Regarding the OVF vs EVF. One thing I do is dance photography, and have been doing it since the film/manual focus days, which obviously dates me. A dance photographer who has been doing it at a high level for a long time tends to have an innate, muscle-memory type of "built in" timing sense for shooting leaps/jumps/turns, and a lot of that is predicated on seeing things in real time, not in "past tense", and that "seeing things" refers to the internal decision making as to when the shutter must be depressed. In the film era, I had two different internal "memories" to adjust for the lag time difference beween the F3 and the FM2, but the those decisions were based upon real time data, not past tense data. So this is an area where I think - and I don't mean to insult anyone, those who don't shoot it really don't really understand the nuances of it. Regarding the high EVF frame rate, it's a good question and something I'll have to try out assuming I pick up a Z8; my guess is that for some leaps/jumps, that high a frame rate will be adequate for timing purposes, but there are some leaps/jumps that are incredibly time-sensitive with a very, very small window where the shot "is", and for those, I don't think it may be enough. Poster Andre Yew is also a dance photographer and he may have some commentary in this regard since he shoots with a Z9 and probably does more of this type of work now than I do (I still shoot it, but nowhere as much as, say, 10 years ago). I'm not saying the EVF won't be good enough, but I will remain skeptical until I use it myself. The other thing is that while I have adapted quite well to the EVF for many things - more than I thought I would - for studio work with humans, I still like the unadulterated absolutely clear view an OVF gives. As such, I can't say for sure a D850 will ever be totally replaced. But it might be. I'm open to it possibly being so but I also have been around long enough to know that every tool has tasks they are optimum at, so there's that. Long answer for "we will see at some point". So I'm less likely to have absolute "THIS wins period" kind of views than some, but will retain an open mind at the same time.
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For me I use a D810, at this time my D810 is a mirrorless camera, currently getting a new mirror and shutter replacement at the repair shop. I am getting it repaired because I really like the camera, it does have sufficient pixels and gets me all the images I desire.
There is no doubt that the Z8 would give better results as I do take a lot of birds. I guess it is really a matter of cost, with the Z8 I would never use 8K video and could not justify the extra cost but this will change in the future and I may be attracted to a Z7III eventually.
I do see a big advantage in moving to the Z mirrorless as the Z lenses do appear to be so good.
www.flickr.com/photos/14042476@N08/ -
No.
I'm not doing anything that requires any currently available mirrorless/shutterless features. And when considering autofocus, which tends to be right at the top of most people's list of needs, the D5's autofocus is ridiculous. Not only does it nail everything, it can do it in near total darkness. And it has face detect AF which can effectively mimic the results of eye AF with a little AF fine tune adjustment when shooting people at close distance. It's capacity for what seems like limitless shooting at 12fps is more than I'll ever need. The battery lasts for days. Image quality is much better than you would expect if only judging by DxO's near worthless sensor test results. High ISO performance is basically as good as it gets. And the final thing which sealed my decision to actually purchase a D5; it's 21mp RAW files when processed with Adobe's latest up-rez software, can produce A2 prints with more detail than my D800.
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Will the Z8 convert me to mirrorless? No! I already converted to Nikon mirrorless back in late 2012.
Confused? Well, Nikon’s first mirrorless cameras were the Nikon 1 V1 and J1, which were introduced back in 2011. The cameras were the first ones in the now-defunct Nikon 1 system, which was the antithesis of a full frame system - with a 1” sensors that had a crop factor of 2.7x, and 1/7.29 of the area of a full-frame sensor.
I bought a V1 for a family vacation because it was adept at capturing video as well as still photos. Prior to that I used separate cameras and camcorders. With the V1 I needed just one device.
I currently use a D500 for most stills photography. A V2 body with FT1 adapter gets used if I want extra “reach” with my F-mount telephoto lenses. I use the petite J5 with 10-30mm power zoom lens when I want a pocketable camera. Of course there is also my iPhone 11.
The Z8 has impressive features that I would love to use. But the substantial price tag that goes with it is well outside of my budget at this time. Besides, I am quite happy with my current gear. A more budget friendly camera that inherits Z8 technology and features at some future date is what will likely encourage me to move to Nikon’s second mirrorless system - the Z system. We shall see.
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Nah. The D850 is still overkill. The camera is not the limiting factor of my photography, I am.
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I think my conversion is similar to yours, a process over several years. I have D850, D500, Z7. All recent lens purchases have been for the Z. I had even set aside money for the 500PF when it was still unattainable that has gone unspent now that the lens can be had at discount. I would like the Z8, but like yourself feel no urgency. I do know I am done buying further DSLR.
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Well in a surprising turn of events the Z8 indirectly converted me. Since Z9 started popping up at good prices I decided to take the plunge. A week ago I was sure I was staying with my D850/D5. Hope the adjustment to the EVF is quick and painless.
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Not surprising at all! Deep down inside you already wanted a Z9; the only reason you started this thread was in the hope more square footed folk would keep you from your erroneous ways and hold you straight on the path of the true religion. You knew that was in vain all along!
Oh well, another soul lost to the dark side (eehrr, wait...).
(all in jest of course)
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Gave us one last chance to talk him/her out of a decision that had already been made!? Problem is, most of us who were being asked to give that advice are already somewhere in that decision process as well. When the camera becomes readily available I would likely be all in in a week as well.
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Hi,
Nope. I was interested in the rumor that the Z8 was going to be 60+ MP. As it is, there aren't enough MP to replace my 50 MP medium format. It's the amount of cropping required to go from 3:2 aspect ratio to 5:4 for printing. Much greater than the crop required to go from 4:3 to 5:4.
And the MF DSLR winds up shot as mirrorless anyway, using Mirror Up. So I am really already there and have been for a long time.
Maybe the next announcement will be for a Z with high enough resolution. And I'd still be using my MF lenses via an adapter.
My other option is a Fuji GFX 100, but that's overkill.
Stan
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Anybody who specialises in any sport, or BIF etc quickly learn the nuances of timing - or fails.
The Z8 and 9 from switching on take half a second to shooting a first shot or closer to 1 second if the dust shield is down - and shoot subsequent shots faster than a D850 or D5.
If you are watching the dance routine with power one with a Z8/9 you need to learn to shoot SOONER than with other cameras - or maybe use pre-capture starting half a second before you press the shutter.Switching over gradually in stages is expensive.
I suggest hiring a Z8 or 9 and lenses for a week covering a dance event will help you learn if a Z8 or 9 is for you. -
What if you apply the same processing to the D800? I would expect with optimal exposures at lower ISO settings that the D800 would win in a head-to-head comparison, but above maybe ISO 1600 there wouldn't be much difference.