Newcomer from D850 to Z9

[thott]

My beloved d850 has a big brother after 5 years. The Z9.
As a D850 fanboy (and in general a Nikon Fan Boy) I have to admit that I have to throw all my prejudices against mirrorless cameras overboard.

The Z9 feels just as good in the hand as the D850 with battery grip and makes the same solid impression.
After playing around, the Z9 is a fantastic camera with almost unlimited setting options, individual assignments of the many buttons and dials and the incredibly precise autofocus.

There is no longer any need to fine-tune the lenses. The focus is determined on the sensor. It couldn't be more precise.

The 3D tracking is simply amazing.

I was disappointed with the first electronic viewfinders, this was ne reason to stay with DSLR. But now I'm delighted.
No blackouts and flickering.
Here you can clearly see the camera development of the last few years.
Although the development of the sensors is limited, the image quality of the D850 is on par. From what I've found, the D850's dynamics are even a little better.

I'm at home with the Nikon menus and I'm quickly getting to grips with the Z9.

However, the learning curve for the many settings won't be easy - the camera is quite complex. It’s time to start study manuals, books and YouTube.

I'm excited about it. The D850 with the remaining F lenses will remain as a backup camera.
The Z9 is expensive. But imho it's worth every cent.
So this is a long text. But I think you can see my enthusiasm

 

[wotan1]

SWEET

First advice is get the Steve Perry setup guide and go through it methodically. His guides are the best and he gets to the point.

The Thom Hogan guide is thorough and useful as a reference but it is extremely long.

You may have questions ask them here people are very helpful.

 

[thott]

Thank you!!!

 

[fcotterill]

Welcome to BCG
I also went from D850 (and D5) to Z9. It's a good plan to start with a working custom setup and experiment. Using the current experimental setup in Shooting banks A also allows switching back to the base setup in a different pair of banks - for reference and if something goes awry.
There are many great new features including being able to copy Bank settings.... Talking of which save your settings to a card. If you're photographing wildlife, the custom area AF modes are extremely useful. Also the Recall Shooting Functions setting

The CFExpress options take some getting used to as well, if you're not there already. There's few useful advice on which cards to invest in, in a few threads here.

Enjoy your Z9

 

[NorthernFocus]

Congrats on making the transition. What you wrote here sounds exactly like my own journey. I loved the D850 and thought I'd keep it forever in parallel with the Z9. But once I started adding Z mount lenses to my kit I quickly realized that it wasn't truly a backup. So I made the total switch much quicker than I'd planned. IMO learning the behavior of the AF system is the biggest challenge. It's way different than the D850/D5/D500. Takes some getting used to. Just get out and shoot and it will all come together for you...

 

[Larry S]

Welcome aboard @thott ! The BIG things that you will welcome….in no particular order are: Silent shutter…no more mirror flap sending wildlife fleeing away. In body image stabilization (IBS), a quantum leap from DSLRs. Focusing options that are suited to every situation. Higher frame rate in continuous shooting to achieve more “keepers”. And the “i” menu which is a matrix display of preferred setting you can change by touch….. You no longer have to use the “OK” button multi selector to navigate the menus….the thumb & finger wheels zip you through your options. And many more…

And as others have mentioned…. Buy Steve’s set-up guide… It’s easy to follow and has pictures of the menu panels (for old retards like me) that gives relevance to his guide….

 

[thott]

Welcome to BCG
I also went from D850 (and D5) to Z9. It's a good plan to start with a working custom setup and experiment.

Enjoy your Z9

There are really tons of settings to configure. I have already 2 banks configured for standard and action situations.
But it’s fun to study all the stuff and the camera makes really fun.

 

[thott]

Congrats on making the transition.

it is a complete different world. I still love my D850 but the Z9 is a dream.
In some forums I read that some people went back from Z9 to the D850.
The handling was for them confusing.
That’s true……if you allow only hours to learn the handling than this tool is really wrong for you.
The camera development is amazing.
Starting as a kid with the Zeiss Ikon Nettar, Rollei and others. Canon AE1, A1, F1N, Nikon F5, 750, D850 and now Z9. What a journey

 

[Darrellhar]

I made the same transition 3 years ago so I understand exactly what you are going through. It took me a couple months to fully get it set up where I wanted it and had to make several changes as new FW was released. I enjoyed mine so much that I sold my beloved D850 and never looked back (although it’s a smart idea to keep as backup if you can). I just couldn’t see myself ever using a DSLR again. Glad you are happy with your purchase and agree with others that Steve’s guide is great to help you figure things out and his humor makes it less likely that you will fall a sleep while reading. Wait until you start replacing your glass. Things get even more impressive.

