Will the Nikon Z9 Deliver?

[GrandNagus50]

There are a lot of people who will pay considerably more money to get an extra 5% performance, particularly in the case of lenses. We all know that each additional increment of "sharp" costs more and more. Past a certain point it gets to realm of pixel-peeping differences. Where it does seem to make more real-life, discernible difference is with long lenses, as most of us are enlarging and cropping our (bird) images and hence exposing any shortcomings in the lenses more than with some other types of photography where the whole frame is routinely used.

When it comes to a camera body, it's tougher (for me, anyway). I have not bought a "flagship" Nikon camera since I got my Nikon F in 1968. I suppose one could consider the D850 as flagship level, but really, it's the D5 and D6 that are top of the line, and I never seriously have considered buying a camera in that series. The only reason I might possibly go mad and spend the big bucks for the Z9 is that it is going to be available well before the Z8 (or whatever the $2000 cheaper model will be called). I don't want to wait two or three years for a Nikon mirrorless camera with better autofocusing capabilities than my Z7. I don't need eye focus tracking kinds of features or a camera with a stacked sensor. But there is a part of me that does desire "the latest" and even "the best." Mea culpa. Actually by the time I get a Z9 (dreaming), it will have been close to four years since I bought my previous camera (Z7). A major upgrade every four years is not all that crazy.

 

[Deleted member 115]

I didn't actually add the numbers up and don't follow Sony prices…but the idea is that you're not going to buy a single telephoto zoom if you switch brands…and at least for me running two brands isn't in the cards because the menu-ing and control systems vary so much. I'm having trouble keeping up switching back between my D7500 and the Z7II and they're both Nikons. So if I was to switch to Sony and buy an A1…that's 6500 there…and spending that much on a body means you need the good lenses to match. Many folks would want the trinity of 2.8 zooms and that would be another 6000 or so which gets the number up to 12500. Now add in the long fast prime…and while I don't track Sony prices that's another 12K or 13K which gets the total cost to switch systems up in the range I talked about.

Yes…an A1 and a single tele zoom is under 10K…but that's not a complete kit.

But, if I go mirrorless with a Z7, Z8 or a Z9 I will be wanting to do the same thing to take advantage of the superior Z mount lenses.

 

[DaveR]

We spend a fortune on gear and then we often just look at all the images on an iPad, phone, lap top, or iMac, or a forum, LOL...only joking, but what do people really do with their images and where do they go in the end.

A very good point.

I'm a bit old school in that I print mine. Not all of them obviously but if I get anything I like I do an A4 print. If it's something I really like I print to A3+, mount it on foamboard and trim it so it's borderless. I hate frames and glass. Then I get a hot glue gun and glue a bit of string on the back and hang it on the wall.

I have a blank white wall with space to hang 9 prints and I got a couple of LED battery run spotlights from Ebay so I have a cheap to run gallery.

In the end though they all end up in boxes lol

 

[Deleted member 115]

We spend a fortune on gear and then we often just look at all the images on an iPad, phone, lap top, or iMac, or a forum, LOL...only joking, but what do people really do with their images and where do they go in the end.
My grandkids will look at the amount of images and the gear and likely put them all out in the street when I am gone.......LOL

I hear you on the cost of change or renewal, and it doesn't stop there, I think if we could put more energy into actual photography and composition we may detoxify a little.
I am all for new technology and that stuff but gee one needs to know when to jump of the merry go round to stop the head spin and games and look at things logically as to what really matters.

I mean if you cant get stunning results with the gear you have then hey why upgrade.

Only and Opinion Oz down under

animal eye auto focus is a real thing

 

[GrandNagus50]

We spend a fortune on gear and then we often just look at all the images on an iPad, phone, lap top, or iMac, or a forum, LOL...only joking, but what do people really do with their images and where do they go in the end.
My grandkids will look at the amount of images and the gear and likely put them all out in the street when I am gone.......LOL

I confess that I have (increasingly) experienced some real, "What's it all about?" moments related to my photography. I do get pleasure out of the process of taking the photos, and I remind myself of this when I am sitting at home bored, not taking many pictures. I enjoy going through my Flickr albums sometimes, I like it when a few people click on a photo as a "favorite," and certainly my wife enjoys putting some of my photos on her computer as wallpaper. But there are sooooo many good photographers, so many great photos, certainly being "acclaimed" for any of this is unrealistic. And yes, when I am gone the photos will pretty much be gone, too.

