Nikon Z6ii vs Z7i

[Lefty]

Watching Hugh Brownstone last night who's clearly a big fan of the 50-1.8 S. From first impressions, this lens is an absolute beast (in a good way). Some folk seem to complain about its price - sure it ain't cheap, and of course people like to see '1.4' for this kind of money but 2/3rds of a stop difference (or thereabouts) is hardly a yawning chasm.

I need a new computer though, I'm convinced my poor old iMac was putting up the white flag just now. It doesn't seem to like 45MP files very much.

I think the problem with the 50/1.8 S is that people (including myself) I initially viewed it as the Z version of the 50/1.8 G (which is available new for around £200). As such, it looked like an over priced and over sized lens. However, as you rightly say, it's more comparable to Sony's 55/1.8, which is priced higher. Given its performance (which is better than the Sony), it's a bargain. I picked mine up used (and mint) from Wex for £330

Yes - that's one downside. The files are large and need some computing muscle to process!

Lefty

 

[Gromit]

@Lefty

330 quid!!?? You can really go off people you know

You're absolutely right about the pre-conception of the 50, I was exactly the same and thought Nikon were taking the proverbial with their pricing. Not a bit of it, one very special lens.

My iMac's a 2011 and clearly not man enough for the job. It was OK (well, reasonably so) with the 7RIII but it's now running a later OS, putting more demands on the processor etc. I would upgrade the RAM (it's 8GB at the moment) but being a 'sealed' iMac it's a pig of a job to do.

 

[Rockmeister]

Wouldn't do that much anyway from what I read. I'm just bunging some more in mine (going from 8 to 32), but the big change was the new iMac. My 'old' one is about the age of yours. It's a BIG leap to what's around now, and the retina 5K display is a peach...get the 27" if you can, it's amazing for photo processing. The new 24 looks lovely in it's colours but just may fall short on storage etc if you are keeping a lot of huge files?

 

[Lefty]

@Lefty

330 quid!!?? You can really go off people you know

You're absolutely right about the pre-conception of the 50, I was exactly the same and thought Nikon were taking the proverbial with their pricing. Not a bit of it, one very special lens.

My iMac's a 2011 and clearly not man enough for the job. It was OK (well, reasonably so) with the 7RIII but it's now running a later OS, putting more demands on the processor etc. I would upgrade the RAM (it's 8GB at the moment) but being a 'sealed' iMac it's a pig of a job to do.

Haha - yep! It was too good of a deal to pass up

This may not help your bank balance, but I've just received an e-mail that Nikon have started a cashback scheme. Tempted to give the 24-200 a go as it has now dropped from £850 to £670. Then again, the combo of 24-70/4 and 70-300/4.5-5.6 has been serving me well.

Meant to ask, did you get the FTZ as well? Opens up so many options in terms of older glass (like the 70-300).

I had a similar issue with my iMac being sealed and only having 8GB RAM. It lead me to switch to a Windows machine. Whilst it's no way near as nice to use as the Mac, I can't deny its computing power (12 core i9 with 32GB RAM and dedicated graphics card with 6GB RAM). Having said that, if I had a Mac I'd be going straight for an M1 equipped machine. They look superb!

Lefty

 

[Gromit]

Thanks fellas - I'm not terribly clued-up on computery stuff so may be asking for advice in due course.

Just looked at the specs for my old iMac - a late 2012 (8gb RAM/1TB HDD/i5). Drive is about half full and looking at new spec machines, they all seem to top out at 512GB although this is with SSD's. I have Time Machine set up on a separate drive (2TB) but would I be able to use another, separate SSD for storing images to import into LR etc for PP?

Just opened up some Z7 images in Capture One 21 - it's loads quicker.

@Lefty - didn't get the FTZ but it's most certainly on the list to get.

 

[GF670]

I currently use a 2010 iMac, and it seems fine with Lightroom and Photoshop (no slower than my 2018 MacBook Pro). I've been downloading raw files from high megapixel cameras to see how well they work (Leica Q2, GFX 50R etc). The thing that made a huge difference for me was when the old hard disc broke and I had it replaced with a 500GB SSD. I also upgraded the RAM to 12GB. It could be worth considering.

 

[Gromit]

I currently use a 2010 iMac, and it seems fine with Lightroom and Photoshop (no slower than my 2018 MacBook Pro). I've been downloading raw files from high megapixel cameras to see how well they work (Leica Q2, GFX 50R etc). The thing that made a huge difference for me was when the old hard disc broke and I had it replaced with a 500GB SSD. I also upgraded the RAM to 12GB. It could be worth considering.

I can appreciate the SSD made a big difference - I did the same on my old MacBook (late 2008 Aluminium) which was a nice, easy job to do. It had been getting terribly sluggish, but it's quick-as now. Can't go past El Capitan though so a few apps have reached their upgrade limit (LR & Capture One to name two).

Mac Upgrades down in Sawston have quoted me £410 for a new 1TB SSD plus a 16GB RAM upgrade, all fitted, including a clone of the drive. I would do the work myself but looking at guidance videos I really don't fancy it. My old 2008 iMac (which I also fitted an SSD into) was very straightforward by comparison.

 

[andrewd]

The month before Christmas is the best time to buy new Z lenses. When I first saw the prices at Christmas time in 2019 I thought the quoted full retail prices were a scam and that the lenses would never actually sell for that, but the prices did go up and the various discounts through the year were a lot less than the Christmas discount. Maybe the 85mm lens will be under the tree for me this year

 

[Gromit]

Maybe the 85mm lens will be under the tree for me this year

Yes, the 85 is on my radar too - possibly my favourite focal length, a Z version is very tempting.

