My Brain Won - But Not in the Way I Feared

Fujifilm X-T2, XC 16-50 OIS II

No, I didn't get another X-T2 or even another Fuji, despite the image chosen. Yes, the Z5ii is gone. And I bought something I was not originally even considering. 

I've been mulling what exactly is the issue with the Z5ii driving my thoughts. because it's an incredibly good camera.

In short, pixel density is the issue with how the Z5ii fit into my kit. 

It was my best action camera in terms of AF, FPS and buffer, but it was also far lower pixel density than either the Z7 or the Zfc, limiting the reach, which is important when I simply don't own glass longer than 300mm. For landscape, it's only real advantage in the way I work over the Z7 is the screen articulation, and I can live without that, otherwise the IQ from the Z7 is simply better (better DR, more resolution, lower base ISO for long exposures). That limited its utility at exactly where it beat my other bodies sans investment in expensive glass to offset the lack of pixel density. And I'm all about inexpensive and interesting glass, not expensive glass. 

For everyday carry, both the Zfc and Z7 are smaller and lighter than the Z5ii (albeit only marginally so for the Z7). I don't use the Flexible Color Picture Controls since I just don't shoot JPEG at all, and if I did, I'd be shooting on the Zfc with my cheap & fun manual Chinese lenses, not on the Z5ii. Most of the Z5ii's EXPEED7 advantages are things I don't actually use in practice, although if you shoot evens or people a lot with AF lenses, yeah, it's a beast. 

As I drove through the logic, I kept coming back to wanting a higher-end APS-C body. Really, I wanted similar pixel density to what I already had, Nikon NEF files, higher speed than the no-compromises speeds of the Zfc and Z7 (both are really 5fps bodies, albeit capable of faster with the EVF in slideshow mode), solid AF-C performance, and it can't be a brick because I don't carry bricks. 

Absent the last item, that really left me with the Z8/Z9 (way too expensive, too big), the D850 (slightly too expensive to get now, viable if I'd wait a bit, too big), the D500 (attainable if I could find one, slightly too big), the D7500 and D7200 (both hit on price, size and have enough speed, D7500 is a better speed body, D7200 has proper AI lens compatibility). Note that I own very few Z mount lenses, my core kit is F mount, and I do have screwdriver AF lenses. I'm not really worried about AI compatibility since both the Zfc and Z7 are better manual lens cameras than any Nikon DSLR. 

As it happened, for the actual DX options only the D7500 was available anyways, so that's what I got, plus I added a 85/1.8G AF-S as a workable short-tele when I want a bit more speed (both aperture and AF) vs my trusty Tamron SP 90mm f2.8 Macro. Worked out to a 1:1 trade for the D7500+85/1.8G into the Z5ii, which is reasonable value.

So now I have a DSLR in my kit again, for the first time since my old D300 died. Going to be interesting. Size/weight shouldn't be much of an issue, the D7500 clocks in at 20g more than the Z5ii, but 105g less than the Z5ii+FTZII. Batteries and cards are the same, so plenty of compatibility and the D7500 has far better battery life. Using an OVF will be interesting, it's been a while. But the body should play well with my other gear and let me run effective 2 body setups that actually lean better into what each body is good at (Zfc is small/light, Z7 is the pixel monster, D7500 is the long lens/speed body). The 85/1.8G is a lens I've long wanted to own, so adding that as a workable short tele for DX and portrait lens for FX should fit in well. 

Plus I now have a body with screwdriver AF compatibility, to make some of the more interesting inexpensive F lenses more usable (especially the 180/2.8D I've been eyeing for ages). 

As a walkabout kit, the Tamron 17-50+ 85/1.8G or Tamron 17-50+Tamron 90 macro will both work well. I'll no doubt get yet another 35/1.8DX and some sort of UWA and I'm already looking seriously at telephoto zoom options to give alternatives to the 300/4D.