UPDATE on the Nikon Z7 for my particular use.
I like the Nikon Z7, but like all things, using it for a while brings with it some realizations, which I want to comment on here.
I have the Nikon Z7, the FTZ adapter, and the 24-70 f/4 native lens. Please note that the kind of work that I do requires a lot of precision and great lenses.
Using the Nikon Z7 with its own 24-70 f/4 lens is fine for general snapshots and perhaps even some more semi-serious work. However, I find, while the 24-70 is sharp-ish, it is not sharp like the lenses I am used to (Otus, APO, etc.). I am sure it was not intended to be that sharp. It seems well-enough corrected IMO, but the sharpness is not quite what I require. This, of course, is disappointing, but I pretty-much knew this coming in. Of course, I hoped for a miracle. LOL.
On the other hand, using the FTZ adapter I have access to many APO lenses i have collected, including the set of Otus lenses plus the Otus-like 135 Zeiss that presaged the series. They work great as they always did!
I am hurting for lack of a proper L-Bracket and have had to use the Arca C1 Cube for vertical/profile shots, which means leaning it 90-degrees from horizontal, which works but is not what I like to use. So, I might as well use my D850 for which I have a great RSS L-Bracket.
Things I especially like about the Z7 are the EVF, which I find myself using more and more. With the D810 and D850, I never used the OVF, preferring to work on the back-LCD. But the Z7 EVF is really amazing and you can magnify it, which of course the older OVF cameras could not do.
So, I am keeping the Nikon Z7, waiting for an L-Bracket that will accommodate the FTZ adapter. However, and this is a big “however,” unless Nikon releases APO/Otus level lenses for the Nikon Z7, I will be using the Z7 with the FTZ adapter for most of my work.
For family photos, casual walk-around work, and perhaps for semi-serious work, I could use the Z7 with the native 24-70 f/4 lens. But, when I ask myself, I might just as well use the better lenses any time I do serious photography. They are just so much better.
You get the idea. The Z7 for not-so-sharp work with native lenses, but the Z7 + FTZ adapter for my regular work. And, to repeat, if I am mounting the huge Zeiss Otus lenses, I might just as well use the Nikon D840 for the added support.
However, I find that I will definitely be using the Z7 on my view camera, the Cambo Actus Mini. It is perfect there and when I get a Z7-Bayonet for the Actus, I will be able to get even more focus range from my exotic lenses, which I very much need.
In summary, I love the Z7, but without the FTZ adapter I am limited in what I can do with it. As Otus-level lenses come along native to the Z7, this will be much different. I would love an APO lens for this mirrorless camera!
