Well, it said newbies welcome so here comes a very newbie post. I am after a high-res, full-frame DSLR to grow into…...this isn’t a short post I do apologize but I have been waiting for this day for a while so I have a lot of questions! I hope this is the right place to post this, apologies to Mod if I should have made a regular post.

Here is what I want to do;

Podcast/Youtube live streaming (and prerecorded content), astrophotography (I have an adapter for a Meade ETX 90), long exposures, artistic night shots, landscapes/cityscapes, macro (insect/plant/human eye), and time-lapse.

Macro, long exposures of night sky, telescope shots (how do I do this!?), and landscapes is what I will be shooting most of. I know it will require some waaaay more fancy tools for some of this, just bear with me.

Not doing much of any sports shots or cheetah’s hunting mid sprint from a helicopter….yet.

Why Nikon? Dad and niece have D3400 and D5500.
From what I have gathered, if I am going to be shooting video I might want to consider the Nikon Z 7 being that it can output 10-bit N-Log with 4:2:2 color over HDMI (lEtTeRs AnD NuMbErs!). Every reviewer says almost the same sentence, “…if you want the highest quality stills, and a camera that can shoot decent 4k video the D850 is for you. BUT if you want to do a little of both video and amazing 46MP stills despite banding and occasional AF hunting, the Z 7 is better.” Is this true in actual use??
I have seen too many reviews reporting on the banding that happens when zooming into images at hi-res on the Z 7, though some say it is lens specific and not the body. I also noted a reviewer saying that the USB-C implementation in the Z 7 doesn’t allow for charging the battery while recording (what?!) nor does it allow for battery bypass by just powering the camera though the AC adapter.

1) Is banding that bad and is it lens specific? If it is lens specific, can I just avoid those lenses?
2) Will I notice the banding of the Z 7 more than the slightly less quality/slightly jerky 4k video of the D850?
2) Is the power/charging the same with the D850; can you plug the D850 into power and bypass the battery and/or charge the battery while recording on it? Not trying to bypass the 30min 4k record limit here, but am definitely interested in how any of you have handled that too!
3) There is a sentiment that the AF on the Z 7 is a little finicky and less capable than the D850. Truth?

I wouldn’t mind getting the Z 7 since I am currently considering this D850 filmmaker’s kit from Amazon, which just sold out at Best Buy today. A Z 7 bundle would be around $1,200 less, but only comes with 1 lens. I am adding in the cost of the FTZ adapter for using the Fx lenses I’d be getting in the future. Are the new Z lenses worth moving to the Z 7?

This D850 filmmaker’s kit is a bit overkill, but from what I understand if you tried to buy all these items separate it would cost nearly $6,300. $1,000 discount sounds like a plan, right?! Seriously though….am I right? A D850 is an investment, not just a camera. These lenses will work well with the D5 if I choose to upgrade in the future. I think my wallet just dialed 911….

You may ask if I want to do mostly video content, then why don’t I get a Panasonic Lumix GH5? At least there isn’t a 30 min max record time for 4k like there is for all the Nikons and it records in DCI 4k. It’s also half the price of the D850 body! Yes indeed, but I am immanently interested in taking high quality stills and time lapses in 4k. Besides, I have an old Panasonic TMC-HD700 and an OG Pixel XL for my second and third options of video ‘on the go’. If I wanted to do video only, I would get a tool to do video only, like the Panasonic HC-X1 4K UHD Camcorder or even a Blackmagic URSA. I do, in fact, want a DSLR.

Originally I wanted to go with the D500, but a bundle with what I needed was around $2500+. That was too close to the body price of the D850 and the benefits were worth the additional cost after I did some research on what the D850. It seems that initial investment is the largest barrier to entry into the DSLR world, so it made sense to get the best full-frame camera I could afford today. Yeah, I see you D5, but $6500 for just the body is not a conversation I want to have with family or friends when they google Nikon D5….or my SO for that matter!

I would like to order it from Amazon over Black Friday since I have their 5% cash back card, but I am worried they might go out of stock. Two days ago it said usually ships in 1-2 months, so maybe I am just over thinking it. I was hoping to use it this Christmas.

Are there Black Friday deals I should wait for since it is only a week away? I am not able to head to any stores on Thanksgiving but Friday and Saturday I could. Maybe the filmmaker’s kit is the D850 deal for 2018? I get the feeling Black Friday is really for the D3500, D7500 and D500 – to get people into the Nikon line of products. If you need the D850, you need the D850 and if you can afford it, Black Friday isn’t all that important anyway. Hopefully, I am wrong here.

Nikon owners, what else can I expect as a tentative owner of a D850? Lenses I should highly consider, resources, tips, tricks, etc… In your experience should I get the body and just the lenses I need for now, and invest the rest in batteries, filters, XQD storage, carrying case, flash, mic, etc or is the filmmaker’s kit worth the discount it is offered at? What else am I missing? I know I will need box lights for streaming, and a green screen for some of the content I am filming. Did I get it all?

Software. I have adobe master collection CS6 and I also have access to CC through my SOs job. Last time I did photo/video editing for a TV station was 2003 and a lot has changed…..dabbled a bit in Premiere Pro CS 6 and I remember a decent amount, hope it helps today. Looks like Lightroom is the way to go.

What should I be plan on as far as work flow? i.e. I shoot picture, import them to my SSD for archiving/editing. How do you all typically organize your files from shoots and which programs do you edit with primarily? Most common retouching options/issues?

Thank you all for your help and access to your vast experience! Once my site is up and running and I have the camera I will start to post the photos.
Your help means a lot, I appreciate your advice!