I Really Really want a Z9
- Thread starter AstroEd
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Wrogu
Active member
I feel bad for you Jeff, no new car for another 11 years at least. You should have not chosen a Honda ....
JamesFarrell
Former Member
Hmmm, I thought this was a photography forum, not a financial advisory forum. How the original poster pays for his camera is none of anyone's business. How many of you charged your Z9 with your credit card and didn't payoff the balance?
As long as no one gets nasty about it, I don’t see the problem.
Doomrider74
Well-known member
Agreed. There's nothing wrong with finance or loans if you can afford it, and go in with your eyes open. Loans usually have a better interest rate than CCs.
Len Cohen
Member
The Z9 is absolutely phenomenal. I use the 500PF with the adapter and it is superb. Generally the adapter causes very slow autofocus so its OK with a tripod and a stationary object. It has nothing to do with the camera. its a function of a 5.6 lens
Pay off your debt. Quit living your life owing money to banks as the borrower is slave to lender.
Work extra hours, do side hustles, get rid of the debt, have a fully funded emergency fund of 3-6 months living expenses, fund your retirement and then you can and should be thinking about saving for new camera gear after all that is said and done.
The gear you have now is more than adequate to do what you want.
Sorry if this comes across as harsh but people need to stop living like they’re spending in congress and put basic needs ahead of wants. You’ll be better off in the long run!
Work extra hours, do side hustles, get rid of the debt, have a fully funded emergency fund of 3-6 months living expenses, fund your retirement and then you can and should be thinking about saving for new camera gear after all that is said and done.
The gear you have now is more than adequate to do what you want.
Sorry if this comes across as harsh but people need to stop living like they’re spending in congress and put basic needs ahead of wants. You’ll be better off in the long run!
Doomrider74
Well-known member
Come to BCG for the wildlife photography and gear advice, stay for the sound financial planning 
I all but stopped using the 500PF currently due to the fact that the majority of what I am able to image at my local lake is too far away and I crop 98%+ of my images currently. I keep grabbing the Sigma 150-600mm mostly set at 500mm, but even though it is not as sharp as the 500PF it has the versatility to zoom as needed for the rare times A bird is closer. But once I get to an area the birds are closer I will use the 500PF more.
Yeah…at this point wait another week nd see what the Z8 actually is and the price…and like others said…don’t go into debt for either.
My income is constant, (VA disability and Social Security) I do food deliveries (Grubhub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats) when I feel like it for extra cash. But now that I had to get a new car I pretty much have to drive to cover the extra car and insurance payment, and an extra $500 each month that I throw at one single bill every month. (I am trying to do the Debt Snowball payments). only doing a debt consolidation equity loan because it will lock the interest at 15.66% instead of the 29.99% that most of my credit has risen to thanks to the current economy. I will first use it to pay off debt that I can not add more debt to. I just figured adding the camera to the loan would not boost the monthly payment too much.
You might want to spend some time playing with a loan calculator like this one: https://www.bankrate.com/loans/loan-calculator/
It all depends on how fast you can pay down the loan but assuming it takes 5 years to pay off the loan, that extra $7000 borrowed will cost you over $3,000 in interest at 15.66% turning a $7k camera purchase into a $10k camera purchase. If it takes longer than 5 years to pay down the loan the extra interest payments will add up even more.
As others have posted, it's your money and your debt but at least go in with open eyes and an understanding of what that additional debt might mean especially when there are other very good camera options out there that cost less.
Thank you all for the replies.. And financial concerns. I have depression cycles and tend to buy things I don't need just to feel better, I tend to obsess over things I want until I find some way to get it to the point it is like a junkie needing a fix and I am not sure why it hits me that way.. Often with buyers remorse shortly afterwards. Thank you all for the time for me to slow down and think this through, I know that is not what this forum is for but I am grateful.
We are a loose knit group of folks with a common love of wildlife photography! But that doesn't mean that is all we care about. Most of us care about other members when they face difficult situations such as illness, a pet dies or financial issues or when someone just wants to share good news such as they won a photography contest, their child made a big accomplishment, they finally retired, etc. Hopefully this means that you can trust the members here to give thoughtful, honest responses to your posts while considering you as a whole person, not just a photographer. The recommendations offered were based on the information you provided. We wouldn't want to knowingly make suggestions that would put you in a difficult situation.
