I knew it was inevitable. Eventually I would have to do it. Do what, you ask. I’ve made the switch from my much-loved Nikon D850 to a Nikon mirrorless camera. I’ve gone from being doubtful and filled with questions to feeling relieved and unbelievably delighted.

I had been keeping an observant eye on the mirrorless cameras ever since Nikon announced their first mirrorless camera in the Z-line. One thing I was absolutely sure of is that a transition for me had to be to a full-frame mirrorless that was at least comparable to my Nikon D850. Only then, would I even consider making a switch.

Then came the Nikon Z 7II. It looked and sounded great on the Nikon website from the very first. Still a bit apprehensive, I waited and waited until more reviews came out from Nikon professional photographers whose interests were similar to my own. I figured if a professional photographer was just as satisfied with the results from Z 7II as with their D850, I would look into it a bit more seriously.

Well, it got serious pretty quickly! To my surprise, many of the reviews I read felt that the Z 7II was equal to and in some ways surpassed the D850. Not only that, the equivalent lenses that were “must haves” for me (such as a macro lens), were now also available in the mirrorless line. My hubby who already knew my considerations for making the switch, understood my excitement and encouraged me to “Just Do It!”

It has now been exactly three months since trading up from my Nikon D850 camera and every lens in my bag and replacing them with a new Nikon Z 7II and my first two must-have lenses. As hard as it was to pack up my D850 plus lenses and send them away to Nikon, I have not regretted the decision once since receiving my Z 7II. I absolutely love, love, LOVE it! The biggest difference for me has been the amazing focus on the Z 7II. I was already using the D850 completely on manual mode except for auto focus. WIth my bad eyesight and handheld shots 95% of the time, the auto-focus on the D850 did a much better job than I could accomplish. Now with the Z 7II, I am manually focusing every single shot (handheld), just because I can and it is fun. From day one with the Z 7II, I was able to take a lot fewer clicks of the same shot to be sure I had a decent shot. I often take one click of the shutter and move on to a different framing or completely different scene. I get home with fewer photos to cull through but with many more usable pics that I am happy with and that are worth keeping.

I almost forgot to mention that the Nikon Z 7II is also much smaller and lighter in weight, which makes a huge difference when hiking for miles with a camera bag on my back. Can you tell I love my new camera and lenses?

All the photos used on this post were taken with my Nikon Z 7II and some have been used in earlier posts over the last three months. For me, there’s not a single regret to making the switch to a mirrorless camera and the fun has just begun!

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All photos are my own. ©Pepper Tron/Heaven’s Sunshine
No usage allowed in any form without my written consent.

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Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Nike – Just Do It