When I have finished post-processing a photo and I think it has turned out really well, I experience a brief kind of mini-high; it is very satisfying. Anything else on top of that feeling of "THIS one turned out darned well" is frosting on the cake.

 

[Deleted member 115]

I confess that I have (increasingly) experienced some real, "What's it all about?" moments related to my photography. I do get pleasure out of the process of taking the photos, and I remind myself of this when I am sitting at home bored, not taking many pictures. I enjoy going through my Flickr albums sometimes, I like it when a few people click on a photo as a "favorite," and certainly my wife enjoys putting some of my photos on her computer as wallpaper. But there are sooooo many good photographers, so many great photos, certainly being "acclaimed" for any of this is unrealistic. And yes, when I am gone the photos will pretty much be gone, too.

When I have finished post-processing a photo and I think it has turned out really well, I experience a brief kind of mini-high; it is very satisfying. Anything else on top of that feeling of "THIS one turned out darned well" is frosting on the cake.

Well said. I always remember that there are literally millions of photos being "shared" every day but I enjoy it and it is a great excuse to go outdoors and enjoy nature. Some day they will toss my hard drives in a trash can no doubt....lol

 

[DaveR]

But, if I go mirrorless with a Z7, Z8 or a Z9 I will be wanting to do the same thing to take advantage of the superior Z mount lenses.

Not necessarily. If you already have F glass you have the option of using a FTZ adaptor. But you're right that in the long run a move to mirrorless means outlay on new glass if you change brand or not. Personally I wouldn't be happy laying out 6500 on a flagship body and then compromising with a zoom lens on the front. I know the new zoom lenses are good optically but you compromise in terms of max aperature and TC performance.

 

[DaveR]

I confess that I have (increasingly) experienced some real, "What's it all about?" moments related to my photography. I do get pleasure out of the process of taking the photos, and I remind myself of this when I am sitting at home bored, not taking many pictures. I enjoy going through my Flickr albums sometimes, I like it when a few people click on a photo as a "favorite," and certainly my wife enjoys putting some of my photos on her computer as wallpaper. But there are sooooo many good photographers, so many great photos, certainly being "acclaimed" for any of this is unrealistic. And yes, when I am gone the photos will pretty much be gone, too.

When I have finished post-processing a photo and I think it has turned out really well, I experience a brief kind of mini-high; it is very satisfying. Anything else on top of that feeling of "THIS one turned out darned well" is frosting on the cake.

You need a printer lol

 

[Deleted member 115]

Not necessarily. If you already have F glass you have the option of using a FTZ adaptor. But you're right that in the long run a move to mirrorless means outlay on new glass if you change brand or not. Personally I wouldn't be happy laying out 6500 on a flagship body and then compromising with a zoom lens on the front. I know the new zoom lenses are good optically but you compromise in terms of max aperature and TC performance.

The images I have been seeing aren't really what I would call a compromise. I am still shooting with my dslrs but look forward to getting a mirrorless that is worth change. Life's too short to worry about a few thousand here or there

 

[O]

You need a printer lol

Love it, please your self first second and third, then your wife LOL, hey your doing it right you is all that matters don't ever worry about what others are doing or have.
I have friends that also love what they do each day and really would be lost without their photography........its an awesome therapy and joy.

Oz Down under

 

[DaveR]

The images I have been seeing aren't really what I would call a compromise. I am still shooting with my dslrs but look forward to getting a mirrorless that is worth change. Life's too short to worry about a few thousand here or there

My background is that I made my living out of photography all my life, never done anything else. I'm now retired. I've had a great life but I'm cursed because all my life I have had to have the highest standards in my work. I still have that ingrained in me so for me a zoom would be a compromise. It can only be a prime lens everytime. So the change to mirrorless wouldn't just be a few thousand, it would be a large financial commitment regardless of the brand I eventually choose.

It's a change I am eager to make and you're so right when you say life's too short. I'm the wrong side of 65 and it seems 70 is coming way too fast but I have always been slow and considered in my choice of gear as literally my life depended on it. I can't change that now.

 

[O]

animal eye auto focus is a real thing

Good point, but is it worth upgrading for if its not your total daily bread.

Oz down under

 

[O]

My background is that I made my living out of photography all my life, never done anything else. I'm now retired. I've had a great life but I'm cursed because all my life I have had to have the highest standards in my work. I still have that ingrained in me so for me a zoom would be a compromise. It can only be a prime lens everytime. So the change to mirrorless wouldn't just be a few thousand, it would be a large financial commitment regardless of the brand I eventually choose.

