D800->Z7 or wait for next generation?

[Spare-time photog]

Although I followed this forum in the last months, I am quite unsure at the moment if I should buy the Z7 and sell the D800, or wait for the next generation model. Currently I am using a D800 for my amateur photography.

Main interests are portraiture (on location and sometimes in a studio), landscape, travel and to some extent events, i.e. small concerts in dimly lit rooms. BIF, wildlife, sports and action only to a very, very small amount, next to nothing.
I use speedlights for my portraiture work and also available light, partly I shoot at night, with the citylights as a background, hence the use of flash

What are my main requirements?

1.) My main reason to switch is to get rid of AF fine tune/AF micro adjustments and to get precise AF all the time. This requirement is madatory. The more I dived deeper in portraiture the more I recognised, that the focus was not nailed in a lot of pictures. I fiddled around with Reikan software to AFMA my lenses but only with limited success. So I send all my gear (the D800, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8) to Nikon to check and adjust. The result is better, but sometimes the camera struggles to nail the focus. Then I bought a 85/1.8 lens and it missed the focus a lot. By the way a second lens was even worse in combination with my camera. So Nikon checked and adjusted the 85 lens, too. The results are better, but I am still not convinced, that the miss-focus plague is gone forever, as the focus problems in the past seem to be distance and brightness dependent and quite complex. At the end it is a DSLR.

2.) Sometimes my D800 AF is hunting in dimly lit situations, and so does the life view AF, so it would be nice if the new camera shows an improved behavior in dim light conditions. This would be a nice to have feature, but it is not mandatory.

3.) I want (nearly) full frame AF point coverage. Obviously this box is ticked, the Z7 fullfills that requirement.

I was lucky to use the Z7 for two or three hours during a workshop under real conditions, with an early 1.0.x firmware. Regrettably I wasn't instantly convinced, the AF system seems to be a weakness, i.e. I got the impression, that it is not that much superior in comparision to my D800:
At the moment I am shooting in AF-C with back button focus nearly all the time, but with the Z7 I tried, I noticed several times even under daylight conditions, that it hunts more then once. That was new to me, although I had to admit, that I can't say wether my D800 is quite free of hunting in such situations or if I got only used to it, so I don't recognize it anymore or if it was just a user error handling the Z7.
So I switched to AF-S and the hit rate was dramatically higher. But even there I had a series of pictures which are out of focus, whatever it was at the end of the day I had mixed feelings about the Z7, which brought me to this forum.

Hopefully I can get here some valuable experiences of former D800 users, who can give a comparision of the Z7's AF system related to the D800 in general and especially the experience with the AF-C modes.

My third worry:

As I use very often flash, I am a little bit concerned by the shorter flash sync time, being 1/200 (Z7) and 1/250 (my D800).
Is this of any major importance? I understand that there will be a significant loss in flash output at shutter speeds at or shorter than 1/250 with the Z7, but should I worry about it? Some kind of complication that I am not aware of at the moment?

But my main concern is the potential need for AF fine tune. After reading all that stuff here and in blogs (e.g. https://blog.reikanfocal.com/2018/10/the-new-nikon-z7-investigating-with-reikan-focal/ and this one https://eduardolibby.com/2018/12/22/nikons-z7-requires-af-fine-tuning/ ) I feel unsure if a switch to the Z7 is the right step to get rid of AFMA now and forever.

Thank you very much for reading all the text!

 

[Barlowephoto]

Since no one else has chimed in, here's my take. I'm in exactly the same boat as you. My D800 is still going strong, even though occasionally there is a focus issue. I don't shoot sport or fast moving subjects, so I have the luxury of reshooting. I originally saw the Z7 as the small/lighter choice of the D850, and I always wanted to get rid of that pesky low pass filter.

Having seen all the teething problems of this latest generation of cameras, I've decided to hold back and see what's going to happen. Before sinking any cash into this round of gear, I'd like to see the rubber grip problems resolved. It would be nice to see a more DSLR way of initiating focus. There have been reports of other concerns as well, which leads me to wait for the next model release. Of course my credit card fingers sometimes start twitching, but I'm going to TRY and wait it out!.............................Jeff Barlowe

 

[m_black]

Although I followed this forum in the last months, I am quite unsure at the moment if I should buy the Z7 and sell the D800, or wait for the next generation model. Currently I am using a D800 for my amateur photography.

