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 camera
Welcome to 2018 Nikon, so pleased you could make it, we weren’t sure you would! And oh my, you’re looking better than ever. Slimmer, faster, and with the widest mount we’ve seen on Shutter Island!
The DSLR diehards and Japanese based company have gone big on their campaign to drum up as much anticipation for their first mirrorless full-framers. We’ve seen mysterious videos on their dedicated site where we’ve been given glimpses of hard-to-decipher silhouettes in the run-up to what is probably their biggest news since 1959, when they launched the F-mount.
And when this is the most pivotal move for Nikon in all of 100 years, it’s only right that one should make such an entrance. So what’s the deal with these new snappers?
1) It’s Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless
For years Nikon have stuck to what they know best, and that’s DSLRs.
But with the likes of the Sony A7s ruling the roost, and a slew of other excellent mirrorless cameras like the Fujifilm X series, it’s becoming harder and harder to make a convincing argument to carry an unwieldy and boxy camera with you.
With Electronic viewfinders being so good now too, coupled with the fact there are increasingly more lenses being made, many will be ditching their DSLR for something more slender. And Nikon have finally succumbed.
2) There’s two of them
If you were thinking they look absolutely identical, then you’d be right. The most notable difference here concerns the resolution: The Z6 has 24.4MP while the Z7 has 45.7MP. Similar to the comparisons that can be drawn from the Sony A7 III and the more pro version, the A7R III.
The Z6 costing £1,995 (body-only) is a high speed beast of a camera with a greater ISO range of 100-51,200 out in November. The Nikon Z7 (£3,399) is the high-resolution model with ISO 64-25,600 and you’ll be able to pick one up this September.
The Z6 has 273 focus points and 12FPS compared to an amped-up 493 focus points and 9FPS. The Z6 is going to be the one that is going to be the most common with punters with an appetite for speedy low-light photography. So that’s all of us then? Cool.
Both have the same newly designed 55mm mount, EVF, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, identitcal weather sealing to the D850 and both feed on a chunky XQD card (no SD cards here).
3) There’s a new mount
The new mount is Nikon’s 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 of it. 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.
It’ll also allow to for some stunning prime lenses like the 58mm f/0.95 lens, that we’ve been told Nikon are producing at the moment with a hope to launch next year and also some wide-angles ones.
4) There are new lenses
A new mount warrants for new lenses right? and Nikon have announced 3.
With that new mount, the optic experts have been freed from F-mount mundaneness launching a new S-series range. This year, we’ll see a 24-70mm f/4 lens and two prime lenses: 35mm and 50mm with f/1.8 maximum aperture.
There’s no doubt these will make for stunning portrait photography. Then there’s that 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.
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 lenses (AE) Nikkor lenses will still be compatible with the new body. Well that’s a relief!
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 ground-breaking Mockumentary we’ve been planning, about the Kleenex factory workers who all had a cold at the same time.
Natalya Paul
