- Joined
- Jul 16, 2015
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- Location
- Oklahoma
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I sold and/or traded in a stack of other gear and took the benefit of the Nikon sale last weekend and picked up the Nikon Z6 with the 'kit' 24-70 f/4 s-mount lens. After some fidgeting with settings and figuring out how the new camera was (and was not) like my old Nikons, I feel pretty confident with the camera at this point. Pics will follow below. Here are my initial thoughts, good and bad:
LIKES:
*New toy! This is very important (to me). I won't pretend that it isn't fun to get a new toy.
*size and weight (tho I will admit that it is still not insignificant to carry around. It is, however, better than the Nikon DSLR cameras and lenses).
*WYSIWYG viewfinder. So nice to see real-time what a spin of the aperture command wheel will do to the image.
*Focus accuracy. I've heard some muttering that the AF accuracy was not class-leading, but it certainly is doing well for me.
*Focus peaking. So handy for manual focus shooting.
*IBIS. Very handy.
*low-light imaging. OK- my D610 was a full-frame low light monster, but the Z6 absolutely kills it. Just amazing. See pics below in a minute....
*Ergonomics and interface. This camera is just so ... Nikon. The button placements are convenient (mostly), and exactly where a person knowledgeable of the Nikon ecosystem would look to find them.
*New toy! Did I mention new toy?
NEUTRAL
* FTZ adapter- This works perfectly with my Nikon G-series lenses, but does not drive the autofocus on my Tokina 100mm f/2.8 lens (known issue). It DOES focus my Tokina 11-16 DX zoom. Older Nikon glass mounts and meters, but of course would not autofocus. I only rate it as a 'neutral' because it is oddly large, it can't focus all autofocus f-mount lenses, and it is relatively expensive if you don't get it as part of a package. I got it thrown for free, so I have that going for me, which is nice.
*Battery life- this is a neutral, rather than a 'dislike', because mirrorless cameras by design draw more current. Not a flaw, but a reality.
DISLIKES:
*Snapbridge. I kept reading that the old kludgey snapbridge experience was a thing of the past. Well ... no. for me, it still works sometimes, and does not work sometimes. Frustrating.
*One card slot. Ugh. I hate that omission. Just do. Would live to back up wirelessly real-time, but see 'snapbridge, above.
*Price. I got a super great deal and still spent a fair sum of cash.
SAMPLE SHOTS
A transparent and ethical reviewer would post all images SOTC, and let you see precisely what the camera rendered. Yeah, that's not gonna happen.
I will, however share with you some shots after some processing:
1. Miss Riley on the floor, at ISO 10,000
Miss Riley by Peeb OK, on Flickr
2. Oklahoma Capitol at night (handheld- check out the car lights!)
Oklahoma Capitol at night by Peeb OK, on Flickr
3. Bee, shot with adapted 200-500 lens
Bee on vitex by Peeb OK, on Flickr
4. Door plate at the Oklahoma Judicial Center (ISO 16,000!)
Door at the Judicial Center by Peeb OK, on Flickr
5. Misty sunrise
Misty trees, just before the rise by Peeb OK, on Flickr
6. b/w
Fall fog, processed in BW by Peeb OK, on Flickr
7. Moon
single shot of the moon, enhanced by Peeb OK, on Flickr
LIKES:
*New toy! This is very important (to me). I won't pretend that it isn't fun to get a new toy.
*size and weight (tho I will admit that it is still not insignificant to carry around. It is, however, better than the Nikon DSLR cameras and lenses).
*WYSIWYG viewfinder. So nice to see real-time what a spin of the aperture command wheel will do to the image.
*Focus accuracy. I've heard some muttering that the AF accuracy was not class-leading, but it certainly is doing well for me.
*Focus peaking. So handy for manual focus shooting.
*IBIS. Very handy.
*low-light imaging. OK- my D610 was a full-frame low light monster, but the Z6 absolutely kills it. Just amazing. See pics below in a minute....
*Ergonomics and interface. This camera is just so ... Nikon. The button placements are convenient (mostly), and exactly where a person knowledgeable of the Nikon ecosystem would look to find them.
*New toy! Did I mention new toy?
NEUTRAL
* FTZ adapter- This works perfectly with my Nikon G-series lenses, but does not drive the autofocus on my Tokina 100mm f/2.8 lens (known issue). It DOES focus my Tokina 11-16 DX zoom. Older Nikon glass mounts and meters, but of course would not autofocus. I only rate it as a 'neutral' because it is oddly large, it can't focus all autofocus f-mount lenses, and it is relatively expensive if you don't get it as part of a package. I got it thrown for free, so I have that going for me, which is nice.
*Battery life- this is a neutral, rather than a 'dislike', because mirrorless cameras by design draw more current. Not a flaw, but a reality.
DISLIKES:
*Snapbridge. I kept reading that the old kludgey snapbridge experience was a thing of the past. Well ... no. for me, it still works sometimes, and does not work sometimes. Frustrating.
*One card slot. Ugh. I hate that omission. Just do. Would live to back up wirelessly real-time, but see 'snapbridge, above.
*Price. I got a super great deal and still spent a fair sum of cash.
SAMPLE SHOTS
A transparent and ethical reviewer would post all images SOTC, and let you see precisely what the camera rendered. Yeah, that's not gonna happen.
I will, however share with you some shots after some processing:1. Miss Riley on the floor, at ISO 10,000
Miss Riley by Peeb OK, on Flickr
2. Oklahoma Capitol at night (handheld- check out the car lights!)
Oklahoma Capitol at night by Peeb OK, on Flickr
3. Bee, shot with adapted 200-500 lens
Bee on vitex by Peeb OK, on Flickr
4. Door plate at the Oklahoma Judicial Center (ISO 16,000!)
Door at the Judicial Center by Peeb OK, on Flickr
5. Misty sunrise
Misty trees, just before the rise by Peeb OK, on Flickr
6. b/w
Fall fog, processed in BW by Peeb OK, on Flickr
7. Moon
single shot of the moon, enhanced by Peeb OK, on Flickr
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