D850 to Z7ii

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wes

wes

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Hello all,
I know there have been discussions on this for a while, but I have been debating selling my D850 for a while and getting a Z7ii to compliment my Z6ii. I have really enjoyed using the D850 and the Z6ii out in the field, but the more I use them the less I am picking up the D850. I just really love the ease of use with the interface of the Z series and especially the portability. I really don't anticipate being a Z9 buyer when it comes out and from what I can tell a Z8 or Z7iii is still pretty far away.
I'm aware of the technical limitations going from the 850 to the 7ii especially with the AF and fast moving subjects, so this is really just more of a question out to the community.
Has anyone gotten rid of, or stopped using their D850 and switched to the Z7ii? Are you happy with the transition? Do you regret it?

Thanks!
 
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wes said:
Has anyone gotten rid of, or stopped using their D850 and switched to the Z7ii?
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Well I recently sold my D850 as I found the combo of my: D5, Z6 II and D500 fits my needs very well. If I did keep a higher pixel resolution camera in the Nikon lineup it would likely be a Z7 II primarily for landscape work but currently feel the cameras above fit my needs.
 
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Palouse said:
I owned, and loved a D850. Got a Z6 when it was released. Loved ;em both, but found going back and forth between the 2 taxed my aging brain (and muscle memory!). So I sold the D850 for a Z7, and never looked back. I'm not a big birds in flight shooter, so the Z7 does me well. Life is good!
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Good to hear! Its really jarring for me switching back and forth between the two interfaces
 
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wes said:
Good to hear! Its really jarring for me switching back and forth between the two interfaces
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At first I was fine, enough similarities in the major, frequently used buttons. But when I had to dive in to the menu system I had to dig deep into my addled brain to recall how to do stuff! Plus I had fallen in love with the Electronic View Finder! :love:
 
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I recently sold my D850 to another member here. They got a good deal with all the accessories I provided.

I got the Z6 right after release. I used it almost 95-100% of the time for the first year, and 85-90% of the time for the next year until I got my Z7II. The Z7II made the D850 largely redundant for me.

I'm shooting relatively little fast erratic action - and what I do photograph can be handled by the Z6 and Z7II. The timing and technique are a little different. I like the AF modes of the Z6/Z7II better for what I photograph. The EVF is a game changer. And the Z lenses are so good, I found I was always choosing the Z lenses over alternatives.

It really depends on where you are in gear and gear transitions. I decided I did not need to keep a full suite of F-mount lenses and top end camera bodies for a camera being used less than 20% of the time. I decided it was a decision to sell a bundle of gear that went with the D850 - three f/2.8 and f/4 lenses that had counterparts in my Z kit.
 
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EricBowles said:
I recently sold my D850 to another member here. They got a good deal with all the accessories I provided.

I got the Z6 right after release. I used it almost 95-100% of the time for the first year, and 85-90% of the time for the next year until I got my Z7II. The Z7II made the D850 largely redundant for me.

I'm shooting relatively little fast erratic action - and what I do photograph can be handled by the Z6 and Z7II. The timing and technique are a little different. I like the AF modes of the Z6/Z7II better for what I photograph. The EVF is a game changer. And the Z lenses are so good, I found I was always choosing the Z lenses over alternatives.

It really depends on where you are in gear and gear transitions. I decided I did not need to keep a full suite of F-mount lenses and top end camera bodies for a camera being used less than 20% of the time. I decided it was a decision to sell a bundle of gear that went with the D850 - three f/2.8 and f/4 lenses that had counterparts in my Z kit.
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Sounds like I am at the same point you are. I have a lot of F glass on the shelf and like you I am always picking up Z lenses... well except for the 500pf :)
 
