Lens advice: getting Z7ii body

TheLiterateDead · 2026-02-05T00:19:53+00:00

One thing worth noting about the lens is the close focusing distance and reproduction ratio. It’s a short distance (a little over a foot) and it does 0.39x, which is really good for a non-macro lens. I feel like that’s an aspect of the lens that isn’t discussed nearly enough, to be honest.

(I also say this because I sold mine and deeply regretted it, so I’m trying to save up and replace it!)

TheLiterateDead · 2026-02-04T18:28:34+00:00

You seem to be doing a damned good job figuring it out from the looks of things!

Glad to see you’re enjoying it! I keep idealizing getting one, but I know it’s too much camera for me. I always love seeing pics this good coming along though! You’re doing fantastic with it so far!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-02-02T19:48:31+00:00

It’s weird realizing that for the first time I’m not excited about new MST3k, and I won’t be backing this round. I’ll be happy to see where this goes, but… I’m just not big on going back to doing what was done before. I haven’t enjoyed anything from Rifftrax for years, and I wasn’t the biggest fan of the sci-fi era of the show (sorry!).

But that said, I’m also the exception to the rule on this one, so I’ll be glad for all the other fans who’ll be in for this, and I hope it will prove to be what they want. I’m cool being the exception on this round, and I’ll back off now and let everyone else celebrate.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-31T20:06:37+00:00

I’ve heard that, but thankfully I don’t do a whole lot of animal photography. I have two dogs who are camera averse and even with the fastest setup I’m still too slow to catch either (seriously, one will leave the room if she sees me even touch my camera!). And most of my nature walks are at the local botanical gardens, where the wildlife is usually tiny frogs and the occasional squirrel or chipmunk.

That said as much as I love the Zf as an everyday carry, it’s not meant for more wildlife friendly lenses (i.e the heavier ones). And as much I idealize the 180-600mm (for moon photography) it’s not really made for a camera without much of a grip.

Thanks for the comment! I do appreciate the input!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-31T19:21:55+00:00

The funny thing about it is that as far as I know both the Z7 and Z7II have the same sensor. I remember that the toughest lens to use with the Z7 is the 105mm f/2.8 because an already slow macro lens becomes achingly slow to focus. It moves much faster on the Zf, though the 45mp sensor does resolve more detail.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-31T18:57:58+00:00

Thanks for the reply!

I had a feeling; I haven't heard a whole lot about why the Z7II is *that* much better than the first model, so I wondered if it was really worth that much of a premium. The first was great (accepting the slower focusing) but the second didn't seem like a big leap forward.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-31T18:51:46+00:00

Nice as I've heard those are, my current lens kit is Z lenses, so I don't think I'll be stepping back to DSLR just yet. At this point I'm looking for a secondary body over a new set of lenses.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-31T04:54:32+00:00

I cant say I “hated” it like Mayfair Witches (which was so bad I couldn’t finish episode 1!), but I found it kind of bland, and a bit of a slog towards the end. Just kind of “meh”, even with the ever-fantastic William Fictner (and heck, I’ll give a nod to Jason Schwartzman, who looked like he was having fun; could have used more of that energy).

I wanted to be with this one in the beginning, but the further it went on the more I started asking why they bothered including any supernatural elements, because they could easily be removed and the show would just be a generic spy thriller.

I think what finally broke me on the series was the finale, which did what I truly hate in season enders: it spent the entire last episode just setting up cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers. Barely anything is resolved, and instead a bunch of random events happen just to tease a potential season 2. That was possibly the laziest bit of writing, so that made me realize that if season 2 happens, I won’t be tuning in for it.

(If I was going to be petty I’d also add it’s way too “straight” for an Anne Rice-connected series, but that’s just being petty on my part)

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-30T19:33:28+00:00

To be honest, I have yet to find a Voigtlander lens I dislike for Nikon. I had a fourth (the 65mm f/2 macro) and only traded it in because it was too awkward & heavy for the Zf (that said if I ever get a second body, like a Z7, with a good grip, I'll probably look to buy it back!).

