I'd argue that your statement is typical of a Sony shooter who has found it useful to validate their purchase decision while denigrating Nikon shooters.
To be clear, Nikon has been slow to make a serious shift into the mirrorless system. In 2015 my local professional camera store and rental house claimed,... "Don't by that mirrorless crap, it's a fad that will soon fade." Clearly, their perception was as wrong as Nikon's.
In the time that Sony was improving their problematic AF system and bodies that suffered from vibration issues (A7i/A7iR/A7iS), Nikon was releasing the likes of the 180-400 & 120-300, to support the best in class DSLRs (D500, D850, D5)... thus, they were hedging their bets that mirrorless would never surpass DSLRs.
When Nikon finally decided to produce mirrorless cameras, their entries were more refined than Sony's original stuff, and their lens... while limited... were best in class for less money. As Nikon continues to build out their professional system, they continue to produce great cameras and lenses for less. Each new Nikon lens appears to be sharper than the competition, and sold at a competitive price. Furthermore, the current assortment of mirrorless bodies are more than capable of capturing everything from studio to sports... all for less.
So,... was Nikon late to the game? Yes!
Has Nikon been slow to update the Z6ii/Z7ii firmware? Yes!
Will Nikon continue to improve their system, cameras, and lenses... absolutely!
As has been revealed thus far, each iteration of camera, lens, and firmware will continue to add value to the gear we shoot.
Just a few thoughts from a "typical" Nikon shooter.
regards,
bruce
Yeah, Sony is still relatively new to the game in many ways, and Nikon was making high end gear when Sony was still releasing experimental bodies like the A7R, and leaning on Zeiss for decent lenses.
But a lot has changed since then, body wise and lens wise. The new GM lenses from the past 1,5 yrs show what the new Sony is about, and so does a body like the A1.
I don't believe products like the 35GM, the 70-200GMII or the A1 need any purchase validation, they are top notch and uncompromised products.
I shot the Nikon D500 with 500PF and really wanted to stay with Nikon. But the Z9+ftz adapter weighing 1,5kg and being the size it is I could not see myself ever enjoying shooting that body. So the factor "new" that is part of Sony, was a blessing for me. I use the A1 with the small Meike grip extender to remedy a floating pinky, and for me it is just perfect at half the weight and size of the Z9 with ftz adapter.
For some, nikon's pro standard heritage is not attractive, Sony can more easily think out of the box, and offer similar flagship performance in half the package, and make it possible to really use óne camera for every shooting scenario in an optimum way.
You could argue that the Z9 is cheaper, especially when adding the battery grip to the Sony A1, but I argue that it is more expensive, because you need to keep a second camera for travel and casual shooting, and go figure what that costs if you want the same high qualiy...
If you like an über sized, über weight camera though, Nikon should absolutely be top of your list, the 500PF is a marvel.
The way Nikon shóuld have done it, is either offer a similar type sensor in an aps-c camera, with their famous double launch, ór make a first body with seperate battery grip amd still the Nikon great ergonomics, à la D850, but with the stacked sensor and new processor.
That way, shooters like me could have stayed with Nikon, I would have simply replaced the D500 with a relatively affordable (compared to Z9) Z500, and kept a separate body for all other shooting.
The way it is now, I was forced to move up in a "pro" like weight/size territory without having any wish to do so.
I do hope that Sony will make a lens inbetween the 200-600 and the 600GM though, the gap is véry big in price.
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