 

[wotan1]

I made the same transition 3 years ago so I understand exactly what you are going through. It took me a couple months to fully get it set up where I wanted it and had to make several changes as new FW was released. I enjoyed mine so much that I sold my beloved D850 and never looked back (although it’s a smart idea to keep as backup if you can). I just couldn’t see myself ever using a DSLR again. Glad you are happy with your purchase and agree with others that Steve’s guide is great to help you figure things out and his humor makes it less likely that you will fall a sleep while reading. Wait until you start replacing your glass. Things get even more impressive.

I agree about the glass. The wider and closer lens flange in the Z mount has opened new lens design possibilities. Pretty much all the mew Z mount optics show significant improvement over their F mount counterparts.

 

[thott]

I made the same transition 3 years ago so I understand exactly what you are going through.

3 years ago I wasn't even thinking about switching and was convinced by the D850. ONE OF THE BEST... which it really is. A great camera.
But at some point it's time to look at the neighbor's fruit
I won't be selling the D850 with the Sigma ART 25-105, AF-P 70-300, Tamron Macro and Nikkor 85mm f1.8. It has given me so many first-class pictures.

 

[wotan1]

3 years ago I wasn't even thinking about switching and was convinced by the D850. ONE OF THE BEST... which it really is. A great camera.
But at some point it's time to look at the neighbor's fruit
I won't be selling the D850 with the Sigma ART 25-105, AF-P 70-300, Tamron Macro and Nikkor 85mm f1.8. It has given me so many first-class pictures.

Those lenses will all work on the z9 with the FTZ adapter. Use both cameras with these lensesnas you see fit and when you are ready sample Z lens options.

Lots of Z opotions and plenty of evaluations can be found in this forum.

Just as a teaser take a look at the Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena.

 

[Larry S]

Those lenses will all work on the z9 with the FTZ adapter. Use both cameras with these lensesnas you see fit and when you are ready sample Z lens options.

Lots of Z opotions and plenty of evaluations can be found in this forum.

Just as a teaser take a look at the Z 135mm f/1.8 S Plena.

..yup! Love mine…

 

[wotan1]

The Plena has been tested out as the sharpest lens ever made by any company. It also has an exquisitely shallow depth of field at max aperture with the best bokeh. Many people have posted remarkable images taken with this lens.

 

[joe43]

Welcome to the Z9/D850 (and maybe D500) group.

I love my Z9 for the reasons already posted. I still use a lot of F mount lenses on it with the FTZ2 adapter as those lenses work on both the Z9 and the D 850. My normal lens for the Z9 is the 24-120mm. If you need tele lenses, you will love using any of the Z mount lenses.

To help you enjoy both bodies, my suggestion is to use the I or Info screen to access those settings you may need to change from time to time. Steve's book has some good suggestions on how to do that.

On my Z9 my most used AF settings are Dynamic area S; Wide Area L with subject detection and Auto Area with subject detection.

Enjoy your mirrorless adventure!

 

[thott]

Welcome to the Z9/D850 (and maybe D500) group.

[…..]

On my Z9 my most used AF settings are Dynamic area S; Wide Area L with subject detection and Auto Area with subject detection.

Enjoy your mirrorless adventure!

I just study all the AF settings. But what I can say is that the 3D is absolutely amazing……..I am excited

 

[thott]

I think one of the main feature is the Z9 AF.

I have already some books from Steve and they are fantastic. Clearly written and well-placed.

Therefore I just purchased the AF book for mirrorless Nikons.

 

[fulltimewanderer]

Thott, My selection of DSLR bodies consisted of D4, D500, and the D850. The D500 was the first to go, traded it for a new Z 9. A year later the D4 and the D850 were traded both for a used Z9. It was hard to give up the D4 and the D850, still kinda miss them. But I found myself using them less and less, and figured a second Z9 made sense. Both bodies are set up identical so the learning seems a little easier. Did keep all of my F mount lenses, with the exception of my 80-400 which was traded for the 100-400Z. And I did purchase a 180-600. It is nice to have two identical cameras set up the same. Welcome to bcgforums so many knowledgeable people here with the willingness to share their knowledge. Enjoy your new Z9 and happy shooting.

 

[thott]

Thott, My selection of DSLR bodies consisted of D4, D500, and the D850. The D500 was the first to go, […..]