Main interests are portraiture (on location and sometimes in a studio), landscape, travel and to some extent events, i.e. small concerts in dimly lit rooms. BIF, wildlife, sports and action only to a very, very small amount, next to nothing.
I use speedlights for my portraiture work and also available light, partly I shoot at night, with the citylights as a background, hence the use of flash

What are my main requirements?

1.) My main reason to switch is to get rid of AF fine tune/AF micro adjustments and to get precise AF all the time. This requirement is madatory. The more I dived deeper in portraiture the more I recognised, that the focus was not nailed in a lot of pictures. I fiddled around with Reikan software to AFMA my lenses but only with limited success. So I send all my gear (the D800, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8) to Nikon to check and adjust. The result is better, but sometimes the camera struggles to nail the focus. Then I bought a 85/1.8 lens and it missed the focus a lot. By the way a second lens was even worse in combination with my camera. So Nikon checked and adjusted the 85 lens, too. The results are better, but I am still not convinced, that the miss-focus plague is gone forever, as the focus problems in the past seem to be distance and brightness dependent and quite complex. At the end it is a DSLR.

2.) Sometimes my D800 AF is hunting in dimly lit situations, and so does the life view AF, so it would be nice if the new camera shows an improved behavior in dim light conditions. This would be a nice to have feature, but it is not mandatory.

3.) I want (nearly) full frame AF point coverage. Obviously this box is ticked, the Z7 fullfills that requirement.

I was lucky to use the Z7 for two or three hours during a workshop under real conditions, with an early 1.0.x firmware. Regrettably I wasn't instantly convinced, the AF system seems to be a weakness, i.e. I got the impression, that it is not that much superior in comparision to my D800:
At the moment I am shooting in AF-C with back button focus nearly all the time, but with the Z7 I tried, I noticed several times even under daylight conditions, that it hunts more then once. That was new to me, although I had to admit, that I can't say wether my D800 is quite free of hunting in such situations or if I got only used to it, so I don't recognize it anymore or if it was just a user error handling the Z7.
So I switched to AF-S and the hit rate was dramatically higher. But even there I had a series of pictures which are out of focus, whatever it was at the end of the day I had mixed feelings about the Z7, which brought me to this forum.

Hopefully I can get here some valuable experiences of former D800 users, who can give a comparision of the Z7's AF system related to the D800 in general and especially the experience with the AF-C modes.

My third worry:

As I use very often flash, I am a little bit concerned by the shorter flash sync time, being 1/200 (Z7) and 1/250 (my D800).
Is this of any major importance? I understand that there will be a significant loss in flash output at shutter speeds at or shorter than 1/250 with the Z7, but should I worry about it? Some kind of complication that I am not aware of at the moment?

But my main concern is the potential need for AF fine tune. After reading all that stuff here and in blogs (e.g. https://blog.reikanfocal.com/2018/10/the-new-nikon-z7-investigating-with-reikan-focal/ and this one https://eduardolibby.com/2018/12/22/nikons-z7-requires-af-fine-tuning/ ) I feel unsure if a switch to the Z7 is the right step to get rid of AFMA now and forever.

Thank you very much for reading all the text!

I’ve had the D800 (with the infamous left side AF issue), the D810 and D850. I recently sold my 4+ year old D750 and bought a Z6. I’ve used the Z6 now for on location editorial portraits, weddings and studio headshots. The D750 also had a flash sync speed of 1/200. The D850 is the greatest DSLR I’ve used. For a while the D3s was on that pedestal.

