Silly thing but... Should i go Z now or not?

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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Wait at least until the end of the year, then reassess. There appears to be a lot of product in the works. By Spring 2024 we should see what the future holds for the next Z generation.

In the meantime, you're using one of the if not the best general-purpose Full Frame DSLRs ever made. The equivalent Z series doesn't exist yet, but in any case is not necessarily better...and the differences require time to master.

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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I sold my D850 two months ago and this year I'm just going to use my Z5. I had the perfect lineup with the D850 and all its lenses. Unfortunately I still have a stiff arm from using the 200-500 to photograph race cars six months ago. The Z5 + 24-120 + 100-400 gives me a much lighter package.

The D850 was perfect for focussing. My Z5 certainly isn't, especially for moving subjects, but it will do it. Somehow I managed to photograph moving subjects before having the D850, I just had more shots that were out of focus. I figure that with what I have to do this year I can get by with the Z5

Of course I'm hoping to take delivery of the Z8 by the end of the year. My program for 2024 includes lmore landscapes and sports.

I would never buy the Z7ii at its current price. I figure that the Z8 is going to come in at the same price point (sometime soon) but with all the imperfections of the Z7ii resolved.

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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Maybe this video is worth watching:


or this one:

Only the Z9 is going to match the core AF-C capabilities ( not AI stuff ) of the D500 which I see you have.

If you just wanted a good FF and high MPX MILC for landscape and general photography then the Z7 or Z7ii should be absolutely fine. But, if you want/need just one body now for that and sports action which is what the D850 will do - then so I should wait if I were you.

I only get stuff when it meets a specific need for photography but that is just me,

shuncheung said:

ericbowles said:

I expect you'll see some really nice new cameras from Nikon within 60 days. If you are not in a hurry, I'd wait a little longer.

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That may well be the case, but the problem is that people have been saying that since at least August 2022,

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Yes but - you are probably talking about advanced features that less than 10% of photographers reading this forum are ever likely to use.

At this point, probably no. I think there is going to be a set of bodies within the next year that will be marked and notable improvements over the current Z6 and Z7 series, and a lot of that improvement is likely to be in the AF category. So I think money spent now on a Z body other than a Z9 is money you'll be spending twice if that makes sense.

Now if you are okay with where the AF is on the Z7, or if you shoot things that don't place a lot of stress on the AF system, you'd be okay.

shuncheung said:

ericbowles said:

I expect you'll see some really nice new cameras from Nikon within 60 days. If you are not in a hurry, I'd wait a little longer.

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That may well be the case, but the problem is that people have been saying that since at least August 2022, which was about 6 month ago, that some Z6iii, Z7iii or Z8 would "soon" be announced. You wait 60 days and then another 60 days ....

If the OP is indeed in no hurry, it is fine to wait another month or two, or three. It is like years ago, a close friend ended up spending $5000 to repair an old car that probably didn't even worth $5000. Of course he wouldn't have spent so much if he knew from the beginning. The problem was that he spend a few hundred at a time and thought that was it, and then it was another small repair and then another .... That is why I would rather buy a used Z7 or something to bridge you over. If something new is announced, it may still take another 3, 4 months from the announcement day before one can actually receive one. The next new prosumer Nikon Z body will likely be in very high demand.

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No - in this case an announcement is imminent. You may not have information that I do.

Whatever is announced, it may not fit the OP budget or needs - and that's a different story. I agree a used Z7 or even a used Z6 could be a great purchase now and minimize the cost of an upgrade in the future. Even if a new camera is announced shortly, the demand will likely be very high and for a number of months it will be in short supply or unavailable.

toomanycanons said:

Your D850 can do everything you need. Unless you're a believer that mirrorless cameras will save you weight and that's a big concern (it sure isn't to me) don't stress about going mirrorless

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I agree entirely with this but I am not sure that the OP actually has a D850. He just compared IQ of a Z7.x to that of the D850. From his previous posts it looks like he just uses a D500 in which case he may be looking for a high mpx FF and then he posed the option of a Z7i or ii or wait. For some reason the D850 is off the table although its used price here in the UK is about the same as a used Z7.

as my post above - I still think wait - unless the OP needs that FF immediately.

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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The AF on your D850 will be better below EV6, above that, the Z7 would be the better body.

My personal opinion after getting a Z is that it takes great photos as long as you can keep your subjects still or slow at least. Image quality is fantastic, but quick responsiveness and focus are not a strong point and trying to pan to follow fast moving subjects just does not work for me.

I really like to use the Z for some things, but if it's quick action, quick response or fast moving subjects, I'm glad I still have my dslr's to keep me happy.