It's a change I am eager to make and you're so right when you say life's too short. I'm the wrong side of 65 and it seems 70 is coming way too fast but I have always been slow and considered in my choice of gear as literally my life depended on it. I can't change that now.

Interesting, if your gear is serving you well as a real photographer then why worry about upgrading or change, clients want subject content that connects that can be used with purpose not bleeding eye sharp eye popping zombified like eyes all the time.

I know people who have older gear I mean D700 80-200 D 150-500 Sigma zoom blowing guns like me away in a heart beat...........they let the photo do the talking.

Your a photographer that has been doing this all your life professionally that speaks volumes, why change and worry now.

90% of the results comes for some from the person behind the lens.

Oz down Under

 

[Doug Herr]

Good point, but is it [eye AF] worth upgrading for if its not your total daily bread.

That's for each of us to decide for ourselves.

 

[O]

A very good point.

I'm a bit old school in that I print mine. Not all of them obviously but if I get anything I like I do an A4 print. If it's something I really like I print to A3+, mount it on foamboard and trim it so it's borderless. I hate frames and glass. Then I get a hot glue gun and glue a bit of string on the back and hang it on the wall.

I have a blank white wall with space to hang 9 prints and I got a couple of LED battery run spotlights from Ebay so I have a cheap to run gallery.

In the end though they all end up in boxes lol

Hey you have inspired me, I wont throw out anymore removal boxes full of photographic prints, I to dislike frames and glass.

 

[Doug Herr]

Interesting, if your gear is serving you well as a real photographer then why worry about upgrading or change, clients want subject content that connects that can be used with purpose not bleeding eye sharp eye popping zombified like eyes all the time.

When other commercial photographers use the capabilities of newer equipment to competitive advantage the overall standards have changed and photos produced with existing gear will be less in demand. It's true that the photo is created in the photographer's mind but when equipment's capabilities are limiting the expression of the photographer's vision a change may be in order.

 

[O]

There are a lot of people who will pay considerably more money to get an extra 5% performance, particularly in the case of lenses. We all know that each additional increment of "sharp" costs more and more. Past a certain point it gets to realm of pixel-peeping differences. Where it does seem to make more real-life, discernible difference is with long lenses, as most of us are enlarging and cropping our (bird) images and hence exposing any shortcomings in the lenses more than with some other types of photography where the whole frame is routinely used.

When it comes to a camera body, it's tougher (for me, anyway). I have not bought a "flagship" Nikon camera since I got my Nikon F in 1968. I suppose one could consider the D850 as flagship level, but really, it's the D5 and D6 that are top of the line, and I never seriously have considered buying a camera in that series. The only reason I might possibly go mad and spend the big bucks for the Z9 is that it is going to be available well before the Z8 (or whatever the $2000 cheaper model will be called). I don't want to wait two or three years for a Nikon mirrorless camera with better autofocusing capabilities than my Z7. I don't need eye focus tracking kinds of features or a camera with a stacked sensor. But there is a part of me that does desire "the latest" and even "the best." Mea culpa. Actually by the time I get a Z9 (dreaming), it will have been close to four years since I bought my previous camera (Z7). A major upgrade every four years is not all that crazy.

Interesting, what do you feel the Z9 Z8 will do for your photography differently.....

Oz down under

 

[Deleted member 115]

. I'm now retired. I've had a great life but I'm cursed because all my life I have had to have the highest standards in my work. I still have that ingrained in me so for me a zoom would be a compromise. It can only be a prime lens everytime. So the change to mirrorless wouldn't just be a few thousand, it would be a large financial commitment regardless of the brand I eventually choose.

Good point, but is it worth upgrading for if its not your total daily bread.

Oz down under

I have never attempted to make money off photography, so to me it is.
I think I would enjoy it.

 

[O]

When other commercial photographers use the capabilities of newer equipment to competitive advantage the overall standards have changed and photos produced with existing gear will be less in demand. It's true that the photo is created in the photographer's mind but when equipment's capabilities are limiting the expression of the photographer's vision a change may be in order.

Your shopping list would be ?, I mean the Sony gear is hard top pass up on........

 

[DaveR]

Interesting, if your gear is serving you well as a real photographer then why worry about upgrading or change, clients want subject content that connects that can be used with purpose not bleeding eye sharp eye popping zombified like eyes all the time.

