What to go for???

I would recommend Z50II. I expect there will be an improvement in AF over the D7200, which is the main thing you seem concerned about. I am not sure you will find better AF than the Z50II unless you spring for the z8 (or z9, which is presumably out of the question). Other than AF, one of the main reasons to go Z is for the lenses, all of which seem to be better than their F mount equivalents. Sticking to the Z50II releases some of your budget for lenses, and you can always move to a FF Z camera at some future date. Unfortunately, there is currently no Z equivalent to the F mount 70-300. The nearest is the 100-400Z, but this is significantly bigger, heavier, and more expensive. You can adapt your F mount lens and wait. People are also saying that the 28-400Z is surprisingly good. Conservative approaches might be Z50II + 18-140Z -+ 70-300F adapted, or Z50II + 16-50Z (or 12-28Z) and 28-400Z, and add more once you get a better idea what direction you want to go.

Of course you can get a z8 and that will be a professional level tool, but then what lenses will you use? Z8 + 24-120 will be great but will take up much of your budget.

Madstacks said:

BernhardF said:

There’s a fairly new thread on focusing issues, or rather experiences, with the Z50ii which could be worth reading through. In it I’ve given my experience with this camera. In conclusion it boiles down to that the af is fine for the most part. Not so much in less then ideal lighting conditions. It seems to be a combination of a fairly slow sensor when it comes to readout speed and a lot of data for the processor to deal with in a single data stream, where the Z8 for instance has a fast sensor and dual data streams. I’ve tried both the Z8 and Z9 some and Z50ii is far from these when it comes to fast and accurate af. What the Z50ii does very well and very quickly is identify a bird for instance but that doesn’t mean it manages to keep up af wise with movement on behalf of the bird or yourself. For static subjects it’s just fine - in good lighting.

I still like my Z50ii but will not be using it for more than casual birding and under good conditions. Had I known its weaknesses I would not have bought it although for the price point I guess I was hoping for to much.

Click to expand...

Thank you for that, I will find that thread and have a read, that camera would be pretty much just for birds and planes so something to be aware off.. I did see a video review where they seemed to pair pretty good but that was on a lovely sunny day - and to be fair we cant rely on those here!

I bet it still annihilates the D7200 in autofocus though.

Click to expand...

I never used the D7200 but I did use the D7100 for a couple of years, and the Z50ii is so musch better in almost every way, including af, burst rates, buffer which all matters for any type of action like birds in flight.
I can add that I use Tamron zooms on my Z50ii and thought maybe it was a bad match, but after borrowing the 180-600 from a friend I found that even though the keeper rate went up some it was not satisfactory. When my friend looked at the shots taken with his lens under some kind of motion, even some of the ones I saw some potential in after editing, he just said “not acceptable sharpness” to almost every one. Some of the missed ones are certainly misses on my account but when I use my OM-1 my keeper rate is way higher than with the Z50ii so it can’t all be me. I think

OK, I don't factor price into things as much as most, partly because nobody has the same definition of 'value', and partly because 5 years down the road, the images mean more than the initial price.

Because of that, I'm recommending the Z8. My reasoning of why it may be 'worth' it is mainly twofold - autofocus ability and resolution. You shoot birds, so very capable autofocus is required. I think all of your camera choices include Expeed7? That feature is mostly responsible for better autofocus and frame rate, so be sure the camera you choose includes it. As for resolution, you just get more flexibility, and it stretches your lens budget to a large extent. Just like your D7200 makes a 300mm lens seem reasonable for shooting birds, having 45mp available at all times lets you shoot a 19mp DX crop during or after shooting. And an EVF allows you to have a cropped-but-magnified viewfinder too, while shooting in DX mode.

That argues against a 24mp FX camera too - much less cropping ability.

For landscapes don't crop - but now you run into an unfortunate truth about FX - lens corners now matter. It's a lot easier to find IQ degradation in the corners of FX lenses than FX lenses shot in or cropped to DX format. If you want excellent corners, particularly not stopped to F8, you need to look at prime lenses.

There are other features to the Z8 besides 45mp and best-in-class autofocus. If price is a major concern here, buy a used one.

As for glass, I'm thinking you need to replace it all. All the new z-mount glass from Nikon is going to be lots better than any of your lenses, though perhaps not the macro quite so much. I understand the need to stretch your lenses if you go for the Z8, and I use the FTZ2 myself, but perhaps you can find someone selling a nice used Z8 with a 24-120 for your budget?

