I must have it bad.

[clovishound]

I joined the Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association last month, and have been on a number of outing with them, as well as attending the monthly meetings. Last week I saw that Nikon was having a big Mother's Day sale. I've been wanting a higher resolution sensor body with better auto focus and faster frame rate for a while. I looked to see what the Z7ii was on sale for. I almost bought one at Christmas time when they knocked $700 off. This time they knocked off $1K. I folded. Looks to me like they are clearing out current stock to make room for the new upgrade to the Z7iii. I doubt that will be put on any significant sale for quite a while.

It's supposed to get here today. I've been used to counting my pennies all my life and have a hard time letting go of money for larger purchases.

This is a couple from my last two outings with the club.

_DAB2021-topaz-denoiseraw-sharpen.jpg

_DAB1175-topaz-denoiseraw-sharpen-2.jpg

_DAB1654-topaz-denoiseraw-sharpen-2.jpg

[CT_Shooter]

I joined the Carolinas' Nature Photographers Association last month, and have been on a number of outing with them, as well as attending the monthly meetings. Last week I saw that Nikon was having a big Mother's Day sale. I've been wanting a higher resolution sensor body with better auto focus and faster frame rate for a while. I looked to see what the Z7ii was on sale for. I almost bought one at Christmas time when they knocked $700 off. This time they knocked off $1K. I folded. Looks to me like they are clearing out current stock to make room for the new upgrade to the Z7iii. I doubt that will be put on any significant sale for quite a while.

Your knowledge, skill, and commitment to your craft absolutely justifies an investment in precision equipment. I love the composition and depth of field you selected for the third image here. Stunning.

Thanks again for sharing your outstanding photos with us.

[daytime dave]

I really like all three of the photographs you shared, but I must agree, the third is just fantastic. Well done. I hope the New body is all you want it to be.

[clovishound]

That third shot is probably the best photo I've ever taken. FYI, the background is what was in the original image with only a little tweaking of saturation and exposure. It was just a trick of the reflections off the water.. The Pup entered a couple photos in a local art exhibition/contest. I went ahead and printed, mounted and entered this. We went to the show, and neither of us won anything, but discovered the competition was very stiff. There are some very talented photographers out there. It was a humbling experience. Don't worry, I still feel good about my work as a whole, and it spurs me on to grow in the craft.

[dave77]

I'm not familiar with Nikon, how will your current lenses work with the new body?

I know the new Canon mirror-less bodies can use the older EF lenses with an adapter but for the best results they need the new RF lenses which for the top of the line L lenses can cost as much or more than the camera body

[clovishound]

Well, it came a little while ago. Did a quick setup and went hunting in the bushes of the front yard. I'm impressed so far with the resolution. I was able to crop one of the photos much more than I would have been able with my old camera.

This one only had moderate cropping. I suppose it is some kind of larvae. Not a great photo, just a test.

DSC_0042.jpg

This one was very heavily cropped. I didn't notice the aphids(?) on it's back until I cropped it. Focus wasn't exactly spot on.

DSC_0017.jpg

[clovishound]

I'm not familiar with Nikon, how will your current lenses work with the new body?

I know the new Canon mirror-less bodies can use the older EF lenses with an adapter but for the best results they need the new RF lenses which for the top of the line L lenses can cost as much or more than the camera body

Fortunately, my previous prime body was mirrorless, so two of the three lenses I have are mirrorless. The third is a lens designed for the Nikon DSLR bodies, and like the Canons, works fine on a Mirrorless with an adapter, which I have. I would like to replace that lens with one of the newer mirrorless lenses, but it would cost a bunch, and not result in much better performance, from what I have read.

Heck, even the spare battery and remote shutter release from my old camera work with this. Almost all of the controls and menu options are the same, or very similar, so the learning curve shouldn't be too steep. I will have to experiment with some of the focus mode options, as there are a few changes and (hopefully) upgrades. I may have to change my shutter release habits as well, as this camera has a much faster frame rate. Instead of one extra shot, I now get 2 or 3. I may need to either drop down to a slower frame rate, or perhaps single release for all but bird setups.

[Ernie]

I am always impressed with your talent. Wonderful pictures, thanks for sharing.

[BrokenolMarine]

Amazing. The clarity of your photos is better than shots I see in magazines. I enjoyed photography years ago, but the cameras have gotten WAY smarter than I am. LOL.

I spend a little money on equipment I need for the workshop, where I work in wood, leather, or making knives.
or when I'll be adding another firearm to the collection, but not in that range.
Tina will spend that kind of money for her various sewing machines.

[dave77]

I've been looking at the mirrorless Canon bodies and the lenses that go with them. Really impressed with what they say about the focus improvements, like the feature of it auto-focusing on the subjects eye/s. I just don't shoot enough anymore to justify the several thousand dollars it would cost to upgrade, have to be happy with my 11 year old 70D.