Used Z7 vs Z7II vs Z5??

[Paddler213]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

 

[J2daV]

Only if you want bigger files and maybe do some cropping. Otherwise, they are very similar cameras.

 

[SoCalAngler]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

Well, what are your requirements?

If you require 45MP and require smaller/lighter body compared to your Z9 and D850 then the upgrade may be worth it if it fits within your budget.

Since you already have two 45MP bodies if you do not require both 45MP and smaller body then maybe not.

 

[NickZ2016]

Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

So what does? I'll point out travel is such a broad topic that it ends up meaning nothing. Climbing Everest might be travel but so could sitting on a tropical beach. So could wandering a city. So could safaris

 

[Paddler213]

Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

So what does? I'll point out travel is such a broad topic that it ends up meaning nothing. Climbing Everest might be travel but so could sitting on a tropical beach. So could wandering a city. So could safaris

Mostly for motorcycle trips, where size and weight matter. And mostly for landscape, as that's what I mostly shoot on such trips. Larger files aren't a negative. Since I have the Z6III, which I bought after the Z5, It's tempting to entertain the thought of a higher resolution body just it case I come upon an extraordinary scene that's suitable for framing.

 

[Gabe H]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

I'd like to point out that Z7ii can be had from Nikon refurbished for not much more than $1200 and it comes with warranty.

 

[NickZ2016]

The main weakness with both the Z5 and Z7 is video. If that's not an issue you're getting the higher res sensor in the Z7. I'd expect better build quality. CFe cards which lets you get relatively cheap large cards.

 

[Paddler213]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

I'd like to point out that Z7ii can be had from Nikon refurbished for not much more than $1200 and it comes with warranty.

I haven't seen that. Although a cosmetically "Excellent" copy with 6K shutter acuations looks like a safe bet.

 

[Paddler213]

The main weakness with both the Z5 and Z7 is video. If that's not an issue you're getting the higher res sensor in the Z7. I'd expect better build quality. CFe cards which lets you get relatively cheap large cards.

Yes, video isn't an issue. I rarely shoot video and when I want to do so I have the Z6III.

 

[Bernard Delley]

it matters to me. I like the 45Mpix consistency among cameras. In cases when I do not need it, I enjoy the image quality of the downsized images.

The Z7ii with its overflow capacity to a second fallback card is more in line with the Z8/9 D850. I am happy with the Z7II AF performance as a general travel camera, for including people candids and occasional animal images. The Z7ii with the Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens has largely replaced my D7200 with AFS 16-80mm f.2.8-4 G lens at only a minor up in combo weight. (The battery stamina with the Z7ii seems notably better than with the Z8, but not as good as the D7200, all en-el15 or en-el15c)

Like you, I still got the D850, D500 and several F-mount lenses. I am with Z8 and Z7ii . The Z7ii is preferred when 200 grams less than the Z8 is desired.

If 20-24 Mpix DX becomes the choice for one of my outings, then the AFS 16-80mm lens is my current normal zoom.


Z7ii + Z 24-120




Z7ii + Z24-120 crop at 100%

 

[CBR1100XX]

Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

So what does? I'll point out travel is such a broad topic that it ends up meaning nothing. Climbing Everest might be travel but so could sitting on a tropical beach. So could wandering a city. So could safaris

Mostly for motorcycle trips, where size and weight matter. And mostly for landscape, as that's what I mostly shoot on such trips. Larger files aren't a negative. Since I have the Z6III, which I bought after the Z5, It's tempting to entertain the thought of a higher resolution body just it case I come upon an extraordinary scene that's suitable for framing.

I'd say Z7/II then and not just for the basic shots with more resolution. That way you can carry fewer lenses and just either crop or if you like to get your composition more dialed in at capture use the DX mode when you need reach.

 

[shuncheung]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

If you are shooting landscape carefully on a tripod with one of the top lenses around f8 or so, perhaps 45MP makes sense. For traveling on a bicycle, I don't see why the Z5 and especially the Z6iii cannot get the job done.

Even though I have had great experience with XQD and CFexpress B cards, I still dislike the single card slot on the Z6 and Z7. I feel better with a Z6ii/Z7ii to have an SD card as backup.

 

[Paddler213]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

If you are shooting landscape carefully on a tripod with one of the top lenses around f8 or so, perhaps 45MP makes sense. For traveling on a bicycle, I don't see why the Z5 and especially the Z6iii cannot get the job done.

Even though I have had great experience with XQD and CFexpress B cards, I still dislike the single card slot on the Z6 and Z7. I feel better with a Z6ii/Z7ii to have an SD card as backup.

Not a bicycle, rather a touring motorcycle with saddle bags.

 

[shuncheung]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

If you are shooting landscape carefully on a tripod with one of the top lenses around f8 or so, perhaps 45MP makes sense. For traveling on a bicycle, I don't see why the Z5 and especially the Z6iii cannot get the job done.

Even though I have had great experience with XQD and CFexpress B cards, I still dislike the single card slot on the Z6 and Z7. I feel better with a Z6ii/Z7ii to have an SD card as backup.

Not a bicycle, rather a touring motorcycle with saddle bags.

Sorry I got mixed up by the "paddler" user name, but my comment applies the same way to either motorcycle or bicycle, unless you carry a tripod. I do know one guy who uses a Sony 600mm/f4 + Sony body, and he stores that big lens in one of the side compartments on his motorcycle.

Back in the days, Nikon introduced the D3x in 2008 and its 24MP was some sort of breakthrough, and Nikon wanted US$8000 for that, but it was soon surpassed by the 36MP D800 in 2012 @ $3000. Of course standards have evolved over the years, but I think 24MP is sufficient for me in a lot of situations.

 

[sirhawkeye64]

I bought my original Z5 for travel, and am considering "upgrading" to the Z7 or Z7II. I can get an "Excellent" Z7 with a low shutter count for ~$1200. I currently have the Z5, Z6III, Z9, D850 and D500. Is it worth upgrading the Z5 for travel/landscape? Frame rate, AF speed, second card slot, etc, mean nothing for my intended use.

Yes it might make sense to get a Z7 II and maybe offload your Z5 to help pay for it. I mean you have the Z6 III which pretty much replaces the Z5 and then some. The Z7 II would be a great travel camera and is much smaller than the D850 and Z9 (I have the z8 myself so keeping my Z7 II didn't make much sense for me, but the z8 is also smaller than the D850 and Z9 and is closer to a Z7 II).

That being said, I don't think buying a used Z7 gen 1 for $1200 is the best deal, as you can get the Z7 II used for a bit more (like $1200-$1400) but you get other features like USB power, a vertical grip option and dual card slots, which is beneficial particularly if you travel as you can automatically backup your files as you shoot.

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