Pretty quickly, you'll want longer than 400mm on FX for shooting birds, and some planes. No cheap answer for you there, but you could probably pick up an FTZ1 and a used 200-500 for really cheap. The TFZ1 is fine on your camera, unless you plan to add a grip, and even when new, the 200-500 sold for a little over $1k USD, much less after everyone bought themselves a 500pf. And the Tamron G2 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600's are fine lenses to.

If you don't really shoot wider than 24mm (18mm equivalent on DX), then you can wait on wider lenses. Birds will be the issue - you'll be a lot happier with a 200-500 image than a 70-300 image. But the 200-500 will be 3x the size of the 70-300.

You already shoot DX and say you will keep your old lenses. I did that when I went to mirrorless from a D750 and D500 with other DX kit along the way from my 5700 in 2003. I started with a Z7 and later bought a Z50 two lens kit and never used the F mount DX lenses again.

I now shoot with a Z50ii and often use the Z FX lenses on it.

Once you have the body you might want to look at new FX glass as you decide to upgrade. The crop factor makes some of these great.

As an example, I picked up the Z 28-400mm and put it on the Z50ii to get a very reasonably priced 600mm (equivalent). I posted a quick impression review for wildlife posted here at 28-400mm on a Z50ii

I am equally very happy with the 24-120mm (35mm-180mm equivalent) on the DX body.

The Z50ii is steps above the original and until the Z7 gets the EXPEED upgrade I will most likely use it more than

I own a D7200 and a Z8. In terms of autofocus:

1. When using AF-S to acquire focus near the center of the frame (so the D7200 cross point sensors can be used), I would judge the D7200 to be the winner, because it sometimes will acquire focus quickly where the Z8 will take a bit more time. Usually both are fast.

2. If you use single point focus with one of the D7200 focus points that only detects vertical contrast, and place it over something that only has horizontal contrast, the D7200 will run through the focal range of the lens and give up. If you try the same thing with the Z8 (rotating the camera 90 degrees because the Z8 detects horizontal but not vertical contrast in landscape orientation), it will run through the focal range but eventually acquire focus, probably using contrast detection.

3. The Z8 is the obvious winner for subjects at the edge of the frame because the D7200 focus sensors don't cover the full frame.

4. I haven't mastered the subject tracking features of either the D7200 or the Z8, but based on the reviews it's safe to say the Z8 is better. Just now I tried comparing the 3D tracking mode on the D7200 and the Z8 using a hand-held object, and they both seemed to perform similarly except that the Z8 can track over the entire frame, but that's not a particularly hard challenge.

5. Subject detection on the D7200 is limited to detecting faces, and only works when using live view. I've never used it because I almost always shoot using the viewfinder, but I think it's safe to assume that the Z8 is better.

The Z6 III and the Z50 II are a bit behind the Z8 in terms of autofocus, but I think the overall picture would be the same. The cross point focus detectors on the D7200 are better than anything that can be placed on an image sensor, but the mirrorless cameras have a lot more focus detectors spread across the entire image area, and also have access to the image data. Most but not all of the time, more data combined with more processing power will win over a small number of superior sensors.

Madstacks said:

I am now even more confused. Maybe I am over thinking things! I to have a tendency to hyper fixate and study everything to a probably unhealthy level. I have thought things through again, then some more, then again for good measure. I have considered everything from ergonomics to use case, to potential lifespan of equipment, to value proposition -

I have thought about alternatives to new equipment, I'm not against refurbs and for a long time I considered to try the D850, but with current deals and offers I have new equipment is just too tempting.

I most certainly do have an interest in video! no idea where to start though, but its something I would like to try, capturing planes in flight is something I intend to do at a big airshow i go to in July.

Currently on very I can get both a z6iii with 24-120 F4 S lens & a z50ii with 16-50mm VR kit lens for £3350 with a potential for £90 cashback on top.. That seems heck of a lot of gear for the price, and leaves enough for another lens - maybe the 180-600mm or the 100-400mm.

Do I need a full frame? seems maybe not! But I should have mentioned I am interested in making videos at some point, and it seems the full frames are the way to go in that regards.

Z50ii for wildlife and Z6iii for video and everything else works I think?

ps. the 70-300 I have is full frame, and I believe quite good - I have been offered £210 for it on sale, a used F2Zii seems to be about £150 so I guess the question is can I get anything much better/user friendly for the £350 mark.

Click to expand...

