So, wait... I'm confused why the Z8 is going to be a D850 replacement? Is that not the Z7 series role? For so many reasons I think the Z7 is the D850 replacement (i.e. IQ, nearly/same BSI sensor, price bracket, ISO performance, etc.)
So like, if we get a Z8 that is a Z9 in a Z7/6/5 body, where does that leave the Z7? If the Z8 is a resolution flagship, then the Z7 is a budget resolution camera... but it still needs to be higher in the food chain than the lower-res flagship (the Z6)... unless they start butchering the features of the Z7 series to be more akin to how the Z5 relates to the Z6? I don't know, that just doesn't make sense to me. For the past few years it's been D8xx => Z7x, D7xx => Z6x, and D6xx => Z5x. I feel like a Z7iii would bring the AF improvement to match/beat the D850, and a theoretical Z8 would be a 20/24 MP version of the Z9?
Like, the Z8 would compete against the Sony A9 and Canon R3, right?