Why I (and I think many others) wont be buying many Z mount lenses for quite a while....

[andreasb]

I guess first I have to buy a Z body and that's not happening until it is sports/wildlife oriented but I'm sure it will come, my guess is early next year.

The reasons why I would buy Z lenses are

• Lighter and smaller
• Optically better (sharper corners I guess)
• New cool features (the control ring)
• Lens designs they couldn't make for the F mount

But the real reasons why I wont be buying a lot of Z lenses in the foreseeable future are:

• I have a ton of F mount lenses and can use them If I need to. I know about the adapter pain, I don't really like it on my EOS M5, but it does work very well.
• I really don't like having a set of lenses that doesn't work on all my bodies. I will for sure move to mirror less slowly, keeping my D850 and or D500 for quite some time. So if I buy a Z lens it does have to be very special, and here is where I think Nikon has not really come up with a plan. I would of course buy the 24-70 F4 because it is small light and sharp so that one falls in the reasonably special category (plus price is good. But I really would have wanted a 24-120mm F4 replacement. The Nikon Noct 58mm F0.95 is more then special its a specialty lens that few of us can afford and would really need. Canon (bless their heart ) are doing their damnest to come up with interesting lenses for their R series, and for me they just did . The Canon RF 24-240mm F4.5-F6.3 is a very compelling walkaround/all the time/travel lens, if the IQ is what it promises. To bad for Canon that their Mirror less bodies are such duds, but that will change too, rumors of a new sensor generation with better DR is in the air....
• It is also a sad truth that I just plain cant afford to buy all new lenses all the time. My super tele's will have to work with an adapter for quite some time since they are so expensive (and work well as is).

My message to Nikon (or Canon or Sony):

You are going to have to earn my move to mirror less.....

 

[Jonathan F/2]

I believe the demographic on the 'cafe is geared towards the older, stills-only photographer. Millennials and younger though are more stills/video oriented due to exposure to smart devices and the one major advantage of the Z lenses will be for video work (mainly for their fast and silent focus). I think Nikon is pricing the Z lenses for the long haul, so eventually prices will fall. I think you'll be fine with your Nikon super tele lenses for awhile. The sensor and tech behind the Sony A9 will most likely arrive in a Nikon pro spec'ed mirrorless body or at least trickle into future DSLRs.

As much as I don't like having to buy new lenses either, I also think it was the right move for Nikon to make a new mount. Had they stuck with the F-mount with mirrorless, they would of been at a serious disadvantage compared to the competition and they still would of had to make new, mirrorless specific lenses that wouldn't be backwards compatible (E aperture, AF-P motor, etc.). At least with the Z mount they can maintain backwards compatibility while gaining all the advantages of the bigger mount.

 

[alexf]

Have 4 F-mount bodies and 17 F-Mount lenses.
That is a big investment, not to mention 3 of my bodies are DX, two I use for wildlife. For architecture, walk around the old D700 still works well with my many FX lenses.
Weight is not my major issue. If I want light, although now very old and I don't use it, the D80 still works and it is small and light and takes all but my AIS lenses.

Why would I change/invest at this time?
Video? Not interested.

 

[andreasb]

I agree that it was the right move with the Z mount, and I didn't think much about Video, that is a good point, this will be a long long changeover and Nikon needs revenue now, so they have to show some leg and give us something a bit more exiting to lust for, Canons lenses do and Sony Bodies too, Nikons are missing a few key points for me, buffer and less blackout time....

I believe the demographic on the 'cafe is geared towards the older, stills-only photographer. Millennials and younger though are more stills/video oriented due to exposure to smart devices and the one major advantage of the Z lenses will be for video work (mainly for their fast and silent focus). I think Nikon is pricing the Z lenses for the long haul, so eventually prices will fall. I think you'll be fine with your Nikon super tele lenses for awhile. The sensor and tech behind the Sony A9 will most likely arrive in a Nikon pro spec'ed mirrorless body or at least trickle into future DSLRs.

As much as I don't like having to buy new lenses either, I also think it was the right move for Nikon to make a new mount. Had they stuck with the F-mount with mirrorless, they would of been at a serious disadvantage compared to the competition and they still would of had to make new, mirrorless specific lenses that wouldn't be backwards compatible (E aperture, AF-P motor, etc.). At least with the Z mount they can maintain backwards compatibility while gaining all the advantages of the bigger mount.

 

[Randy]

I won't switch unless IQ is better and AF is as good and DR is as good, D5 & D850 are my base lines. The 300pf and 500pf have brought me the smaller I needed. And even the 500e delivered smaller and easier to hold. So I scratch my head why someone gets a Z7 and uses a non z lens with an adaptor. What's the point ? What's better ? How much smaller is a Z7 than a D850

Now introduce a native z 400 2.8 lens with way less size and I'm starting to get interested

 

[Palouse]

The way I see it from my perspective, my Z6 is not a replacement for my D850 but an alternative tool with which to photograph. The FTZ adapter gives me the flexibility to use my F-mount lenses on it. Will I be buying more S-line glass? I don't know. Will I be buying any more F-mount glass? I don't know. What will I consider when I do buy any glass? I don't know.
What me worry?

 

[CAJames]

I’m not interested in being an early adopter, but I’m excited about eventually getting a Z body exactly because of all the advantages of S mount lenses, esp. wide angle for landscape. I don’t care that much about the new bodies per se, but to me the new lens are second only to digital as the most important development in photography in the 40 or so years I’ve been doing it.

 

[Mike Buckley]

my Z6 is not a replacement for my D850 but an alternative tool with which to photograph.

Keep in mind that Randy's post compared the Z7 (not the Z6) to the D850. The Z7 costs slightly more than a D850 at B&H, so he understandably asked what's better about the Z7. The Z6 costs a lot less and, thus, shouldn't be thought of as a replacement of the D850.

 

[Butlerkid]

Keep in mind that Randy's post compared the Z7 (not the Z6) to the D850. The Z7 costs slightly more than a D850 at B&H, so he understandably asked what's better about the Z7. The Z6 costs a lot less and, thus, shouldn't be thought of as a replacement of the D850.

However, I can use my D850 for BIFs, wildlife, etc - in fact any subject - with great success. The focus acquisition, tracking, etc. are only slightly less than the D5. The D850 is truly a "do it all" camera. And I don't need new lenses....

 

[Bohdan]

I have a Z6 as well as a D850; D500; Olympus OMD 1 Mark II. All of which have their uses. 13/great quality lenses - all of which have their uses. I didn’t hesitate to buy the Z6 because it served a need ( my wife would say “want”) Did I think it would replace the qualities of the D850; D500; or even the Olympus mirrorless system? Unequivocally no! I love each system for their strengths not their shortcomings. Will I continue to add to my hardware? Absolutely! I’m not about comparing one camera or a lens to another for similar strengths., but rather enjoying their individual strengths . In other words I’ve accepted that in photography there is not, in my opinion one camera to rule them all

 

[Palouse]

Keep in mind that Randy's post compared the Z7 (not the Z6) to the D850. The Z7 costs slightly more than a D850 at B&H, so he understandably asked what's better about the Z7. The Z6 costs a lot less and, thus, shouldn't be thought of as a replacement of the D850.

My 2 cents, now devalued to 1

 

[crazy]

It’s a good, no, great time to be into photography with the wide array of choices.

 

[ac12]

The way I see it from my perspective, my Z6 is not a replacement for my D850 but an alternative tool with which to photograph. The FTZ adapter gives me the flexibility to use my F-mount lenses on it. Will I be buying more S-line glass? I don't know. Will I be buying any more F-mount glass? I don't know. What will I consider when I do buy any glass? I don't know.
What me worry?

This is similar to the question of DX or FX ?
Should I get a DX lens for my DX camera, or a FX lens anticipating an upgrade to FX.
But what if I don't upgrade to FX?
And now, what if I go to a Z camera instead of a FX dSLR?

 

[Panther]

I believe the demographic on the 'cafe is geared towards the older, stills-only photographer. Millennials and younger though are more stills/video oriented due to exposure to smart devices and the one major advantage of the Z lenses will be for video work (mainly for their fast and silent focus).

Bingo!!!

 

[Mike Buckley]

I've never felt Nikon planned for D850 owners to migrate to the D7 unless its lower weight (1.29 pounds compared to 2 pounds) has a particular, understandable appeal for certain photographers. Instead, I think Nikon planned the D7 as an alternate to the D850 as an upgrade from a lesser Nikon body for those who find the benefits of mirrorless technology appealing.