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I’ve sold my DSLRs for the Z 6 (Gen 1) and Z 7II and every now and then question if I made the right move. However, I find my overall keeper rate to be higher with the Z bodies, due in part to the addition of IBIS. In addition, the eye AF works fantastically for people, which I find I’m photographing more these days, plus the AF for video is night and day vs. that of the D850. The deciding factor for me to buy into the Zs, though, was their silent shutter mode. Below is a series taken with my D500 and 70-200mm. As you can see, the sound of the shutter sent this approaching coyote running back into the forest. Photo session over! With silent shutter I can photograph skittish critters all day long, provided they don’t catch wind of me.
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Jerry Heitschmidt said:
I’ve sold my DSLRs for the Z 6 (Gen 1) and Z 7II and every now and then question if I made the right move. However, I find my overall keeper rate to be higher with the Z bodies, due in part to the addition of IBIS. In addition, the eye AF works fantastically for people, which I find I’m photographing more these days, plus the AF for video is night and day vs. that of the D850. The deciding factor for me to buy into the Zs, though, was their silent shutter mode. Below is a series taken with my D500 and 70-200mm. As you can see, the sound of the shutter sent this approaching coyote running back into the forest. Photo session over! With silent shutter I can photograph skittish critters all day long, provided they don’t catch wind of me.
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IBIS and silent shutter are big for me too.
 
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I have a D850/D500 pair and a Z7/Z50 pair and move back and forth among them all the time, usually depending on what I want to carry and what lens(es) I want to use. Some odd combos, for example I usually shoot the 600 f4D with the Z7 (IBIS helps). But if I think I want to shoot the Z 14-30 I obviously take the Z7. For longer trips I pack either a 'Z bag' or an 'F bag', depending on what I think I'll be doing (the 500PF goes in both).

But the point really is that I don't have any trouble bouncing back and forth - the pervasive 'Nikon-ness' makes it easy. There are a few significant differences in how the AF behaves, but they're not show stoppers. There isn't a full range of Z lenses yet (that I can afford), and I find the D850/D500 generally better for wildlife (I haven't tried the Z7 II yet) but there are certainly things I'd rather use the Z for.

Ultimately I'll try to fold everything down to Z, but I have a lot of F glass for which there's no reasonable (or reasonably priced) mirrorless replacement anywhere (from any vendor), so it may be a while.

If I were in your place my inclination might be to just wait a bit longer.
 
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I have a D850 and Z7 II. I tend to use the Z7 II for routine use and D850 for wildlife, though in the future I think I will be using the Z7 II more frequently for wildlife. I suspect that i will shift from FX to Z lens as I get more comfortable w/ the Z and more Z lens are made available.
 
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I love my D850 so when the Z7ii was released it caught my attention, but for me fell just a bit short. I'm a jack of all trades with what I shoot and don't speciaise on any one genre. I guess the Z8 will be the one that might well get me shooting Nikon mirrorless, but if that ever happens I'll probably keep the D850 as a spare/backup camera 'cos I still love it. Of course that might change if I ever got a Z8, but in the meantime I'm also lovin' my Fuji XT kit which I can't deny gets more use than my Nikon kit.
 
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Reading the Forum, reviews and watching the seemingly endless YouTube comparisons, and adding my own recent experience, the D850 vs Z7 II argument appears to boil dow to a choice between the Z7 II’s mirrorless advantages and the D850’s autofocus capabilities, the latter particularly in low/tricky light situations.

And, as ever, there’s no clear winner, you pays your money, you makes your choice.

I stuck with the D850 because I could not overcome the Z7 II’s poor (hunting) autofocus at twilight, with FTZ adapted F glass, but that’s just my experience…… Maybe the Z9?
 
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Dr_J said:
Reading the Forum, reviews and watching the seemingly endless YouTube comparisons, and adding my own recent experience, the D850 vs Z7 II argument appears to boil dow to a choice between the Z7 II’s mirrorless advantages and the D850’s autofocus capabilities, the latter particularly in low/tricky light situations.

And, as ever, there’s no clear winner, you pays your money, you makes your choice.

I stuck with the D850 because I could not overcome the Z7 II’s poor (hunting) autofocus at twilight, with FTZ adapted F glass, but that’s just my experience…… Maybe the Z9?
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Completely agree. And I didn't get a Z7ii for the exact same reason. AF wasn't reliable enough when things got tough (erratic subjects, twilight). In any other conditions, the Z7ii is great - but I don't shoot as often as I'd like so when I do, I need the gear to keep up as I rarely get a chance for "re-dos".
 
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wes said:
IBIS and silent shutter are big for me too.
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Speaking of silent shutter…I like the silent part but wonder about rolling shutter effect. Haven’t shot enough action with my Z7II yet to decide for myself with the Covid issues…but for those that have more usage is rolling shutter an issue or should I just use silent all the time. Any guidance or thoughts on when to use and when not to use based on action type or shutter speed used is good. Thanks.
 
