Mirrorless in 2026, maybe!

Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
I have been thinking this year might be the time to eventually move in the the Mirrorless world. As with every photography purchase, I tend to read loads of forums and watch lots of video's to help steer me in the right direction (for me anyway).
So I thought I would reach out here and see if any others have any additional thought or suggestions to what I have learned. The problem of course is that what someone might think is a good purchase, then someone else will disagree. I know jumping to mirrorless is not going to improve my photo's but I am keen finally make the jump.
Based on my current usage, I am not intending spending a fortune on top of the range gear, so I started with two lists:

Ruled out - Z9, Z8 (Santa didn't give me any photography cash this year :cry: ), the Z7ii, Z6iii, Z5ii, Zfc (again price) and all the DX Z bodies.

Considering - Z5, Z6, Z6ii, Z7

The first lens I have my eyes on is the 24-120 F4 Z

I have cut my list down to two of the above bodies, but I will wait on thoughts before disclosing.

My typical photography is Landscape 40%, Street 40% the remaining 20% a mix of action, macro, wildlife etc
 
C

Camera Fun

Senior Member
As a hobbyist, I've been happy with my Z6ii which replaced my old D7000. Quite a jump in lower light performance. Have only played with the video aspect. Recently purchased the 24-120 f4 as a replacement for the kit 24-70 f4. The latter was a good lens but I wanted some more focal length. Originally considered something like a 70-180 but I really prefer to have a single lens for multiple situations as I don't want to change lenses. I've set the fn button on the 24-120 for playback which I find really handy; ring set for exposure compensation. Also, f4 has been fine for me on the Z6ii so I didn't see any need to consider any f2.8 options when researching/shopping. The Z6ii would also have been fine if it had 2 SD card slots instead of the CF B & SD slots. If I remember, didn't the Z6 only have a single card slot?
 
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tonye

New member
Peter7100, i wish i had your funds lol. You say it won't improve your shots so why the change, in your position i would just get some top notch glass. I make do with my D5200 DX and D600 FX and that was a big jump for me from my trusty and very capable D200 (i still miss it). Got myself some great second hand glass, filters, and other useful gear. My personal advice would be take a big breath and think about the kit you could get instead.
 
Clovishound

Clovishound

Senior Member
I've been through several of the Z bodies, so here's my take on the ones I have experience with.

The Z5 is a great entry level full frame. It is inexpensive (relatively) and is a solid performer. AF is lacking for moving wildlife. The Z5ii is probably much better at AF with the Expeed 7 processor, which also gives you a ton more features. Granted, you will not need many of them, but some are extremely handy.

The high resolution sensor of the Z7ii is great. It comes in handy when you need to crop heavily. I would think it would be great for landscape as well, if you are printing large. The AF is little better than the Z5 for wildlife. It has a higher frame rate, which, helps with wildlife. I moved on from it because of the poor AF performance. It makes a good macro camera, since I normally manually focus macro.

The Z8 is a fabulous camera. It has tons of great features and the AF is very good. It is bigger and heavier than the 5 and 7, and, yes, it's more expensive.

My opinion is to get something with an expeed 7. I know none of the ones you mentioned have that. I like the high resolution sensor, but could easily live with 24 MP. I know you don't do a lot of wildlife, so the poor AF performance of the Expeed 6 cameras may not be a big deal. It was for me. Perhaps better technique on my part would have made that a non issue.

If you lived here in the states I could make you a really good deal on a Z5, but I'm afraid overseas shipping and perhaps taxes would eat up any savings.

F series lenses work well using the FTZ, but the new Z lenses really shine. You will be wanting to switch over to them as you can.
 
BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
My short take is if you want more pixels, then the 45MP Z7. But the 1st gen Z7 and Z6 have feature shortfalls that were corrected in the 2nd gen bodies. Big one is they added a SD card slot to supplement the single slot of gen 1. So if you might be happy with a 24MP sensor, I say get a Z6II. Z5 is perfectly good, but if Z6II is an option on the table, it is a similar generation and significant spec upgrade.
 