Every D8xx series has been better than the last. In subtleties like mirror dampening, AF performance, WB etc. I’ve used the D850 hard since new. And you know what camera I reach for most often now? The Z6. It’s made me want a Z7 to replace the D850. For the stuff that you and I shoot we don’t need D5 AF performance. We just need it to be accurate. And the Z AF is far more accurate than the D800. The D800 has 15 cross type AF points. All centrally clustered. The Z6/7 doesn’t have cross type but the Z’s outter AF points that cover the same area as the D800 are much more sensitive. AND for portraits in portrait orientation, you can put the AF point on the eye. Where as with the D800 you had to do a mini “focus and recompose” technique. Not so with the Z’s.

As far as flash sync speed..... the D800 has such a violent mirror slap that it needs that 1/250. The D810 and even the D850 improved that each time. The Z’s with 1/200, rear current sync, electronic shutter and IBIS has zero mirror slap (obviously) and shows no sign of hand shake induced blur. The bonus with the Z7 is a native ISO of 64. So if you’re concerned with canceling out ambient light, that ISO with a closed down aperture will kill everything. The D800 to Z7 is a huge improvement. You won’t go wrong.

 

[RumpelHund]

Loving to shoot wide open (85/1.4, 24/1.4 and 200/2) I was massivly annoyed when I stepped from D700 to D800 and threw in another chunk of money for the D810.

D700: no issues I ever realized

D800: AF on everything but eyes no matter what. AF plain unuasable in dark tungsten or even candle light.

D810: better than D800 but lots of misses on candle light or on backlight situations still, kept me frustrated

z7: The combination of silent shooting, in-body-IS and on-chip-focussing makes it joy to shoot again on not too moving subjects. Would not bet on it for my dog running towards cam, here the D810 is better still.

Frankly if I wasn't that invested in Nikon glass I would have jumped ship to sony for A9 and maybe A7rIII one day, but as it is the z7 is the best focussing experience I had with Nikon so far and can recommend it. The banding when pushing shadows is not as harmless as some say, though.

Pity I am lacking the time to get most out of my z7 these days, but since you asked for some opinion...

 

[Alex Permit]

Some quick thoughts:

I used to AF tune my lenses on my DSLR's. It was a frustrating experience. The optimal value would fluctuate with Focal length (on zoom lenses), with distance, it seemed to even fluctuate with temperature. I have found this is not the case with my Z7. Any fluctuation in tested "optimal" values seems to fluctuate around zero, and is just noise. If not having to deal with tuning lenses is important to you, I would say switch now.

On my D500 and D5 cameras, I used AF-C as my default focus mode. It just worked. On my Z7 I use AF-S as my default and use AF-C on a situtational basis. AF-S is rock solid and if your subjects are mostly static, I'd say go for it. If solid AF-C performance is really important to you, I would say wait for the next generation.

 

[olyflyer]

No regret whatsoever so far after five months of use. I am happy with the AF, as well as many other things, compared with the D800 it's just great, I like it a lot.

But... the next generation will be better than this on, no doubt about that. This is normal and I don't worry about it. The Z7 will serve me well for the next coming years.

 

[j_photo]

My Z6 focuses my f- mount glass more consistently than both my Df and D800. If focus accuracy is your main concern then you should give the Z a serious look.

I mostly use AF-C with back button and am not having any difficulties even in challenging light.

 

[Spare-time photog]

For the stuff that you and I shoot we don’t need D5 AF performance. We just need it to be accurate.

Absolutely right!

And the Z AF is far more accurate than the D800. The D800 has 15 cross type AF points. All centrally clustered. The Z6/7 doesn’t have cross type but the Z’s outter AF points that cover the same area as the D800 are much more sensitive. AND for portraits in portrait orientation, you can put the AF point on the eye. Where as with the D800 you had to do a mini “focus and recompose” technique. Not so with the Z’s.

That is why I want nearly 100% frame coverage of AF points. Focus and recompose introduces additional focus problems.

As far as flash sync speed..... the D800 has such a violent mirror slap that it needs that 1/250. The D810 and even the D850 improved that each time. The Z’s with 1/200, rear current sync, electronic shutter and IBIS has zero mirror slap (obviously) and shows no sign of hand shake induced blur. The bonus with the Z7 is a native ISO of 64. So if you’re concerned with canceling out ambient light, that ISO with a closed down aperture will kill everything. The D800 to Z7 is a huge improvement. You won’t go wrong.

