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6 things you need to know about Nikon’s Z6 and Z7 full-frame mirrorless cameras

The godfather of the DSLR has just done the unimaginable, yet the highly and hotly anticipated, by launching its first full-frame mirrorless cameras

Natalya Paul
6 things you need to know about Nikon's Z6 and Z7 full-frame mirrorless cameras

6 things you need to know about Nikon’s Z6 and Z7 full-frame mirrorless cameras

For years Nikon have stuck to what they know best: DSLRs. But after a teaser campaign of mysterious videos and hard-to-decipher silhouettes, the DSLR diehard has revealed a pair of mirrorless full-framers. So what’s the deal with these new snappers? Here’s everything you need to know about the Nikon Z6 and Z7.

Nikon Z6 and Z7

1. There are two of them

And they look absolutely identical. The most notable difference concerns the resolution. The 24.4MP Z6 (£1995 body-only) is a high-speed beast of a camera with 273 focus points, 12FPS and a greater ISO range of 100-51,200. That one will be out in November. The Z7 (£3399) has a whopping 45.7MP sensor, ISO 64-25,600 and 493 focus points but can only shoot 9FPS. It’s out next month. Both have the same newly designed 55mm mount, EVF, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, identical weather sealing to the D850, and both feed on a chunky XQD card (no SD cards here).

Nikon Z7

2. They’re Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless snappers

With the likes of Sony’s A7s ruling the full-frame roost, electronic viewfinders getting so good, and a slew of other mirrorless cameras like the Fujifilm X series performing so well, it’s become harder and harder to make a convincing argument for carrying an unwieldy, boxy DSLR everywhere with you. With the Z6 and Z7, Nikon has finally succumbed, making these cameras arguably the company’s most significant announcement since the F-mount in 1959, the same year the first Mini was launched.

Nikon Z7

3. There’s a new mount

Speaking of new mounts, the one on Nikon’s new cameras is the widest yet and actually a fraction wider than the Sony A7 series. It takes up almost the entirety of the camera’s body and the contact pins are positioned at the top. The increased size will help when it comes to developing a whole range of new lenses, meaning it’ll keep the sizes of the lenses down on what is relatively small camera.

Nikon S-series lenses

4. There are new lenses

A new mount warrants new lenses, right? So Nikon has announced a whole new range. The S-series includes a 24-70mm f/4 lens and two prime lenses: 35mm and 50mm with f/1.8 maximum aperture, which should make for stunning portrait shots. Then there’s a 58mm f/0.95 lens being launched next year, which is a pretty big deal and definitely expensive news for anyone looking to buy one.

Nikon F-to-Z mount adaptor

5. There’s an F-to-Z mount adapter so you can use existing lenses

Lest we forget there are plenty of DSLR diehands, Nikon ones no less, that have, by now, collected an envious and expensive haul of Nikkor lenses. Luckily for them, Nikon are making a lens adapter. 360 (AE) Nikkor lenses will still be compatible with the new body. Thank Christmas for that.

Nikon Z6 and Z7

6. It’s got serious video credentials

Both cameras are capable of producing 8K UHD time lapses, and shoot 4K UHD, with a frame rate of HD 120p. With new shooting features attractive to filmmakers, such as NLog, focus peaking, zebra stripes and time codes, the Nikon Z6 really looks set to be a good choice to shoot that groundbreaking mockumentary we’ve been planning, about the Kleenex factory workers who all had a cold at the same time.