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Nikon Z6ii vs Z7i

R

Robby

pfm Member
Has anyone compared the above two cameras?

I can get them for essentially the same price bundled with the 24-70 lens but trying to work out if the extra MP of the Z7 are a blessing or a curse or if the mark 2 version of the Z6 is going have some indispensable feature I have not thought of.
 
It depends on what you are going to he using them for and whether you will be printing large and / or cropping heavily?

I gather the continuous AF of the 'ii' series Z cameras is improved and they now have dual card slots. However, image quality is unchanged.

For me, the extra resolution of the Z7 is well worth it (I regularly print large). They are both superb cameras :)

Lefty
 
Thanks
Lefty said:
It depends on what you are going to he using them for and whether you will be printing large and / or cropping heavily?

I gather the continuous AF of the 'ii' series Z cameras is improved and they now have dual card slots. However, image quality is unchanged.

For me, the extra resolution of the Z7 is well worth it (I regularly print large). They are both superb cameras :)

Lefty
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Thanks for the feedback. I am not really looking to print above A2 to be honest and I would have thought 24MP enough. I wasn't too sure if the higher resolution meant there was better image "density" if that makes any sense with landscapes.

I think the better autofocus may be handy but this would be mainly for capturing family stuff rather than any kind of sports.
 
The original version of the Z6 is a cracking buy if you don’t need the absolute cutting edge of AF performance.
For family shots it will nail focus 99% of the time.
 
Megapixels! It's one of those discussions along with the size of the 'photosites' and thus things like light capture, depth of field and all.
FFIW, my experience, and, maybe, the reason why so many camera makers make FF cameras between 24mp and 36mp, is that there lies the sweet spot for most of us. If you absolutely MUST have the highest resolution and can sacrifice a little dynamic rage and etc then the Z7 is great, but, for me, the Z6 makes better pics of the subjects I like in the circumstances I am most often in. So (and esp so if you need snappy autofocus on moving subjects) I'd go newer Z6.
 
Rockmeister said:
If you absolutely MUST have the highest resolution and can sacrifice a little dynamic rage and etc then the Z7 is great, but, for me, the Z6 makes better pics of the subjects I like in the circumstances I am most often in. So (and esp so if you need snappy autofocus on moving subjects) I'd go newer Z6.
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I'm afraid I disagree. The dynamic range of the Z7 is better than the Z6, not the other way around. Also, the Z7 has a base ISO of 64, whereas the Z6 has a base ISO of 100, which helps here. It pains me to link to a Tony and Chelsea Northrup video, but here's a demonstration of the shadow recovery of the Z7 vs the Z6.


Agreed about moving subjects though. If @Robby will be shooting more of the these than landscapes / static subjects, the newer Z6 might be the better bet.

Lefty
 
Lefty said:
I'm afraid I disagree. The dynamic range of the Z7 is better than the Z6, not the other way around. Also, the Z7 has a base ISO of 64, whereas the Z6 has a base ISO of 100, which helps here. It pains me to link to a Tony and Chelsea Northrup video, but here's a demonstration of the shadow recovery of the Z7 vs the Z6.


Agreed about moving subjects though. If @Robby will be shooting more of the these than landscapes / static subjects, the newer Z6 might be the better bet.

Lefty
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I'll forgive you for posting a link to a video by the Northrups :). How the hell they have so many subscribers is beyond me.......

Food for thought in any case. Decisions, decisions.
 
Have decided to go for the Z7 instead of the Z6ii. I don't really need any of the additional features of the Z6ii but I do like the idea of the flexibility of the larger MP with the Z7.

Looking forward to having a play with it when it arrives.

EDIT to this post. Have decided to hold fire on the Z7 and cancelled my order. I previously had the Lumix S1 which I sold due to it's size and weight as I wanted to travel much lighter. Whilst the Z7 is smaller than the S1 it is not really fulfilling my desire to go as small as I can for a FF camera. Need to do a little bit more research I think to ensure the camera is exactly what I want.
 
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Robby said:
Have decided to go for the Z7 instead of the Z6ii. I don't really need any of the additional features of the Z6ii but I do like the idea of the flexibility of the larger MP with the Z7.

Looking forward to having a play with it when it arrives.

EDIT to this post. Have decided to hold fire on the Z7 and cancelled my order. I previously had the Lumix S1 which I sold due to it's size and weight as I wanted to travel much lighter. Whilst the Z7 is smaller than the S1 it is not really fulfilling my desire to go as small as I can for a FF camera. Need to do a little bit more research I think to ensure the camera is exactly what I want.
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Unless you get a Leica, I don't think you're going to get much smaller than a Z7 for FF.

Perhaps a Sony and some compact primes? (The Samyang compact primes for Sony are superb and very well priced)

Lefty
 
Lefty said:
Unless you get a Leica, I don't think you're going to get much smaller than a Z7 for FF.

Perhaps a Sony and some compact primes? (The Samyang compact primes for Sony are superb and very well priced)

Lefty
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I think you a probably right. I already have a Leica M but wanted something with autofocus.

I used to have the original Sony A7 but hated the menu system on that camera and swore I wouldn't go back.

It may be the Z7 is the right camera but didn't want to rush into it.......
 
Robby said:
I think you a probably right. I already have a Leica M but wanted something with autofocus.

I used to have the original Sony A7 but hated the menu system on that camera and swore I wouldn't go back.

It may be the Z7 is the right camera but didn't want to rush into it.......
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There's no rush and the longer you wait, the lower the prices get and the more options appear on the market. Better to wait and make the right decision than rush into something.

