Skateboarding was one of my biggest hobbies as a teenager and is something I still enjoy often. I've always enjoyed skateboarding because it is a creative outlet, from the board graphics to the trick selections, obstacles, and culture. What better way to document this fascinating sport than using photography? My mother always had an old film camera, which led me to shoot photos of my friends while skating. Cameras sparked a new passion and led me to take high school and college photography classes, which later became a passion and career path.
My first digital camera was a Nikon D90, the first DSLR with video recording capabilities. Years later, I am still a committed Nikon user and have had multiple opportunities to document our products here at Boundary through photography and video work. This leads me to today's blog topic: the new Nikon 28-135mm F4 power zoom video-specific camera lens. We live in a world of incredible technology where advances happen almost daily. It's probably not possible to buy a bad camera in 2025. However, power zoom lenses, or the ability to control zoom mechanically, have become rare in today's modern camera systems.
This video-specific lens is beefy, weighing 39.5 ounces or 1120 grams, which, in my opinion, actually adds stability for hand-held shooting. The lens has an aperture opening of F4; although it is not ideal for low-light conditions, it should suffice for most shooting situations. Most video shooters are using an ND filter to cut the light anyway. With a 95mm filter thread, I could mount my PolarPro BaseCamp matte box system. Paired with the Nikon Z8 and a 5-inch monitor, this thing makes a pretty well-rounded rig for run-and-gun shooting.
As mentioned earlier, this lens really shines in its ability to zoom in and out. Shooting wide at 28 mm is a great focal length for establishing opening scenes while zooming in up to 135 mm allows for very personal close-ups or detail shots. Another massive advantage when shooting on the Z8 or Z9 is utilizing the 8k sensor and combining a digital zoom with the mechanical zoom. When the lens stops at 135 mm, the camera's high-res zoom system takes over and punches in up to 270 mm digitally without losing any resolution at 4k.
As a photo/video guy, I've become quite the gearhead. Often, during shoots, I've had to do lens swaps to adapt to different situations. It is safe to say this is as close as a one-size-fits-all kind of lens. This means I get to pack less when traveling and can focus more on capturing the scene because I have an adaptive piece of gear that I can trust. Shameless plug: The lens also fits with room to spare in the Boundary Supply MK-1 & MK-2 Camera Cubes.
