What’s in photographer and YouTuber Kristof Göttling’s kitbag?

Kristoff Göttling•Technology & Know-how•15 Mar 2024•3 min read

Kristof Göttling's images for Nikon magazine

From portraits to landscape, Kristof Göttling makes storytelling the heart of his photographs. The YouTuber, photographer and content creator shares his preferred NIKKOR lenses and camera bodies (plus his secret weapon)

Photographer. Videographer. Image editing coach. There aren’t many things Kristof Göttling doesn’t do. From Nuremberg, Germany, the photographer has been in the business for ten years and is as excited as ever about the world of image-making. What’s the one thing he’s learned over the years? “To be patient,” he shares, smiling. “I’m still learning to be patient and to be diligent. You are responsible for your own hard work, preparation and creating your own luck.”

He gives lectures for Adobe, photographs for Nikon and runs his own workshops and online coaching in image editing. Over the years, he’s built a combined following of more than 70,000 followers on Instagram and more than 20,000 on YouTube, where he shares video tutorials on image editing. His top tip to building a social media following? “Don’t stop after half a year,” he says. “I remember starting with 50 views, which is disappointing, but I knew that if I kept it up, it would work out. Content creation is hard work, especially now compared to when I started in 2016, because there’s so much more good content. You have to push yourself to get your work out there.”

From portraits to landscape, Kristof Göttling makes storytelling the heart of his photographs. The YouTuber, photographer and content creator shares his preferred NIKKOR lenses and camera bodies (plus his secret weapon)

Kristoff Göttling

What’s in my kitbag?

Z 8Fast, full-frame hybrid camera

Z 7IIMaximum speed and reliability

NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 SReveals greater detail

Stills: Kristof Göttling

First camera: Nikon D5100

“Ten years ago, my first camera was the Nikon D5100, which I bought for a holiday. After the trip, my plan was to return the camera – I was completely broke at the time – but I never did! I travelled a lot more, and my photos got better and better,” Kristof shares. “I used Aperture Priority at first, before moving to Manual mode because the cameras are built to understand the situation. Now as a professional, I don’t always use Manual – sometimes I switch back to Aperture Priority.”

Top tip: If you’re new to photography, Kristof recommends familiarising yourself with zoom lenses first, before moving to prime. For a deep dive into what NIKKOR lenses you may need, click here.

Kristof Göttling’s kitbag

Camera bodies

Nikon Z 8

Nikon Z 7II

Nikon Z 6II

NIKKOR lenses

NIKKOR Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S

“This is my favourite ultra-wide lens, which I mainly use for landscapes and animal photographs,” Kristof says. “The lens provides a very intense look because of the distortion of the wide angle, but I love how it really draws you into the image.”

NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S, NIKKOR Z 70-200mm f/2.8 S, Z Teleconverter TC-2.0x

These lenses, combined with the teleconverter, cover Kristof from ultra-wide angle (14mm) to super-tele (400mm), which allows for variety of images.

Read more: A quick guide to teleconverters

Drag

NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.8 S

“I don’t often use primes but, when I’m filming for YouTube, I’ll have this on my Nikon Z 6II as I’m sitting very close to the wall and I want to get more depth into the video and use a wide aperture,” Kristof explains.

Read more: What is a prime lens?