Dude next step: Second body or prime telephoto

[Wade Abadie]

Camera wise, the Z8 rips thru battery charges, quickly. I used a Z8 for a few months, then dumped it for another Z9. The Z9 battery life will be surprising to you. The red signal will come on and still load both cards with another 125-150 photos.
My comment for lenses, you have 3 zoom 2.8 S Nikons, 14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 - should be perfect for the basketball. Adding more glass, in my opinion, should be investment in Z lenses, (not G or E).

Regarding battery life on the Z8….I simply do not see this issue whatsoever. I have owned the Z8 for a little over 18 months and there has not been a single instance when I’ve had to use a second battery during a morning/evening outing. My outings are usually 2-4 hours in the morning and I have taken up to 2,000-3,000 images during this time on a single battery. Since the DSLR days I’ve trained myself to keep the camera OFF if I do not have my eye up to the viewfinder. This prolongs battery life exponentially.

(Disclaimer: I only shoot stills, so if you’re shooting video this may be an entirely different conversation)

 

[Steve W]

As stated by others above….go the glass. A second body cannot get you closer or wider than what you currently have. I understand the arguments for a second body, especially for pro’s. As others say, you can rent a body if you really need one or save the $$$ to buy the next generation Z and keep this one for spare.

 

[Vincent_VdB]

Regarding battery life on the Z8….I simply do not see this issue whatsoever. I have owned the Z8 for a little over 18 months and there has not been a single instance when I’ve had to use a second battery during a morning/evening outing. My outings are usually 2-4 hours in the morning and I have taken up to 2,000-3,000 images during this time on a single battery. Since the DSLR days I’ve trained myself to keep the camera OFF if I do not have my eye up to the viewfinder. This prolongs battery life exponentially.

(Disclaimer: I only shoot stills, so if you’re shooting video this may be an entirely different conversation)

Same here. I have two Z9 and one Z8 The latter is for when I want to travel light (business & pleasure combined) and have absolutely no issue with the battery life for photography.

To the question at hand: go for a lens, the Z8 is a very capable camera and a lens will last you for many years to come. Getting reach is everything for birding so do look into a 500-600mm range tele lens. Indeed, the E FL versions are still stellar today and would be my way forward.

 

[Imago]

If it was me, I am not going to buy the Z 9 at the moment. According to Matt Irwin’s video that was released yesterday, reading between the lines, the Z 9 Mark II is going to be released soon. As he is an Officially Unofficial Nikon Spokesman, I am sure that our bank account is going to be emptied this year

 

[wotan1]

What I found is that it is impractical in most situations to deal with more than two lenses at a time. I settled on the combination of the 400mm f4.5 and 800mm pf for birding and decided to let some other equipment I was not using go. I used the proceeds to buy a second body, a second Z9.

I really like having two camera bodies for several reasons:

1. If I ever have a body fail or havre to go in the shop for maintenance I always have a backup.
2. Having two bodies means I can have two lenses standing ready and can shift quickly between them when the need arises. For instance if I go to a zoo animals and birds tend to be closer than in the wild. I bring my 70-200mm f2.8 and 400mm f4.5 and I cover pretty much everything that comes up. In the wild it will be the 400 and 800.
3. If I have doubts about the behavior or performance of one of the bodies I have a second for comparison.
4. Sometimes I forget things, like leaving a card in the card reader or forgetting to check on battery status. Having a second body means that sort of forgetfulness is not going to stop me from shooting.
5. I don't have all my eggs in one basket. I am not dependent on one piece of equipment and I have a way to continue going if something goes wrong with my camera.

What was important to me is that both cameras have the same menu system and are easily interchangeable. I like that both Z9's are set up the same way and operate the same.

I had na z7ii before the Z9 and I originally thought the Z7ii would be my backup body. But the Z7ii is an older design and lacks the sophistication and competence of the Z9 particularly with autofocus. Once I started using the Z9 I found the Z7ii's menu system weak and confusing and I largely stopped using it.

The Z7ii is still a competent camera and it takes great pictures. It is phenomenally light and compact compared to the other Z bodies and makes a great casual shooter. I now only use the autofocus on pinpoint and it is great for landscapes or casual street shooting.

I gave some thought to trading it on on a Z6iii but I really prefer the larger sensor cameras, I use some quality lenses and I like the 45mp sensor for what it allows you to do with cropping.

 

[Charles Loy]

My outings are usually 2-4 hours in the morning and I have taken up to 2,000-3,000 images during this time on a single battery.

Exciting! I was very unhappy with the Z8 battery life, never made 2 to 3 thousand images for me. I use Slot 1 for RAW and slot 2 RAW+jpg on all images, likely you have different settings. I had used the 9 for a year before I acquired the Z8, it's just not my camera, I bought another Z9.

 

[O]

If it was me, I am not going to buy the Z 9 at the moment. According to Matt Irwin’s video that was released yesterday, reading between the lines, the Z 9 Mark II is going to be released soon. As he is an Officially Unofficial Nikon Spokesman, I am sure that our bank account is going to be emptied this year

I unloaded my Z9 after 2 years,

a) being out of warranty
b) version II looming
c) avoid depreciation
d) need chnage, i needed a smaller lighter camera to do multi day hikes and more travel and street photography.
I sold the Z9 about 6 months ago and got back just about what i paid for it.

As an interim position i got a Z8, while more fit for the purpose to suite my changed needs, it’s still too heavy for 4 days hikes.

As to my preference for a camera I far prefer the Z9 for lots of reasons, i just need the size and less weight along with unobtrusiveness of the Z8, for now.

Being a minimum 45mp lover for all the good reasons i now am waiting to see what the Z7III brings to the arena, it’s even smaller lighter, hopefully 60mp.

What i don't like about my Z8 is the extremely poor battery life, that's unlikely to change in the Z7III.

The Z8 is getting cheaper used or new, it’s on my radar to unload soon. It has very low actuation not that i matters.

I think Nikon's line up of the Z7III, Z6III, Zf, with the range of glass around is an amazing arsenal of tools.

Only an opinion