Sony A9 II as Z6 III alternative?

[AstonSenna]

I'm going to head to my local Sacramento camera store this weekend to check out the new Z6 III before ordering one, and I had the thought that today, you can pick up used Sony A9 IIs for the same or even a bit less than the new Z6 III. Same megapixels, same max frame rate, but fully-stacked sensor verse partial and true blackout free shooting.
It's a five year old camera now, but it was the flagship at the time with the best autofocus of any new camera at its time.

So, just a curious thought I had if there was any input from current or past A9 shooters. I remember Mr. Perry himself had an a9 II he had used alongside his D5/6 and og Z6 for a short time.

if it helps also, my plan here either was to sell my d5 and d4s and z6 ii to move to a fully mirrorless system, hoping that it seemed like the z6 iii was a far enough jump over the z6 ii to be able to also replace the D5.
After a year of shooting with two bodies at events, dual carrying a D5 and Z6 II, the difference in the physical bodies and controls is not ideal when quickly switching between the two. Not entirely an inconvenience, but just less than ideal. Would be much nicer having two identical bodies when dual carrying with all the same custom controls and settings and button placements.

edit: I think I may have made some confusion about me wanting to mix mirrorless systems, and I am not wanting to do that at all. Either all-in to two Z6 IIIs and a lens lineup I picked out, or this sudden idea that I could move fully to two Sony a9 II bodies for basically the same price with all bodies and desired lenses considered

Thanks!

 

[Anjin San]

If you’re a Nikon guy I recommend staying Nikon unless there’s a feature or something you require…or you want the Sony menus…too much menu knowledge and muscle memory and need new lenses if you switch whereas the F glass you have will work just fine on the FTZ until you gradually get new lenses. if you’re going to get 2 bodies eventually…be advised there are a few minor differences in setup between the Z8/9 and all the other Z bodies…former uses banks and latter User Modes. Biggest difference is that User are sticky and banks return to what you set last. Minor issue and not hard to keep track of IMO. Shifting to another brand means learning curve and menus, muscle memory, and what things are called is all new. Steve manages all 3 major brands…but then he’s shooting almost daily and I’m sure he has to stop and think sometimes to remember which menu or name it is.

You’ll figure things out if you switch of course…just make sure it’s something you want to do. From Steve’s review…the partially stacked sensor and slight slide show effect weren’t a major issue.

 

[DRwyoming]

FWIW, I agree with the post above that it's not great to mix brands in your main interchangeable lens cameras. Among other things it typically means buying additional lenses for the two different camera mounts instead of being able to swap your existing lenses between cameras. For instance if the second camera is truly a backup body then a wildlife photographer would want a long telephoto that fits each of the bodies which can be an expensive proposition.

The A9 is a great camera but I'd personally recommend against mixing lens mounts for your main cameras if one is to back up the other and that's not getting into ergonomic and menu differences that were discussed above.

 

[jeffnles1]

I cannot provide a direct answer to your question and I honestly doubt if any of us can. What we can do is share what we've done and why as well as how the decisions have worked out.

When I made the decision, about 2 years ago, to make the switch to mirrorless, I started thinking about what that really meant and what I was going to do. At first, sticking with Nikon seemed like a wonderful plan as I could use all of my existing F mount glass with the FTZ adapter. But as I thought about it more, if I was going to fully embrace mirrorless, sooner or later I would be replacing glass to native mounts.

Once I started thinking about replacing glass, then it opened the decision to a number of different brands. I weighed the attributes that were most important to me and started looking at systems and weighing them against the attributes I had selected as highest importance. What were those? It doesn't really matter since what is important to me may not be important to you. The attributes were loosely around, ergonomics, weight, perceived image quality, cost, robustness of system (i.e. how much development has the manufacturer put into the overall system), what was available TODAY not necessarily what may or may not become available in the future, and what I considered longevity of the system (i.e. do I believe the company will be around 5-7 years from now).

What I found was all of the majors were very similar and each had bodies, lenses and accessories that would meet my needs. There wasn't a winner that was so overwhelmingly clear as to make all other choices null and void. It really came down to some nuance, some ergonomics, what was available at the time and, lastly, my desire to learn something new. I was 62 at the time I made the switch and having an aging parent going through stages of dementia keeping my mind active and sharp was also a concern. Learning a new system required thought, clarity of mind, learning new menu systems, etc.

I ended up moving from Nikon to Canon. I have been well pleased. I'm also quite sure I would have been well pleased with Sony, Nikon, perhaps Fuji or OM Systems. After a lot of thought and trying different bodies and lenses, the Canon was the direction I went.

Is that the best choice for you? I do not know. It may not have been the "best" choice for me but it was the choice I made and I have been very happy with the results.

So, to you question, go with the Z6iii, move to Sony? Define what is important to you, what attributes you consider the critical ones, look at both systems and see what comes closest to meeting the most of your needs/desires. Make the choice and go out capturing beautiful images. Nobody would (or should) criticize your choices and if they do, well, consider the source and keep on capturing beautiful images.

Hope this was somewhat helpful.

Jeff

 

[AstonSenna]

FWIW, I agree with the post above that it's not great to mix brands in your main interchangeable lens cameras. Among other things it typically means buying additional lenses for the two different camera mounts instead of being able to swap your existing lenses between cameras. For instance if the second camera is truly a backup body then a wildlife photographer would want a long telephoto that fits each of the bodies which can be an expensive proposition.

The A9 is a great camera but I'd personally recommend against mixing lens mounts for your main cameras if one is to back up the other and that's not getting into ergonomic and menu differences that were discussed above.

sorry if my post confusing, not looking to mix systems. Was planning to sell all three current bodies to move to a pair of Z6 IIIs, or the alternative sudden morning coffee thought of moving to a pair of Sony a9 II bodies since they're basically the same cost now, or actually less, and lenses are pretty comparable for what I'd want.

 

[DRwyoming]

sorry if my post confusing, not looking to mix systems. Was planning to sell all three current bodies to move to a pair of Z6 IIIs, or the alternative sudden morning coffee thought of moving to a pair of Sony a9 II bodies since they're basically the same cost now, or actually less, and lenses are pretty comparable for what I'd want.

Ahh that makes more sense, either seems like a solid move to me. I'd definitely get hands on both cameras first to make sure you like the feel and ergonomics and of course the Z6 III is a lot newer but either could be a solid choice.

 

[Vincent_VdB]

I have, besides my 4 Nikon Z bodies a Sony A9II and A7rIV but they are gathering dust at this stage as I am a Nikon guy.
Yes, I made a sidestep to Sony and shot with the Sony 24mm f/1.4, 70-200 f/2.8, 100-400, 200-600 and 600mm f/4 but nah, went back to Nikon.
I shoot now with Z7, Z8 and 2x Z9 with a nice collection of Z mount lenses for my wildlife and macro shooting.
So, without being overly biased can I only recommend to stay with Nikon (no, I do not have shares in Nikon ).