AutoISO

For Nikon users: if you were to buy a new camera body today(ignore any current price deals) which of the following would it be:
D850
Z6 II
Z7 II
I have a D500 and both DX and FX lenses. Just want to add a full frame body. Do BIF with the D500 & 200-500. Looking for the ability of full frame to provide higher resolution and better low light/ISO capability. Really just like fooling around with these fantastic cameras and their capabilities . Body weight is irrelevant to me. Not sure I would need the 45mp capability of the Z7

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

The D850 is an operational twin to the D500. You can switch cameras in the dark and they operate exactly the same. Menus are the same, and all controls are in the same places and work exactly the same. Sensor density is also almost exactly the same. Equal Picture Control settings deliver identical editing starting points (or camera JPEGs). The Zs offer some crutches if there are shortcomings in your photographic knowledge or technique; the D850 has a couple of new functions since the D500 was introduced. By the way...the D850 has exactly the same sensor as the Z7/Z7II. So if you think the Z7 is too big, the D850 is also. But the rest of my suggestion is not to pigeonhole your D500. It will do just about everything the D850 will do in those cases where you don't need or want the extra resolution. Unless you do video, I don't see that getting a Z6 will buy you very much over your D500, even though it is a full frame camera...maybe a little low light performance, but not a lot.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

[quote=AutoISO]For Nikon users: if you were to buy a new camera body today(ignore any current price deals) which of the following would it be:
Just a word of caution: I added FF and honestly can't say it did much for me. Now thinking about selling a FF body to buy a D500. Maybe my FF bodies help in low light, but not much else.
I recommend you rent a FF body and do a rigorous comparison with your D500 and then decide.

Grahame Loc: Fiji

The D850.

I have a D800 and Z6 but find the Z6 too small and fiddly.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Z6II with the 24-70 and 70-200 Z mount lenses.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The D850 will feel completely familiar to your D500. And yes, despite naysayers, an FX camera is an improvement over a DX - better detail capture, better low light performance, more cropping options, the ability to get the most out of the best optics, etc.

About 7 years ago I had a D300S as my main camera, with a D200 as a backup. I bought a D700 - even though it was 12 mp like the D300, the images were several orders of magnitude better for most of the reasons stated above - cropping was still somewhat limited. I liked the difference an FX camera brought to my images, so I ditched all of my DX stuff, and bought a used D3S - which, even by today's standards, has outstanding low light/high ISO performance.

I went on to get a D800 and a D810 - and discovered the concept of downsampling an image to 12 mp in order to tame the noise. My D810 has a noise characteristic of the D3S when I downsample the 36 mp image to 12 mp. With a D850's 45 mp, you can downsample even more, and crop to your heart's delight. One thing I did notice when I went from 12 mp to 36 mp - lenses that were ok with 12 mp all of a sudden turned to junk on 36 mp. I had borrowed a 28-300 from Nikon when I owned the D700 and while I was not particularly thrilled with it, I thought I could use it from time to time. I held off knowing I would soon be getting a D800 and I was sure glad I did - the lens was mostly awful on a 36 mp body - so I saved myself a few $$$ by waiting. The moral to the story is - be prepared to spend some $$$ if you want to get the most out of a high mp body. Otherwise stay below 24 mp and you'll have a few more lens options.

CO

I would get the Nikon Z6II. 24 megapixels is more than enough and you'll have lower digital noise than with 45 megapixel bodies. It's an excellent camera and Nikon is focusing their efforts in developing Z-mount lenses right now. I don't know if there will be any more F-mount lenses released. I have a D500, D750, and D7500. I rented the Z6II for two weeks just recently. I will be purchasing one soon. I used it at a studio photo shoot recently. The face and eye detection autofocus worked great.

The first two photos here are not sharp because they are screen shots. I turned on "Show Focus Points" in Nikon Capture NX-D. I did this just to show the face and eye detection autofocus.

The third photo is not a screen shot.

