Julie Cogis Captures Her Need for Speed with the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S

At 29 years old, Julie Cogis continues to evolve as a photographer. Having grown up in the sport, she brings over 14 years of professional experience in high-level motorsports and motocross photography. Her father was a French Enduro champion motocross rider, and her mother and aunt were affiliated with motocross, sidecar cross and superbike racing.

Julie works more than 40 weekends each year across the 21 events in 21 countries that form the World Motocross Championship calendar. She’s a fixture at the French motocross, supercross championships, and endurance motocross championship events.

Julie’s previous camera kit for sports photography was a D5 with a AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens but she found the NIKKOR Z 600mm f/6.3 VR S lens on a Z 9 to be a great combination of camera and lens for her work. She explained: “the Z 9 changed my view of mirrorless photography—I wouldn’t go back to a DSLR.”

“The excellent AF speed really helped me shoot the fast, unpredictable subjects I work with. The powerful stabilization let me shoot hand-held even at 1/200 second,” she said.

The size-reducing Phase Fresnel (PF) lens element in the 600mm f/6.3 lens gives her a substantial advantage over the 300mm f/2.8 lens she’d normally use, “It’s compact and surprisingly light for a 600mm lens, so it was easy to carry wherever I went, and the long focal length helps you remain discreet and get more authentic, striking photos,” she said.

Julie added, “because it’s so resistant to dust and heat, I wasn’t afraid to use it even in the extremes of dusty, 40-degree (Celsius) conditions. Being able to add a protective filter to the lens front is a plus for me, and this isn’t always the case with my other super-telephoto lenses. Overall, together with my Z 9 body, it’s the perfect combination.”