Z vs F Mount Foolishness

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DougC

DougC

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I know 99% of the folks who participate on this site are well aware of it but it’s such a ridiculous argument for the huge percentage of us who actually get out in the field and use our equipment. Original and crop at 72 dpi. The fact that people are dumping their F mount lenses at ridiculously low prices still amazes me.
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Nice shots Doug and I agree.

The newest gear is great but some of the online discussions would have you believe you simply can't capture decent images with older gear. I still have several F mount lenses that I'm very happy with and sure if money was no object I'd probably trade a few in for native Z glass but in the meantime I'm very happy with the images I'm capturing on the glass I own.
 
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I agree with this. I recently purchased a z8 to replace my d500 for birds but no way I will let go of my 500MM 5.6PF. I am sure the Z600mm PF is a great lens but doubt it is $4800 better than the 500 mm PF. I also use it with TC1.4 eiii. This combination worked great on D500 although it did slow down focusing. But focuses faster on the Z8. I did purchase the Z24-120 F4 with the Z8 and it is great lens.
 
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i think it's a mixed bag.

yah, some of the f-mount glass was super good and as you point out, remains super good. pretty much anything that had an "e" on the end for example.

that said, my "s" replacements are better yet, crazy as that is. is it necessary? no. do i prefer it, sure.

it's also nice to simply not need an adapter.

on the other hand, a lot of the f-mount stuff is starting to age, and replacements are welcome.

and, there were certain things i REALLY wanted that wasn't available in f-mount like the 100-400 (at least in a current lens).

and of course, there's resale value, it's just going to keep going down.

but yah, there's nothing wrong with the glass, but there _are_ reasons to move.

i still do have one f-mount left that i'm waiting for a suitable z-mount to show up so i totally get that if you have an exception lens like the 500pf, it totally makes sense there is no strong reason it needs to be replace.

-john
 
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DonM said:
I agree with this. I recently purchased a z8 to replace my d500 for birds but no way I will let go of my 500MM 5.6PF. I am sure the Z600mm PF is a great lens but doubt it is $4800 better than the 500 mm PF. I also use it with TC1.4 eiii. This combination worked great on D500 although it did slow down focusing. But focuses faster on the Z8. I did purchase the Z24-120 F4 with the Z8 and it is great lens.
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I’m still using my TC14EII as well as the 17 and 20EIII. Results are spectacular and far better than they were on my DSLR’s.
 
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Like many, I still have and use several F-mount lenses though I did get rid of several as soon as my Z9 arrived and I decided to sell the D850 and D500.

I ordered the 24-120 along with the Z9, so I immediately sold a 24-70 f2.8, 24-120 f4 and 200-500...along with several DX lenses that I'd accumulated over the years. Over the next few months I picked up a 14-30, 100-400, 40 f2 and 28 f2.8 when they were on sale.

So now, in terms of FF lenses, I'm sitting on a 500pf, 300 f2.8 VRII, 70-200E FL, 105 Micro, 85 f1.8, 50 f1.4, 20 f1.8, 14-24 f2.8 and an 11 f4 (Irix)...plus the 1.4 and 1.7 TC's. For the time being, I see no reason to replace any of those lenses, though the Z versions, if they exist, are certainly better lenses. Selling the 500 and 300 and picking up a 600pf is something I might end up doing. The least used in that list are the 50 and the 14-24 and most used are the 500pf and the 70-200.

Though retired for almost 6 years (not from photography), I do a fair amount of product photography for a couple small local manufacturing concerns and for that, I'm almost exclusively using the 24-120 instead of the 105 Micro...close focusing and sharpness is outstanding.

I am eternally thankful that Nikon made the decision to not orphan "all" the prior F-mount glass when they developed the Z-System...as I went through when Canon orphaned the FD mount...I was majorly burned by that and switched to Nikon. Canon lost me permanently as an ILC camera buyer with that move! Yes, I know, what about the older Nikkor screw-drive lenses...if were so enamored of any of those, I'd keep an F-mount body around to use them on.

Cheers!
 
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And BTW Doug, great shot...excellent example of why people hold on to the 500pf...still a remarkable lens! I wouldn't mind a bit if they just re-released a version with an integral FTZ and left the optics the same...or given the space available added a switchable 1.4 TC to it! :)
 
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MotoPixel said:
And BTW Doug, great shot...excellent example of why people hold on to the 500pf...still a remarkable lens! I wouldn't mind a bit if they just re-released a version with an integral FTZ and left the optics the same...or given the space available added a switchable 1.4 TC to it! :)
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Thanks!
 
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Those are fantastic coyote shots. But I think there is a false assumption here. People who move from SLR to mirrorless are NOT saying that you cannot get excellent shots with SLR gear. (Maybe you didn't mean to imply that they are saying that, but that is how I read the opening statement). There are reasons to make the switch beyond just getting good pictures (which OF COURSE you can do with F mount or any other SLR system). For some people these are valid reasons to switch and for others they are not. Each individual will have to decide (but just getting good pictures is not the deciding factor, though there may be a few exceptions who think they somehow will magically get better pictures if they switch).

Reasons to go mirrorless:
Lighter weight (helpful if you hike or are older).
Better corner sharpness (important for architecture and some landscape, unimportant for wildlife).
Electronic viewfinder (helpful for low light and for photographing the sun with a telephoto - no risk of eye damage).
Focus points cover entire frame (helpful if you want subject on far left or far right).
In-body-stabilization (works with lens stabilization on telephotos; easier to get sharp handheld shots).
 
