Nikon Z* mirrorless

I also forgot the brilliant DJI Osmo Pocket 3. Super light, rock steady gimble and pretty amazing quality from its 1”Sensor :cool:
 
Don't......

I have the action 4 and 5 along with the Osmo Nano lol

I've got my CAA flyer ID and operator ID also, so was looking at the Neo 2.

Wouldn't mind but I work in financial services lol

Nothing to do with photography or video
 
Peter123 said:
Handling is a lot different. (I have an x-t5).
New set of lenses to buy?
What are you going to shoot with it?

I swopped my ZF for an Z5ii - I prefer the handling.
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Hey Peter,

As someone with both an X-T5 and a Z5II, how would you compare them?

I currently have an X-T50 (same sensor) but I'm just not getting on with it. I am considering grabbing an X100F for point and shoot and moving to Z5II for the occasional wildlife/sport/"proper" photography.

What do you reckon?
 
Sounds like a good plan to me. I tried the X100 series but I've big hands so needed to fit a grip, which puts the weight not far away from a X-T5 with small lens.
I like the X-T5 handling and 2 way screen. It's a very good camera IMO.

The Z5ii is an excellent all round FF camera. The Z6iii is faster if you shoot a lot of sports/wildlife, but for general use the Z5ii is plenty good enough with the latest autofocus and IBIS.
As Petapixel said, "what more do you need?"

If weight matters a Fuji kit generally weighs less than a Nikon full frame.

I suggest you try and handle these bodies before you buy them. If budget matters, cost out the whole kit including the lenses (I assume you already own some Fuji lenses).
 
Peter123 said:
Sounds like a good plan to me. I tried the X100 series but I've big hands so needed to fit a grip, which puts the weight not far away from a X-T5 with small lens.
I like the X-T5 handling and 2 way screen. It's a very good camera IMO.

The Z5ii is an excellent all round FF camera. The Z6iii is faster if you shoot a lot of sports/wildlife, but for general use the Z5ii is plenty good enough with the latest autofocus and IBIS.
As Petapixel said, "what more do you need?"

If weight matters a Fuji kit generally weighs less than a Nikon full frame.

I suggest you try and handle these bodies before you buy them. If budget matters, cost out the whole kit including the lenses (I assume you already own some Fuji lenses).
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Thanks. I should likely persevere with my X-T50 because there shouldn't be anything limiting what I want to do beyond my own skill and patience.

But the lure of different gear as a 'solution' is often difficult to resist. There is a budget too, so as much as I'd love even better performance the Z5II is probably (over) my limit. Any AF performance is better than Fuji anyway!
 
Peter123 said:
Sounds like a good plan to me. I tried the X100 series but I've big hands so needed to fit a grip, which puts the weight not far away from a X-T5 with small lens.
I like the X-T5 handling and 2 way screen. It's a very good camera IMO.

The Z5ii is an excellent all round FF camera. The Z6iii is faster if you shoot a lot of sports/wildlife, but for general use the Z5ii is plenty good enough with the latest autofocus and IBIS.
As Petapixel said, "what more do you need?"

If weight matters a Fuji kit generally weighs less than a Nikon full frame.

I suggest you try and handle these bodies before you buy them. If budget matters, cost out the whole kit including the lenses (I assume you already own some Fuji lenses).
Click to expand...
I don’t suppose you’ve got two RAWs of the same subject from both cameras I could play with do you…satisfy my curiosity on the images alone and judge the handling separately!
 
Well I have a mint Z30 with the 16-50 kit lens (no tele lens) and accessories that is hardy used that I’d probably let go for approx half that price if you were interested ?
 
I am thinking of getting myself a Nikon Z8 with the 24-120mm f/4 kit lens and the 180-600mm. I do mainly bird photography and my current set up is a very well used Sony A7iii and the 200-600mm (amongst many other lenses but nothing expensive or that heavily invested). My A7iii is kind of beat up and the shutter life is almost double the estimated life, so every time I travel I worry that it will die mid-trip. I would not be getting rid of my Sony and 200-600, would keep as back up and to let friends use when we go out birding (non camera owners). I've read up on the f/4 zoom and as I travel to Hong Kong for 3 weeks each year I feel this would work as my travel lens.

I would love some feedback from any Z8 bird photographers that use this kit, and if you moved over from Sony all the better as even on the newest Z8 firmware I get a little scared from all the youtubers saying the AF is much improved but still not up to Sony & Canon level so any experience you could share would be great.
 