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tonye

New member
I'm waiting for everyone to go Z then i can get some real bargains, by the end of the year i will probably own nearly every F lens Nikon ever made as the prices drop 😂
 
Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
Camera Fun said:
As a hobbyist, I've been happy with my Z6ii which replaced my old D7000. Quite a jump in lower light performance. Have only played with the video aspect. Recently purchased the 24-120 f4 as a replacement for the kit 24-70 f4. The latter was a good lens but I wanted some more focal length. Originally considered something like a 70-180 but I really prefer to have a single lens for multiple situations as I don't want to change lenses. I've set the fn button on the 24-120 for playback which I find really handy; ring set for exposure compensation. Also, f4 has been fine for me on the Z6ii so I didn't see any need to consider any f2.8 options when researching/shopping. The Z6ii would also have been fine if it had 2 SD card slots instead of the CF B & SD slots. If I remember, didn't the Z6 only have a single card slot?
Click to expand...
I assume you are pleased with the 24-120 f4 Z
 
Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
tonye said:
Peter7100, i wish i had your funds lol. You say it won't improve your shots so why the change, in your position i would just get some top notch glass. I make do with my D5200 DX and D600 FX and that was a big jump for me from my trusty and very capable D200 (i still miss it). Got myself some great second hand glass, filters, and other useful gear. My personal advice would be take a big breath and think about the kit you could get instead.
Click to expand...
I will definitely take a big breath as I never jump quickly into anything :) . I have a feeling mirrorless might be a bit like upgrading your car for a nicer model, but do you really need it, as my wife keeps asking me 🤣
 
Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
Clovishound said:
I've been through several of the Z bodies, so here's my take on the ones I have experience with.

The Z5 is a great entry level full frame. It is inexpensive (relatively) and is a solid performer. AF is lacking for moving wildlife. The Z5ii is probably much better at AF with the Expeed 7 processor, which also gives you a ton more features. Granted, you will not need many of them, but some are extremely handy.

The high resolution sensor of the Z7ii is great. It comes in handy when you need to crop heavily. I would think it would be great for landscape as well, if you are printing large. The AF is little better than the Z5 for wildlife. It has a higher frame rate, which, helps with wildlife. I moved on from it because of the poor AF performance. It makes a good macro camera, since I normally manually focus macro.

The Z8 is a fabulous camera. It has tons of great features and the AF is very good. It is bigger and heavier than the 5 and 7, and, yes, it's more expensive.

My opinion is to get something with an expeed 7. I know none of the ones you mentioned have that. I like the high resolution sensor, but could easily live with 24 MP. I know you don't do a lot of wildlife, so the poor AF performance of the Expeed 6 cameras may not be a big deal. It was for me. Perhaps better technique on my part would have made that a non issue.

If you lived here in the states I could make you a really good deal on a Z5, but I'm afraid overseas shipping and perhaps taxes would eat up any savings.

F series lenses work well using the FTZ, but the new Z lenses really shine. You will be wanting to switch over to them as you can.
Click to expand...
You don't fancy shipping your Z8 for a good deal ;)
 
Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
BF Hammer said:
My short take is if you want more pixels, then the 45MP Z7. But the 1st gen Z7 and Z6 have feature shortfalls that were corrected in the 2nd gen bodies. Big one is they added a SD card slot to supplement the single slot of gen 1. So if you might be happy with a 24MP sensor, I say get a Z6II. Z5 is perfectly good, but if Z6II is an option on the table, it is a similar generation and significant spec upgrade.
Click to expand...
You have more or less mirrored my thoughts, as the Z6ii seems to be my number one choice at the moment, but I haven't totally ruled out the Z7. I am slightly concerned about the reported limitations of the AF on the Z7 and poor low light performance.
 
C

Camera Fun

Senior Member
Peter7100 said:
I assume you are pleased with the 24-120 f4 Z
Click to expand...
Granted that I've only played with it to set things up and get a feel with it, I am pleased with it. The extra length is a definite plus. Setting the fn button for playback is so convenient for quickly checking a pic without shuffling my hands. And I think I will make use of the exposure comp change more as I get used to having the ring set to it. Plus the lens was $150 off when I got it.
 
Woodyg3

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
tonye said:
I'm waiting for everyone to go Z then i can get some real bargains, by the end of the year i will probably own nearly every F lens Nikon ever made as the prices drop 😂
Click to expand...
I hear you. I've got some nice f-mount glass. It's not obsolete as long as it's being used! :)
 
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