Gear, page 102) has sparked some vigorous debate in the office and online. How can any lens possibly be worth over £10,000?

For amateur photographers, that is a ridiculous amount of money, true, but Nikon’s new lens is aimed at professional sports and wildlife photographers who are investing in equipment they need for their business. That said, I still want one, even if I don’t need it!