Congrats on the Z6 II, it is such a beast. In my experience, Iceland is gonna push your gear to the limit with the wind and mist, so you gotta be prepared. Honestly, for landscapes you can skip the pricey CFexpress cards. I have used the SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-II for years and it handles those files just fine. Also, definitely skip the FTZ if you are sticking to native glass for now. Here is what I would actually grab with your remaining budget:

• Spare batteries. The cold there kills them way faster than you think. Pick up at least one Nikon EN-EL15c Rechargeable Li-ion Battery.
• A circular polarizer like the Hoya 72mm NXT Plus Circular Polarizer to cut glare on wet rocks and glaciers.
• A rocket blower and plenty of microfiber cloths. Waterfall spray is no joke and you will be wiping your lens constantly... trust me on that one.

Regarding what #2 said about "Regarding what #1 said about "Congrats on the..." - spot on. In my experience, you need a SmallRig EN-EL15C USB-C Rechargeable Camera Battery. Cold drains lithium fast.

Regarding what #1 said about "Congrats on the Z6 II, it is such..."

• I disagree on skipping the faster cards. I'm worried about SD cards cracking in freezing weather.
• ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type B Gold 128GB is much sturdier than plastic SD cards.
• Lexar Professional CFexpress Type B Silver 128GB is a cheaper alternative but still very fast.
• Expert Shield Glass Screen Protector Nikon Z6 II is vital for grit protection. CFexpress is safer for travel tho.

Quick question before I get into the technicals of what you should grab—are you planning on doing a lot of long exposure work for the aurora, or are you mostly gonna be doing handheld street and landscape stuff? It changes the priority list for your budget quite a bit tbh. Thinking about Iceland really brings back memories of this trip I took to the Faroe Islands a few years back. I was so bogged down in the data sheets, comparing the specific thermal conductivity of different weather-sealing materials because I was terrified of internal condensation. I spent hours reading technical briefs on how salt spray affects magnesium alloy bodies over long-term exposure. Then I get there, and my cousin shows up with this old inherited film setup that had zero weather sealing. We spent the whole afternoon climbing these massive cliffs near Gasadalur, and the mist was so thick you could barely see your own boots. He actually ended up slipping on some wet moss and his entire setup did a literal somersault into a tide pool. Watching him try to blow-dry his shutter curtains with the heater in the rental car while I was meticulously wiping down my gear with specialized microfibers was such a trip. We never did get that film developed properly because the salt water just basically ate through the emulsion during the flight home. Total chaos.

> I read online that CFexpress cards are way faster than SD cards but man they are pricey... is it really worth it for just landscapes? I would suggest being cautious with the cheaper cards because if one fails you dont want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Nikon used to be so much more reliable with their build quality compared to how Sony handled things early on, but now everyone is moving to these high speed formats that cost a fortune. It makes me miss the old days of film where you just worried about light leaks. My uncle used to have this old Leica he brought everywhere, including this fishing trip we took back in 98. He dropped his tackle box in the lake and spent the whole afternoon trying to hook it back up with a giant magnet he found in the trunk of his old Buick. We never got the box back but we did find a rusty bicycle frame and an old tire. My aunt was so annoyed because he smelled like pond water for the rest of the vacation. Anyway lol sorry kinda went off topic there.