Last of the holdouts goes Mirrorless (a Nikon Z6 III story)

[Apple fanboy]

So I thought I'd start a new thread rather than discussing it in the POTD one.

So this week I finally took delivery of my new camera. I ordered it through work, so got a good price. However that did mean waiting nearly three months!

Back in July I was getting a few errors with my old D750 DSLR and was wondering what to do. I had considered a repair or buying a second hand D780 or whatever but wasn't feeling this was the way to go for a dying format. I tend to keep my gear a while, so it was going to be a decision I would stick with for a while.

So I had a bunch of really good f-mount lenses and I had to face the difficult decision of what to do. My initial idea was to trade the lot and go Z mount all the way. Unfortunately funds didn't really allow for that, and so I had some hard choices to go through.

So I traded the following
10.5mm f2.8 Fish Eye - An easy choice as I never really used it and bought it for less than I sold it for over 10 years ago.
14-24mm f2.8 - An absolute beautiful piece of glass, but one I didn't use all that often. Even when I hike I'd leave it at home rather than lug it up the side of a mountain due to the weight.
24-70mm f2.8 - Again another lovely lens and probably the one that had had the most use. Was getting a bit tired and in need of a good service.
70-200mm f2.8 - Another great piece of glass that had served me well. Often paired with the 2 x TC.
70-300mm f5.6-6.3 - Not a great lens. I bought it as it was a lightweight alternative to better glass when travelling. But it was my slowest focusing lens by miles. Only any good for stationary wildlife!
50mm f1.8 - Bought as a light travelling lens. Only used a couple of times as I'm not much of a prime shooter (well past my prime actually!)
2xTC - Yes it compromised the IQ a bit, but had its place when I didn't want to travel with the 200-500mm.

My original plan was to sell my two favourite lenses as well. The 105mm Macro and the 200-500mm. But after talking to some experts and looking at the funds I had available I was convinced that these would perform very well on my Z6 iii with a FTZ ii. In fact I was told that I would get better performance from them than I currently got with them on my D750.

 

[sparksd]

Did you do the trade-ins with the seller? Can you say who that was?

 

[Apple fanboy]

So forgive the multi post, but I've had long posts disappear on me in the past and I'm a slow typer!

So I got the camera Monday and have been playing with set ups for the last few evenings.
I've been watching Steve Perry's videos who I think is a good teacher (I've watched his technique videos for wildlife photography for years).

• Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Series: The S...
• Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Series: The P...
• Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Series: Custo...
• Nikon Z6iii Setup Guide Series: Contr...

After work I had my first play in the garden as the sun briefly came out. It was a bit too windy for much of the shooting I was trying out.

So to carry on the story from post 1, once I had decided to keep my 200-500mm and the 105mm Macro I knew I would need a different lens for everyday shooting.
The obvious choice was a new 24-70mm. Either the f2.8 or the f4 variation. But the more I thought about it I decided the thing I disliked about my previous 24-70mm was it wasn't long enough a lot of the time. So I read and watched a number of reviews and settled on the new standard lens for me. The 24-120mm f4. It is about the same size as my old 24-70mm but weighs 300 grams less. Obviously early days but I like what I see so far. Might take me a while to get used to all the buttons and additional dial on it though!

I'm sure I will probably go Z mount across the board at some point but I need to replace my 2018 Mac mini soon as well as repair my savings. The trade in really helped (used a local camera store, London Camera Exchange) who gave me a good price, and seeing as I bough most of my gear second hand through work many years ago, I got back most of what I payed for it.

Anyway so that's me. I might post more about my switch to mirrorless and how I found it, but I think I'm one of the last to do so on here!

 

[Apple fanboy]

Did you do the trade-ins with the seller? Can you say who that was?

No because I brought the camera through work and we don't really do trade ins. The company I work for Bought The Flash Center, a UK group of camera stores a few years ago. I sold my gear to London Camera Exchange. They have a store in my home town of Worcester.

 

[dimme]

I was (still have) a D750 shooter. I loved that camera and for my shooting needs it was perfect. But after many years it developed a few quirks such as overexposing the first shot after it turned. Having been a Nikon shooter for 40+ years and my favorite camera being my FM2 (which I still own) I purchased a ZF w/ the 24 to 120 f4. I was very surprised with the image quality of the lens and with the IBS I can hand hold at about a 20th of a second if the subject is still. I was going to sell my F glass and go all Z. But after trying the FTZ adapter I decided to keep the F glass. The majority of my lenses are either manual focus or too old to auto focus on the Z body, so the amount of money I would have gotten was not worth it. It's OK because I am not in a hurry and I do not shoot professionally. I do hope to get a proper Z telephoto in the future. Congratulations on your purchase and I look forward to seeing your images in the POD thread.