It is common to over think it. If you are really comfortable with the budget you listed, I think the Z50ii + Z6iii is a great combination. The 24-120 is an excellent lens. The 16-50 with the Z50ii has surprisingly good IQ and is very small and compact, I have been really impressed with the AF on the Z50ii as well. The video capabilities are also very good. The Z6iii has some more video capabilities, such as RAW and 4k 120, but I bought the Z50ii with the intent to use it for a lot of video work. The Z50ii currently has a few things the Z6iii doesn’t, like cycle af area and dedicated bird subject detection. Hopefully that will soon come to the Z6iii. I wasn’t a fan of the original Z50, mainly because of the control layout, but the Z50ii is really good and has impressed me. I actually bought a set of DX lenses to go with it, 16-50, 12-28, 50-250, 56mm, even though I could use it with my existing FX lenses. The DX Z lenses are so light and small. I’d certainly pick up a couple of them.

I'm very happy with my Z6III, it's a very good camera (even if "only" 24 mp). I'd get that and a couple of great lenses instead of Z8, or even the Z50II based on your statements.

Both Z6 and Z50 have something unique to offer and both are great cameras (abide I don't have much first hand experience with the latter).

I too drolled after a Z8, but jumped the Z6III and a 24-70 f2.8 instead.

The only times I really wish for more than 24 mp is for small birds or small insect macro, which are not my main subjects anyway (but here the Z50II could be a good solution).

--
Photography is one of my hobbies and a way to enjoy the world of light.
My public portfolio can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/chrisnorrephoto?igsh=b2t3aHVqYWZib29u

Thank you all very much, all your posts have really been food for though, I went back and had a look at some of last years airshow photos taken with the d7200 and the 18-140mm lens. and in actual fact I'm fairly happy with them, I need more reach (have that with the 70-300 bought after last years show I have yet to take back with me) and i want more MP on the subject.

I am now considering again a D850! with the 300mm lens its going to get closer than the 140mm did on crop and put more MP on target -(could also add a 1.4TC?), with a better auto focus system. I think its fair to say jets whilst very fast are far less erratic than birds in flight. The D850 could be the perfect airshow camera for me I think and with an extra F mount lens in my kit an amazing landscape camera too - 250 grams heavier than the D7200 but i can live with that. Id also get to keep the OVF. I feel the burst speed of 7fps is enough for jets.

Could also add one F mount tele if i really feel I need to but I'm not sure i do - not for the air show anyway.

I can buy brand new from Nikon for £1950 - or try and find a good used with low shutter count (maybe £1500) The d850 I understand is another pro level body. I'm hesitant to spend big money on what is is now almost redundant tech, however for my specific use case I think its still very compelling. Would make a very good airshow and landscape camera even in many years time and can still take incredible wildlife shots.. Just with a slower burst and less potent AF.

First mirrorless as a second body?

Then with remaining money buy a Z50ii dx 2 lens kit for Birds and lighter weight grab and go that also has the capability to experiment with video a bit more. Might be a easy transition to eventually going full mirrorless.

With these two cameras i would have 2k to leave in reserve should I feel i need it.

These are some shots i took on the d7200 with 140mm, I actually don't think i need that much more reach. these are all SOOC JPEG and some of the files seem heavily compressed, but gives an idea of how close 140mm on DX gets.

I agree with Soaring Sprite- IF it's in your budget, and IF you get the 24-120 AND the 180-600, absolutely get the Z8. You won't be sorry, and you won't be saying to yourself "I wish I had bought the Z8"

Best of luck

Madstacks said:

I have heard glass over bodys many times. If i did buy the z8 it would be with the 24-120 kit lens and the 180-600mm, Comes in right on budget..

bound to be quite a handful though. Maybe a 400mm would cut it?

Wife's interest in birds is very sincere, if i did get the z6iii would have the same issue with shortness on range though. maybe a z6iii/z50ii combo would be good.

Click to expand...

Get the Z8. You're both going to be very happy with it. Those two lenses are going to be a great start for casual and wildlife photography. If it's in your budget, I can't think of a single reason why you'd settle for anything less. As a "girl" with small hands, I have no problem handling the Z8 with the 180-600mm. Go for it.

I had a D500, and then moved to the Z6ii to have a full frame with a smaller body.

I enjoyed the Z6ii for more than 3 years, and its form is amazing, especially for my small hands. I had bought the Z 26mm f2.8, and I could throw that into the wandrd fanny bag/sling or whatever they call it and it's an amazing combo, better in so many ways than the Fujifilm X100V I owned for roughly a year.

