Long Exposures and Daily Snaps: My Two-Camera Setup (For Now)

This is a casual talk post about my cameras. Since the DSLR era, I’ve been shooting with Nikon, moving from D60 (2008–2011), D7000 (2011–2014), D610 (2014–2022) to Z 6II (2022 to present).

As for lenses, I only own a single lens today, Nikon 18-35mm (f/3.5-4.5) , which I’ve been using since 2013. I used to have a few others, like 50mm (f/1.4) prime lens for casual shots, but I let them all go, leaving my Nikon body dedicated to long exposure cityscape photography.

Singapore Skyline with Merlion. 18mm, f/5.6, 259 secs, ISO 100. To shoot long exposure photos, a full frame camera like Nikon Z 6II is ideal, offering cleaner images, wider views, and better dynamic range.

By the way, I’m a minimalist by nature, so my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) is quite low, but I’m occasionally tempted to change brands (recently I’ve been drawn to Sigma BF , a beautifully minimalist camera!). That said, I always end up shying away from the switch since I hate having to learn a whole new camera system. 😅

Balance Two Cameras for Different Purposes

Nowadays, my Nikon Z 6II has become sort of a specialty camera that I only bring out for long exposure photography at blue hour. Everything else, from cats to “behind the scenes” shots like the ones below, is taken care of by my sub camera, Olympus PEN E-PL10 .

I chose Nikon for the quality, but for Olympus PEN, it was the design that sold me at first. Looking back, I feel it was the right choice, as Olympus M.Zuiko prime lenses that I own (17mm f/1.8 , 25mm f/1.8 , and 45mm f/1.8 ) are all compact, lightweight, yet pretty sharp at budget-friendly prices.

Behind the Scenes at Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

I use Olympus PEN to photograph cats and capture “behind the scenes” shots of how I take certain photos.

For me, Micro Four Thirds (MFT) like Olympus feels like a happy medium. If the gear is too good and expensive, I don’t feel comfortable using it casually, even though that’s exactly what I want it for. 🤣

Now I have two cameras for different reasons, but if there’s ever a day when I stop shooting long exposure cityscapes, I’ll probably want to let one of them go (minimalist nature 😅). In that case, it might be Olympus that I keep, for all the good reasons I’ve mentioned.

For now, both Nikon and Olympus have their own place in my photography journey. One gives me the satisfaction of polished long exposure cityscapes, while the other keeps everyday shooting light and fun. I enjoy switching between them, and that balance keeps photography fresh and exciting!

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About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Photo Gallery (40 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography .