The D800 was amazing and just got better and better.
The Nikon D850 is quite rightly rated the best digital SLR ever made. Its unlikely it will ever be bettered.
The above shot was taken with my D800, its been my bread and butter working camera since it was released, as I try not to upgrade my cameras more then every five to ten years I have skipped the D810 and D850.
Since adding a Z7 to my cameras I have been waiting for a real pro level Z camera that would suit me. The Z9 and now the newly released Z8 are the two hot bodies at the top of my list.
Many wondered what the Z8 would be. Many hoped for a higher resolution camera like the Sony A7RV a very competent beast of a camera at 61MP. But you need to ask yourself, with the small increase that 61 MP over 45 MP gives in resolution, what do you loose. Speed is a big issue for some, its a slower camera but then at 61 megapixels it’s aimed at landscape and studio photographers, but at 61MP diffraction is going to be a big issue. Stopping down more than f/5.6 is going to start to impact the image quality, while at 50MP you can still use f/8. For some studio work that is not going to be an issue but 35mm format at over 50MP is going to be a niche product. While people want more, will they understand what they are loosing. If you want more resolution then 50MP you really want to go to medium format.
What Nikon released was a smaller Z9, you loose some function buttons and a PC port for studio flash, the large battery and built in GPS. So if your mixing old flash systems and need the extra custom buttons or shoot a lot with large lens and want the built in grip to help balance and the extra battery life, the Nikon Z9 is the one for you, but if your happy with losing the extra function buttons, quick access to drive modes, GPS and grip, plus poorer battery live, save some money to for more glass.
Nikon, Canon, Sony and Leica now have cutting edge mirrorless cameras for us, all with pros and cons, and differences in ergonomics. Despite what you will hear on the socials none of them have a clear lead and all are highly capable.
