What camera to get for landscape and city / holiday photography?

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hrv

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I have two Z 9's for my bird and wildlife photography, but I finf the Z9 too heavy and bulky to carry around with my 14-30 f/4 or 24-12 f/4 that I use for landscape and holiday photos.
So... time for another body :)

The challenge I have is that I am not sure what to get. Z 6 ii, Z 7 ii or Z 8, , .. Here is my reasoning.

Z 6 ii "only" has 24 mp
I have learned to love the 40mp of the Z 9 as it allows for cropping and I find that it also allows me to take a picture of a building without crossing the street, or needing to stand in the middle of a road (bloody tourists!). In other words, cropping is handy and a higher megapixel count allows me to do that more so than on the Z 6 ii. The Z f also falls into this category, plus I don't like the different lay-out of buttons on that camera.

Z 8 has the potential to replace one of the Z 9's
As the Z 8 is basically a mini Z 9, same processor, mostly the same options. I usually have a big prime on one Z 9 and a zoom on the other. The Z 8 could potentially (time would tell) make me sell one of the Z 9 bodies. At that point, as a little bonus, it would also become the cheapest option.

Z 7 ii is the smallest
The Z 7 ii (along with the Z 6 ii) is the smallest form factor and when using something like a peak design clip, it hangs off of my backpack without really noticing it....

So I guess it is down to Z 8 vs Z 7 ii.
I doubt the Z 8 would have any real advantage over the Z 7 ii for landscape, city and holiday photography. I don't need high fps, I don't need stellar video capabilities either.


So my question to you, is there anything I overlook? Anything that would clearly favour one over the other?
 
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hrv said:
So my question to you, is there anything I overlook? Anything that would clearly favour one over the other?
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If price is no object the Z8 makes the most sense to me. Personally I wouldn't worry about the ability to crop deeply for a camera that you won't use for wildlife and particularly birding work but if you think you'd like a lighter camera body for walk around action and wildlife work in addition to the uses listed in your title the Z8 would be hard to beat in Nikon's lineup.

If action photography isn't the main point and price matters the Z7 or Z7 II would make great landscape cameras but for general walk around, holiday and street photography I'd personally take a long look at the new Zf. Yeah you lose the high resolution and it sounds like you may not like the retro control setup but I think it would make a fantastic street, travel and general day to day camera for a lot of uses where cropping deeply isn't something you'll do a lot of.

If you've really narrowed down to the Z8 vs Z7 II then it really comes down to price and whether you want another action capable camera in addition to your pair of Z9s or whether you want to save a lot of money and this will be for less action oriented work like you describe in the thread title.
 
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When I owned the 12MP D3 camera I very seldom found a need for more megapixels as I tried to crop in the camera and not in post. Cropping in post is something I avoided as it is very time consuming. Where the D5/D6 at 20MP fall short is with wildlife photography where subjects are often small and distances are fixed.

For people and landscape photography any camera will work fine. The best value is the Z6 II for people and city photography. It uses CFexpress cards so the ones you have for the Z9 can be used in the Z6 II camera. For landscapes a higher resolution sensor may be advantageous but it adds more overhead with the larger file sizes.
 
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I just received my new Z8 to replace my Z7 which I’d planned to send in for the Nikon trade-up offer. This thread has me rethinking... one of the purposes of getting my Z7 originally was for adapting wide M-mount MF glass for landscapes, cityscapes, etc. The smaller form factor (over the Z8) is still attractive for that purpose, along with the 45MP. I’m going to keep my new Z8 which I’m pairing with my D850 for wildlife, sports, portraits… but now wondering if I should hang on to the Z7 for my MF work. If so, I’ll to figure out how to explain to my wife why I have three bodies… or a solid workflow for moving them around. At least they look very similar to the average non-photographer.

My vote, for the OP, is get the Z8 and find one of the Z9s a new home. If, after 3-6 months, the Z8 isn’t working for your travel, street shooting, add a Zf or Z7ii to your kit; they will have, no doubt, dropped a bit in price, meanwhile.
 
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I would suggest that if you really prefer the higher megapixels and smaller size/weight, then go for the Z7ii if your budget allows (or original Z7 to save $). For landscape and portraits it's every bit as good as the Z8 and Z9 and in my experience as a Z7ii and Z8 owner, easier to carry around. If you prefer your second camera to be more similar to your Z9, then it's the Z8 and your size weight savings are less. If you can wait for awhile it would be interesting to see what the next version of the Z6 will bring.
 
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I found a great offer at a reputable camera store who has a 20% discount on their second hand Nikon material. I can get a decent Z 7ii for less than on sites like eBay.
And it comes with 12 months warranty.

If I want to trade up to a Z8 within 6-8 months, I think I will be able to sell it for more or less the same amount I purchased it for.


calcal said:
If you can wait for awhile it would be interesting to see what the next version of the Z6 will bring.
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Yes, or a newer Z7 version. Curious what that will bring as well.
If they both get some of the better AF capabilities, it makes them probably a good choice for people that only want, or can only afford a single camera to do a bit of everything.
 
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I was going to comment on your using the 24-120 on a Z7ii but then realized you were talking about the Z lens not the F-mount one. For the F-mount 24-120 I use the D780 which is a great combination for scenics, street photography especially with its great low light capability.
 
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The Z7ii operates slightly different than the Z9. The button layout, AF modes, less customization of buttons. The Z8 has the same butto layout, AF modes, overall operation of the Z9. If having a camera that operates the same, I would go Z8. It is a little larger than the Z7ii but noticeably smaller and lighter than a Z9. If you plan to use subject detection for holiday photos or travel, I find the Z8/Z9 to be be far better than the Z7ii. The used Z9 market doesn’t seem to be great, so you may not get as much as you would like selling a z9 to fund a new camera. I like my Z7ii but really only use it with MF lenses now and grab the Z8/Z9 over it for everything else.
 