The Z6ii IQ is amazing. 24MP is great IMO, but when you don't need to do too much cropping. Tbh, even with cropping, my A3+ prints come out great for framing in the house.

Since I started getting a bit more passionate/ serious with some gigs, weddings, and nature photography I decided I want the Z8, and I went for it. I am lucky to own the Z 100-400, and it's sooooo much more fun to use it with the Z8 rather than the Z6ii.


Z8, Victoria Park. London




















Not that it wasn't fun/pleasing with the Z6ii!

With the Z8 you get the subject detection and amazing tracking, such that you can select a "big" enough area (when the detection works) and worry more about composition and tracking rather than the AF mode.... Also, you can set up with joystick/press and Fn buttons to recall/ trigger other AF modes for when the subject detection is not cutting it. With the Z6ii I was in dynamic area mode or small area most of the time and was really hard to track even ducks with a desired composition. I am not sure how much configurability the Z6iii has in comparison to the Z8, but the extra MP allow for some more cropping, which is amazing for wildlife, as <= 400mm can do the job (hobby?), and such a lens is much easier to carry in a bag than say an 180-600mm.....

Also, extra MP means more grain, and I did not want to compromise on the noise. I am not seeing much difference tbh, Z8 is exceptional. And if there is more grain, the added sharpness from the better AF performance and extra MP means you can apply more noise reduction and/or export to 24MP and all good!

I would not get 2 cameras, especially switching to mirrorless/ new system. So much you may not like. Why not start with just 1 and see?

Your budget is amazing, and yu can sell things on ebay so easily in the UK, so purchasing lenses is not such a commitment any more; just take care of it. Also, you can buy from other places as opposed to high street and save a lot.... If you are ok with "grey" imports you can buy more with the same money.

--
https://atsangarides.client-gallery.com/

I would think hard about the Z8 for the blackout free shooting experience. The Z50 II and Z6 III are great values, but the stacked sensor in the Z8 makes blackout free shooting possible along with flagship autofocus performance. That reason alone is enough for me for birds in flight. I got the Z8 because I was tired of waiting on the Z6 III to replace my Z6. Now that the Z6 III is available, I'm glad I didn't wait. My decision on camera upgrades is on a 4-5 year timeline. Which camera would I rather have for the next 4-5 years? The Z8 to me is definitely worth the extra cost if you don't want the camera to be the limiting factor for capturing birds in flight. Usually the adage of marrying the glass and dating the body is true. But sometime a body like the D850 and Z8 come along and offer such a generational leap in performance that it becomes an exception to that rule. To me the size and weight is an advantage when you combine it with a larger lense like the 180-600. Banks are more complicated, but IMO superior to user settings.

I will admit that birds in flight is an edge case use. If that's not really important, than the Z50 II and Z6 III are perfectly fine.

The benefit of the Z8 over the D850 is not only the better, more capable AF, high FPS and endless buffer, but also access to amazing lenses that are sharper across the frame, have better stabilization thanks to IBIS, better chromatic aberration control, and are lighter in some cases, and.... you can still use your F-mount lenses with the FTZ adapter!

In fact, you get access to Sony and Canon lenses (among others) with available adapters, so you have far more options with mirrorless.

A big thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread. It has helped me make a choice, and a choice I am going into eyes wide open.

I have just ordered the Z8 and 24-120 F4/S plus a F2ZII adaptor. All in price £3810 with discounts.

I Will be keeping the D7200 also..

Since I have the AF-P 70-300 F mount I am now covered from 24mm - 300mm.

So why did I go with the Z8?

I only make one large camera purchase every 5/7 years or so. It was the D3200 in 2012, the D7200 in 2017, and the Z8 in 2025.

It was the only camera that did not have a compromise in any way. Everything else had to due to price restriction. In my hand it by far feels more comfortable to hold than the z6iii or below, and any weight increase is not of any real bother to me.. If im going to be holding it all day it needs to be comfortable and its a three finger grip for me, the Z6iii is a two finger grip.

The wife held a Z50 in hand today and found it more slippery to hold than the D7200... We will keep that as our second body.. It is still a great camera for many things.

Z8 features like the fully stacked 45 MP sensor, backlit buttons, sensor shield, and video capability makes it the one I always really wanted..

The only reason why not to buy I could find was its above my skill level for now.. But it looks like I will have to learn!

To everyone who tried to steer me away from this choice, I really did give thought to your reasoning and you may be completely right! But I wont have that niggling doubt that I should have gone for the Z8 , Its one of those "pays your monies takes your chances" scenarios I guess. But like i say - eyes wide open, I accept I may be biting of more than I can chew here! But I do think I will get by little bit at a time. I think all of the cameras suggested would be awesome to own.

