It’s obvious, Nikon has been working really hard behind the scenes in different ways. Right now, the future of the company is questionable for photography and for photographers as they’re leaning so much more into video. However, I’m pretty confident that they’ll come back as more and more folks realize that they don’t want to be connected to their phones all the time anymore. With that said, I dove into our Reviews Index, and I decided to choose the four best pieces of gear that Nikon came out with in the past two years that the Phoblographer’s Reviews Team considers to be our favorites. Here they are.
Nikon Z 600mm F4
What is it?: The 600mm f4 is one of the ultimate lenses for sports, birding and wildlife photography for the Nikon Z mount. It boasts all the latest tech from Nikon inside and when coupled with the company’s higher megapixel camera bodies, you can crop in-camera and get more than enough resolution when shooting further subjects. But due to the built in teleconverter, you probably won’t need to.
Why it’s so great?: In our review, we tested it with the Z8 and found that it put to rest all of the claims of Nikon’s autofocus being slow.
What Makes it Unique?: The lens has a built in teleconverter.
Nikon Z 35mm f1.4
What is it?: The 35mm f1.4 is Nikon’s journey into trying to have a bit more character. Of the company’s three 35mm lenses, it’s the only one that’s not part of the S-lineup — which is their top tier. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t built like one.
Why it’s so great?: In our review, we talked about how nice the bokeh is. And looking back, I’ll also say that this lens also has a bit more character than many other lenses. It’s almost like they put a 1/8 Mist filter on this lens.
What Makes it Unique?: The other brands tend to not make lenses like this. Leica and Canon sometimes go for really unique lenses that have special controls and stuff. But most of the industry is hyperclinical and fetishizes the same vision of real life. That ends up with lenses all having the same boring output.
Nikon Z6 III
What is it?: The Nikon Z6 III combines the best of so many of the brand’s cameras into something much smaller. In many ways, if you were looking for a 24MP flagship camera from Nikon, this would be it.
Why it’s so great?: In our review, we noted the new semi-stacked sensor that lets the camera have really fast output. Plus there’s a new, really nice viewfinder.
What Makes it Unique?: The Nikon Z6 III launched with the inclusion of content credentials, but they’ve got to do tweaks to it as of November 2025. It’s bound to come back. The only other brand that has made it freely available is Leica. Sony offers it, but you have to pay for it.
Nikon Z5 II
What is it?: The Nikon Z5 II is the company’s entry-level full-frame camera meant for photography.
Why it’s so great?: In our review, we stated that the new grip is something that’s really, really comfortable.
What Makes it Unique?: The thing that makes this camera unique is that it’s the most affordable option that has access to the Nikon Picture Control system. However, Panasonic does something similar with LUMIX Lab. Sony and Nikon do not have such a robust ecosystem with supporting photographers in getting new looks easily on their cameras.