I can't speak about the Z7/7ii, as I bought the Z9. I can say it is a much better Camera than the D850 ever was. Main reasons, I picked the Z9; no Mechanical Shutter, and resultant Delay when taking a Pic, like what happens when the other Z bodies, have to close the already open shutter, then reopen it to take the Pic, then close and reopen to resume viewing, the other was the Solidity of having the Grip Integral to the Body vs, the wobbly add-on that I have had to put up with on the F90x, D100, D200, D7000, all 3 of the D8** bodies. It will be nice when Nikon releases new Shutter Sounds, I really miss the Trainwreck sound of a DSLR/SLR firing.

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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If "a while" of hiring did not convince you, I would not. Future camera's might suit you better.

My situation last year was similar to yours but not the same. I was using nikon ASP-C for years, first a D3100 or D3200 and then later a D7500--entirely amateur and family stuff, I am not a pro. I wanted to move up to full-frame for various nerdy reasons but the EVF used to scare me off. I dived into the Z5 and I couldn't be happier. While there are a few disadvantages to the EVF over the through-the-lens SLR, they are mostly minor (like waiting for the EVF to spin up sometimes). But the experience is generally superior, the EVF is clear and sharp even without glasses or in sunglasses, and I find that I am not checking my photos on the screen afterward because I actually saw what they would look like beforehand. (And I can look at things in the EVF instead of on the screen, which makes it totally usable in bright sunlight.)

I think the quality is definitely better on the Z full-frame over the DSLR ASP-C, but I am not sure if you would see much of a difference there with your jump. And you definitely have to learn your way around an entirely new focus system (it seems to operate the same, but there are distinct differences in how it detects and decides things). It has taken me some time to get better with focus, and I would prefer that the full auto make better decisions with quick snapshots of groups of people, but I am able to take crystal clear, in-focus pictures with no problems in almost every case after some practice with what works well and what doesn't.

Overall, it generally works great with Nikon AF-S lenses with the adapter, and if you are interested in using vintage lenses it is SO MUCH EASIER than it was on DSLR. (Not to mention that the camera design is such that pretty much ANY other brand of older lens can be adapted to it, most with a cheap third-party adapter.)

I think the time is right to make the leap, but give yourself some time to learn the differences and the quirks.

Peace_VN,

What, if anything, do you feel you'd gain by buying a mirrorless body? What, if anything, do you feel the D850 doesn't give you that you'd get from a Z body? A Z 7 and a D850 (as well as a Z 9) have the same resolution. The AF in a Z 7 isn't QUITE up to the level of a D850, in some ways, but surpasses it in a few others.

Sam

Peace_VN said:

Well, i got z7 ii hire for a while but then i have mixed feelings.

Compared to nikon dslr d850, i believe the quality is similar.

My issue is the AF. It seem not as what i would expect for a camera at that price range. I thought, should i get mirrorless body from different brand or wait?? Z8 may worth the wait or??

I am not on a hurry as i am not professional. I am quite happy with the dslr cameras i got but just think mirrorless may make my life easier. I hired both z7ii and 18-200 z, seem to do the trick for landscape and easy to carry.

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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Peace_VN said:

I never use z9 but friends said it is good but it is too big for me.

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I actually find the Z9 feels a lot smaller than the D850 with grip. It, to me even looks more like a D7*** series body with grip, and I have no love of the D7*** series.

Did I miss something on the Z lenses? I have not seen anything about a 18-200 z lens the OP mentioned being available. Is there such a thing?

Bob A L said:

Did I miss something on the Z lenses? I have not seen anything about a 18-200 z lens the OP mentioned being available. Is there such a thing?

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I assume that is a typo. Should be the 24-200 Z-mount lens. All 18-200 are DX/APS-C lenses.

That's what I thought, but out of curiosity just decided to ask.

I was in the same boat as you. I had the D4, only shot landscapes and things that really didn't move all that much.

I contemplated the Z9, but when I really thought of my needs I decided to go for the z7ii. Nikon has a really great trade-in program and since they are probably coming out with new models the 6&7s have good trade-in. so that's the route I went. they gave me 2400 for my D4 and only had to spend a few 100 more due to getting a kit vs just the body.

i've since traded another lens in to get the 24-200 z. and so far haven't regretted it.

i got into the mirrorless world pretty easily and if down the road i need a better camera, then there will be more to choose from, but in the mean time, I'm taking pictures and not worrying about the next best thing.

Beardman said:

I was in the same boat as you. I had the D4, only shot landscapes and things that really didn't move all that much.
I contemplated the Z9, but when I really thought of my needs I decided to go for the z7ii. Nikon has a really great trade-in program and since they are probably coming out with new models the 6&7s have good trade-in. so that's the route I went. they gave me 2400 for my D4 and only had to spend a few 100 more due to getting a kit vs just the body.
i've since traded another lens in to get the 24-200 z. and so far haven't regretted it.
i got into the mirrorless world pretty easily and if down the road i need a better camera, then there will be more to choose from, but in the mean time, I'm taking pictures and not worrying about the next best thing.

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could you show some example with 24-200 z?