 

[Palouse]

This is similar to the question of DX or FX ?
Should I get a DX lens for my DX camera, or a FX lens anticipating an upgrade to FX.
But what if I don't upgrade to FX?
And now, what if I go to a Z camera instead of a FX dSLR?

Or if you go back as far as I do, film vs digital. and for some here B&W vs color. Life IS good!

 

[ac12]

Or if you go back as far as I do, film vs digital. and for some here B&W vs color. Life IS good!

Yup, I used my F2 until I got my D70.
And I shot B&W cuz I could print my own prints. Color was 98% slides.

 

[Kattekrab]

Last month I decided to sell my Nikon D800, 12-24 F2.8, 24-70 F2.8 and 70-200 F2.8 and I upgraded to a Nikon Z7 together with the new Z 24-70 F2.8. At first I wanted to buy the D850. Why did I opt for the Z7? For action photography, I still have a D500. And for this purpose, I don't see why the D850 is a better camera beside it's resolution. What are the other things I like to photograph? Travel, landscapes and macro photography, and again I think the Z7 is the better option for me for those subjects. I'm also convinced mirrorless will be the future. Probably my geeky side talking, due to the fact I work in IT.

Don't get me wrong, I'm convinced the D850 is a great camera and if I couldn't have 2 bodies, I would go for the D850.

Concerning the lenses, buying the Z 24-70 F2.8 was a no-brainer for me. It's my go-to lens, and I guess 60-70% of all my pictures are taken with my ex 24-70. Since I use the D500 only for action photography, I had no problem buying a Z mount lens. I also plan to buy a wide angle lens and the Z 14-30 is so temping. And for me more usable than the 12-24. It doesn't weigh that much and you can use filters. Would I buy a Z mount macro lens if I could? Of course!

I already have the 80-400 and the 200-500. Perhaps, I'm looking into a 500 PF. But at this moment I wouldn't buy a Z mount version of it. It's to early. And Nikon knows probably, because there's no long lens to see on it's roadmap for the coming 2-3 years. But I need to admit, I will give the Z7 also a go at wildlife photography. Just for fun.

 

[Martin Norden]

I love my Z7 and 24-70/f4, I went for the Z7 rather than the D850 as I wanted to reduce the size of my kit-bag, the D850 is a lovely camera but it is a big beast and that wasn't the direction I wanted to go. I have a bag-full of F mount lenses, AF and MF, but I am not keen on using the FTZ as it is never on the lens I want so changing two lenses when I should only have to change one is just a faff. Also, I feel that the FTZ makes the lenses unbalanced on the Z7 and overall I just don't like it. I know others get on with it fine and I honestly thought that I would but I just cannot get used to using it. Don't get me wrong it works fine when I have it on the camera, it is just me not liking it. Maybe if I hadn't bought the 24-70 and had the FTZ permanently on the camera and only used F mount lenses I might look at this differently.

The Z range is limiting at present and I am not a fan of the direction of Nikon's lens roadmap for new Z lenses, although it is very nice to see an 85mm launched this week, which at some point next year I will add to the bag once the price has dropped. Next up however will be the Z 50/f1.8, this has come down in price quite a bit since it was introduced last year and is now at a more realistic price, especially as I have a couple of old and no longer used AFD lenses to P/X.

The quality of images that I get from the Z7 - 24-70/f4 combination is awesome, there is no issue with the sharpness of that 'kit' lens it is very very good, the camera is a joy to use, the reduction in size from my DSLR is great, I can carry the camera around whenever I am out, it is not too heavy or conspicuous which means that I am more confident using the camera out on the street.

I believe that Mirrorless is the way forward, I accept that the Z7 it is not for everyone and those that have specific needs (Sport, Animals, Birds etc) may well prefer to stick with a DSLR for now but as a travel camera, landscape camera, general all round camera the Z7 is difficult to bit IMHO.

 

[Walter Rowe]

I didn’t “move” to the Z platform. I “added” the Z platform. It can back up my D850 for portraits, and the Z platform is far more comfortable for travel. I have 4 F-mount lenses. Over time as more comparable Z lenses arrive I will likely purchase the ones I need and retire the F platform.

This is very much an individual decision based on one’s needs. One person can justify the Z system. Another can justify staying with their F system. There is no need to debate it. No one is in a place to criticize another’s decision or justification.