So you didn't notice any major drawbacks of the lower flash sync speed, if I understood you correctly. That would be nice.

Thank you very much, I appreciate your feedback!

 

[Spare-time photog]

Since no one else has chimed in, here's my take. I'm in exactly the same boat as you. My D800 is still going strong, even though occasionally there is a focus issue. I don't shoot sport or fast moving subjects, so I have the luxury of reshooting. I originally saw the Z7 as the small/lighter choice of the D850, and I always wanted to get rid of that pesky low pass filter.

Having seen all the teething problems of this latest generation of cameras, I've decided to hold back and see what's going to happen. Before sinking any cash into this round of gear, I'd like to see the rubber grip problems resolved. It would be nice to see a more DSLR way of initiating focus. There have been reports of other concerns as well, which leads me to wait for the next model release. Of course my credit card fingers sometimes start twitching, but I'm going to TRY and wait it out!.............................Jeff Barlowe

You are really in the same boat with me.

It is hard to decide wether to buy or to stick with the D800.

Sometimes the disadvantages of the D800 are so annoying, so my credit card fingers start twitching...

Despite all concerns the Z7 is a quite attractive package.

 

[Spare-time photog]

Loving to shoot wide open (85/1.4, 24/1.4 and 200/2) I was massivly annoyed when I stepped from D700 to D800 and threw in another chunk of money for the D810.

To be honest, I didn't dare to buy the 85/1.4, instead I bought the 85/1.8, because I have not that much confidence in the D800 AF to manage that shallow DoF.

D700: no issues I ever realized

D800: AF on everything but eyes no matter what. AF plain unuasable in dark tungsten or even candle light.

Well, in my experience it is not that bad. Although the lighting conditions you describe are sometimes challenging. Often they lead to missfocued shoots, indeed.

D810: better than D800 but lots of misses on candle light or on backlight situations still, kept me frustrated

z7: The combination of silent shooting, in-body-IS and on-chip-focussing makes it joy to shoot again on not too moving subjects. Would not bet on it for my dog running towards cam, here the D810 is better still.

Running or walking? A walking model is hopefully covered by the AF system?

Frankly if I wasn't that invested in Nikon glass I would have jumped ship to sony for A9 and maybe A7rIII one day, but as it is the z7 is the best focussing experience I had with Nikon so far and can recommend it. The banding when pushing shadows is not as harmless as some say, though.

What do you use as a countermeasure? Do you use RawTherapee or the Nik Dfine tool?

In the past I pushed my D800 files not that much, because of an ugly color tint which appears if you push them to far.

In fact I think that the banding/striping issue is really something which one should consider. Hopefully Nikon will publish a solution for this, but I think that they will not even admit that there is a problem. So I am afraid that we are on our own, at least with RawTherapee and Nik Tools we have two solutions. (In the moment the Nik tools seem to be the better one, because one can integrate them more easily in the own workflow.)

Perhaps a commercial software company will also develop some solution, although I doubt that.

Pity I am lacking the time to get most out of my z7 these days, but since you asked for some opinion...

I appreciate your opinion, thanks!

 

[Spare-time photog]

No regret whatsoever so far after five months of use. I am happy with the AF, as well as many other things, compared with the D800 it's just great, I like it a lot.

That sounds very good to me. Are you also using back button focus with AF-C?

But... the next generation will be better than this on, no doubt about that. This is normal and I don't worry about it. The Z7 will serve me well for the next coming years.

You are right, the next generation will always be better (hopefully )

But I am in doubt if it is the right decision to invest a lot of money in the Z7 right now. The question for me is, is the Z7 such a relief (AF system, AFMA, etc.) that it is worth to buy it now. And after reading all the opinions in this thread I tend to say yes, it is.

Btw, do you use flash? Do you see any limitations regarding the lower flash sync time?

 

[Spare-time photog]

My Z6 focuses my f- mount glass more consistently than both my Df and D800. If focus accuracy is your main concern then you should give the Z a serious look.

I mostly use AF-C with back button and am not having any difficulties even in challenging light.

