US Navy Combat Camera: Nikon D700

The US Navy's standard issue camera is the Nikon D700. It has a super bad ass night ops setup that has a Nightstalker II night vision system by Tactical Solutions LLC . When U.S. Special Forces carry out missions around the world, they sometimes bring along Combat Camera units. These exist in all branches of the military, capturing both video and stills to document operations from beginning to end.In recent years, U.S. Navy Combat Camera units have come to more fully embody the role their name suggests. Because sailors don’t normally receive extensive combat training, Navy Combat Camera units undergo extra training to fight alongside combat units in all branches of the U.S. military. While they mainly act as the eyes and ears for commanders on the front lines, they’re also soldiers ready for action in all kinds of environments from the desert to the high seas, in all kinds of weather. Unlike embedded photojournalists, who are independent and unarmed even when traveling with and documenting military personnel, Navy Combat Camera servicemen and women can integrate with elite special-forces units. The United States Marine Corps being part of the department of Navy also has its own combat camera unit.

Chief Mass Communication Specialist Brett Cote, assigned to Fleet Combat Camera Pacific (FCCP), poses for off-camera lighting training during Summer Quick Shot 2016, May 17, 2016, Azusa, Calif. Quick shot is a biannual FCCP exercise that provides live-fire and scenario based training to combine-joint combat camera assets. (U. S. Navy Combat Camera Photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Greg Badger/Released)

Their versatility has earned Navy Combat Camera a reputation as the go-to-group for photographing critical missions around the globe. Training for Navy Combat Camera involves at least four months of classes in both video and still photography. Besides such fundamental visual concepts as composition and lighting, the classroom curriculum covers all aspects of media workflow from captioning to working with night-vision gear.