NewBeetle said:
I am thinking of getting myself a Nikon Z8 with the 24-120mm f/4 kit lens and the 180-600mm. I do mainly bird photography and my current set up is a very well used Sony A7iii and the 200-600mm (amongst many other lenses but nothing expensive or that heavily invested). My A7iii is kind of beat up and the shutter life is almost double the estimated life, so every time I travel I worry that it will die mid-trip. I would not be getting rid of my Sony and 200-600, would keep as back up and to let friends use when we go out birding (non camera owners). I've read up on the f/4 zoom and as I travel to Hong Kong for 3 weeks each year I feel this would work as my travel lens.

I would love some feedback from any Z8 bird photographers that use this kit, and if you moved over from Sony all the better as even on the newest Z8 firmware I get a little scared from all the youtubers saying the AF is much improved but still not up to Sony & Canon level so any experience you could share would be great.
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If you’re buying in the UK speak to the guys at Chiswick Cameras, they are both into bird photography big time, I think one uses a Z8 and the other OM System. I’ve seen some huge prints of their work, very impressive.
 
NewBeetle said:
I am thinking of getting myself a Nikon Z8 with the 24-120mm f/4 kit lens and the 180-600mm. I do mainly bird photography and my current set up is a very well used Sony A7iii and the 200-600mm (amongst many other lenses but nothing expensive or that heavily invested). My A7iii is kind of beat up and the shutter life is almost double the estimated life, so every time I travel I worry that it will die mid-trip. I would not be getting rid of my Sony and 200-600, would keep as back up and to let friends use when we go out birding (non camera owners). I've read up on the f/4 zoom and as I travel to Hong Kong for 3 weeks each year I feel this would work as my travel lens.

I would love some feedback from any Z8 bird photographers that use this kit, and if you moved over from Sony all the better as even on the newest Z8 firmware I get a little scared from all the youtubers saying the AF is much improved but still not up to Sony & Canon level so any experience you could share would be great.
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I swapped from sony a7iv and 200/600
The z8 willbe miles better than a7iii i had a a 7iii , the focus is quicker to lock on to a bird its almost instantanious it probably not quite as sticky as the sony bit not by much , but get very few oof shots my keeper rate is very high,i use a 500 pf which is sharper than the sony and takes converters very well , heard mixed reviews about the 180 -600 lots of sample variations you can also get a megadap adaptor which enables you to use sony lens with the z8
Also i tried a canon r5 and the nikon was better in opinion
 
I use the Z8 and 180-600mm. The first 180-600mm I got, I wasn't happy with at all and sent it back. The second one I got is good.
So check it out throughly.
The combination of the Z8 and 180-600mm is very versatile and produces good results.
I have since purchased the 400mm f/4.5 and love using it.
The 24-120mm f/4 is a fantastic lens and has made my 24-70mm f/2.8 almost obsolete.
 
Thanks for the input (y)
 
Like Wilt, my first sample of the 180-600 (weirdly from NIkon UK's shop directly), was decidedly soft at 600mm. I returned it got a full credit than purchased one again several weeks later from WEX, and this copy was very much sharper and much more in line with what I had expected from Z lenses. Been very happy with it.

About the only real negative is that whilst the results are fantastic with this combo, it's quite a heavy set up at nearly 3kg (well 2860g to be exact). To be honest, whilst it doesn't have the reach, I tend to use my Z 400mm F4.5 more than the 180-600 as that in combination with the Z8 knocks the best part of a kilo off the weight, and with the 1.4x Teleconverter gives me almost 600mm @ F6.3 (560mm), and is still vastly lighter and smaller and fits in my everyday bag which the 180-600 won't.
 
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Sootchucker said:
Like Wilt, my first sample of the 180-600 (weirdly from NIkon UK's shop directly), was decidedly soft at 600mm. I returned it got a full credit than purchased one again several weeks later from WEX, and this copy was very much sharper and much more in line with what I had expected from Z lenses. Been very happy with it.