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I had a Z7 II and didn't care for it at all. The button layout was too different from my Z9 and key functionality was missing.

The Z8, however, has a layout very similar to the Z9 and is much smaller and lighter. And, like you say, the Z8 can be a backup or second camera to the Z9. I just used my Z8 for 6 weeks of doing architectural and city shooting and LOVED it! And I'm taking it to Europe in December for the same purpose.
 
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i'd look at the zf or z8 (or z6iii when it comes out). personally i find when they have different operating systems like the z6/z7 vs the zf/z8/z9, it's very annoying to switch back and forth between them.

currently i'm doing the z9/z8 combo and it's nice to have a smaller body sometimes. since you mentioned the z8 as a z9 replacement, do be aware that the z8:

1) has less heat dissipation capability, so may not be optimal for long form, high bitrate video. and you'll want to make sure you have cool running cards.
2) has an sd card for second slot, so it can't really keep up in backup mode like the z9, so if backup mode is an important feature for you, this may not be optimal
 
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I struggled with the same dilemma before the Z8 came out. But I was still hanging onto my D850/f-mount lenses for landscape work. Once the Z8 came out it was an easy decision because it doubles as a second wildlife body and is smaller/lighter for everything else. If I had two Z9s and could trade one even up for a Z8 I'd do it in a heartbeat.
 
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It all comes down to ergonomics. A Z7ii is too small for someone like me with large hands and I also find it balances poorly with an decently sized lens. A Z8 (what I use) is perfect size and balance. However if you want to go really light and you will only be using small lenses (such as 24-70 f4), then Z7ii could work. However I think you would find Z8 a worthy replacement for one of your two Z9's.
 
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hrv says: “I have two Z 9's for my bird and wildlife photography, but I finf [sic] the Z9 too heavy and bulky to carry around with my 14-30 f/4 or 24-12 f/4 that I use for landscape and holiday photos.”

When I travel, without the intent of shooting action shots, I think of the Leica Q, Sony RX1M2, Z6ii or Z7ii. When I traveled to the Middle East, I eschewed the Z9 for the Z6ii/7ii’s because of the weight and size of the Z9 and I wanted to carry two bodies. The Z8 is a “half-way” measure as far as size and weight is concerned, mildly increasing the “dither factor”. Still, it should definitely be on your short list for all the advantages it brings as listed in the posts above.

If/When the Z6/Z7iii emergences from the mists, I expect it will have the same technology as the Zf…Namely, better focus acquisition. This alone would tempt me to buy they Zf and then trade up when the iii’s happen.

Note that, after having the choices of 12, 24 and 46 MPix over the last decade, I have found that 24 MPix is totally usable with the 12 MPix of the olde D700 just a little too few unless you have that mythical talent for shooting precise compositions in-camera.. I shoot a lot in dark venues and often find myself reaching for the Z6ii because of its better low-light performance. This also translates to easier street photography at night…One of my favorite genres. So, I wouldn’t let 24 MPix deter me from considering the Zf.

To be clear, based on my experience, style and taste, I value size and weight, and don’t worry about 24 MPix or differences in button/controls configuration.

I would consider the Zf, Z6ii, Z7ii and Z8 from Nikon, in that order.
 
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I agree that the Z7II is markedly different in operation than the Z8/9…but then it's a lot smaller so for me I just deal with the differences in operation on strictly travel/holiday/city trips and take it and a 24-200 lens so I have something small and light that fits in a fanny pack. Wife's Z50 2 lens kit is even smaller but she hates it when I reconfigure it to BBAF so I decided to stick with the Z7II. If it's anything more photo related than just holiday/travel…I take the Z8 and maybe 2 lenses…I need a daypack for those but that's the way it goes. Serious photo grips…the Z9 and Z8 and 3 or 4 lenses go along for the ride. OTOH, if I was willing to have only a street photo lens length and willing to invest in another system in addition to Nikon…the Leica Q2 or Q3 is very nice…albeit pretty handsomely priced for the amount of time I would use it. I've gone back and forth on selling my Z7II but the resale value isn't near what I paid for it so I'm currently leaning towards keeping it for the light rig situation…although if you ask me next week you might get a different answer. I took the Z8 and 3 lenses to the UK earlier in the summer and used the 24-120 100% of the time…the 14-30 and 100-400 never even came out of the bag…that was our first trip since 2019 due to covid and I overpacked on gear because I thought there would be more photo ops than there were since it rained almost every day we were there.
 
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bleirer said:
You could probably swap one of the z9 for a z8.
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I would trade my Z9 for another Z8 straight up and not shed a single tear…and if both had been available at the same time I would have bought the Z8 as I have no need or want for a grip and would welcome the lighter weight.
 
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Thanks everyone for all the replies.

I hope to get the Z 7 ii in this week and play with it during the weekend. Not sure if I will hate or do not mind the different configuration compared tot he Z 9.
Button lay-out is roughly the same... at least the most used buttons, apart from the play button.

I can still return the camera if needed, but there is little risk if I use it a little longer, as I am getting it at a great price compared to others that are available.

So time will tell if I stick with it, or upgrade to Z 8 later on.
 
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Z8 , of couurse. Becasue you will be able to take BIF handheld and do it for many hours
This camera can replace Z9 if necessary and can be a backup body for your wildlife photography. It is robust and even didn't get hot in Africa.
 
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