Honestly at this point I'm relieved to stop researching what camera to buy and excited to start researching how to use the one I have bought

If anyone has any recommendations on a good Z8 book to get??

That's a wise choice. From your initial post it appeared that you were ruling out the Z8.

Now you will have 45MP to allow you to crop, excellent AF, plus 20fps capability, which I normally use to capture fast jets crossing; in fact I normally leave my Z9's set to 20fps for any action.

Once you have got used to this body then you could consider adding a Z telephoto such as the 400 f4.5 or 180-600.

Steve Perry's guides are well thought of, and Thom Hogan's Z8 guide is good. Also, read the manual in detail and check out and understand every setting.

Moose Peterson's website is a good resource for aviation photography and I think he has his recommended Z9/Z8 settings there. He also has a book on aviation photography that has lots of good guidance like selecting shutter speeds to achieve ideal prop blur.

You might want to purchase an additional battery. The Z8 uses the EN-EL15C which doesn't last nearly as long as a Z9 battery

ajr images said:

That's a wise choice. From your initial post it appeared that you were ruling out the Z8.

Now you will have 45MP to allow you to crop, excellent AF, plus 20fps capability, which I normally use to capture fast jets crossing; in fact I normally leave my Z9's set to 20fps for any action.

Once you have got used to this body then you could consider adding a Z telephoto such as the 400 f4.5 or 180-600.

Steve Perry's guides are well thought of, and Thom Hogan's Z8 guide is good. Also, read the manual in detail and check out and understand every setting.

Moose Peterson's website is a good resource for aviation photography and I think he has his recommended Z9/Z8 settings there. He also has a book on aviation photography that has lots of good guidance like selecting shutter speeds to achieve ideal prop blur.

You might want to purchase an additional battery. The Z8 uses the EN-EL15C which doesn't last nearly as long as a Z9 battery

Click to expand...

Thank you for the reminder about the battery, I will order another now! and those points you raise are very true. Thank you for those recommendations.

To be fair I was ruling out the Z8 - mainly because so many have suggested its to much for me to handle, including the local camera shop - and in some ways I feel a bit silly going against what is probably great advice!

But I also know this is it for me for the next 6/7 years camera body wise and I don't want to be left wishing, not with the (for me at least) serious money I'm dropping on this.

I can learn to use this camera, but accept it will be a steep learning curve and take time. but that's ok with me.

Madstacks said:

A big thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread. It has helped me make a choice, and a choice I am going into eyes wide open.

I have just ordered the Z8 and 24-120 F4/S plus a F2ZII adaptor. All in price £3810 with discounts.

I Will be keeping the D7200 also..

Since I have the AF-P 70-300 F mount I am now covered from 24mm - 300mm.

So why did I go with the Z8?

I only make one large camera purchase every 5/7 years or so. It was the D3200 in 2012, the D7200 in 2017, and the Z8 in 2025.

It was the only camera that did not have a compromise in any way. Everything else had to due to price restriction. In my hand it by far feels more comfortable to hold than the z6iii or below, and any weight increase is not of any real bother to me.. If im going to be holding it all day it needs to be comfortable and its a three finger grip for me, the Z6iii is a two finger grip.

The wife held a Z50 in hand today and found it more slippery to hold than the D7200... We will keep that as our second body.. It is still a great camera for many things.

Z8 features like the fully stacked 45 MP sensor, backlit buttons, sensor shield, and video capability makes it the one I always really wanted..

The only reason why not to buy I could find was its above my skill level for now.. But it looks like I will have to learn!

To everyone who tried to steer me away from this choice, I really did give thought to your reasoning and you may be completely right! But I wont have that niggling doubt that I should have gone for the Z8 , Its one of those "pays your monies takes your chances" scenarios I guess. But like i say - eyes wide open, I accept I may be biting of more than I can chew here! But I do think I will get by little bit at a time. I think all of the cameras suggested would be awesome to own.

Honestly at this point I'm relieved to stop researching what camera to buy and excited to start researching how to use the one I have bought

If anyone has any recommendations on a good Z8 book to get??

Click to expand...