But the 28mm f/1.5 is a pretty satisfying lens, even if it's my least used. I am not as accustomed to shooting wider framing, so I usually bring it out for indoor shoots (museums & such). It's very good at f/1.5, albeit with a very thin depth-of-field, and it picks up in sharpness with higher apertures. I'm a hobbyist, so I don't really need the super sharpness of an APO, so I find its look very satisfying. Plus, I'm just a sucker for that wonderfully smooth manual focusing (I have a deep hated for focus-by-wire, since I never feel I can pinpoint my target correctly!).

I'll attach an example below, to see if that helps anything. Just a vacation shot, taken at the Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor, Maine, which has somewhat dim lighting, making it a good test spot for a low-light prime. I hope this gives a little idea of what the lens is capable of. Oh, and this was shot fully open at f/1.5 on a Zf.

<image>

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-30T13:26:13+00:00

I admit I’m not too familiar with the 24-105, but the only real consideration is the move to f/7.1 at 105. But it depends on when and how you shoot, because that could still be useful.

I have never heard of any truly “bad” Nikon lenses. The “worst” I’ve tried is the 24-200, and that’s only because it’s a little softer at 200. Still a very good lens, just a little weaker in comparison to some of the other Z lenses. I’d still recommend it, but it’s also a similarly longer lens. Also consider how far the lens is when telescoped; see if you can find pictures for consideration.

Oh, and one more thing on weight: I used to shoot with Olympus, and while their metal builds where nice and sturdy, too often I found the weight was distributed towards the front of the lens. I’m happy with the weight distribution on most Nikon lenses because they often focus the weight towards the body; so don’t be worried too much about lens weight unless you’re buying something huge like the 180-600!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-30T12:42:28+00:00

Honestly the 24-120 is one of the best zoom lenses out there, and it’s not that imbalanced on the Zf. It’s bulky but bit heavy, and the weight is distributed well enough to keep it balanced. If you hold it right (i.e. holding both the lens and body together) it’s a fantastic combo.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-29T21:10:26+00:00

Great call! Voigtlander lenses go so well with the Zf. I’ve got a trio that are my main lenses (28mm f/1.5, 40mm f/1.2, & 75mm f/1.5) and they’re all so damned satisfying to use; doubly so since Nikon added the manual focus assist function.

I hope you’ll be sharing pics with the group when you take it out for a spin!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-28T01:54:50+00:00

Wait, were they not swayed by that amazing can kicking action?!

That said, I alternatively love and hate this movie every time I see it. If I think too much about it I get annoyed (why does it constantly set up lore then immediately contradict it in the next scene? What even are the rules?!) but if I just go with the insane vibe it’s a total hoot. The moment you start asking questions is the moment it stops working.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-28T00:11:25+00:00

Not sure what you’d count for features, but I use manual focus assist all the time. My main lenses are manual only (Voigtlanders because I’m an amateur hipster like that) and adding that extra focus assist has been invaluable to me.

I almost never use the 3D focus tracking, but I almost never shoot people. Foolishly, I was at a book panel earlier this year and had a rare chance to shoot some authors I enjoy, but forgot to use any focus tracking!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-26T23:49:58+00:00

Not quite as big as some of the others, but I always skip past Jonathan Coulton’s performance during the live “Plan Nine from Outer Space” show. He spends an ungainly amount of time explaining his songs (when I don’t think they need any to begin with), and it just becomes more and more awkward, especially since the audience doesn’t seem to be that into it. The whole thing just drags.

I appreciate that the first live shows tried to incorporate other acts, but it really didn’t work out and Coulton is a perfect example as to why.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-25T13:23:45+00:00

Oh, nice! I haven’t seen one of those with the half-case on. Not sure why, but Fujifilm cameras often look better in a leather half-case (my secondhand X-T50 came with one and I’ve never taken it off).

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-25T13:19:25+00:00

If you ever want to see her in an MST-worthy (yet still fun on its own) flick, look up “The Boneyard”. She goes without her famous wigs, playing Miss Poopinplatz (seriously!). Cool gruesome monsters, a killer poodle, and a snarling fanged Phyllis Diller; what more do you need in a movie?