Rockmeister said:
a good photograph is taken by someone who is using a camera they love to use.
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This is very true and is such a subjective but important criteria. It's the only reason why I initially picked up Nikon over Canon as I just preferred the ergonomics of the Nikon in my hand. It's also 75% of the reason why I changed from Sony back to Nikon. It's also the reason why Fujifilm cameras keep finding their way into my hands.

Lefty
 
Lefty said:
There's no rush and the longer you wait, the lower the prices get and the more options appear on the market. Better to wait and make the right decision than rush into something.



This is very true and is such a subjective but important criteria. It's the only reason why I initially picked up Nikon over Canon as I just preferred the ergonomics of the Nikon in my hand. It's also 75% of the reason why I changed from Sony back to Nikon. It's also the reason why Fujifilm cameras keep finding their way into my hands.

Lefty
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It is interesting what you say about the Fuji as the XT4 is another (cheaper) alternative I am looking at.....
 
The ergonomic of the Fujis are great - everything you need in big dials on top of camera... but they will always be limited by the smaller sensor.
 
There is so much more to photography than pixel gazing. Yes, if you want to, you can clearly see that 48Mp on a FF sensor is more detailed than 24mp on an APSc sensor.

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z6-ii-review#IQ

But for me anyway, that's one of the least important factors in choosing a camera. I have made a lot of pics over the years and the 'best' have been from cameras with both APSc 12mp sensors and FF 24.
Some specialist areas do benefit from resolution ofc, and in Macro work I often wish for a few more Mps, but in general I regard Dynamic range, Colour rendition, Ergonomics, Weather sealing, Battery life, Lens quality and range, Autofocus performance and Weight to matter more to me.

On the Dynamic range front, I do trust DxOMark testing. Of all the cameras mentioned here, the results in the sensor 'landscape' test (the best measure of dynamic range in practice) are:
Nikon Z7: 14.8
Z6: 14.3
D850: 14.8
D610: 14.4

The best camera they ever tested? Hassleblad's X1D 50....14.8 also but overall
They don't test Fuji, but the APSc benchmark is the D500 and it scores 14.0, which is probably around where the Fuji will be.

If 15 is 100% benchmark, then the Z7's 14.8 is 98.6%
And the Z6? 95.3. Who honestly is not going to buy a camera for that 3%...a little skill if exposure and photoshop resolves the issue in any case.

As to resolution, go to Flikr and look at the Z6 photogroup images.

https://www.flickr.com/groups/nikonmirrorless-z6/pool/


It's like cars...yes, there are faster cars than yours but if that spoils your pleasure in what you have, then that's YOU, not the car and honestly if that is you, forget this thread, and just save for the best (and repeat next year when your best is bettered :)).
 
Robby said:
It is interesting what you say about the Fuji as the XT4 is another (cheaper) alternative I am looking at.....
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As @alanbeeb says, the Fuji ergonomics are excellent. (Possibly even better than Nikon IMHO). However, the output of their sensors (for me personally) do let them down compared with the competition. It's not a technical issue (although the well documented Fuji 'worming' is a real phenomenon), it's more a stylistic preference. For me, the Fuji files (even the RAWs) are a little too 'pumped up'. Too much contrast and saturation, which can't always be dialed out fully. By comparison, the Nikon (and Sony) sensors are much provide a more neutral base from which to work with.

Don't get me wrong, I love Fuji cameras, and they are capable of stunning results, but I definitely prefer the files from Nikon and Sony cameras.

Lefty
 
Rock,

Rockmeister said:
On the Dynamic range front, I do trust DxOMark testing. Of all the cameras mentioned here, the results in the sensor 'landscape' test (the best measure of dynamic range in practice) are:
Nikon Z7: 14.8
Z6: 14.3
D850: 14.8
D610: 14.4

If 15 is 100% benchmark, then the Z7's 14.8 is 98.6%
And the Z6? 95.3. Who honestly is not going to buy a camera for that 3%...a little skill if exposure and photoshop resolves the issue in any case.
Click to expand...

The thing about the dynamic range figure is that it's logarithmic — e.g., a camera with a DR of 15 can capture one more stop of light (twice as much) as one with a DR of 14, and two more stops of light (four times as much) as one with a DR of 13. The percent figures you gave in your example assume a linear relationship.

But I agree that a lot of the fretting about DR and pixel-peeping is pointless today. If the light is good and you know what you're doing, you can get a good picture with pretty much any modern camera.

Joe

P.S. This photo was taken ages ago with a digital camera that by today's standards is shite — only 4MP and a DR of 10.

101341226_99c5224e70_b.jpg
 
Lefty said:
As @alanbeeb says, the Fuji ergonomics are excellent. (Possibly even better than Nikon IMHO). However, the output of their sensors (for me personally) do let them down compared with the competition. It's not a technical issue (although the well documented Fuji 'worming' is a real phenomenon), it's more a stylistic preference. For me, the Fuji files (even the RAWs) are a little too 'pumped up'. Too much contrast and saturation, which can't always be dialed out fully. By comparison, the Nikon (and Sony) sensors are much provide a more neutral base from which to work with.

Don't get me wrong, I love Fuji cameras, and they are capable of stunning results, but I definitely prefer the files from Nikon and Sony cameras.

Lefty
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When I had an X-Pro 2 and XE3 I really liked the Jpeg output but the RAW files were a little problematic I found.
 
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