Re: Why would you choose Nikon over the other brands?
This is a hard one for me. I've come to the conclusion that for a variety of reasons I prefer shooting APS-C to other options, but there really isn't an APS-C line today that fits me well. I've shot FX and m43 extensively over the years as well.
Why do I prefer APS-C? It's got some body and lens size advantages in the range I primarily use (wide and short telephoto), I don't need absolute resolution, but need occasional long reach where APS-C brings value, the IQ these days meets my needs, and there's enough interesting lenses while still adapting FF glass in a reasonable manner (I don't mind the 1.5x Field of View narrowing while 2x on m43 is just a bit too much for most lenses outside the 50-105mm range for me).
The downside with APS-C? I don't like XTrans sensors (have sampled Fuji multiple times over the years, always end up bailing because I don't like how XTrans renders blues, I'll probably try the new 40MP sensor at some point to see if they have better Blue rendering than the older sensors) and nobody else has a really complete body+lens lineup in APS-C. Canon is the closest, but the R7's AF annoys me. Nikon lacks a higher-end body unless I want to shoot a Z8 in DX mode all the time. Sony's APS-C bodies annoy me ergonomically (why can't Sony just stuff an A6700 into an A7V body and call it a day...)
FX for me is simply too much body/lens size for IQ I don't really need, the IQ advantages of the Z5ii over the 20.9MP DX bodies is real, but I don't really need it, and I also don't usually need the extra resolution of a high-MP body (getting 19.5MP DX from them is nice though).
m43 is in a better place right now for me than it was the last time I sampled it (which was when the OM-1 came out). Frankly the new Pen and an OM-1mII would probably work well for me, the biggest struggle for me when I was last in was the lack of a decent light carry option at the time that wasn't on the old menus and old image processing. But the system still lacks the wider range of fun/cheap glass I can get in APS-C these days (and a bunch of the options are just APS-C lenses better suited to the larger format).
For now I'm shooting Nikon because frankly I like the Zfc better than the X-T30III it competes directly with (better EVF implementation and better AF), and rounding that out with the Z7 in DX mode and a D7500.
Nikon's DX line has serious issues right now, with only one real modern body and needs both more native glass (especially an UWA zoom other than the 12-28PZ) and a higher-end body option that isn't just buying a Z8 and shooting in crop (something in between the Z8 and Z50ii in cost and performance, but still with at least 20MP DX resolution, IBIS and an EN-EL15 series battery) along with refreshes of the Z30 and Zfc to EXPEED7.
Oct 01, 2026 at 08:36 AM
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