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To be honest (and I've read others' explanations of why they like it) the need for a totally silent shutter escapes me. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I've never had a situation where shutter noise disturbed a subject. (Wildlife generally knows you're there anyway, and birds especially seem oblivious to the sound.) I have used the D850 'quiet mode', but for people, not wildlife :) The D850 does have a totally silent shutter mode, using live view, for those who need it, but I can't say I see why it's either a deal breaker to not have it or a game changer to have it. I actually much prefer shutter noise to know that I've actually taken a shot.

Just my contrarian opinion.
 
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I chose the D-500 also for the autofocus abilities since BIF is primarily what I care for. After switching from a D-7200 and Sigma 150-600C to the D-500 and a Nikkor 500pf I find that GRP autofocus and the rigs light weight is a game changer for me. (The D-850 was simply too heavy and I like a DX camera with a 500mm lens) I can hand-hold longer and track BIF better with the lighter setup and get focus-lock quicker and hold it longer with GRP autofocus. I am still at the beginning of learning how to track and photograph BIF so your mileage may vary particularly if you re younger, stronger and more experienced but the rig change was a quantum jump for me.

I tend to only make changes when I think I will get a significant advantage by upgrading. I did for birds-in-flight, birds-on-a-stick not so much. The D-7200 and Sigma 150-600C did just fine when mounted on a monopod/monogimble for birds-on-a-stick. The reported "corner softness" and "AF issues" really had no effect on me taking shots of non-moving and slow-moving birds or large mammals. If that is all I wanted to do I would have stopped there and not spent bookoo $$$$ to gain some questionable sharpness.

If the D-850 wasn't so heavy (grip included) I would have liked the wider depth-of-field. I felt that the combo d-850/grip/500pf was simply too heavy for either my wife or I to weald hand-held for very long.

I think my next upgrade will not be until the Z-series had comparable autofocus to the D-500 and a comparable Z-lens to the 500pf with significant reduced weight (assuming I live that long). Sony was a candidate but the 200-600 is heavy for me.
 
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eaj101 said:
To be honest (and I've read others' explanations of why they like it) the need for a totally silent shutter escapes me. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I've never had a situation where shutter noise disturbed a subject. (Wildlife generally knows you're there anyway, and birds especially seem oblivious to the sound.) I have used the D850 'quiet mode', but for people, not wildlife :) The D850 does have a totally silent shutter mode, using live view, for those who need it, but I can't say I see why it's either a deal breaker to not have it or a game changer to have it. I actually much prefer shutter noise to know that I've actually taken a shot.

Just my contrarian opinion.
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It's very situation and subject specific. Small songbirds within 50 feet or so can be very jumpy, so silent shutter is quite useful. I've had songbirds fly 100 yards away at the crack of a twig or a slight shutter sound. Raptors can be quite jumpy - or indifferent. Some mammals are similarly indifferent but others of the same species spook easily. An otter in a stream may be very jumpy. A fox or coyote might flee at the first sound of a shutter. But I've seen elk, deer and bears that were indifferent to a shutter noise. As you point out, if they know you are there and are not spooked by the sound, it's fine. If they are habituated to people and people sounds, it's not an issue. The frustrated thing is it's often an after the fact proof - if you have a shutter click you don't really know if it will spook the animal until after you take the shot and it turn away or keeps doing whatever it was doing.

The D850 requires using Live View for Silent shooting, so it's a little clunky. The Z cameras are completely silent for all photos and use the EVF or rear LCD seamlessly.

As far as knowing you've taken a shot, there is a short blackout in two of the modes so you can see a shot was taken - it's a visual indicator rather than audible. In High Extended the frame rate is higher and that does not exist. Yes - you can rattle off 2-3 shots instead of one, but you figure it out after a while.

I've used Silent Mode for people who are camera shy. They don't even know the photo was taken.
 