I have Steve Perry’s books, both the setup guide and the secrets to Nikon AF mirrorless edition. I recommend both. Also, since you mentioned only using auto previously, I’d recommend Bryan Peterson’s ‘Understanding Exposure’ book. That will help you understand the basics of exposure and using the different exposure modes to help get you out of auto. A lot of people have said positive things about Thom’s book but I haven’t looked at it so I cannot say anything about it.



btw, I would say the Z8 does have a compromise. The higher price and larger physical size mean I don’t want to carry it everywhere.

abc123brian said:

I have Steve Perry’s books, both the setup guide and the secrets to Nikon AF mirrorless edition. I recommend both. Also, since you mentioned only using auto previously, I’d recommend Bryan Peterson’s ‘Understanding Exposure’ book. That will help you understand the basics of exposure and using the different exposure modes to help get you out of auto. A lot of people have said positive things about Thom’s book but I haven’t looked at it so I cannot say anything about it.

btw, I would say the Z8 does have a compromise. The higher price and larger physical size mean I don’t want to carry it everywhere.

Click to expand...

Thank you, I will check those out!

Lots of reading to do now!

I think a lot of my shooting will be in places like this (we take a rucksack anyway, looks like it will be two now!) I actually have a light sholder lowepro bag that will easily accommodate the Z8 with 300mm no problems - but I think with the 180-600 may need a rucksack.

Glad I could help.

Just because the Z8 has all sorts of in depth capabilities doesn’t mean you have to learn everything at once. Frankly the Z6III wouldn’t have been easier.

For airshows I have my Z9’s set to manual with auto ISO and then I’m in control of both shutter speed and aperture. Using 'Back Button Focus' means I can leave the bodies set in AFC mode, so one less thing to worry about.

For prop aircraft I use a shutter speed of about 1/200 to get decent prop blur. I have VR Sport turned on and try to pan smoothly, which comes with practice. Of course, for jets you can use a much higher shutter speed.

I use 3D focus (set to the AF-on button) with aircraft detection, and it works 99% of the time.

Enjoy your new body.

Interestingly I just found this image taken at Palm Springs with the 24-120 on a Z9. There's hardly any cropping here, so your new 24-120 might work for you at airshows.



--
Alan

Madstacks said:

A big thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread. It has helped me make a choice, and a choice I am going into eyes wide open.

I have just ordered the Z8 and 24-120 F4/S plus a F2ZII adaptor. All in price £3810 with discounts.

I Will be keeping the D7200 also..

Since I have the AF-P 70-300 F mount I am now covered from 24mm - 300mm.

So why did I go with the Z8?

I only make one large camera purchase every 5/7 years or so. It was the D3200 in 2012, the D7200 in 2017, and the Z8 in 2025.

It was the only camera that did not have a compromise in any way. Everything else had to due to price restriction. In my hand it by far feels more comfortable to hold than the z6iii or below, and any weight increase is not of any real bother to me.. If im going to be holding it all day it needs to be comfortable and its a three finger grip for me, the Z6iii is a two finger grip.

The wife held a Z50 in hand today and found it more slippery to hold than the D7200... We will keep that as our second body.. It is still a great camera for many things.

Z8 features like the fully stacked 45 MP sensor, backlit buttons, sensor shield, and video capability makes it the one I always really wanted..

The only reason why not to buy I could find was its above my skill level for now.. But it looks like I will have to learn!

To everyone who tried to steer me away from this choice, I really did give thought to your reasoning and you may be completely right! But I wont have that niggling doubt that I should have gone for the Z8 , Its one of those "pays your monies takes your chances" scenarios I guess. But like i say - eyes wide open, I accept I may be biting of more than I can chew here! But I do think I will get by little bit at a time. I think all of the cameras suggested would be awesome to own.

Honestly at this point I'm relieved to stop researching what camera to buy and excited to start researching how to use the one I have bought

If anyone has any recommendations on a good Z8 book to get??

Click to expand...

You made the best choice. The learning curve is not as big as one might think. I switched over from the D750 a year ago and it only took me a couple of hours to get the hang of it. The menus are very similar to Nikon's DSLR bodies, there's just a few more options for AF to consider. There are plenty of YouTube videos that explain in detail how to best set up the menus for wildlife and sports. Give yourself some time to get used to it, but I think you'll enjoy it almost immediately.

And yes, as ajr suggested, get one or two more spare batteries for the heavier shooting days! And a couple of fast XQD cards as well. I bought two Delkin Devices Power 128GB G4 cards and they have been working well for me even while shooting 20FPS. Others may have better, or additional suggestions. The nice thing about the Z8 is that you can also charge the battery in-camera via a USB-C power delivery cable. It comes with the camera.