 

[sparksd]

I'm a Canon guy these days with digital but my film cams were Nikons and they stood me well. I used my Nikon FG on Denali for 32 days with temps down to -40F and had no problems with it. Wish I had kept the old F2 Photomic I had - it was classic looking. It too withstood tough conditions when I worked offshore in the oil fields. Great gear.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I was (still have) a D750 shooter. I loved that camera and for my shooting needs it was perfect. But after many years it developed a few quirks such as overexposing the first shot after it turned. Having been a Nikon shooter for 40+ years and my favorite camera being my FM2 (which I still own) I purchased a ZF w/ the 24 to 120 f4. I was very surprised with the image quality of the lens and with the IBS I can hand hold at about a 20th of a second if the subject is still. I was going to sell my F glass and go all Z. But after trying the FTZ adapter I decided to keep the F glass. The majority of my lenses are either manual focus or too old to auto focus on the Z body, so the amount of money I would have gotten was not worth it. It's OK because I am not in a hurry and I do not shoot professionally. I do hope to get a proper Z telephoto in the future. Congratulations on your purchase and I look forward to seeing your images in the POD thread.

I loved my D750 and it served me well for many years. I got it at launch. It was a much loved tool. But I just couldn't 100% feel happy buying into the F-mount system with a replacement. It just didn't sit right with me.
the 24-120mm seems like such a versatile lens. I've not got enough shots with it to do a comparison with my older glass, but so far I like what I see.

 

[mollyc]

I think you'll really love it. All cameras are just tools; some people fit better with one body vs another, and others can move among brands and models with ease. I find that even though the buttons on the Z cameras are quite different than on the F bodies, it's easy to switch between them. I also find the Z bodies to be way more intuitive than the F bodies, so once you get some muscle memory you'll be fine.

I still have multiple F mount lenses that I regularly use on my Z bodies. I do find them to perform better on the Z. My only tiny complaint about the whole thing is that I have the original FTZ and it's a pain for tripod work with the little foot thing. It's not enough to convince me to upgrade, but since you are starting off with the second version, it should be smooth sailing for you. Otherwise I have zero issues using an adapter.

Congratulations and enjoy it all.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I think you'll really love it. All cameras are just tools; some people fit better with one body vs another, and others can move among brands and models with ease. I find that even though the buttons on the Z cameras are quite different than on the F bodies, it's easy to switch between them. I also find the Z bodies to be way more intuitive than the F bodies, so once you get some muscle memory you'll be fine.

I still have multiple F mount lenses that I regularly use on my Z bodies. I do find them to perform better on the Z. My only tiny complaint about the whole thing is that I have the original FTZ and it's a pain for tripod work with the little foot thing. It's not enough to convince me to upgrade, but since you are starting off with the second version, it should be smooth sailing for you. Otherwise I have zero issues using an adapter.

Congratulations and enjoy it all.

Thank you. I've really missed not having a camera for nearly all the summer. Just hoping we get some dry days when I'm not working so I can get out and about a bit more!

Yes I saw the issue with the first version, but newer one is pretty tiny. I haven't tried that yet. Just think it's a good idea to get used to the new layout and customising the body a bit before I start playing with the additions.

 

[scottrichardson]

I am in a similar position. Proud D850 owner here and LOVE the sensor and image quality. I have 4 lenses;

Sigma Art 50mm prime
Sigma Art 35mm prime
Nikon 2.8 70-200mm
Sigma Art 12-20mm (if I recall correctly).

They cover all my needs and I don’t really want to have to buy new lenses.

I’m told the adapter works perfectly fine with no loss of quality or any negative side affects?

Not sure which body yet but I want the same or higher megapixels. Probably whichever is the best body available. Any tips?

Scott

 

[Apple fanboy]

I am in a similar position. Proud D850 owner here and LOVE the sensor and image quality. I have 4 lenses;

Sigma Art 50mm prime
Sigma Art 35mm prime
Nikon 2.8 70-200mm
Sigma Art 12-20mm (if I recall correctly).

They cover all my needs and I don’t really want to have to buy new lenses.

I’m told the adapter works perfectly fine with no loss of quality or any negative side affects?

