Earlier this week I headed out for a hike in the Peak District near The Roaches. It wasn’t just about the walking, though — I wanted to see how well a lightweight setup would work for photography on the trail. My kit of choice was the Nikon Z30 paired with the Nikkor Z DX 18–140mm lens.
This combination turned out to be a versatile companion for hiking. Below, I’ll share some thoughts on the setup, a few tips for shooting while out on a walk, and some reflections on balancing photography with the actual enjoyment of hiking.
For this trip, I kept things simple: no tripod, just the Z30 and the 18–140mm. On a DX body, that gives an equivalent field of view of 27–210mm — a really useful range for anything from wide open landscapes, to far away details.
There are certainly smaller and lighter lenses I could have taken, but the flexibility of this zoom was hard to beat. Not having a tripod meant I had to rely on handheld shooting, which worked fine mostly. The only situation where I missed it was in darker, enclosed areas where high ISO was unavoidable.
If you know you’re going to be shooting in low light, a small travel tripod might be worth the extra weight. But for this hike, leaving it behind kept the bag light and the walking more enjoyable.
When you’re combining photography with a hike, planning goes a long way. I’d looked at maps, photos, and guides beforehand to get a sense of what might be worth shooting. That meant I knew roughly what to expect when I arrived at certain spots, like the dramatic rocks near The Roaches or the mossy steps at Lud’s Church.
That said, hiking photography isn’t about rigid shot lists. You have to adapt to conditions. The weather was overcast and threatening rain — not ideal for comfort, but it can definitely add mood and atmosphere to the images.
If you’re hiking with friends, you don’t want to slow the group down too much. Being able to find compositions quickly is a useful skill. Don’t worry if every frame isn’t perfect — sometimes it’s better to move on and let the next opportunity present itself.
Foreground elements (like rocks or flowers) help anchor wide landscapes, while bold features (a large boulder, a tree, a barn) give viewers something to focus on. Even less obvious subjects, like farm equipment or a textured wall, can make for interesting images if they stand out in the environment.
The practical side of hiking photography is often overlooked. Having waterproof clothing, sturdy boots, and a comfortable pack can make the difference between enjoying the process and cutting it short. Wet gear, cold hands, and fogged lenses are all real challenges when the weather turns, as it did on this trip.
Eventually, the rain came down hard enough that keeping the lens clear became impossible, and I called it a day. And that’s okay — sometimes the conditions win.
One of the key lessons from this trip is balance. If your top priority is photography, then plan a dedicated outing around it: the right location, the right time of day, the right equipment.
But if you’re on a hike first and foremost, treat photography as an added bonus. Don’t worry about missed shots, and don’t take it too seriously. A good walk, good company, and a handful of strong images can be far more rewarding than stressing over perfection.
The Nikon Z30 with the 18–140mm lens proved itself as a great hiking combo — lightweight, versatile, and capable of capturing everything from wide landscapes to distant details. While I occasionally wished for a tripod or a wider lens, the convenience of a single do-it-all zoom made the experience enjoyable.
If you’re heading out on a hike with a camera, keep things simple, plan just enough to know what to expect, and remember that the hike itself is part of the reward.
Check out the video of this trip and see the photos that I managed to capture.
Leave a Reply