 

[Lefty]

The month before Christmas is the best time to buy new Z lenses. When I first saw the prices at Christmas time in 2019 I thought the quoted full retail prices were a scam and that the lenses would never actually sell for that, but the prices did go up and the various discounts through the year were a lot less than the Christmas discount. Maybe the 85mm lens will be under the tree for me this year

Yes, the 85 is on my radar too - possibly my favourite focal length, a Z version is very tempting.

By all accounts the 85/1.8 S is another stellar optic. DXO have just tested it and rank it (when mounted on the Z7) as the third best lens they have ever tested (note also the low price of the 85/1.8 S compared to other lenses on the list)

Lefty

 

[Rockmeister]

Those figures represent a test of the sensor as much as the lens.
Look at the Sigma Art result...on a lowly D800....It's not been done I guess ,but I'd hazard an extra 5 on that score on a 48Mp sensor.

I suspect the boffins at Nikon have been buy stripping down Sigma's Art series and seeing how it's done!

Or Sigma are quietly making some of the designs and glass for them, and others.

 

[Gromit]

Those figures represent a test of the sensor as much as the lens.
Look at the Sigma Art result...on a lowly D800....It's not been done I guess ,but I'd hazard an extra 5 on that score on a 48Mp sensor.

I suspect the boffins at Nikon have been buy stripping down Sigma's Art series and seeing how it's done!

Or Sigma are quietly making some of the designs and glass for them, and others.

I can't speak for the 85, but I'd say the 50 looks quite closely related to the Sony 55-1.8 Sonnar - including the use of a concave front element.

I do know that Sigma manufacture the (gorgeous) 75-1.8 M.Zuiko for mu43.

 

[Colin L]

My kit is Z6, 24-70 F4, 85 1.8s and a 70-200 F4 on a FTZ, plus various others Ais lenses (55 2.8, 35 1.4, 45P 2.8)
The 85 1.8s is very, very sharp

 

[Robby]

@Gromit Afternoon. Having had the camera for a short while are your impressions still favourable? One thing I would be interested in is your views on the autofocus performance as one of the main differences between the Z7 and Z7ii seems to be in the autofocus performance.

 

[alanbeeb]

Shameless here: If any of you Nikon Z fanboys are interested.... I'll be selling my Samyang 14mm f2.8 Z-mount shortly. Its superb and opened my eyes to the possibilities of super-wide - but once there, I was too tempted by Nikon's own 14-30 f4 when it was discounted for a while last year. Looking for £200 delivered.

 

[Gromit]

@Gromit Afternoon. Having had the camera for a short while are your impressions still favourable? One thing I would be interested in is your views on the autofocus performance as one of the main differences between the Z7 and Z7ii seems to be in the autofocus performance.

From what I'm finding so far, it's a great bit of kit. Not had the chance to use it beyond snapping away at this & that but am going up to Lincoln on monday for a wander around the Cathedral/Castle etc. In terms of AF, it's not something I get particularly hung up on - I never (or hardly ever) use AF-C or any form of tracking. 99.9% of the time it's AF-S, focus and re-compose unless close up where I'll just move the AF point via the toggle.

What is important to me is AF accuracy, and in that instance the Z7 is spot on every time. The Tamron 45-1.8 I had on the Df was very good, but often it would miss its target, occasionally suffering from focus shift beyond f5.6 which is totally unacceptable. The 50-1.8 S gives no such issues - everything you read about this amazing lens is true.

 

[Robby]

From what I'm finding so far, it's a great bit of kit. Not had the chance to use it beyond snapping away at this & that but am going up to Lincoln on monday for a wander around the Cathedral/Castle etc. In terms of AF, it's not something I get particularly hung up on - I never (or hardly ever) use AF-C or any form of tracking. 99.9% of the time it's AF-S, focus and re-compose unless close up where I'll just move the AF point via the toggle.

What is important to me is AF accuracy, and in that instance the Z7 is spot on every time. The Tamron 45-1.8 I had on the Df was very good, but often it would miss its target, occasionally suffering from focus shift beyond f5.6 which is totally unacceptable. The 50-1.8 S gives no such issues - everything you read about this amazing lens is true.

Thanks for the feedback. Like you, I pretty much only use AF-S but with the high resolution sensor the accuracy has to be absolutely spot on I would have thought. And it sounds like it is which is great news.

 

[andrewd]

I followed the advice for Af settings in this video and get great results(Z6).

He has another one relating to firmware 3 which is useful too. I will try to find it.

Edit: here it is. I use the white box technique he describes and find it works well.

 

[Gromit]

I followed the advice for Af settings in this video and get great results(Z6).

He has another one relating to firmware 3 which is useful too. I will try to find it.

@andrewd - thanks for the link, I'd not seen this one. Have been following him for a while though - he's a huge D700 fan too (still uses one in fact) so clearly a man of good taste.

 

[Gromit]

SitRep:

Went for a wander around Newark this morning - beautiful day, great skies so took the Z7 for a spin.

2nd impressions are great, camera menu/interface nice & easy, ergos great too. Still needs some setting up but being a true, stubborn 'bloke' I refuse to RTFM. (will eat my words I'm sure).

The Z7 is a lovely thing, and I'm happy with it - however the real star is that superb 50-1.8 S. Off to LCE to get the FTZ tomorrow as I'm really keen to fit the AI 105-2.5 to the Z.