Sounds good! And perhaps the new firmware update will also improve AF-C, not only eye-AF.

 

[JacquesC]

1.) My main reason to switch is to get rid of AF fine tune/AF micro adjustments and to get precise AF all the time. This requirement is madatory.

No worries here, The Z7's AF accuracy is beyond reproach and no need for AF tuning.

2.) Sometimes my D800 AF is hunting in dimly lit situations, and so does the life view AF, so it would be nice if the new camera shows an improved behavior in dim light conditions. This would be a nice to have feature, but it is not mandatory.

In low light the D800 might still lock focus quicker when using F-mount lenses, but with an Z-mount lens the Z7 is quite capable.

3.) I want (nearly) full frame AF point coverage. Obviously this box is ticked, the Z7 fullfills that requirement.

Oh yes - with the added benefit of all focus points being equally sensitive

I was lucky to use the Z7 for two or three hours during a workshop under real conditions, with an early 1.0.x firmware. Regrettably I wasn't instantly convinced, the AF system seems to be a weakness, i.e. I got the impression, that it is not that much superior in comparision to my D800:
At the moment I am shooting in AF-C with back button focus nearly all the time, but with the Z7 I tried, I noticed several times even under daylight conditions, that it hunts more then once.

I'm an AF-C + AF-ON button shooter myself and here is where the Z7 is really a star!

I've been using and trying a number of mirrorless cameras and NONE of them could be used successfully the way that I use my DSLR's, they just did not work properly using AF-C + BBF the way that I was accustomed to - until the Z7/Z6.

The Z7 works very much like what my D700/D800/D750 worked with AF-C + BBF - very well.

It is still my preferred way of shooting for 90% + shots that I take. In this it works as well as a D800 or D750, except that focus accuracy is better with the Z7.

My third worry:

As I use very often flash, I am a little bit concerned by the shorter flash sync time, being 1/200 (Z7) and 1/250 (my D800).

My D750 also synced at 1/200, so no difference there.

I can't say that I really noticed any difference, except that there is no built-in flash and its a pity, I actually used it on occasion.

 

[ericbowles]

What are my main requirements?

1.) My main reason to switch is to get rid of AF fine tune/AF micro adjustments and to get precise AF all the time. This requirement is mandatory. The more I dived deeper in portraiture the more I recognised, that the focus was not nailed in a lot of pictures. I fiddled around with Reikan software to AFMA my lenses but only with limited success. So I send all my gear (the D800, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8) to Nikon to check and adjust. The result is better, but sometimes the camera struggles to nail the focus. Then I bought a 85/1.8 lens and it missed the focus a lot. By the way a second lens was even worse in combination with my camera. So Nikon checked and adjusted the 85 lens, too. The results are better, but I am still not convinced, that the miss-focus plague is gone forever, as the focus problems in the past seem to be distance and brightness dependent and quite complex. At the end it is a DSLR.

You've got it wrong here. The Z6/7 and other mirrorless cameras use Phase Detect AF most of the time. In the first mirrorless cameras, Contrast Detect AF was used but it was unacceptably slow. Now with the Z6/Z7, the only mode that uses Contrast Detect AF is AF-S with Pinpoint AF. So you will still need to consider using AF Fine Tuning, but you do have the option of Pinpoint AF if your subject is not moving much. I used AF-S pinpoint and LowLight AF to photograph the lunar eclipse and it was spectacular - to the point where I stopped using my D850.

2.) Sometimes my D800 AF is hunting in dimly lit situations, and so does the life view AF, so it would be nice if the new camera shows an improved behavior in dim light conditions. This would be a nice to have feature, but it is not mandatory.

It depends. Generally I get less hunting with the Z6 than my D850 and certainly compared to my D800E. Dim light is not that big a problem. In fact, I really like the brighter EVF for lower light conditions. It makes it much easier to see the subject and choose good AF targets. But there is some occasional hunting, and when it misses it can be hard to acquire focus. It seems to maintain a miss a little too long - and that may be a tracking setting. The is one wrinkle you might want to know about. Because all the on sensor AF points are horizontal with no cross sensors, sometimes that camera will not focus on horizontal target lines - or vertical lines in vertical orientation. The solution is just to rotate the camera 45 degrees and use BBF like normal.