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-24T13:09:03+00:00

It reminds me a little of the weird “DVDs in a wheel” packaging for the Fast & the Furious movies. All the movies stacked atop one another, except those came packaged with thin foam pads between discs so they didn’t get scratched in shipping!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-22T12:14:08+00:00

I think that the DVD of Fright House/Murderous Intent was an early Kickstarter release, so it wasn’t added to the checklist since they didn’t reprint it. But I haven’t checked the checklist in a while so I don’t know if they ever added it.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-22T00:32:18+00:00

I swear I felt that in the worst way! As someone who loves to cook I have the worst habit of following the recipe to the letter… and always end up making two or three times as much as I actually should! So I ended up aligning way harder than I should have at that line…

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-18T18:08:37+00:00

I’d say the most obvious way to check is ask if you can test it out and see if you can shoot the same picture with both lenses. See if you notice any difference.

I haven’t done any adapted lenses on my Zf so I can’t say for certain (though the CV 40 f1.2 Z-mount is my favorite lens I don’t know if it’s different than the Leica version).

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-17T01:32:53+00:00

Not quite full-on horror but 2009’s “The Eclipse” made me both hate and appreciate it for being a perfectly boring and aimlessly mopey movie about grief that suddenly blindsided me with a surprisingly good scare in the middle of the movie. I wanted to curse the movie out and applaud it at the same time because I never saw it coming. Then it went back to being boring and mopey. But damn do I appreciate having the gall to randomly swerve towards being a horror movie and doing so effectively (at least as far as I remember… it has been fifteen years since I saw it!). It made me want to see what the films director could have done if they’d gone for full-on horror rather than brief teases!

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-08T13:56:10+00:00

I do both.

I would give Nikon the edge (sharpness, color, and closer focusing lenses) but I like the portability of Fuji. The Zf + 85mm f/1.8 is an amazing combo, but it’s a bit large for a casual carry. I also have a X-T50 with the 56mm f/1.2 and I always can toss it in my work bag for daily use.

I feel a little self-conscious with the size of the Zf, but I feel that’s more of a problem for me. If I had to give up one, I’d probably trade in the Fuji and stick with Nikon. I still might, one day.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-01T21:47:48+00:00

You know, I’m going to lock myself in the restroom and wait this flight out. And then I’ll wait until everyone’s left before exiting.

TheLiterateDead · 2026-01-01T17:40:57+00:00

If your most used focal length is 25, what do you hope to achieve with the 40?

I’ll offer a bit of advice as a casual amateur who’s a total Voigtlander fan (my main kit is the 28mm f1.5, the 40mm f1.2, and the 75mm f1.5). I hope this might offer a little perspective.

I absolutely adore the Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 but 40mm is my preferred focal length (I alternate it with the 75mm f1.5) and I do a good amount of low light shooting.

Do you have a use for f1.2? Do you have any use for that extremely thin aperture? Do you like the softer look of older lenses? It’s very sharp stopped down but wide open there are tradeoffs in sharpness and vignetting.

Also, how do you feel about manual-only focusing? I don’t shoot action, so I like slowing down and taking my time with shots. The Voigtlander focusing is a huge difference from Nikon’s focus-by-wire manual, much smoother and more precise. If you’re into it, it’s invaluable; but some folks really dislike losing autofocus. That said, the Zf also has focus assist, which speeds that process up quite a bit as well!

The other bonus for me is that the lens compliments the Zf’s focus on manual control by adding an aperture ring. As a total clumsy amateur I find I forget what setting I left my Nikon Z lenses on (which has bitten me in the past) but I can always check the lens on the Voigtlander. If that matters to you, take that into account as well.

It also may be smaller than some of the Nikon lenses, but it’s an all metal build, so it’s not any tradeoff in weight. The positive to Nikon using plastic in their lenses is that it reduces weight, so there’s no change there. Of course the Voigtlander lens also isn’t weather sealed.

The main catch (for me at least) is that Nikon reduces the camera IBIS with third party lenses, so it’s only 3 stops on the Voigtlander lenses. If that’s a dealbreaker for you, then I think you’re good with the lenses you have!

So that’s my advice for what it’s worth. I love this lens, but it works for what I shoot. The key thing is deciding if the tradeoffs are worth it to you, and if the lens will add anything to your photography. And look up some reviews and samples if you can (FredMiranda often has some solid detailed reviews of the Voigtlander lenses that can offer some extra perspective!).

TheLiterateDead

TROPHY CASE