Hearts in Hawai'i
Decisions, Decisions!
11/2/2024
During the 26 years I've owned digital cameras, I've always had an eye looking forward to something new, something better. My mistaken belief has been that "better" meant something that would make me be a better photographer. I had somewhat missed the point that composition was more important than other factors such as the number of megapixels my current camera had, and that a 24 megapixel camera would magically transform my images as opposed to, say, a six megapixel camera.
It's an interesting delusion. If it was true, then why was probably the best shot I've ever taken (the West Maui Mountains and the Ukumehame Valley, shot in 2007) done with a Nikon D50, a six-megapixel camera? Upgrading my camera gear (and I've done this several times up until my most recent upgrade to a Nikon D750 in 2018) made it easier to capture certain shots but it didn't have anything to do with composure, that one element I tend to struggle with more than any other.
Before I go on, I have a simple question; when you shoot, are you trying to find something others will like or something you will like? I went back and forth with this over the years until I settled on a simple principle--finding something others like doesn't necessarily bring me as much joy as finding something I know I'll like and will want to look back on in the future. True, I have something of an interest in what others would like; why would I have my Pictures of Duluth pages up if I didn't? But what interests me truly inspires me. I can look at the Minnesota State Park pics I took this past summer and find these pictures trigger memories of all those wonderful places we've been blessed to visit.
To bring us up to the current--I'm looking for a new camera. I understand that dSLR's are in my rear view despite the wonderful image quality they afford. But, and this is something borne directly from the vacations Patty and I have taken over the years, there are times when I want to shoot video and times when I want to shoot images. Sometimes I have wanted access to both my camera and my camcorder. And as much as I absolutely love my D750, the video quality offered by this camera, for lack of a better word, sucks. This pretty much pulls me into the "Z" line of Nikon cameras, the mirrorless cameras. Nikon, after a slow start which found them falling well behind both Sony and Canon, has made great strides in the quality of their mirrorless cameras, especially in the past 2-3 years with the introduction of the Z8, Z9 and Z6iii cameras.
Remember when one of the primary attractions of mirrorless cameras was their relatively small size and weight when compared to their dSLR counterparts? Some still are but many aren't. What pushes me away from the Z8 and Z9 is two things. First is the cost--the Z8 lists for $3,500 and the Z9 sells for $5,500! Second is the size. My current camera weighs in at 750 grams. The Z8 is 910 grams and the Z9 a whopping 1,340 grams! I can't imagine walking around all day in any kind of setting, be it hiking or travel, carrying around that kind of equipment. Too pricey, too heavy.
So now I'm down to four options, three of them serious. First is to keep what I have and this isn't an attractive option. If it was, you wouldn't be reading this, would you?  Second is to stay in the dSLR family but upgrade slightly to a D780. Nikon has apparently abandoned the dSLR line, and this camera has been discounted by $700 and sits at just under $1,600 at bhphotovideo.com. The video is usable as opposed to the D750--the image quality similar enough that all but the pixel-peepers won't notice a difference. It's an option and until a year ago, my primary option. It is 90 grams heavier than the D750 but it's doubtful I would notice the 3 ounce difference even when out on a day long shoot.
But I get the sense here that by sticking with the dSLR world, I'm being left behind. Nikon almost certainly won't be announcing any new cameras of this type, and likewise, lenses. The writing is on the wall; mirrorless is the way of the future and, unless I die soon, it'a a future I will need to embrace at some point in time. Why not now?
What would have been a deal breaker was that F mount lenses aren't compatible with Z mount cameras. Nikon understood this, however, and developed an adapter to prevent those buying the new Z mount cameras from being left out in the dark with what is sometimes thousands of dollars worth of F mount lenses. Enter the FTZ adapter (which stands for F To Z...clever, huh?) and you can use most of your F mount lenses on these newer cameras, all for the fairly cheap price of $250. Are these lenses as good as the newly developed Z mount lenses? Mostly not, but at least you can still use your old F mount lenses unless you can save some cheddar for the newer lenses designed specifically for Nikon's Z mount cameras. Pretty sweet deal!
Anyway--my earlier decision was to replace my D750 with a D780 where I could have some video capabilities and retain great photo making capability. While the D780 sold for roughly the same as the Z6ii (around two grand), this cost would increase quickly after buying the FTZ adapter and eventually one or two Z mount lenses, such as the wonderful Z 24-120mm f/4 S lens, considered to be one of the sharpest in Nikon's Z mount stable. These sell for about $1,100. It's a financial investment I wasn't prepared to make.
And then Nikon announced the Z6iii earlier this year and eventually announced a $600 price drop in the Z6ii. My plans to buy the D780 were scrapped at once and it now became a choice between the Z6ii and Z6iii (priced at around $2,500). This represented about a thousand dollar difference! Did I need the Z6iii? No, and the minute differences in photo quality had me leaning heavily toward the Z6ii.
This is where I stood until just a month ago. A complication with upgrading my camera was my use of Lightroom 5, which wouldn't support any newer equipment. I'd have to upgrade to Lightroom Classic which is a subscription model. I won't get into my opinions on a one-time software purchase versus a subscription model, but the computer I had at the time ran Windows 7. You needed at least Windows 10 to install Lightroom Classic. I had considered buying Skylum's Luminar Neo which has some interesting features of its own. But the required operating system here is the same as Lightroom Classic which immediately rule it out as an option for me.
I had been using my old PC for nine years and it was sort of time for an upgrade anyway so I made the decision to invest in a higher end PC and it runs Windows 11. All set!
So here I was, ready to rock, until a couple weeks ago when I started seeing Youtube videos popping up putting forth rumors of a new Nikon Z series camera, a full-frame one at that, the Z5ii. And again I was spun into indecision. Should I wait to see what happens with this possible new release? How long do I want to wait, anyway. I mean, you could do this forever; there is always a new Nikon camera being rumored, so how long was I going to wring my hands over the options and possibilities? The answer to that question is, I simply do not know. As of today, it's a choice between the Z6ii, Z6iii and Z5ii (whenever it's going to be released, if at all!). These options will either change and I may go back and forth, or I could simply say "Screw it" and make a decision. I don't believe I'm going to fall victim to buyer's remorse in any case and am fairly certain that whatever I decide, I'll be happy with that decision for years to come. I've lived with the D750 for over six years now so I'm not someone who's upgrading constantly as some do. All I want it the same excellent image quality Nikon is known for along with good video quality. The video doesn't have to be top of the line. Just good.
More will be revealed.
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