Nikon Z7ii - Advice

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frioman007

New member
Hello, and thanks for reading this. I'm looking for some advice before I purchase a Nikon Z7ii. Most of my photos are of outdoor track and field and cross country events. So mostly predictable runners but not extremely fast. I also do some bird photos but mostly stationary on feeders. I am not interested in BIF photos. Lastly I would like something that is good for portraits. Would the Nikon Z7ii be a good choice for my needs? My other thought would be the D850 because it excels as fast moving targets, but would predictable runners be considered "fast" moving targets?

I'm leaning towards the Z7ii unless the D850 is much better for outdoor runners?
 
Clovishound

Clovishound

Senior Member
Hello and welcome.

Do you currently own any Nikon mount lenses, and if so, which ones. I have the Z5 and have a couple Nikon Z lenses, and one F mount with the FTZ adapter. The adapted lens works quite well, but the Z lenses are definitely a cut above. Lens availability for the Z mount is still a little thin on the ground. The telephoto lenses for the Z are pricey, although the new 180-600 is a relatively affordable long tele. All that depends on what your budget can stand. I can't speak to the Z7ii, but I am all in on the Z series as opposed to the DSLRs. There are quite a few advantages not available in the older systems.

I can't speak to the focusing abilities of the 7ii as compared to the 850, I'm sure someone who has had experience with one or the other, or both will chime in. I would be surprised if the D850 was superior to the 7ii for AF performance with runners.

I see that Nikon has put the Z7ii on sale for $700 off several times over the last few months. In fact, it's on sale right now for $2300. I suspect they may be clearing out stock in preparation for the rumored Z7iii later this year.
 
BF Hammer

BF Hammer

Senior Member
Truth be told here, F-mount Nikon is in a very slow phase-out. Not dead, but you are not going to see new lenses or bodies coming beyond what is available today. That said, the D850 is the best of the last DSLR bodies to choose. It has always excelled at wildlife subjects.

Z7-II in my opinion is a more forward-thinking choice. The Z-mount lenses you buy for it will be used in future bodies. It has an animal eye-detect autofocus mode that the D850 does not. It should be the equal of the D850 with the track events. Really with the firmware updates applied, the Z7-II should detect and autofocus better in most situations other than bird-in-flight.
 
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frioman007

New member
Thanks. that is excellent advice. My first priority is photos of runners in outdoor light, portraits, birds, and wildlife, not in flight.

It sounds like the Z7ii is the way to go.
 
Fred Kingston

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I have the Z7II and haven't looked back... I sold almost 50 years of Nikon F mount stuff. and kept a 55mm AIS f1.2 out of the whole lot... Move forward....
 
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