Mirrorless in 2026, maybe!

[BF Hammer]

@BF Hammer @Clovishound As you both have the Z5 mark 1, can you advise what the AF is capable of tracking, eg will it lock onto a person walking quickly or running?

It will try, with about as good success as my D750. There will be misses with the hits. It is the entry-level model, which is why I am promoting the Z6II. It will work just that much better at everything.

Edit: Not a real fair test, but on my eagle excursion 3 weeks ago, my bird-in-flight attempts were 95% misses. As in 450 shots with about 12 that were actually in focus. I have had better days with the same camera and lens, so I think that was a bit of an anomaly due to back-lighting.

 

[Woodyg3]

I think I'm a while away from going mirrorless - if I do get another Nikon body this year it'd more likely be a used D850 (to replace my D800) than a mirrorless camera. I'd be more tempted if there was a mirrorless APS-C replacement for my D500, but while the Z50ii is supposed to be closer, I don't think it's there yet.

Yeah, I can't get myself excited about the Z50II. I would miss too many of the D500 features.

 

[tonye]

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

Look up the spec of the D600 , will suit your needs very cheaply, yes its old but has some fantastic features including FX 24mp, 2xcard slots, 2x user settings, built in flash, built in af drive motor, full hd video the list goes on.

 

[BF Hammer]

Look up the spec of the D600 , will suit your needs very cheaply, yes its old but has some fantastic features including FX 24mp, 2xcard slots, 2x user settings, built in flash, built in af drive motor, full hd video the list goes on.

And you can add a film scanner attachment to a macro lens to digitize real photos from a film camera. That's all anybody could really need, right?

 

[Clovishound]

@BF Hammer @Clovishound As you both have the Z5 mark 1, can you advise what the AF is capable of tracking, eg will it lock onto a person walking quickly or running?

Not sure. I rarely tracked people.

 

[bluzman]

I think I'm a while away from going mirrorless - if I do get another Nikon body this year it'd more likely be a used D850 (to replace my D800) than a mirrorless camera. I'd be more tempted if there was a mirrorless APS-C replacement for my D500, but while the Z50ii is supposed to be closer, I don't think it's there yet.

The Z50ii is a great camera but it isn't a D500 replacement. It easily replaced my D7500, however.

 

[tonye]

And you can add a film scanner attachment to a macro lens to digitize real photos from a film camera. That's all anybody could really need, right?

Now that's just to much gear to carry around. You could easily end up with all the gear but no idea

 

[Lindy]

I made the change from a Nikon D7100 to mirrorless, because I wanted the full-frame capability. I have both the Z5 and the Zf. For my skill level, either is more than adequate, but I prefer the Zf. I did add a grip to it to make it easier to hold, though.

 

[blackstar]

I am late to the party. After probably all or almost all Z (member) users have given their input, I will chime in with a little of my Z user's experience. I now own Z8 and Z6ii with 4 Z lenses: 24-120 f4 S, MC 105/2.8 S, 600mm pf, and Z20 f1.8 S. Usually, I have Z8 with z600 for wildlife and aircraft/moon shots, and Z6ii with 24-120 for everything else, except with MC 105 for macro and Z20/1.8 S for MW (night sky) shot. I love my 24-120, which (with Z6ii) can easily/successfully take on many tasks for general photography. Just my 2c. Welcome to the Z shooter group!

 

[Dawg Pics]

Pretty soon I will be the only DSLR used left. LOL.

Good luck with your decision, and let us know what you wind up with.

I can't possibly justify getting rid of my D500 to go mirrorless any time soon, so you aren't alone.

 

[Peter7100]

It will try, with about as good success as my D750. There will be misses with the hits. It is the entry-level model, which is why I am promoting the Z6II. It will work just that much better at everything.

Edit: Not a real fair test, but on my eagle excursion 3 weeks ago, my bird-in-flight attempts were 95% misses. As in 450 shots with about 12 that were actually in focus. I have had better days with the same camera and lens, so I think that was a bit of an anomaly due to back-lighting.

Thanks for the info and I think that puts the final nail in the coffin for a Z5.
I think the Z6ii is looking like the way to go for me, but I think I will retain my D500 as well. Would that make me a hybrid shooter

 

[Clovishound]

My experience was that neither the Z5 or Zii was decent with AF on BIF.

 

[Peter7100]

Finally purchased a Nikon Z6ii, although the D500 is also staying until such time Clovishound sells me his Z8

So far, I am really enjoying it, although it has more features than I will ever need.
My initial thoughts are I am really enjoying the following:
1. How small and light it is compared to my other cameras
2. The in body 6 stops of stabilisation
3. The eye detection
4. The Electronic Viewing and the eye/screen auto switching
5. The battery life is much better than I was expecting

As yet I haven't found anything I dislike about it.

My first lens in the Z system is the Viltrox 20mm f2.8 (I will write a separate review on this once I have had a chance to test it properly). Intend to add another lens soon but still can't decide between the Nikon 85mm 1.8 Z and the Nikon 24-120 f4 Z.

 

[Marilynne]

Congratulations on your new purchase!

 

[Clovishound]

Welcome to the modern world!

The biggest down side to mirrorless, IMO, is that the sensor is exposed when changing lenses. I don't think I had to clean the sensor on either DSLR in the family, even after years of use. My Z5 and Z7ii both required regular cleaning, usually with the rocket blower, and occasionally with the swabs. It always made me hesitant to change lenses in the field, and I got used to carrying a couple swabs and fluid in my bag for emergencies in the field. Of course, the sensor cover on the 8 and 9 solves this problem. I've had my Z8 for nearly a year and have yet to need to clean the sensor.

Battery life is the other issue. Having said that, I rarely need to swap batteries in the field. I can easily get 700+ images on a battery, and have often gotten as much as 1K+. I never really felt the need for a spare with the D3400. The only need for a spare I might have had was forgetting to charge the battery before an outing.

Neither of these items come close to offsetting the many advantages of mirrorless, IMO. The "exposure preview" you get with the EVF is particularly valuable to me. I also love the quality of the new Z lenses. l have been extremely happy with the new 180-600 z I got for Christmas. It seems to be a definite upgrade from the venerable 200-500 + FTZ, I was using.

The only other real downside is that you may very well start thinking about switching everything over to mirrorless now. Some folks are happy with a hybrid stable, but a lot of us start thinking about what we can upgrade to mirrorless next as soon as we can afford to, after dipping our toes in the mirrorless water.

 

[BF Hammer]

I had no doubts you would enjoy the upgrade. Just something like having constant live view you can use one the tilty screen changes how you look at taking photos. Duck a little off shore? Now you can hold the camera just above the water for a low angle that won't get you wet.

It helps to change lenses by pointing the camera to the ground and let gravity take care of any loose dust floating.