....i'm about 7000 frames into it and still learning. i haven't seen a difference between it and the D850 from an image quality perspective. i was hoping low light performance would be better but it's not....i mean, it's a 46MP sensor so it can't compete with a 24MP FF sensor in that respect, but i was hoping for some improvement. i have also found a few bugs (the really annoying ones deal with AF and auto ISO exposure and they've caused me to miss some potentially great shots) that i hope will get resolved with firmware updates. once i can reliably recreate them, i will report them. but the Z8 has been invaluable in a couple of key areas to me:
1. animal eye detection AF: it's not perfect yet, but it nails it most of the time and it allows me to compose freely without worrying about where my single point AF focus point is in the frame, instead letting the camera take care of finding the eye(s) and acquiring focus while i concentrate on composition.
2. in-body image stabilization: the IBIS in the Z8 is bad ass. i can hand hold 1/250 shots with the 500mm f/5.6 PF lens now. with the D850 and its legendary recoil from mirror slap, i'd have to shoot at 1/1000 minimum, and even then i would often get camera shake (my hands aren't the steadiest). so far i haven't had to use the tripod, though i am sure i will find scenarios where i need it.
note: adobe's AI denoise is amazing but with the Z8 it's best to keep ISO under 1000, which isn't that practical in wildlife photography. i will likely buy the Z6iii when it comes out and use it for shooting in the shade. my D750 was perfect for this but i've already sold it.
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