Really nice set, thanks for sharing.

Hi Dshake00,
Since you have prior experience with shooting cameras in the past, I suggest that you seek out Camera/Photography Clubs in your area to seek firsthand advice. Most club members have extensive knowledge of both film and digital equipment, but you need to know that whatever model they use may, or may NOT, be right for you, and almost all are sure that their model is the best that is available. The most important thing to you is "how does the camera feel in your hands up to your eye" and do the controls and menus make since? Good luck.

Even stronger composition. Excellent!

Really nice, I wish I could get back up there.

If I see something as I am going thru a normal day that I want to remember or capture for a specific reason, I can always use my cell phone and get a SOOC snapshot. It will always give me a quality likeness of what I saw that I want an image to remember.
If I am out doing photography, I usually have some basic ideas in mind. That means I have pre-conceived some ideas that have already caused me to select a camera system that will allow me to create an appropriate image based on the scenes that I may encounter. When I see something that sparks an idea for an image, I look for what I can make the final image look like in my mind's eye before shooting the scene. That is called pre-visualization and is always the best way for me to create an image that I will be happy with.
THAT ALWAYS REQUIRES POST PROCESSING in order to obtain the quality I hope to create! It also REQUIRES RAW images to create the best possible photograph. SOOC images have already discarded 50-75% of the total fine detail that can never be recreated.
This is my way of creating photographs, and it works for me. Others must develop their own method for creating images they can be happy with.
Side Note: I started out in the '60s with a 1/2 frame 35mm, progressed thru the '70s & '80s with small and large format and thru color and B/W darkrooms, the Zone System, and became a photography teacher/instructor until 2011. I became interested in digital photography in the early '90s.

"I'm in charge now, so get in the back of the line and I'll tell you what to do when you need to know!"

If 2023 will process all 3 Z9 NEF RAW file types, I am all in for the upgrade. If not, I am already all set! Not being able to process Z9 compressed RAW files is an inconvenience, but not a deal breaker.

When going from a DSLR to Mirrorless, you do lose something. In a DSLR you have an electro-mechanical shutter that has a mechanical lifespan, and a mechanical mirror with many moving parts that wear out over the lifetime of your camera along a sizable pentaprism that is no longer needed. The Mirrorless camera takes the image from the lens directly to the image sensor, sends it to the electronic viewfinder and/or LCD directly thru non-moving electronic components, (except for the shutter button), thru the CPU to your storage card. That means you no longer have any highly sensitive and fragile electro-mechanical components in a slightly smaller box.

So, according to USPS, I am going to receive my Z9 tomorrow. That does not mean I am giving up my beloved D850, at this point it will likely be in my coffin when I die unless one of my grandchildren talk me out of it.

Yes, I can relate to your problem, it happened to me a long time ago. Fortunately, I had also been using On1 Photo Raw and testing its capabilities, and when Adobe decided to make theirs a monthly rental, I went with On 1 stand alone. On 1 is very similar to LR, and will update ever 6 months, their latest version is On1 Photo Raw 2022.5 and, to me, is everything LR wants to be. Last week it was on sale for only $50 for the full program. The "No Noise AI and Sharpening" feature is outstanding, and the cataloging is about the same as LR. One thing I like also like more in On 1 is not having to "import" in order to work on images like in LR. You can import them, but you don't have to if you don't need to. Go to youtube.com and look at a few of their tutorials, it is very easy to learn and a lot less expensive.

Sorry, I absolutely would not recommend 18-35 zoom for the D850, that will change his pictures from FF to DX format. I can agree with the 24-120G as being a really good lens for him and would also suggest a used 50mm f1.8 as a second lens that he can use as is or for panorama shots. I really enjoy using the 50 for vertical panorama shots, it is small, light and very sharp. Good luck.
P.S. The 24-70G does not have VR and is often attributed to motion blur, and the E version is very heavy on the D850.

I have had excellent results with "My Publisher". Able to spread panoramas across the pages and their print quality is excellent. Their dust jackets are also very good. See if you can look them up.

Yes, either and both will easily fit your needs. I have had the D850 for quite some time and have shot the Z9 several times to compare the images (mine is still on backorder). My advice is for you to handle both before you decide what is right for you. How does each FEEL in your hands up to your eye? They are both about the same weight but have a different feel. Which do you prefer? Z lenses are new design and, IMO lighter and better, but the FTZ adapter will allow you to use the older F mount lenses which will be exactly the same results as the D850.That of course will save you a lot of money overall. Just keep in mind, the D850 is the last of a generation of Nikon models and the Z line is a whole new line of Nikons.
P.S. The Z7 is more similar to the D850 than the Z9, but the 9 is actually a full Pro camera. Do you need a Pro camera?

Simplify your learning experience. I suggest that you get a used 50mm lens (preferably manual focus) and put both of your zoom lenses on the shelf for a while. Start with the basics and learn to see and mentally imagine what you would like to see different scenes as a photograph, one at a time. Don't get all hung up on of the modern gadgets on modern cameras yet, start by learning to see the picture in your mind's eye. Then, with the simplest camera and lens, learn to frame and control the image in your camera to create what your mind's eye is telling you to do.
The first thing will be the subject, select what the picture is to be about. Each good photograph should have one (1) subject to create 1 story.
Next, set your composition to tell that story completely and simply. As you need to show more or less of the overall scene you are looking at, that your "subject" happens to be in. Get closer to, or farther away, to add more or less story information. At this point I always suggest that you vigorously practice the KISS system, (Keep It Simple Stupid); that almost always works for me.
Now that you have determined your scene, and also your subject for the photograph, isolate how you want to portray that subject according to your mind's eye. Do you want very shallow depth of field, or do you everything to appear sharp? That will be determined by your lens to subject distance and your focal length/aperture based on the 50mm lens. For learning photography, zoom lenses really do confuse this step, and postponing zoom lenses until later really speeds up the learning curve. Position your camera capture the area and subject in the position to create the best impact of the story.
After you have begun to master this lens, you will be able to quickly learn how to use the lenses you already have sitting on a shelf somewhere. You will have learned to SEE you scene/subject as a picture, Compose and expose it as a photograph, and capture it as your mind's eye visualized it.
Good luck and happy shooting.

Nice shots! Good idea that has readily available subjects almost everywhere in the USA.

I would guess it is their personal preference, and anyone else's opinion has very little to do with that!