Face detection AF, Nikon Z6II

(Download)

Eye detection AF


Nikon Z6II, 24-70mm f/4 S lens

(Download)

BebuLamar

I only use full frame camera until people stop using the word crop.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My D500 with the 200-500 lens attached gives me award winning photo's, tack sharp. I do shoot the D850 but the D500 with the 200-500 can deliver superior images. If your not getting excellent images with your D500/200-500, a D850, Z6II, or a Z7II will not make a difference. I would suggest mentoring to improve your current images.

tcthome Loc: NJ

You will get way better ISO performance with the Z6ll if your looking for better low light & still have the shutter count(FPS). I haven't tried a mirrorless but the EVF black-out might be a problem for wildlife burst shooting. I know you said don't consider $$$ but, you have to get the vertical grip & battery cap for the , ENL-18 battery & the charger to get a 9fps release rate for the D850. I have the D810 with the Nikon 200-500 & it is a great combo in good to great light for wildlife. Get into some shaded areas for small birds & the focus struggles. I will say the higher mp helps as I do heavy cropping for most of my wildlife photos. Tough call between the Z6ll & the D850. I lust for the D850 myself & am pretty close to pulling the trigger. That & a used 500-600mm F4 down the road & would be set for life, hopefully. Good luck with your decision.

ejpeters Loc: New Jersey, USA

The Z6 ll is what I am purchasing. I rented the Z6 for the weekend and loved it. I did think of the Z7 ll, but I am going for the Z6 ll. It felt great to shoot with.
I have the D610, D750 and the D7200 currently. I am selling the D610 and will sell the D750 also.
I did think of the D850, but weight is a problem for me since breaking my elbow.
I shot with the D850 also, but still went with the Z6 ll.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Most people only dream of success, the successful few wake up and buy a mirrorless camera.

Gspeed Loc: Rhinebeck, NY

Stick with what you have; use the $ you would have paid for the D850 to do some really nice travel and bring your D500 with you.

You're welcome.

~ Eileen

AlanW Loc: Upstate NY

A year ago I only had a D7200. I wanted a camera with a flip out screen for low level perspectives and I wanted to "try" full frame and mirrorless (mostly for the EVF). The Z6 was getting rave reviews and would let me use my existing lenses with the FTZ adapter. After spending an hour with it at B&H, I bought the Z6 kit when it was on sale black friday 2019. I'm very happy with that decision. My 200-500 is permanently attached to my D7200 and the Z6 is my go to camera for everything else. The Z6 is a great camera but there are a few things that bother me, 1) the camera body is small for average size hands. I keep a Smallrig L-bracket on it all the time. It gives me a larger grip for my hand and the vertical part is removable(though I never take it off). The new battery grip might eliminate this need on the Z6II. 2) The EVF doesn't refresh quite fast enough for me when doing high frame rate shooting. Not a show stopper, just an inconvenience. 3) Switching between F mount and Z mount lenses in the field can be a bit cumbersome not just for the adapter but for the 2 different size caps required. Too many moving parts for my 2 hands. :) With Z cameras you will want to buy Z glass for this reason and also the fact that they are great lenses (I have 3 now). So you need to bear that in mind when deciding. My next body move is probably replacing the D7200 with a D500. If I didn't have the Z6 and had to choose one of the 3 for myself, it would be the Z6II. But that for my needs. Only you know your needs and can decide what is right for you. Hope this helps with your decision. Good luck. :)

Alan

nikon123 Loc: Toronto, Canada

I’m not certain what the statement means. However, I think that it is an endorsement of the mirrorless system.
My D500 fell onto pavement due to what I believe is a poorly designed Black Rapid product. The camera still ‘works’ for now and the repair bill would be significant.I purchased the Z6, sold most of the lenses that I owned and over time have acquired the Z lenses 14-30mm and 85mm. The camera came with the 24-70 f/4 lens. I love the size and weight of this mirrorless package. I find that the z lenses are sharp, certainly sharper and lighter than the 24–120 f/4 Nikon lens which I had matched to my D500. Truly an inferior lens past 80mm, if that.
In summary - go for the Z6 ll and look at z lenses to replace your Fx lenses. Dx lenses and lenses without built in motor drives will not autofocus on the mirrorless camera. Dx lenses will not be compatible with a FF camera. I would consider the Z6 since I unferstand that the z6 ll upgrsded are worth the rxcedd cost,