leftj Loc: Texas

If you are expecting a DSLR i think your hooe will be dashed.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Ok I forgot about the extra .7, but the D5600 is actually 24.2, so the D5600 has about 17% more resolution than the D7500 while the D7500 has a little under 15% less than the D5600. That 7% only comes in to play if you’re talking about resolution as number of lines, which doesn’t make as much sense for digital cameras.
As for the Nikon announcement I’m pretty sure it’ll be the Z8 but it would be nice if it also included a Z90 to replace the D500 and the 200-600 lens everyone is waiting for.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Nope. I am hoping for a true D850 replacement at a reasonable price point. Not holding my breath, though. We were without a replacement for the D300 for 4 years, and we are going on 2 years without a replacement for the D500.

I'm good with what I have for a really long time, but would be interested in the "right" mirrorless camera...for an IR or full spectrum conversion, if nothing else.

User ID

Rosolution is for *resolving* details. Therefor its always linear. Theres no new regime for digital vs earlier photography.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Lens resolution. Camera resolution is what the camera is.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Great that you have decided and glad it was useful. :)

FYI - the thread will probably continue for a few more pages ad if you enjoy the entertainment great otherwise time to unlatch it. LOL.

bjojade Loc: Wausau, WI

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neillaubenthal

Realistically…going 'mirrorless' or staying with a DSLR has little to do with the mirror but rather with some of the things that come along with it. The Z50 has a newer sensor design than any of the DSLRs and hence might have a little less noise at equivalent ISO values…but for all practical purposes unless you got one of the FX Z bodies with higher MP and cost IQ isn't going to change much.

So…why go mirrorless?

The Z lens mount has a wider throat and Z lenses are designed using newer and more powerful optical design software than the F mount lenses had…those two items mean that generally the Z lenses have better IQ than their equivalent F mount brothers…and are generally lighter and smaller as well. Whether that increase in IQ is worth it is up to you.

Responding to another comment…IQ has markedly increased with the Z mount lenses over their F mount brethren due to the above reasons and even the good F mount glass like my former 500PF was better on a Z body IQ wise than on the D7500 even at frame filling distances…because the AF is better on the Z bodies and the AF sensors are on the imaging sensor. And the Z mount equivalent lens…for instance the 400/4.5 which is a 560/6.something with the 1.4TC…it's better with the TC on than the 500PF was bare…and there is fundamentally no IQ difference with or without the TC.

The real reasons to update to a Z system are the things that come along with the mirror removal.
-smaller and lighter bodies…for instance the FX Z6/7 series are the same size and weight as the DX 7500 is and the Z50 is smaller than it is.
-the electronic viewfinder or EVF. This takes a little getting used to…but has the advantage of being able to show you a whole bunch more info than the old optical one did
-key improvement is newer fasterprocessor and newer and better AF systems including eye AF depending on model…that's more a matter of Moore's Law and advancing technology and has nothing to do with mirror or not.
-quite operation…you can set a Z to remain totally silent while shooting
-generally speaking…higher frame rates

Whether all of those make sense for your style of shooting, wants, needs, and budget is something only you can decide. For myself…I went from a D7500 to a Z7II and later on added a Z9 and have sold all my old gear and F mount lenses…the few times I tried using the D7500 with my 500PF after I got the Z7II it felt like a dinosaur and nothing worked the way I was then used to.

And as others have stated…your skills are really the key to getting better photos…you'll generally get more keepers with the better AF, particularly for active/moving subjects…but we used to get keepers in the DSLR days and even back in the SLR days. Mostly the issue is that the DSLR is now dead/antique/legacy tech…it still works but there won't be anything new lens wise or body wise or firmware update wise for those models…while the Zs are continuing to improve over time with updated firmware…but again whether that's important is something you have to decide. Sticking with a DSLR and accepting all of the above "I don't have those new features and capabilities" might fit your style/budget/needs/etc just fine…and the pictures you take will for the most part not be any better although you might get a higher keeper rate. OTOH, if some of those capabilities entice you…then a move to a Z body and lenses is a good idea. Like you…I kept my F lenses when I got the Z7II and got only the 24-70/f4 and 70-200/f2.8 lenses originally…but once I saw how good the Z lenses were compared to the F ones I gradually updated to Z only glass.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

I think, from what I have read, is that the Z50 is comparable to the 7500.
I have a 7100 and a 7500. I thought that being able to use my existing lenses would make the upgrade worthwhile. But after research, I have come to the conclusion that it would not be an upgrade. So I am thinking of the Z5.

But that is just me. I don't know what other people think.

https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-cameras/nikon-z-camera-reviews/nikon-z50-camera-review.html

leftj Loc: Texas

I'm curious, not critical but would be interested in your thinking that the Z50 would not be an upgrade to the D7500.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

From Thom's review of the Z50...



While the two Z50's I used measured very much like my D7500 in most tests, I perceive a small but useful visual difference in the higher ISO values. This is particularly true with JPEGs, but that’s probably just Nikon tuning EXPEED a little better. Yet even in raw conversions I saw a slight change to the way noise is produced. Again, technically the Z50 measures pretty much the same as the earlier 20mp Nikons. However, one thing we don’t talk about much as photographers is that the same dynamic range measurements can look a bit different.

I suspect that there’s been a slight change to either the linearity of the ADC, the Bayer filtration, or perhaps the optical impacts of the near-IR filter on the Z50 from those things in the D500/D7500. The noise stays “polite” a little higher in the ISO range, and thus I’d swear I see a bit more detail at ISO 3200 on my Z50 than on my D7500. I didn’t have my D500 or D7500 to shoot side-by-side with the Z50 at the CU football game, but I’ve shot enough with the D500 under those lights with the same lens. My Z50’s images seem to have a very slight detail edge over the D500 ones shot at the same settings with the same lens. (When I write “very slight”, I mean the both the very and slight. I showed two sets of images to another pro and he didn’t see the difference at first until I pointed out some low level rendering structures to him.)

And yet, again, the three cameras—D500, D7500, and Z50—all measure the same in Imatest (within sample variation limits). So don’t expect any obvious difference, just know that what I feel is one of the best APS-C sensors seems to be doing a little better job in its latest incarnation.

In other words, Nikon has managed to pull a rabbit out of its hat. A camera that clicks off quite a few solid talking points while not getting caught up in the "add features" (complexity!) and "add megapixels” (more!) games.

But here's the thing: it's not a D7500. The Z50 is really more something the D5600 crowd will immediately take to. Sure, it's got two dials like the D7500 and higher-speced cameras, and it includes a lot of higher-end features, but in terms of the simplicity, directness, and vlogging type crowd, the Z50 is much more like the D5600. When I write about the Z50, I position it between the D5600 and D7500. The Z50 can absolutely appeal to either type of user, though. It's just that one gets a little more than they'd expect (D5600 user) the other gets a little less (D7500 user).

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Now I’m curious as to what it doesn’t give you that the D7500 does. To me it looks like it gives you more. The only external controls missing are the Live View switch, (superfluous on the Z50), and the +/- buttons. Nothing that affects shooting.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

There is the internal focus motor on the D7500 but OP has lenses with the built in motor so that's probably not an issue for him.

Another question that OP might want to consider is how long will DSLRs and F lenses, be supported. The Z system is the future for Nikon, when DSLRs profits "fade from black to red" the DSLR line will be dropped. Of course some of us are still shooting film so, it might be a while for DSLRs to completely disappear. But film is a different medium, and that is not the same as a different camera format.

topcat Loc: Alameda, CA

I don't think that it gives you more, it only gives you the same.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

You’re not looking very close. It gives you the many advantages of mirrorless and eye focus.