I’m not policing at all. I’m advocating that people stop policing and treating people poorly.
Geez you guys are disgusting. I’m out of here.

Now see, that last sentence was totally unnecessary.

To ask for gear advice on this forum, you must have thick skin. It should be the perfect place to get advice and opinions from people with experience. But for some reason, some folks seem to enjoy discouraging and patronizing. I think there are a number of possible factors, but I shouldn’t offer an opinion. I will say that it is often destructive and doesn’t usually reflect well on the “advisor”. Oh heck, here is an opinion: It gives them a feeling of superiority, they are purely jealous, or they just aren’t a very personable personality. There is nothing wrong with advice that tries to prevent a mistake. But these types of choices seldom have a right or wrong answer and are NOTHING to get disrespectful or insulting over.

Absolutely. I knew I was leaving something out. There is so much you can leave out on this amazing camera. I also failed to mention this factor to the OP: as time goes by, I expect the value of the EF lens to decline in resale value as more and more Canon folks move to the RF series - the demand for EF drops and the inflation value of RF goes up. Who knows how early or quick this will happen but it was an additional factor in my decision, not to mention the improved lenses. The new 70-200 F4 is sweet sweet sweet.

Here is almost everything you need to know: I traded my 5D’s MK 3 &4 for 2 R5’s. I absolutely am in heaven. Love seeing your exposure levels live in the viewfinder. Amazed by the unbelievable eye focus. Dynamic range improvement is very substantial. The swiveling screen is priceless.
The cost is substantial. I also traded 3 lens but kept my EF 100-400. The learning curve is substantial but exhilarating at the same time. If you love cameras and taking pictures, you will be very very satisfied. The only downside is the extra battery you have to carry and the cost of the memory cards. So shop to determine what your cost will be, if you are willing and able to spend the dough, jump all over it with no delay.

Yes another. Groan.

I wish I had added this: I LOVE my photo of the Last Supper. When I look at it, it’s like I’m standing in that room in Italy. I don’t care how many pictures there are of it. This one is mine. It transports me to a place that I want to return. And I will, and will most likely take another picture. Then I will have Last Supper #1 and Last Supper #2 - and will be twice as happy.

YES, on everything you said.

I’ve seen 2 posts that seem to believe my Grand Canyon post was indicating you shouldn’t shoot it because it has been shot so many times. I said “yes”, you WOULD shoot it. It was an argument to REFUTE the claim you shouldn’t shoot the Last Supper because it had already been shot. It is very discouraging when people “take” the opposite of your meaning. That actually is the major problem with “media”.

Actually, the question should be, why do we call it Milan, when it is actually Milano. And Rome is Roma, and Venice is Venezia? Why do English speaking people change the names of places that don’t belong to them? Guess we will never know. The people in Italy weren’t able to answer that question for me.

Taken with a Canon 5D3 in 2016 with an EF 24-105 lens, handheld, set on ISO 1600, F/4.0, 1/15 second. You will notice the colors are slightly washed out looking. That is because that is the way it looks. It is a VERY old painting and the colors are NOT vivid. The biggest challenge is getting your camera above the heads and cameras if everyone else. (But not as challenging as photographing the Mona Lisa - that was impossible for me).
If you go to the Grand Canyon, would you take a photo, even though it has been photographed a few million times? Yes. Don’t pay any attention to the critics on UHH. There are many insufferable critics that live to criticize and discourage. I don’t know why. There is also some amazingly good advice. Here is my photo.

At the very least, you (and others) need to frame your comments differently. He didn’t ask if he should want to buy a Z9 or if he needed a Z9. He didn’t ask to be talked out of buying one. The most irritating element of reading the Ugly Hedgehog is the near constant berating, haranguing, and disapproval when people state what they wish to buy.
My advice to anyone considering asking for advice on UHH is to prepare yourself, have a thick skin, prepare to be belittled. Ignore all the insults to your intelligence. Glean the good advice of which there is a lot. But don’t be ashamed of wanting something anything. That includes beginners that want a camera better than Ansel Adams (in his time). I like having a car that far exceeds my driving ability.

Here is how easy it is: buy the code from the people that have already developed it for the phone app (if you don’t wish to develop it in-house). Then, hire a high school freshman to develop the code that connects the already existing process of the lens telling the camera what f-stop, focal length, and distance focused is already set. Bingo. You are now ahead of every other camera manufacturer.

I don’t understand the resistance to this idea. You guys are throwing up “straw men”. There is a computer in the camera and software in the lens. It could be implemented very easily and more accurately than ever. I believe there was a photo posted earlier in this very thread of expanding depth of field lines on a zoom lens. A triangle over the closest focused distance and another over the maximum focused distance is EXACTLY a depth of field indication. In a computerized camera system it would be more accurate than has ever been able to be implemented. And it all would be much more accurate and convenient than using a smartphone app.