Not sure which body yet but I want the same or higher megapixels. Probably whichever is the best body available. Any tips?

Scott

Well for you the Z8 would be the natural choice. If you are happy with that lens line up, why not try the F2Z II with it? We have some of those lenses at work so I could try them out to see if there are any issues, but I think they will be fine. The Nikon one defiantly will be.

I delibretly didn't want to go to the Z8. Not just the cost, but I didn't want the larger file size filling up my hard drives. Same reason why I din't want a D850. Beautiful cameras but 48MP images take up a lot of room. And I'm a terrible holder of images! I only get rid of the worst and keep more than I should (don't we all?).

Truth is there are no bad choices to make. Z9 is great also, but most reviewers seem to think the Z8 is nearly as capable for a good deal less to buy.

 

[ThailandToo]

I wish Apple would buy Canon or Nikon and make a real camera. I know the camera in my pocket is the easiest to access, but I really like my Canon R5/R6m11, along with all my RF glass. The only thing is that Apple could do some amazing things like adding some features like touchID to the shutter, or FaceID to the camera itself and make most of it pointless to steal. In addition, I think Canon sucks on software and creating any sort of security into their locked-in system - which sort of sucks like Apple’s ecosystem. Can you imagine a Nikon or Canon with an A4 SoC in it? I don’t need it to over process my images, but the capabilities of these old companies in making great glass is amazing, but their software all sucks.

Even Sony, they make some great components but then have a crappy LCD on the A1 and all their cameras. Need a real company to come in and compete with technology. Or need a software/SoC focused development team that could make the glass and the sensor work flawlessly and get rid of the archaic software in these devices. I mean they could have gone Linux years ago or Android even. My sister bought an Android camera and it’s quite fascinating. I suppose these old camera companies don’t want to be locked into Google, but what about Sony? They could easily make the best camera with software and etc, but to me their glass will not compete with Canon or Nikon.

None of them can make a simple AirDrop like connection using high-speed wireless either? What gives? Seems like the camera companies are their own demise. They need some real innovation. I can imagine Apple could do some cool things if they ever had Sony build them a sensor, and used some Canon/Nikon glass (Lenses for non-camera people).

Anyways, congratulations on the new purchase. Hope you enjoy it greatly. cheers.

 

[BotchQue]

Thanks for this post, @Apple fanboy.
I wore out my Nikon F-4s and FM-2 (I still have both) and am currently shooting on a D-500 (for AF and speed, for wildlife/birds) and a dF (permanently set on Manual, like my beloved FM-2, for scenics/macro). I'd love to switch over to the Z-mount system (mostly for the "focus on the eye" feature) but it really isn't worth it at my age/health outlook. Good to read folks' ideas with a similar dilemma; again, Thanks!

 

[blw777]

I think you'll really like the 24-120/f4. I have one for my Z9s and it is very useful indeed.

I don't know if I want Apple to buy Nikon; if they did the prices would probably double! But they'd sure be a lot easier to make work with the rest of the internet/world! Apple gets that interaction, Nikon just does not.

 

[leifp]

Still holding out on a move to mirrorless. I have a D700 (yup) that I love and a D750 that I bought because I couldn’t afford a D850, which I regret.

The Zf is making my palms sweaty but I’m very susceptible to most visual defects and any lag at all will be mortal to my desires. I’m also debating jumping from Nikon, since all major brands have adapters to allow me to use my F mount lenses. Happily, I’m unlikely to make a decision for a few years yet…

 

[squawk7000]

Looking forward to seeing what you can produce with the new kit.

I think you made the right decision going with the 24-120. the extra bit of reach at the long end is useful, and it's no slouch at close focus.

enjoy

 

[Apple fanboy]

Looking forward to seeing what you can produce with the new kit.

I think you made the right decision going with the 24-120. the extra bit of reach at the long end is useful, and it's no slouch at close focus.

enjoy

Thanks. Yes it’s not bad at that from my brief spell yesterday, but I’m glad I kept my dedicated 105mm macro.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Still holding out on a move to mirrorless. I have a D700 (yup) that I love and a D750 that I bought because I couldn’t afford a D850, which I regret.

The Zf is making my palms sweaty but I’m very susceptible to most visual defects and any lag at all will be mortal to my desires. I’m also debating jumping from Nikon, since all major brands have adapters to allow me to use my F mount lenses. Happily, I’m unlikely to make a decision for a few years yet…

I did briefly consider switching brands. But the Z cameras are close enough to the old system that it’s not completely unfamiliar to me.
I haven’t enjoyed the egomaniacs of Sony or Canon that I’ve tried in the past, but I’m sure you’d get used to it.