3.) I want (nearly) full frame AF point coverage. Obviously this box is ticked, the Z7 fullfills that requirement.

I was lucky to use the Z7 for two or three hours during a workshop under real conditions, with an early 1.0.x firmware. Regrettably I wasn't instantly convinced, the AF system seems to be a weakness, i.e. I got the impression, that it is not that much superior in comparision to my D800:
At the moment I am shooting in AF-C with back button focus nearly all the time, but with the Z7 I tried, I noticed several times even under daylight conditions, that it hunts more then once. That was new to me, although I had to admit, that I can't say wether my D800 is quite free of hunting in such situations or if I got only used to it, so I don't recognize it anymore or if it was just a user error handling the Z7.
So I switched to AF-S and the hit rate was dramatically higher. But even there I had a series of pictures which are out of focus, whatever it was at the end of the day I had mixed feelings about the Z7, which brought me to this forum.

Hopefully I can get here some valuable experiences of former D800 users, who can give a comparision of the Z7's AF system related to the D800 in general and especially the experience with the AF-C modes.

You have not considered the three big advantages of the Z.

1. Pointpoint AF is not available on the D800 but is on the D850 using LiveView. It's available through the EVF on the Z cameras - and is very accurate albeit a little slower.

2. The Z cameras have focus peaking using AF-S. It's available through the viewfinder so you can see exactly what plane is is focus and adjust if needed.

3. You can program a function key - like Fn1 - to allow you to Zoom to 50%, 100%, or 200%. I use this function to check focus, check sharpness on playback, or even just view a subject closely for precise timing of the exposure based on a catchlight or head turn.

My third worry:

As I use very often flash, I am a little bit concerned by the shorter flash sync time, being 1/200 (Z7) and 1/250 (my D800).
Is this of any major importance? I understand that there will be a significant loss in flash output at shutter speeds at or shorter than 1/250 with the Z7, but should I worry about it? Some kind of complication that I am not aware of at the moment?

The synch speed is a non-issue. You'll use 1/200* to allow the use of any shutter speed you want. I use fill flash for birds in flight without issue.

But my main concern is the potential need for AF fine tune. After reading all that stuff here and in blogs (e.g. https://blog.reikanfocal.com/2018/10/the-new-nikon-z7-investigating-with-reikan-focal/ and this one https://eduardolibby.com/2018/12/22/nikons-z7-requires-af-fine-tuning/ ) I feel unsure if a switch to the Z7 is the right step to get rid of AFMA now and forever.

Thank you very much for reading all the text!

I think the Z7/Z6 cameras are terrific. There are a few instances where the D850 is better, and places where the Z7/Z6 are better than any other camera. I'm not sure there is anything that my D800/D800E does better than the Z7/Z6.

 

[Leonard Shepherd]

So I send all my gear (the D800, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8) to Nikon to check and adjust. The result is better, but sometimes the camera struggles to nail the focus. Then I bought a 85/1.8 lens and it missed the focus a lot. By the way a second lens was even worse in combination with my camera. So Nikon checked and adjusted the 85 lens, too. The results are better, but I am still not convinced, that the miss-focus plague is gone forever,

STOP!

Hire a Z 7 with FTZ and try it during a portrait session - ideal after the May update.

A possible reason for your current AF frustration is you have not realised D800 outer points do not detect detail parallel to the long dimension of the frame.

This is less than ideal for focussing on an eye with the camera in portrait position, especially if the sitter does not wear strong eye make up.

The Z's do not work well with detail parallel to the long dimension of the frame which is OK for some subjects but not for others.

You could end up jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with some AF subjects.

The Z's should be better for focussing on the eye in portraiture once the May update is released.

By hiring a Z you can quickly learn if you find it overall better or worse for the photography you do.

