All very good points, thank you. The Zf so far has been the camera for me. So, unless I hear differently, it should suffice as long as the long lenses work out and don't stress my hands and wrists. The z7iii also sounds very appealing in lieu of the z8. However, bodies have to wait until next year. I've been slowly re-investing back into Nikon through quality z glass..
You have it seems time in your favour as you say wait till next year for getting the camera body, the world may be so different by then and more choices may be abundant.
Well that's one path and reasonable.
The 400 mm lens is that good it will drive you into 45mp faster than you may expect, that lens is so good and you will be using it more for everything else other than wild life.
The more i read what’s going on in this post, i feel you should defiantly rent before you buy.
I feel the ZF is your love and that is priceless so keep it as your second or back up, but frankly i think you’re better off forgetting all the likes don't likes and expectations or other choices and simply go for the Z8 and sleep at night, bugger the weight, adapt and grow into it, you will get used to it as not being a deal breaker.
The Z8 will do everything you ever need or want to do for some time, it will deliver way beyond your expectations, it will bring out things and outcomes you never expected, it may well change the way you ever intended to do things, its the best do all round camera, the next best unit behind it will be the Z7 III which will likely have all the ZF Z6III features and some.
I had the Z9 for 2 years and prefer it over the Z8 for selfish reasons, recently i jumped of the cliff pulled the para shoot with a Z8, i had swapped the Z9 out for the Z8 for need purposes not want, didn't waste time and energy with dew diligence.
The Z8 is the right tool for my current needs lighter smaller do everything brilliantly, it does everything so well and i will likely never outgrow it.
In the words of Thom Hogan, i recall i read him saying, once you use a Z9 (or my words a Z8) you will not want to use any other Z camera, and i concur unless you want a smaller lighter travel camera etc.
Forget the feel good statements that 24 mp is enough, once you use 45 its hard to go back to less, it just spoils you.
A key benefit for myself is crop ability, 45mp can yield you 600mm outcomes when you only have a 400mm lens, 100mm when you have a 35mm lens which opens pictures within pictures often.
I find 12800 iso rarely needed but is perfectly acceptable.
You can flick a switch back to DX mode adding reach and still come out with a 20 mb file, you can shoot JPEGS and still have 30 plus MB files, you can dial down image file sizes in raw FF, and the list goes on. You cant do as well with only 24mp. I experience this a lot in street or landscape photography when i shoot always a little wider than needed.
45mp also gives fresh life or legs to many older DSLR lenses...............allowing more time to grow into S lenses.
45mp in a Z8 Z7III Z9 is defiantly a very very powerful tool, forget everything else, that said if your looking for 24mp then the Z6III is the pick in current line up.
I have the Z8 currently on a 50mm 1.8s 70-200 F2.8 FL that just smokes.
The issue is time, don't waste a year not using a Z8 45mp, this will become apparent when or if you get one, just adapt to it let it make you who you really want to be, it will take you on a wild exciting journey, plus their giving them away at the moment, that said the Z7 III is on my radar it wont be cheap if its 60mp but gee the Z8 will be so much value by comparison.
You can always make more money but you cant make more time that's lost.
My self i usually just go for it and haven't regretted it to date.
Sorry just adding some different ingredients into the soup, LOL
Only an opinion
