RonHo Loc: Maine

The D850 has a shudder count of 6015, the Z7 would be lighter and mirror less seems to be the new way to go, comments con or pro.

CO

You will take a step down in autofocus performance. It's known that updated Z series cameras will be out soon. The Z6s and Z7s will have improved autofocus, dual card slots, dual Expeed processors, and compatible with vertical grips. I'm waiting to take a look at those.

baron_silverton Loc: Los Angeles, CA

You definitely should wait to see what the Z6S and Z7S have to offer - rumored to be announced late October.

Also, if you are not in a hurry, you might want to wait until the spring of next year as the new professional Z series (rumored to be the Z8 or Z9) should be announced. Also a new D880 to replace the D850 is supposed to be announced although if you are looking to save weight I doubt you'd be interested in that.

Finally if AF, two slots and vertical grip are not that important to you the current Z7 is a good choice other than those deficiencies and it will likely drop in price (certainly on the used market) when the Z7S is out.

Just some thoughts.
-B

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Question. Are you asking what you should do because you have decided what you want to do and are looking for Reinforcement of that decision? Are you considering mirrorless because you are drawn to that format or because it’s the next new thing?

bleirer

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larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I looked pretty hard at a Z7 not too long after getting my D850 at the invitation of my local camera store. This was when the Z7 was just out. I think they had a customer with a reservation back out and were needing someone to buy it. So I did, even though the "new" wasn't worn off the D850 yet. I thought it was a very nice camera...about 80% of my D850. I also felt like my D850 would still be plugging and chugging for quite a while after the Z7 was worn out or broken. It just didn't convey the same sense of ruggedness and durability. To me, right now, any benefit from the fractional reduction in weight did not pay for what I would be giving up. The Z7 presented as more a 'consumer' camera than the D850. It also appeared that the lenses were something like 40% more expensive than premium Nikkor lenses of equal focal length and speed. That is quite a penalty.

Making this even more interesting is that at the time, I was still working through some of the changes from the D810 to the D850 that I initially did not care for, including the relocated ISO button and the elimination of the onboard flash. (I have come to believe now that both of these changes are significant improvements.)

I cannot tell you for certain that my response would the same or different if I looked at the Z7 again. I do know that there is way too much hysteria around every new camera introduction. It seems that every new model that comes out is "the ultimate camera," only to be replaced by something else in a year or two. Since I've been active here, there has been <residual> hysteria around the D500 (which I finally got one of), the D850 (which I bought in late 2018) the Z7, the Z6, and several other models. I would be willing to bet that there was hysteria around the D810, the camera that almost everyone here has now dumped. The one thing I know for sure is that none of them is "the ultimate camera."

I believe that there are paths to a Z7 that make sense. I just don't see that any of them pass through the D850.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

It very much depends upon what you shoot and how you use your camera.

I have a Z6 along with a D800/300 and my greatest dissapointment with it is the closeness of controls hindering fast adjustments if used in action scenarios. I just hope Nikon considers this in any update models.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

If you read this too fast, it makes it sound like I might have bought the Z7. I did not.

BebuLamar

How much money do you lose on the D850?

JD750 Loc: SoCal

I’m not trading my Z7 for a D850. No way. Ok but that is me. I like mirrorless cameras. I prefer the EVF. I like the smaller size. I have been shooting mirrorless M43 format since circa 2005.

Your statement “mirrorless seems to be the new way” is not a resounding endorsement. What if you don’t like the mirrorless format? Some people prefer DSLRs and there is nothing wrong with that.

I think you should get some experience with a mirrlorless camera before you do anything. Make sure you understand what you are giving up, and what you are getting, before you make that trade.

Dalek Loc: Detroit, Miami, Goffstown

I have no intentions of trading my D850 given the current status of the Z line. Maybe someday when the features of the Z7 get better, I would think about it. I really enjoy the D850. I have played with the Z7 but did not have any Z specific lenses. I used the FTZ coupler but felt no "WOW" factor when I used the Z.
My suggestion on the trade, NO.
If you decide to get the Z, sell your D850 on your own as you will get more value than in a trade
Just keep shooting

Walkabout08

I moved to my Z7 from a crop sensor (D7100) for the new lenses. Camera bodies are temporal, the lenses much less so. And the new lenses are worth the price of admission. Yes the AF can be a compromise, especially if you’re focusing on a horizontal composition. See Steve Perry’s analysis. For anything else it’s spot on, quick without any hunting. The f4 24-70 kit lenses is outstanding. I just received the long awaited f 2.8 70-200 and it’s looking pretty great. If you already own a full suite of F mount lenses and a high end dslr body I can understand the reluctance to change systems. It’s going to cost you a lot of money for only a small increase in picture quality, if any at all. But if you’re like me and are questioning whether to go FF dslr or mirrorless, I think the Z bodies and lenses are the way to go.

Julian Loc: Sarasota, FL

That is a lot of 'shudder'! 😀😀

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Why???
--Bob

tdozier3 Loc: Northern Illinois

It's only "The New Way To Go" if you follow