nikon123 Loc: Toronto, Canada

To billnikon - DX and FX lens with Z camera mount. Unless there is a motor in the lens, will have to revert to manual focus. AF will not work!

IDguy Loc: Idaho

The Z50 might be a better choice.

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

The lenses I listed will work fine. I do not understand your post. I did not list D lenses, they do not work. But all the other lens types I listed will work. Again, I do not understand your post.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

That shouldn’t be a problem because the D5600 also only autofocus with lenses that have a motor. The 75-300 won’t autofocus but it will work just like it does on the D5600. The 50 depends on which one, but again it will work as it does on the D5600. The 18-55 is a DX lens. It will work and focus but in crop mode and you’ll be losing over 50% of your pixels.
Edit: I thought 75-300, the 70-300 will focus fine, but if it’s the DX version it’ll only work in crop mode.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Outstanding, and I just love the GBH takeoff 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Well, for once, maybe twice, I agree with Paul from Chicago. South end of north bound critter pictures don't work very well. I also agree with everyone that recommends the D500. Great, fast auto focus and you get the benefit of the 1.5 crop factor for birds and such. Just because it's older doesn't mean it's ready for retirement. I use mine all the time with a Nikon 200~500 FX zoom. 750mm equivalent. Not as crop-able as with the D850, but at 750mm you don't need to crop much!

Rlti Loc: Medford, OR

My wife and I are retired, avid travel photo enthusiasts. In the last 10 years we have owned Nikon D70, D5300, D5600, D300, D7100, D500, Z7, Z7ii among others along with countless lenses. My wife has an all around photo interest and I have focused on bird and wildlife photography during our travels the last 5 years. The last 2 years we have been shooting our Z cameras and could never go back to DSLR's. For wildlife and bird photography, I highly recommend you consider a Z7ii rather than the Z6II because of the 2x pixel count. The price isn't much different and in addition to all the other mirrorless camera advantages, the Z7ii is like owning 2 cameras. You can set up to switch from full frame to one of several cropped modes with a touch of a button and still have almost 20mp's which allows for even deeper cropping if absolutely necessary before losing too much clarity. When you are lucky enough to use the full frame, the image clarity, even using the same lenses is in another world when compared to all the other cameras we have owned. Good shooting!

JD750 Loc: SoCal

OP said he wants sharper photos. How is it going to help him get sharper photos when he puts his crop lens on a full frame camera and loses significant amount of resolution?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Maybe he needs to make his transition in steps. Not being able to get all the way to the end of a joutney in one step is a very poor reason for not taking the first one...

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Always the equipment, never the photographer. The UHH tradition.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

It amazes me that people who do not shoot with "beginner" equipment are the same people who try to "guilt" others into staying with their beginner equipment. Or try to tell someone that a D90 is the same camera as a D300, as happened to me on this site a few years ago. (Hint: It's a long way from the same. And not better by any means.)

Because photography is my hobby, every penny I spend on it is discretionary. If I never spend another dime, life will go on just fine. Also because photography is my hobby, I do not care what a professional would do or what a professional might think. (With two notable exceptions, because they have studied carefully and know what they are talking about.) I have no aspirations to become a professional or even to look like one. As a retired engineer, I'm very familiar and skilled in cost/benefit analyses, return on investment, and all the related "discipline." None of that applies here. We as hobbyists are not making investments. That's delusional thinking. Affordability is the only financial consideration that matters.

I do not believe that changing equipment will automatically make anyone a better photographer. But I also know that there is absolutely no reason to remain chained to equipment that imposes limitations. And I have experience to know what at least some of that equipment is. If folks have come up against those limitations, I will investigate with them whether they are at a point where a different choice might be beneficial. Without feeling even a twinge of guilt.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Practice is cheaper than another new camera.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Your advice to OP on page 1 was spot on. Will OP take the advice? We don’t know. But it was good advice.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

That is a good summary!

The difference between a hobby and a job is a hobby does not have a schedule. ;)

Many many many years ago I considered photography as a profession. I ultimately choose to keep Photography as a creative outlet for myself, a hobby I could enjoy free of the demands of budget and schedules. I too choose engineering as a profession and it has been a good career.

However full time work means time devoted to hobbies is necessarily limited. And now I have a girlfriend and time is even more limited.

As I near retirement, looking back, I can see clearly that I do have a creative side, I wonder “what if” I had chosen the arts instead. Probably I’d be broke and starving, lol. I’m am thinking maybe I will have a little more time to devote to my creative passions after I retire.

nikon123 Loc: Toronto, Canada

I have re-read the question initially posed and the responses. Many of the questions posed after the first number of responses obviously did not take into account those answers. It is attributable to a number of causes/reasons:
Many of the people on the site don’t read; many of the people on the site don’t understand the language (this is not a knock on immigrants learning the language. It is more a lament for the general inability of people to understand the written word); many of the people on the site need their name in print, no matter how idiotic the post. It is tiresome to have to go through a substantial number of responses which should not have been sent!