Update: I made the move and bought a Z8, TC1.4, and the 600PF. Thanks to everyone for all of your helpful suggestions. I am now exercising my brain with learning about all of the features on this camera. Cheers, and happy shooting!
Looking for input from this group on making the move from dslr to mirrorless. To give a bit of history my first camera was a Minolta SRT201. I have had Nikon D90, D500, and currently D850. There was a Canon back there too. I considered a mirrorless a number of years ago but didn’t like some of the things that would have made wildlife photography a bit more difficult. Technology has changed in those areas so now I’m looking at new gear. I shoot wildlife 99% of the time, using a 500mm PF and sometimes with a TC1.7. Almost exclusively landscape format. I’m considering a Z8 or Z9. I have zero experience with mirrorless and live in a city with basically no camera shop (unless you count BestBuy). I’d like to get another big telephoto, maybe 600mm. Appreciate any advice/insight on making this change.
Either the Z8 or the Z9 would be good. The 500 PF will still work well on mirrorless. In some ways better even. I would recommend getting the camera with an FTZIi and using it with your current lenses first. The Z8/Z9 will do better with that 1.7 TC added than the D850 as that aperture is on the high side for the DSLR focus module. Then you can evaluate how you want to proceed on lenses. Z lenses are generally better but later F lenses still work very well and some issues like needing to fine tune are eliminated with mirrorless so they work better.
Any bigger lenses, especially those adapted, will balance better on a Z9 vs the Z8. I also really appreciate the dual CFE-B and bigger battery on the Z9 and it's still my main camera after giving the Z8 a try.
Wait for a refurb sale from Nikon (we post about these all the time here when they go live, usually once a month on a Thurs-Sun) and you can typically get a Z8 for 2900 and Z9 for 3500.
If I'm reading this right, the OP is asking about mirrorless gear for wildlife. The discussion so far is mostly about bulky full-frame gear. And it implies introducing a new lens mount. So what about Micro Four Thirds? Or are you trying to invest further into full-frame?
Agree that you can't go wrong with a Z8 or Z9. You'd just need to decide whether the size of the Z9 will work for you. It is my preferred camera. Your 500mm pf would work even better with a mirrorless system, but I'd also look seriously at selling it and grabbing the 600mm f/6.3 pf.
If you have Nikon you could start with that for now and try adapted lenses.
You can rent gear from Lensrental or other places before jumping into expensive teles and other gear.
Not that it affects the camera choices, but perhaps reconsider why you are most always in landscape format. Compositions of many species can benefit from verticals.
My 500 pf works great with my Z9. My DSLR bodies were the D5 and D850, but I re-homed the D850 after getting a Z8. It did everything my D850 did plus its autofocus allows me to get shots I wouldn't have attempted previously. I added the Z9 for use with my exotic telephotos. It has a stronger build quality to handle heavier lenses. To me the biggest benefit to Nikon mirrorless is the improvement in autofocus performance. Because the Z cameras autofocus sensors are on the image sensor (rather than physically seperate on the DSLR) focus is more precise and the camera's additional processing power provides much improved subject recognition and tracking.
Go with the Z8 if you like the D500/D850 body size. Go with a Z9 if you want a bigger, heavier body and room for additional batteries.
The Z8 or Z9 will be a big upgrade from your DSLRs for wildlife, especially when paired with native Z lenses and subject detection. It will take some getting used to (as all new things do), but I think you'll be happy with the move. There are multiple AF options in the menus, so that's what's going to take some time to figure out as far as what works best for you. Personally I find the 3D tracking with subject detection really great, but others have their own favorite methods.
I would agree with what many others have said. The Z8 would be closest to the size of the D850 and, at least at first, why not stay with your 500mm PF and use the adapter on the Z8. Then after a while, you might decide to get the 600mm PF or even go for the 800mm PF. Or the 180-600mm. Lots of lens choices.. And lots of new things to learn about the Z8, the focus is quite different. You can shoot at a much higher fps then your D850. And pre-capture can be a game changer for wildlife photography.
Finally, a last question is, can you wait? Do you have upcoming photographic trips? You have waited this long and the Z8 (and Z9) are potentially close to being replaced with newer versions. If you want to just experiment with mirrorless, you could buy the much cheaper Z50ii. It is a cropped sensor like the D500 and works very much like the more expensive Z8 (but much cheaper). You could play with mirrorless on the Z50ii using the 500mm PF and get yourself used to it so when the new Z8/Z9 are released, you would be ready to switch.