About the only real negative is that whilst the results are fantastic with this combo, it's quite a heavy set up at nearly 3kg (well 2860g to be exact). To be honest, whilst it doesn't have the reach, I tend to use my Z 400mm F4.5 more than the 180-600 as that in combination with the Z8 knocks the best part of a kilo off the weight, and with the 1.4x Teleconverter gives me almost 600mm @ F6.3 (560mm), and is still vastly lighter and smaller and fits in my everyday bag which the 180-600 won't.
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My first copy was also from Nikon UK (Shipped from the Netherlands). I put it down to poor packaging, both of the lens in the Nikon box and the packaging around that box; as I could see the mount end of the lens had crushed/splipped across the cardboard holding that end.
Since getting the 400mm f/4.5, I feel the 180-600mm won't be getting anywhere near the use it has had.
Although getting it quite late in the year and having the 1.4x and 2.0x TC's, I've yet to get around to trying out the 400mm f/4.5 with either. That will now have to wait until springtime.
 
I have switched from Sony a7riv and a7iv, I have it paired with the 24-120mm f4 S. The 45.7mp is a nice sweet spot between both the , it also balances well.
 
I had to smile, as I've just seen a post over on Facebook, where they are comparing the new Sony A7V with the Nikon Z6 III, and to paraphrase, they say the A7V destroys the Z6 III on all fronts. Now don't get me wrong, the A7V looks like a lovely camera, and a worthy upgrade to the A7IV. However when one poster stated (after someone had bragged that the Z6III can only shoots at 20fps and the A7V can do 30 FPS), that the buffer on the A7V was tiny compared to the Z6 III, it caused quite a stir !

The A7V apparently (using the CFE-A card slot), can shoot approx. 85-95 frames in compressed raw, or only 40-50 shots in Lossless compressed. The Z6 III on the other hand can shoot pretty much indefinitely with all RAW types (lossless compressed, high eff* and high eff), all capable of 1000 shots. Well needleless to say, that poster was immediately shot down (even more so when he mentioned the Nikon's much better viewfinder).

It made me chuckle as I remember when I almost exclusively shot Micro Four Thirds, that people were always trying to defend it when compared to full frame, (and the FF snobs that went along at the time with this), and probably still do, rather than actually just let the photos do the talking. It's funny isn't it how as humans, we all feel the need to justify our decisions, and if you are in the Nikon, Sony, Canon or whatever camp, you always come out fighting when anyone dares criticize your buying decisions and what "camp" you are in. Truth of the matter (as we all know), is that cameras from any brand (and be they Micro four thirds, APS-C or Full Frame), are all now at an amazing level of competence and complexity, that the truth is if you cant get the shot with a modern camera, it's probably you rather than the photographer that's to blame :)
 
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Sootchucker said:
I had to smile, as I've just seen a post over on Facebook, where they are comparing the new Sony A7V with the Nikon Z6 III, and to paraphrase, they say the A7V destroys the Z6 III on all fronts. Now don't get me wrong, the A7V looks like a lovely camera, and a worthy upgrade to the A7IV. However when one poster stated (after someone had bragged that the Z6III can only shoots at 20fps and the A7V can do 30 FPS), that the buffer on the A7V was tiny compared to the Z6 III.
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I do always wonder with these things what are the %ages.

how many people actually shoot at 20 or 30fps and for what % of the time and would they actually get any real world benefit from those extra 10fps
as well as, for real world users would there actually be any noticeable difference in image quality for what they use the cameras to capture and view.
 
Sootchucker said:
It made me chuckle as I remember when I almost exclusively shot Micro Four Thirds, that people were always trying to defend it when compared to full frame, (and the FF snobs that went along at the time with this), and probably still do, rather than actually just let the photos do the talking. It's funny isn't it how as humans, we all feel the need to justify our decisions, and if you are in the Nikon, Sony, Canon or whatever camp, you always come out fighting when anyone dares criticize your buying decisions and what "camp" you are in. Truth of the matter (as we all know), is that cameras from any brand (and be they Micro four thirds, APS-C or Full Frame), are all now at an amazing level of competence and complexity, that the truth is if you cant get the shot with a modern camera, it's probably you rather than the photographer that's to blame :)
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You're right that all cameras are good and also there's no one do it all camera, they all have strengths and weaknesses and we as users have preferences as well. I think it's human to have certain brand preferences although I always try to keep my mind open to find what suits me best and also when giving advice to try and give people the pros and cons to make their own decision.