I hope my home sublimation business picks up, I still need an Etsy, and Shopify store, business cards, business banking accounts, and more supplies. Hoping to mostly offer pet memorials like this one I made back in January.. my last sale. <Maybe I can make enough eventually to pay off all my debts.
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Roy
Well-known member
We all are waiting for the May 10th announcement hopefully including the Z8 and 200-600 lens.
As long as the Z8 has LED lit buttons, a 10pin connector and a EN-EL18 battery grip otherwise they can keep it.
The Z9 is a fantastic versatile camera.
The image quality of the 400 and 600 TC are state of the art but if I need to walk any great distance I find them heavy and bulky and usually leave them at home.
The 400mm f4.5 is nearly always on my Z9 ...
What a thoughtful response. We all have our stories and life challenges. I'm happy with my Z9, but that promise of a Z8 is appealing. I'm thinking I'd give up my D850 for the Z8, if it's what they say it will be. But, there's always financial constraints, and unless we're multi-millionaires we might take pause to buying something new. It's a big decision, and only we know if it's a good choice for us to make. I like to think we all care about each other, and only try to help.
Cameranut
New member
I'm with most others above on this one. Cameras in that price range are only for high dollar professionals that can make that kind of money on a couple of jobs, or well healed hobbyists that have plenty of cash to pay for it without even missing the money, and no debt for other things either. I'm not sure why you need such equipment to take photos to put on mugs, coasters, etc. If the shutter noise scares the birds, get a point and shoot that has an electronic shutter. For that size images very little resolution is required. The Z9 is to make billboard size images.
The OP states clearly "Want" not a need.
My 2 cents.
With a Z9, opportunities open up. Big chances the OP would gain confidence and a drive to find other photography-paid job opportunities to pay it off.
The old debt should not be mixed with the Z9 energy.
OP, Close your eyes and think. Imagine you already have a Z9, what would you do with it? in which direction would your brain go?
Take the results, sleep it over, and you will gain a lot of clarity.
Doug Herr
Well-known member
The secret to getting better bird photos is not the latest gear, it’s getting closer. Personally, I would not go into debt to buy new camera equipment. If you aren’t making enough money from photos to justify new equipment the new toy will not make a difference and you’d be deeper in debt.
StefanSC
Well-known member
I have been in a similar situation over time ( I got plenty of photo gear that I don't really use, often bought as an emotional purchase).
What I've done to handle this (and avoid going into debt for photo equipment) has been the following:
Step 1: If I want something that I couldn't easily afford right now without going into debt, I try to identify something in my life that needs work on and takes some time.
Step 2: I set the item I want as a reward for completing the work and try to save for it until I finalize the tasks.
Sometimes I end up not wanting the item when I am done anyway
.For example, now I want an upgrade for my wildlife lens. I also need to do decluttering and rearranging in my digital life. This is a task that will take me the better part of this year (for example, I have terrabytes of images on multiple HDDs that need culling, sorting, processing and so on... and a whole cabinet filled with CDs and DVDs that also need sorting and transferring to other media).
I will not do the upgrade of the lens until I am done with all the decluttering, and in the meanwhile I am trying to put aside some cash each month for it.
Now, I am no shrink so take all that with a pinch of salt, but I've seen this approach in dealing successfully with GAS by other photography enthusiasts. And I have used a similar approach to handle food cravings.
My take is that your business isn’t generating enough income resulting in mounting debt, leading in turn to your debt consolidation issue. Debt consolidation is simply spreading your debt over a longer time frame….it may appear to reduce your debt, but it’s misleading as your debt, due to finance costs, increases….it’s the monthly payments that go down, alleviating the current repayment pressure.
so getting a new camera won’t improve your business but rather it will increase your debt with no benefit.
The best advise I can give is, first, don’t buy the z9 so your debt doesn’t increase, and more importantly, take a good look at your business model to see how you can generate more business .., in fact, that’s where you should start.
so getting a new camera won’t improve your business but rather it will increase your debt with no benefit.
The best advise I can give is, first, don’t buy the z9 so your debt doesn’t increase, and more importantly, take a good look at your business model to see how you can generate more business .., in fact, that’s where you should start.
yeah, well, he did ask for our opinion.
P
philippe
Guest
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Cameranut
New member
The other point that I would make to the OP is that for the products mentioned almost any camera from any brand should be sufficient. When not making large prints even a lowly point and shoot or phone cam are many times more than required. Technique and composition are much more important than the camera body.