I only sold a few F-lenses that I rarely used. The D850 will definitely stay.
What I particularly regret is my past sale 5 years ago of the Canon F1N with lots of accessories and lenses….and the Nikon F5


The remaining F-lenses work perfectly with the FTZ II adapter on the Z9. I can't detect any change in the autofocus.

I have learned a lot in the past few days, especially from Steve's videos and his book about autofocus on mirrorless cameras.
The learning curve is still steep, but I hope that it will become flatter in the near future.

In any case, I am having a lot of fun with the camera and the great results. To be honest, I don't miss the D850. The Z9 has so much more to offer and the handling is amazing.
What really impresses me, besides the great autofocus, are the almost endless possibilities for assigning the buttons. For example, the quick autofocus selection with just one button, for example the video button.

 

[Marcelo_R]

Congrats on your "conversion" Thomas! Lucky you, you started off with a revised, "modern" FW that erased many and severe glitches that the original FW the Z9 came out with originally. Man, when I first tested it it was such a mixed bag of beans... now, I don't even bother dreaming on an upgraded Z9 (or Z10 or whatever). Happy camper using both F and Z all the time. Enjoy it!
ps: I still keep a couple of reflex bodies but I barely use it anylonger (D6, D500, D3x...)

ps2: what a gallery you have!

 

[Ralph]

I only sold a few F-lenses that I rarely used. The D850 will definitely stay.
What I particularly regret is my past sale 5 years ago of the Canon F1N with lots of accessories and lenses….and the Nikon F5


The remaining F-lenses work perfectly with the FTZ II adapter on the Z9. I can't detect any change in the autofocus.

I have learned a lot in the past few days, especially from Steve's videos and his book about autofocus on mirrorless cameras.
The learning curve is still steep, but I hope that it will become flatter in the near future.

In any case, I am having a lot of fun with the camera and the great results. To be honest, I don't miss the D850. The Z9 has so much more to offer and the handling is amazing.
What really impresses me, besides the great autofocus, are the almost endless possibilities for assigning the buttons. For example, the quick autofocus selection with just one button, for example the video button.

Hi thott,
I still have my Canon F1N with all the lenses and accessories. Motor drive , extra focusing screens, lenses. I think about them a lot sitting on a shelf in my closet but only used them once in the last 5 years. Just curious, who did you sell them to? Or did you give them away?

 

[thott]

Hi thott,
I still have my Canon F1N with all the lenses and accessories. Motor drive , extra focusing screens, lenses. I think about them a lot sitting on a shelf in my closet but only used them once in the last 5 years. Just curious, who did you sell them to? Or did you give them away?

I'm jealous….
That is exact what I had. So many different screens, 2 viewfinder, motordrive, etc. and a lot of lenses.
I bought it in Jakarta when I stay there 4 years for business with my family. The price was very very low at this time.
Keep your stuff!

 

[Ralph]

I'm jealous….
That is exact what I had. So many different screens, 2 viewfinder, motordrive, etc. and a lot of lenses.
I bought it in Jakarta when I stay there 4 years for business with my family. The price was very very low at this time.
Keep your stuff a camera museum

Yes. I figured I wouldn’t get much for it so I just decided to keep it . I’ll start a camera museum

 

[lancej]

As others have stated not only are Steve’s book on the Z9 invaluable for wildlife set up, so are his updated focus tracking YouTube videos. I will rewatch one or two before I go out into field and always learn something new. It has taken me a long time coming from my D500 &D850 to enjoy my Z9. The Z9 seemed to me more like a glitchy computer than the D850 which has never let me down. Too much software with multiple options that had me playing with preprogrammed buttons like I was playing a flute, freezing on occasion, tracking that did not track as well as I did, etc.

However, I have come out the other side it is an amazing tool. Recently, I photographed snowy owls against the pure white snow, while it was lightly snowing. Once you have the tracking set up correctly (thanks Steve) it works wonderfully. I was laughing to myself as it locked onto the eyes in flight when I could barely make out that the owl was even there that it seemed like a magic trick. Never had that many in focus inflight images in a storm ever before. Same again with white trumpeter swans on a frozen white lake. Like a cruise missile locking onto a target. Amazing.
My advice learn all of it’s mysterious ways from those who are in the know as quickly as you can and it will reward you in the field.
I love my Z9 now but it took a lot of awkward dates to get us there, and in the end if I am being truly honest maybe it was me and not her.

 

[thott]

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