Like I said there aren’t any bad cameras these days. What you have is perfectly adequate.
I didn’t need to make the purchase, but I’m happy with my choice.
Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I wish Apple would buy Canon or Nikon and make a real camera. I know the camera in my pocket is the easiest to access, but I really like my Canon R5/R6m11, along with all my RF glass. The only thing is that Apple could do some amazing things like adding some features like touchID to the shutter, or FaceID to the camera itself and make most of it pointless to steal. In addition, I think Canon sucks on software and creating any sort of security into their locked-in system - which sort of sucks like Apple’s ecosystem. Can you imagine a Nikon or Canon with an A4 SoC in it? I don’t need it to over process my images, but the capabilities of these old companies in making great glass is amazing, but their software all sucks.

Even Sony, they make some great components but then have a crappy LCD on the A1 and all their cameras. Need a real company to come in and compete with technology. Or need a software/SoC focused development team that could make the glass and the sensor work flawlessly and get rid of the archaic software in these devices. I mean they could have gone Linux years ago or Android even. My sister bought an Android camera and it’s quite fascinating. I suppose these old camera companies don’t want to be locked into Google, but what about Sony? They could easily make the best camera with software and etc, but to me their glass will not compete with Canon or Nikon.

None of them can make a simple AirDrop like connection using high-speed wireless either? What gives? Seems like the camera companies are their own demise. They need some real innovation. I can imagine Apple could do some cool things if they ever had Sony build them a sensor, and used some Canon/Nikon glass (Lenses for non-camera people).

Anyways, congratulations on the new purchase. Hope you enjoy it greatly. cheers.

I only shoot in RAW so I don’t think wireless transfer speeds are ever going to be my go to. I don’t have an issue with plugging in a CF card to a reader on my Mac mini. Doesn’t take half as long as it used to!

Apple will never buy a camera company. They already consider themselves the best camera manufacturer in the world. Personally I loathe shooting with my iPhone. All touchscreen and no viewfinder. Just not for me.

 

[Rychiar]

I got a Z7 when it came out and never looked back. slowly sold off my F lenses though they do work better on Z than F.... but Z native glass is truly amazing. I now have a Z8 and it's pretty much the perfect camera.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I got a Z7 when it came out and never looked back. slowly sold off my F lenses though they do work better on Z than F.... but Z native glass is truly amazing. I now have a Z8 and it's pretty much the perfect camera.

I looked at the Z6 when it came out. But I think the EVF put me off. But the improvements on that front are huge.

Unfortunately I couldn’t justify the cost of the Z8, but if I won the lottery that would be my first order. Plus the MacPro to take the files!

 

[Rychiar]

I looked at the Z6 when it came out. But I think the EVF put me off. But the improvements on that front are huge.

Unfortunately I couldn’t justify the cost of the Z8, but if I won the lottery that would be my first order. Plus the MacPro to take the files!

yeah I can't even justify the cost really as I've barely used it professionally since I got it. but I shot a few weddings with the Z7 years go and wished I had the Z8s autofocus abilities. It kinda improves on everything wrong with the 7

 

[frost_horizon]

Congratulations on your new camera! Z-mount lenses (especially S-line) are fantastic.
I have Z5 right now, but plan to upgrade to ZF in future for vintage look and better AF capabilities. Z6 III is a great choice!

I also have 24-70mm f/4 as my daily lens, it is a banger for its price. But I am considering to swap it to 24-120mm f/4 later.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Congratulations on your new camera! Z-mount lenses (especially S-line) are fantastic.
I have Z5 right now, but plan to upgrade to ZF in future for vintage look and better AF capabilities. Z6 III is a great choice!

I also have 24-70mm f/4 as my daily lens, it is a banger for its price. But I am considering to swap it to 24-120mm f/4 later.

Thanks. Yes I’m sure there will be some more glass appearing in my cupboard in the future. I’ll smuggle some in when Mrs AFB is out!

 

[Apple fanboy]

So spent the morning playing in the garden. I’ve been reading Steve Perry’s book on the Nikon Z autofocus system. Highly recommended.

Off to the woods later. I’ve fitted my Spider hand strap and will see how the autofocus plays with the FTZ ii and my old 200-500.

Obviously the birds and squirrels probably have other plans!