I know people who have older gear I mean D700 80-200 D 150-500 Sigma zoom blowing guns like me away in a heart beat...........they let the photo do the talking.

Your a photographer that has been doing this all your life professionally that speaks volumes, why change and worry now.

90% of the results comes for some from the person behind the lens.

Oz down Under

Oh you so SO right when you say 90% comes from the person behind the lens, I'd maybe put that figure even higher.

Having said that gear is important and I've always looked at new stuff that comes out. Mirrorless technology looks like it could be very useful in what is now my hobby. Bird eye tracking, silent shutter and real time exposure in your viewfinder are very appealing to me.

 

[DaveR]

Hey you have inspired me, I wont throw out anymore removal boxes full of photographic prints, I to dislike frames and glass.

It's relatively easy and inexpensive way of getting your stuff on display. I love the feel of a print in my hands.

I got the idea from this guy

 

[DaveR]

I have never attempted to make money off photography, so to me it is.
I think I would enjoy it.

Be careful what you wish for lol

 

[Doug Herr]

Your shopping list would be ?, I mean the Sony gear is hard top pass up on........

I'm good with what I'm using: a1 & 600 GM. OTOH if Sony were to make a lens comparable to the 500 PF or if Nikon were to make an a1-spec mirrorless body that would work well with the 500 PF I'd drain my wallet.

It's important to recall where we are and for those of us with a longer timeline, where we've been. I was selling my photos when a manual-focus film camera with a TTL meter was the leading edge. There were very few huge leaps in technology between then and now, but there were steady incremental improvements in equipment which, taken one at a time, didn't seem like a big deal but the cumulative change is quite dramatic and which unleashed photographers' vision in equally incremental and cumulatively dramatic fashion. I rarely jump from one camera to the next incremental improvement but bird eye AF is one increment that removed a roadblock for me; likewise silent mode with no rolling shutter effect. An E-mount 500 PF or an a1-spec Z-whatever would remove another obstacle. BTW the photos that served me well in the 1970s are no longer selling. Buyers' standards have changed along with the equipment for making the photos.

 

[NorthernFocus]

I confess that I have (increasingly) experienced some real, "What's it all about?" moments related to my photography. I do get pleasure out of the process of taking the photos, and I remind myself of this when I am sitting at home bored, not taking many pictures. I enjoy going through my Flickr albums sometimes, I like it when a few people click on a photo as a "favorite," and certainly my wife enjoys putting some of my photos on her computer as wallpaper. But there are sooooo many good photographers, so many great photos, certainly being "acclaimed" for any of this is unrealistic. And yes, when I am gone the photos will pretty much be gone, too.

When I have finished post-processing a photo and I think it has turned out really well, I experience a brief kind of mini-high; it is very satisfying. Anything else on top of that feeling of "THIS one turned out darned well" is frosting on the cake.

I transitioned from hunting to photography when I realized that being in nature was what I enjoyed, not shooting things. I call wildlife photography "low impact hunting". It's basically the same thing. But even more difficult. I didn't used to like PP but now I do. For me spending time with an image lets me re-live the moment all over again. Sometimes years after the fact. The images that I consider to be my best are rarely the ones that other people like. I know that's because I have an emotional attachment to the ones that I really like. I sell what others like, I hang my faves at home.

As far as the lure of the next best technical innovation, no, not needed at this point. The level of tech with the gear that I currently have is more than adequate to produce stunning photos. But I'm a technical person and I do enjoy operating well designed/functional equipment. Plus I'm not getting any younger and anything that will shave a pound or two off of a camera/lens combo is worth a look. And finally, I go through a lot of time/effort/expense in pursuit of wildlife imagery. So any technical edge that I can get to ensure I come away from those efforts with satisfying results is at least worth considering.

Back to the subject at hand, I have no doubt Nikon will catch up with the competition. I'll be shocked if the Z9 isn't an awesome product as good or better than what the competitions is offering. It's just late to the party and I have to be home by midnight.

 

[Deleted member 115]

Be careful what you wish for lol

I didn't mean making money off photography, I did one wedding gratis and that was more than enough for me. I think I would enjoy a $6500 Alpha 1 with animal eye tracking, a functional EVF, etc......
I don't understand why so many people are down on the new technology??? They can keep shooting dlsr or film if they enjoy it.