Your mention of MFT made me chuckle because years ago when I bought my first DSLR I bought a 4/3 Olympus E-500 dual lens kit from Dixons and I'll admit I didn't have a clue about interchangeable lens cameras :D I spent a lot of time on forums to understand more including a dedicated 4/3 forum which was very friendly and welcoming, they very much convinced me 4/3 was a great system which I gradually worked my way up through the range eventually buying their top of the line Olympus E-3 brand new. This had the brand new AF system but I grew increasingly frustrated with it because it could confirm focus when the image was well out of focus, the camera went for repair twice with no change and of course I asked for advice because I waned to get a fairly expensive setup working. However the friendly tone became quickly hostile even though I was just looking for advice on getting the camera working properly, I hadn't criticised Olympus or anything. I went elsewhere for advice and received helpful information however also found a number of people who'd been driven off the same forum because they'd criticised Olympus in some way.

I do find user feedback is extremely useful and often now it's better than professional reviews where the reviewers have a small amount of time to use the device and are using many others whereas a user will be using the device day to day over a longer period of time. However it's a tricky balance avoiding people who are overly positive and ones that are overly negative.
jamesev said:
I do always wonder with these things what are the %ages.

how many people actually shoot at 20 or 30fps and for what % of the time and would they actually get any real world benefit from those extra 10fps
as well as, for real world users would there actually be any noticeable difference in image quality for what they use the cameras to capture and view.
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Personally I think the advantage of 30fps over 20fps is primarily marketing because it always sounds better to have bigger numbers and 30fps is 50% faster than 20fps. In reality, the advantage diminishes quickly as you go up through the faster speeds but also you're going to have to deal with a lot more files. When I bought the Sony A9 I was delighted with the option of a 20FPS mode and the huge buffer, when the Intercity HST painted up in original colours did its farewell tour I of course stuck the then new camera onto 20fps. With it being silent, having no blackout and a decent sized buffer I took a huge amount of photos but because there wasn't that much movement between them, it was pointless and I ended up having to sort through many similar photos.

Now I very sparingly used the 20fps mode when there's something with a lot of movement and I want to get precise timing but I need to be careful to fire in short bursts, with the Z8 being able to write at high speed to the card it's also easy to end up with too many photos that are difficult to sort through. I tend to try to stick with 5fps for burst shooting which is often fast enough and has a lot less photos, there were discussions on how game changing the 120fps mode was on the A9mk3 but I really can't imagine dealing with all those images at that speed. I'm absolutely not saying there's no need for these super high speed modes but I think the use is quite niche.
 
Wildlife and mainly birds is my favourite genre of photography and I leave my Z8 at 5fps as well. The days of going through hundreds of the same photos are well gone for me.
 
I must confess to using 20fps far too much when I first got my Z8.
This quickly changed as the monotony of trawling through so many images, sucked all the joy out of reviewing images.
I remember that for a very, very long time, 10fps on my D500 was ample for everything fast moving.
It would be a extremely rare occasion now that I'd select more than 10fps for fast moving/action shots It'd need to be a critical moment needing captured, to use 20fps again.
 
wilt said:
I must confess to using 20fps far too much when I first got my Z8.
This quickly changed as the monotony of trawling through so many images, sucked all the joy out of reviewing images.
I remember that for a very, very long time, 10fps on my D500 was ample for everything fast moving.
It would be a extremely rare occasion now that I'd select more than 10fps for fast moving/action shots It'd need to be a critical moment needing captured, to use 20fps again.
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I agree! I tried pre-capture the first time I used my Z6iii for a sports event. Scanning through 30+ frames for the peak action shot got old very quickly.
 
I was reading some comparisons on the A7V and the Nikon Z6III out of interest, I was amused on a discussion someone pointed out you can buy a brand new Z8 for slightly less than the Sony A7V for anyone concerned about getting the best specifications :D Of course the A7V is new and the price will likely come down but right now buyers do have that choice.
 
Question. Would you rate the Tamron 35-150mm f2-f2.8 over the Nikon Z 24-120mm f4 S ? Just judging opinion and real world use? Cheers.
 
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I've used the Tamron in a very limited open day event.It focused well and images it produced were pleasing.
The first thing I'd be asking myself is, will I be taking it out of the house as often as I would the 24-120mm f/4, when it's twice it's weight.
If weight is no concern and the additional cost and size, then it's really down to what your shooting and if you need the extra light gathering capability. I find when I use the 24-120mm, I'm always greatful for the 24mm end more than the 120mm focal end.
I had toyed with the idea of the 35-150 for event/sports photography, but went with a two camera/lens setup, with the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8.
I would also use the 24-120mm f/4 along with the 100-400 as a two lens setup for wildlife on occassion, but mostly I'd use it as a great walk about lens.
 
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