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Neil Laubenthal said:
Speaking of silent shutter…I like the silent part but wonder about rolling shutter effect. Haven’t shot enough action with my Z7II yet to decide for myself with the Covid issues…but for those that have more usage is rolling shutter an issue or should I just use silent all the time. Any guidance or thoughts on when to use and when not to use based on action type or shutter speed used is good. Thanks.
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I usually switch the shutter on for anything fast just to avoid possible rolling shutter effect. Also with the Z7ii cameras to get the highest frame rate, you have to be in 12bit RAW with silent turned off.
 
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eaj101 said:
To be honest (and I've read others' explanations of why they like it) the need for a totally silent shutter escapes me. I'm not saying you're wrong, just that I've never had a situation where shutter noise disturbed a subject. (Wildlife generally knows you're there anyway, and birds especially seem oblivious to the sound.) I have used the D850 'quiet mode', but for people, not wildlife :) The D850 does have a totally silent shutter mode, using live view, for those who need it, but I can't say I see why it's either a deal breaker to not have it or a game changer to have it. I actually much prefer shutter noise to know that I've actually taken a shot.

Just my contrarian opinion.
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As Eric mentioned, there are scenarios when the shutter sound doesn't matter and others where it can send the wildlife fleeing for the next county. In my neck of the woods in NE Georgia, just about everything seems to spook due to sound. Deer, fox, coyotes, waterfowl (especially teal), and even songbirds on my feeders. After spooking the coyote in the post above, I went out to the same location with my new Z 7II and 300mm PF and was able to watch the three deer below for 40 minutes and photograph them to my heart's content using the silent shutter option. I was well concealed the wind was in my favor (just barely). Having said that, I do want to say I absolutely love the D850's ergonomics. I really wish Nikon could deliver a mirrorless camera in the D850's body with the Pv and Fn1 buttons left exactly where they are now. Love that camera.

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Whiskeyman said:
I've heard this before,Eric, so if I may ask, why is it a game changer?
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Here is my short list:
  • Exposures tend to be much more accurate because you can see the image you will be creating before pressing the shutter button. This reduces or eliminates the need for chimping.
  • You can use the EVF as a heads up display with virtual horizon or histogram.
  • You can program a Fn button to allow zooming through the viewfinder - like electronic binoculars to take a photo. This allows me to look for precise timing such as when the bird's head is turning toward the camera, when there is a catchlight in the eye, etc. I only press the shutter when position is right.
  • DX cropping is shown full size in the EVF. With an optical viewfinder, a DX camera magnifies the image to fill the viewfinder, but a DX crop is much smaller in an FX viewfinder. AF boxes are proportionately larger with DX. This makes DX a viable option for some subjects even with an FX mirrorless.
  • You can playback images or adjust menu settings without your eye ever leaving the EVF. It's easier to see in bright light, and is faster.
  • The EVF with focus peaking can show and highlight the area that is in focus. This makes manual focus much easier. Zooming can also help. I manually adjust focus much more often with my Z cameras because of the EVF.
  • If you wear reading glasses, you no longer need them to closely examine focus, to check playback, or to make menu changes. All that and more is done through the EVF.
  • The EVF is easier to see than the LCD in bright sunny conditions.
  • The EVF is brighter than an OVF making it easier to see a subject in moderately low light - like indoors, at dusk or for heavy, dark cloudy conditions, etc.
  • For astrophotography, chimping through the EVF means your LCD is not active and causing stray light to affect other photographers.

The drawbacks:
  • There is a slight lag ( about 20ms) between what you see and what is actually occurring. It's about 35-50% of the lag on a new iPhone - much less lag - but still a lag compared to real time.
  • There can be a short blackout between frames at high frame rates - kind of a mild strobe effect. This makes it harder to photograph fast erratic subjects like swallows.
  • Timeouts cause the EVF and the camera to power down. You need to touch the shutter or AF-On button to wake the camera as you are moving it to your eye or moving your eye to a camera on a tripod. It's a change in technique but resolves the problem.
  • Extremely dim light ( such as 3 stops darker than just after sunset - like the end of blue hour) cause the EVF to be grainy and show a lot of noise. Essentially you are using a very high ISO for immediate viewing through the EVF in very low light. You lose detail and pick up a lot of grain and noise.
  • The EVF can be bright for astrophotography and needs to be reduced to prevent impacting your night vision.
  • The EVF does not remain active when you have a long wait for action. Think watch a burrow and waiting for a subject to emerge.
  • There is some impact of the EVF on battery life.
 
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