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John Navitsky said:
i think it's a mixed bag.

yah, some of the f-mount glass was super good and as you point out, remains super good. pretty much anything that had an "e" on the end for example.

that said, my "s" replacements are better yet, crazy as that is. is it necessary? no. do i prefer it, sure.

it's also nice to simply not need an adapter.

on the other hand, a lot of the f-mount stuff is starting to age, and replacements are welcome.

and, there were certain things i REALLY wanted that wasn't available in f-mount like the 100-400 (at least in a current lens).

and of course, there's resale value, it's just going to keep going down.

but yah, there's nothing wrong with the glass, but there _are_ reasons to move.

i still do have one f-mount left that i'm waiting for a suitable z-mount to show up so i totally get that if you have an exception lens like the 500pf, it totally makes sense there is no strong reason it needs to be replace.

-john
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Yes to all. But there are some wonderful F lenses that aren't [yet?] available in z mount....to mention a few...200/2, 300/2.8 and most all the E lenses.

That said, I had a terrific 500/4E and always imagined my heirs would have to deal it, not me. That thought vanished in my head 2 minutes after I mounted the z600. Asides for the f/4 aperture the Z600 beats it hands down. I'm now left with no F stuff.
 
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Love the coyote shot. 👍🏻 I plan on getting the 500 PF to have a lighter setup for walking around. I may get a Z8 one of these days but have done fine with my 100-400 S lens and Z7ii setup. Really like having a function button to switch to DX mode. The 500 should be nice for my walks.
Happy Holidays to All,
VinnyH
PS: Croton Point Park, NY getting my walking in and saw this gray catbird.
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VinnyH said:
Love the coyote shot. 👍🏻 I plan on getting the 500 PF to have a lighter setup for walking around. I may get a Z8 one of these days but have done fine with my 100-400 S lens and Z7ii setup. Really like having a function button to switch to DX mode. The 500 should be nice for my walks.
Happy Holidays to All,
VinnyH
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Thanks!
 
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DougC said:
I know 99% of the folks who participate on this site are well aware of it but it’s such a ridiculous argument for the huge percentage of us who actually get out in the field and use our equipment. Original and crop at 72 dpi. The fact that people are dumping their F mount lenses at ridiculously low prices still amazes me.
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There is absolutely no way to have made this shot better with “Z” glass! The coyote is literally sitting in my lap…It doesn’t get more real than this. I too have kept some older “F” glass that has served me well over the years…. Fantastic shot Doug!👍
 
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GAS alert :) I have moved to mirrorless all the way with most of my F mount glass being sold. I do however still have my 500mm f/4 E FL despite also having the 600mm S TC. Why? Because the ridiculous low price I get for that lens. I have 2 Z9 bodies and a Z8, I can’t use all three at the same time of course but it is nice to go out with a family member and this can shoot the 500mm (not a novice of course that is handling it).
I love shiny new things as somebody wrote it so nicely but luckily, these new goodies also perform better m. Yea, I know, diminishing returns …
No need to get all worked up about it, just enjoy top glass at bargain prices.
 
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I owned and still own an f mount setup but for various reasons I was busy with a non-photography career and did not have a lot invested in lenses.

A year ago I retired and now have the time to work the cameras. I started mirrorless before retiring with a used Z7ii and have been gradually adding lenses. I more recently added the Z9 and at this point now have a full inventory of Z lenses.

As I acquired lenses I worked closely with a friend who has some better F lenses. Until recently I was envious of his 500mm pf, Then I got the z 600mm pf and now finally feel I can do what he has been able to do.

The truth of the matter is that there is definitely a lot of fine F mount equipment out there. Buying used has always been a good way to get into quality gear on a budget.

At the same time I can tell you that these new Z lenses are significant improvements over the F mount gear.

But for all of us the next big thing is just around the corner. Next year there is a whole lot of new gear coming out from Sony. Is that going to suddenly make all this money I spent on Nikon Z gear wasted?

In the film era I remember film cameras tended to hold their value. I bought a used Hasselblad system and later when I decided to let it go I sold it for what I paid for it.

Not so in the digital world as far as cameras are concerned. A last generation model is worth a fraction of what it cost originally

So I am going to try to enjoy what I have, learn to do a better job with it and focus my attention on the art.
 
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Larry S. said:
There is absolutely no way to have made this shot better with “Z” glass! The coyote is literally sitting in my lap…It doesn’t get more real than this. I too have kept some older “F” glass that has served me well over the years…. Fantastic shot Doug!👍
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Thank you, very kind of you to say that.
 
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Vincent_VdB said:
GAS alert :) I have moved to mirrorless all the way with most of my F mount glass being sold. I do however still have my 500mm f/4 E FL despite also having the 600mm S TC. Why? Because the ridiculous low price I get for that lens. I have 2 Z9 bodies and a Z8, I can’t use all three at the same time of course but it is nice to go out with a family member and this can shoot the 500mm (not a novice of course that is handling it).
I love shiny new things as somebody wrote it so nicely but luckily, these new goodies also perform better m. Yea, I know, diminishing returns …
No need to get all worked up about it, just enjoy top glass at bargain prices.
Click to expand...
Yes, I almost cried when I sold my 500/4E at the price I did. But in my case it made sense as I could not envision a scenario where I'd use it again.
 
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