Nikon Z6 Long Term Review
BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT
Is the Nikon Z6 still worth buying in late 2021?
For most people the answer is YES! Even 2.5 years in, this camera checks all the right boxes, especially on price where refurbished bodies can be found for $1100, giving you access to a full frame camera that has received multiple firmware updates to improve performance and add features. 2.5 years in, as wedding and portrait photographer and videographer this camera has not left me down. I now own 2 Z6’s (with the second being refurbished) and they are my workhorses.
Nikon Z6 Pros
Price (in 2021)
Fantastic Image Quality
Incredible Low-Light Performance
Light weight
High-resolution EVF
Great handling & Ergonomics
In-body image stabilization
Nikon Z6 Cons
Single memory card slot
Shorter battery life vs DSLR
Focusing Performance can be slow at times
Viewfinder Lag
LENSES I’M USING
The lenses I have as of Oct 2021 are listed below and I can’t rave enough about the Z-mount lenses I have so far. They all are significantly better optically than the F-mount versions that I had and I just enjoy using all the Z-mount lenses.
Nikon 14-30 F4
Nikon 24-70 F2.8S
Nikon 35 F1.8
Nikon 85 F1.8
Nikon 70-200 F2.8S
HISTORY & BACKGROUND
On May 23, 2019 I jumped headfirst into the mirrorless world after having been a DSLR owner since 2008. I moved from the best in class (at the time) consumer DLSR, the D90, to the Nikon D750 in 2014. In 2016 when I began doing weddings, I picked up a refurbished D7200 in 2016 as a backup. As you can imagine I had acquired quite a bit of Nikon lenses including the 14-24 2.8 and 70-200 2.8 VR2. I also shot the Nikon 17-55 F2.8 on the D7200.
WHAT I GOT for $4,616.78
Nikon Z6 Body
Nikon 24-70 2.8S
Nikon FTZ Adapter
Nikon ENEL-15B
Dead Cat for my Sennheiser ME 66K6 combo
Cold Shoe adapter for mic and led light
Z6 TECH INFO
At the time, Nikon released 2 camera models, the Z6 and the Z7. I personally opted for the Z6 because of the “normal” senor size at 24 MP vs. the 45 MP of the Z7. I knew that having 45 MP would create a bottleneck in workflow due to the enormous file size plus having to buy a lot of extra storage. 45 MP generates significantly larger file sizes over the 24 MP.
Z6
Sensor 24mp
Low Pass Filter Yes
Max Frame Rate 12 fps
Max Raw Buffer 43
Video no crop 4K
AF points 273
Base ISO 100
MSRP US $2000
Z7
Sensor 45mp
Low Pass Filter No
Max Frame Rate 9 fps
Max Raw Buffer 23
Video cropped 4K
AF points 493
Base ISO 64
MSRP US $3400
PROS for the Nikon Z6
One of the first things to note is the image quality that comes off the sensor when paired with Z lenses is simply stunning. Another big deal with this camera is the low light performance. The D750 is often considered one of the best low light performing cameras of all time, and this one is even better in terms of high ISO performance. Combined with the in-body image stabilization you can easily handhold down to 1/15 sec shutter speed and if you’re really steady slightly lower than that even! The camera feels very comfortable in the hand and is lightweight and very portable in a small bag.
Not to be overlooked, the video quality this camera produces is very nice. I find that shooting in neutral and then using a combo of Adobe Premiere Pro and Film Convert with the z6 profile is a good mix and makes for great wedding videos.
CONS for the Nikon Z6
A lot of people had a problem with the single XQD card slot in the Z6. While I understand that some like to shoot with 2 cards in the camera, I personally never have done this as a practice. So to me, having 1 slot isn’t a big deal. Plus the D90 I started out with only had 1 slot so I was use it in a way.
The noted viewfinder lag can be an issue if shooting something fast moving, but I have never had an issue with that either.
The shorter battery life is an issue to be aware of. Not just for the Z6 but all the mirrorless cameras chew through batteries. I currently as of this writing have 5 ENEL15Bs and 5 of my other ENEL15s.
BACK BUTTON LAYOUT
This will be important for anyone coming from a Nikon DSLR.
The first thing that took a while to get use to was the back button layout. Coming from the D750 (right) to the Z6 (left) was pretty jarring. I ride the ISO button with my left thumb a lot so having the ISO button moved to the top involved training muscle memory. Of course, the same holds true for all the buttons that were on the left side of the D750. Having the little joystick took a while to get use to as well, but I really like it now.
Z6 Back Button Layout
D750 Back Button Layout
THE VIEWFINDER
Having shot with the Sony A7S, A7R2, and A7iii - the viewfinder on the Z6 looks like 4K and makes those Sony models look like VHS tapes. The difference at the time was pretty significant and something that has to be seen to be believed. I cannot speak to current Sony models, but suffice to say that the Z6 still looks absolutely incredible and you do forget you’re looking at a screen and not an optical viewfinder.
One small downside of the viewfinder is a little bit of lag between what is happening in real life and what you see in the viewfinder. If you’re photographing time critical things (like dancers, or a first kiss) you’ll definitely want to use what I call “two eyes” and watch the action with the eye that’s not on the viewfinder to time your shots. It’s a little weird at first, but I’m use to it because back in the camcorder days, it’s how we did video to make sure we could scan the room while still shooting wedding video footage so we didn’t miss a special moment.
THE FUTURE
Nikon continues to release new mirrorless bodies. At the time of this writing, the Z6ii and Z7ii are out along with a new Z5 entry level full frame camera. Even with all these new options, I still believe the Z6 is the sweet spot for anyone interested in the full frame experience and in-body features of Nikon’s full frame line. Nikon continues to be dedicated to releasing lenses that are unlike anything before with stunning performance and reasonable sizes.
For me, my next lens purchases are going to be the Nikon 105mm Macro and a super telephoto, probably the 100-400 mm for wildlife. I’m also considering that F-mount 500 PF 5.6 when Nikon USA has a refurb sale, you can get those for $1100 off.
VS. CANON
I know Canon has a lot of people who love their system, but after having tried the EOS R5 and their glass, I just found the size and weight off putting. All the Canon glass seems to be overly large for my tastes, and I prefer the Nikon body and lens sizes personally.
This is a shot I took with my phone from a conference this year where a friend had the R5 and 28-75 F2.
I have my Z6 and 24-70 F2.8. I wish I had taken a top down view, but the R5 was significantly bigger and bulkier and that lens was heavy!
Just something to be aware of if you’re thinking of going Canon.
VERDICT
After nearly 2.5 years with the Nikon Z6 (photographing, weddings, high school seniors, and videoing weddings and events), I categorize the camera as an amazing compact camera that features professional level performance at a great price in October 2021. Coupled with the new Z-mount lenses, the Z6 is a great full frame camera and will be something any aspiring photographer can grow with. When you combine the low light performance, beautiful Nikon files, photo/video capability, ergonomics, and durability, I don’t believe anyone can go wrong buying the Nikon Z6 as a first camera or backup camera as a professional. For the professional (anyone using their camera to make money), the Z6 will get the job done while maintaining reasonable file sizes that yield beautiful results.