I shoot raw and jpg as well and often compare my final result with the jpg. IMHO, my edits are far better over 90% of the time. Examples include being able to mask the background and drop the exposure by 1/2 or 3/4 stop to make the subject pop. Remove distracting objects. Adding an S in the tone curve. Dehaze. Color grading. ...

Have you noticed that on bright sunny days your photos have more contrast, seem sharper, colors seem to pop, and you see deep shadows. On overcast days, photos look flatter, softer, colors are less saturated, but shadows are less pronounced. The human visual system perceives higher contrast as sharper. That's why applying an S curve in the mid-tones (where the subject usually is) makes an image pop. Note: sharpness is different than detail. Detail is determined by how many pixels you have on the subject and the quality of the lens. Sharpness can be adjusted in Post. Of course, you can overdo it.

Whenever I get the urge to buy something new I ask 3 questions: will it make me a better photographer; will it give me capabilities that I will use that I don't have already; will it increase my keeper rate (I mainly shoot birds). The answer to question 1 is almost always no, but I do sometimes answer yes to questions 2 and 3. If you get a yes or two, go for it.

No problems with Win 10

Personal preference and to each his own. For me, I'll take the E-copy. Less expensive, no killing trees, no shipping, no room on my shelves, quick and easy online updates, ... I put my I-pad in my photo backpack, so I always have it with me. It's nice to have a large library I can take wherever I go.

How do you update a hard copy book when a major firmware change is released?

I am a fan and subscriber to the forums at backcountrygallery.com For nature and wildlife photography, there is no better resource.

Wow, this post is 18 months old. Sorry, I don't understand the comment / question as I wasn't talking about workflow, just comparing different color profiles for a couple of color printers I own. What it tells me is that the Canon Pro 1000 color space made with 12 pigment based inks is larger than the Epson XP-15000 color space made with 6 dye based inks. It tells me that the profiles provided by Red River Papers are as good as the ones I can do myself with my Xrite i1 Studio. It also shows that even the better printers, like the Canon Pro 1000, are deficient in reproducing the greens and purples of the Adobe RGB color space.

The amount of detail you can capture depends on the number of sensor elements you get on the subject and the quality of your lens. That's why filling the frame makes sense, but how much is enough? You can take some great photos at 12mp, or 1/4 of your frame, typical smartphone camera resolution. I have some great shots taken with a 5mp Panasonic DMC-FZ20.

I try and get as close as I can either physically or optically. If I can't, I'll still may take the shot, run it through Gigapixel AI and hope for the best.

I bought a Z9 because I knew it would improve my birding keeper rate compared to my D850 / D500 combination. I do not see any need for me to buy a camera just because it has a global shutter. If a global shutter was part of a much more extensive capability package, then I might buy one, but it's hard to believe I would need anything beyond what the Z9 offers.

It uses IBIS to move the sensor over and up then takes several images. When I was looking into it a while back, Sony took 16 images then combined them with a computer app outside of the camera. Canon took 9 images then combined them in camera to produce a jpg. The camera must be held extremely still for it to work. I’m not sure I would use it preferring to take slightly overlapping images then stitch together in post.

Have a Z9. When I read through the Z8 updates, as mentioned, pixel shift was interesting, but reviewers have not been kind to other cameras with this feature. Not much interesting other than that. Given that the Z9 is Nikon's flagship, and the Z8 and Z9 are twinsies, I would be surprised if there isn't a Z9 firmware update in the near future. There was a Nikon Rumor in early December that there were updates in the works for both the Z8 and Z9 that were supposed to be released by the end of the year. It didn't happen, but maybe the Z8 firmware was ready first.

Excellent discussion. It's the Art and Science of photography. As I became relatively competent with the Science part, I started focusing on the Art and it took me down a completely different path. On the surface, what makes a good photo is lines, shapes, form, color, texture, composition, lighting, how to set a mood and tell a story. Easy, right, but you post what you think is a good photo and you get few or no likes, or worse, harsh criticism, why?

A photo is a transaction between the photographer's work and the viewer. Viewers are a huge random variable. An image that resonates with one group may actually offend another group, yet there are some iconic images that are universally liked. For example, a lone tree on hill as the sun sets or with the moon in the background. A happy child or children playing, ... When taking a Psyc class we read a research paper studying the differences between men and women. A series of photos with a wide variety of subjects were shown to the participants who were asked to rate the photos. The only photo both men and women liked was picture of a pretty young mom holding a baby. It turns out the men liked the mom and the girls liked the baby. Did you know that in addition to red, green, and blue cones, women have cones that are sensitive to orange? So viewers don't even see the same way.

Sometimes I take snapshots to remember a place or event, but that's not the topic of this post. I came to the conclusion that I will capture images of subjects I like, that I find interesting. Do a competent job technically with the camera, and a competent job in Post. Different photographers find different things that are interesting. Some like, shapes, form and texture, but I like very colorful subjects and I love a beautiful flesh tone. I love photographing animals, especially water birds. If others like them - fine, if not, I don't care. Certainly, I don't change my photos to satisfy photographers on social media who think photography is about their cameras and glass. Cameras and glass are tools, not photography. Photographers have taken phenomenal images over the years with far less capable cameras than we have access to today. While I have a Z9, I am not at a disadvantage with my D7200 doing street photography.

If you want to become a better photographer, follow Alex Kilbee on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePhotographicEye He does not talk about gear, he talks about the Art of Photography.

I am a Nikon shooter with a D7200 and Z9. I will never sell my D7200 as it is the most fun camera I have. It's in my photo shoulder go bag and used often for street photography. The 18-140mm kit lens is one of the best pieces of DX glass out there. I cannot recommend a Z6, or Z7 for that matter. They were Nikon's first foray in to mirrorless and were well behind the competition. At a minimum I'd go for a Z6 II, but even that is well behind the curve.

If you are looking at the Z6 because of price, I'd recommend selling all your Nikon stuff and looking at Canon, which has much better performance, especially AF, around the same prices for Nikon used gear.

The only Nikon mirrorless cameras I recommend are the Z8 (2023 camera of the year) and Z9. I mainly use my Z9 for birding and sports, and use my D7200 and D850 for most everything else.

Designed and implemented the first commercial digital interface to the K193 Heliokllishograph machine circa 1980. Worked on the preliminary systems necessary to convert film to digital to cut digital cylinders. Have a patent (now expired) with a couple of colleagues on a color corrector used to convert film color spaces to print color spaces. Later did similar things for offset printing.

Do you have a specific question?