 

[m_black]

So I send all my gear (the D800, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8) to Nikon to check and adjust. The result is better, but sometimes the camera struggles to nail the focus. Then I bought a 85/1.8 lens and it missed the focus a lot. By the way a second lens was even worse in combination with my camera. So Nikon checked and adjusted the 85 lens, too. The results are better, but I am still not convinced, that the miss-focus plague is gone forever,

STOP!

Hire a Z 7 with FTZ and try it during a portrait session - ideal after the May update.

A possible reason for your current AF frustration is you have not realised D800 outer points do not detect detail parallel to the long dimension of the frame.

This is less than ideal for focussing on an eye with the camera in portrait position, especially if the sitter does not wear strong eye make up.

The Z's do not work well with detail parallel to the long dimension of the frame which is OK for some subjects but not for others.

You could end up jumping out of the frying pan into the fire with some AF subjects.

The Z's should be better for focussing on the eye in portraiture once the May update is released.

By hiring a Z you can quickly learn if you find it overall better or worse for the photography you do.

 

[olyflyer]

No regret whatsoever so far after five months of use. I am happy with the AF, as well as many other things, compared with the D800 it's just great, I like it a lot.

That sounds very good to me. Are you also using back button focus with AF-C?

No, I don't use AF-C and back button. Never did that, not even with the D800.

But... the next generation will be better than this on, no doubt about that. This is normal and I don't worry about it. The Z7 will serve me well for the next coming years.

You are right, the next generation will always be better (hopefully )

But I am in doubt if it is the right decision to invest a lot of money in the Z7 right now. The question for me is, is the Z7 such a relief (AF system, AFMA, etc.) that it is worth to buy it now. And after reading all the opinions in this thread I tend to say yes, it is.

If it is worth buying it or not is a question you have to answer on your own. For me it was worth to leave the big D800 in the shop and to exchange it for the Z7.

Btw, do you use flash? Do you see any limitations regarding the lower flash sync time?

Yes I use flash and no the sync speed does not bother me. I grew up with 1/60s which was OK for me for several decades, so 1/200s is fine. If I need faster then there is the high speed mode also.

What is not awailable is the AF assist light, but I solved that issue with this external AF assist light.

 

[jfw]

Although I followed this forum in the last months, I am quite unsure at the moment if I should buy the Z7 and sell the D800, or wait for the next generation model. Currently I am using a D800 for my amateur photography.

Go for it:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/62280673

 

[Spare-time photog]

Btw, do you use flash? Do you see any limitations regarding the lower flash sync time?

Yes I use flash and no the sync speed does not bother me. I grew up with 1/60s which was OK for me for several decades, so 1/200s is fine. If I need faster then there is the high speed mode also.

What is not awailable is the AF assist light, but I solved that issue with this external AF assist light.

That device sounds interesting. Hopefully the high intensity LED is not harmful to the eye...

 

[Hasa]

Please do not sell your D800s before I have sold mine!

Have the D800 since 2012 and just pulled the trigger on Z7:

the Z7 has no more issues than D800 @ launch

"need" the 14-30mm F4s to replace my Tamron 15-30 F2.8 - mainly @weight reduction and yet super quality

need a camera where I can obliterate shutter shock up to and including 1/2000 sec

need 4K video and APS-C quality 4K is fine and will give me x 1,5 for birding @ 4K !

need stabilization and experimentation with my MC Rokkor 24, 35, 50 and 80-200 and 500mm F8 RF - for fun and maybe these are the compact lenses we need for the Z.

need stabilization for my 85mm F1.8G, 24mm F1.8G

have to get rid of a cheap old AF-D zoom 70-200mm - and unfortunately 20mm F2.8 AF-D, sigma 15mm 2.8 fisheye "AF-D" - or hope for a Kipon AF-D adapter announced for this spring - and (sob) my Tamron 45mm F1.8 that I have learned to love - unless Kipon?

who said life should be easy?

need flippy screen and excellent video and video AF for parties and vacations and family in general

not an avid birder - if so, I would get a used D500

And no there is not a quantum leap in sensor quality like when I upgraded from Sony R1 10 Mpix to D800 36MPix. More resolution and slightly more DR @ 64 iso, else more or less the same as D800

a bit more croppability and higher APS-C resolution for bugs and birds than D800