Why so little interest here on the forum in the Z6/7?

spb_stan

Senior Member
I think this is the only forum here interest in the Z cameras is so muted. I got a loaner for a week as the first one a store got in last month but since that time the supply has been good, with weekly additions reaching their warehouse. It appears that they sell a Z7 very 3 days as a kit($4300 Z7/FTZ/24-70 f/4/64gig XQD) and a Z6 kit or camera daily. There are many stores so it is certainly selling faster than D850s here when it was introduced(every Nikon dealer has a D850 on display and the price is down to $3100 here, when it was $3600 for the last year, which includes the 18%VAT)
My take on the Z cameras is that they are rugged pro-build, feel great in hand, more solid than the competition or even Nikon DSLRs and great IQ. The FTZ allowed my old manual lenses get lots of use, like my 50 1.2 that is still made. I bought mine new in 2012. It is a dream to focus on the Z7, even better than the micro-prism focusing screens of the heyday of film.
The AF is not as good in low light in area modes as the D850 but sure is better than my D800in the same conditions. IQ is better, the touch screen focus point selection is the quickest in the industry. The displace processor is much faster than the Sony, with higher touch resolution.
So why are Nikonites not talking about or interested in these cameras? I am going to get the Z7 towards the end of the week, body and FTZ and I will use my current F lenses until I start collecting Z mount lenses. The 35mm 1.8 S native lens for the Z camera is already being called the best 35mm lens of and brand and the kit 24-70 f/4 is noticeably better for corner to corner sharpness and lack of distortion of the 3 times more expensive 24-70 2.8E. The buyers I have spoken with have been very enthusiastic in their praise of their Z6 or Z7 including some coming from Sony or the D850.
 

Andy W

Senior Member
I don't know why, unless folks are going to the site below. This is displayed at the top of the Nikonites forum listings:


Check out our new sister site for mirrorless cameras: Cameras Without Mirrors

Cameras Without Mirrors





 

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I can't speak for others but I'm waiting a year to see how Nikon and Sony shake out... The mirrorless camera is a big enough system departure from the standard DSLR at this point that moving to a new system could mean someone other than Nikon.
 

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Speaking for myself it's because I have a D750 I'm very happy with and the Z series holds no interest for me.

The D750 has put me out of the gear-race for the foreseeable future.
 

Blade Canyon

Senior Member
Because I splurged on a D850... and it's too soon to start thinking about a whole replacement system.

I did look at the Nikon Z7 at a local camera shop. It felt good, but I'm not shooting enough anymore to make me regret the size or features on what I have. I would like an electronic viewfinder for some things...
 

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
I don't need anything the Z6 or Z7 offers. The D500 is still a better camera for sports and wildlife, which are my main interests. I am quite happy with the quality of my D7200 for landscapes.
 

mikew_RIP

Senior Member
I did give some thought to the Z6 before buying the D500 but for wildlife the D500 has the edge in most things,what i do like about mirrorless is the EVF, i feel it shows the picture i wll take better than an OVF.
 

TKC_D500

Senior Member
I agree what most others have said. I'm sure it is a very good system that will only get better, it just doesn't fill any specific need for me that would make me want to change from my D500.
 

Rick M

Senior Member
It's going to take some time to build up a mirrorless base here for active discussion. Most existing members have established systems so new members/buyers will slowly build that section and following up. Loyalty even within the same manufacturer slows change. In addition to Nikon is better than Canon (which of course it is!), debates will morph into a DSLR vs. Mirrorless. It will take a long time, but I speculate Mirrorless will eventually overtake DSLR's in sales and forum activity. Personally, I don't think one is better than the other, they each have strengths and weaknesses.
 

Ironwood

Senior Member
It’s exciting times for photographers, never have we had so much choice. Mirrorless seems to be the future, but I am happy to stay with DSLR for the time being. I have been watching prices drop on D800 & D810’s, and May pick one of them up if I find a good one for the right price, will have to change out some of my lenses though. I can see one of the mirrorless cameras in my future, but not for a while yet, and by then the 2nd or 3rd generations will be out.
 

Daz

Senior Member
Well I have just made the switch from the D500 to the Z 6 so I will be posting a lot more in the Mirrorless side :)
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
Very nice description of the process I went through also. I do not see the Z as a replacement except for video, but a compliment if one has a D850. I bought one, which here is the cost of living for 4-5 months and found the image quality of the Z7 possibly a bit better than the D850 and a lot better in JPG rendering. Focus for sports and WL shooters might be weaker but for my shooting...people, events, studio and travel is fitted very well. The files are pretty big for a travel/walk around camera, however.
The EVF is a fantastic upgrade from the OVF of the DSLRs, so in dark venues such as jazz clubs, I take a lot fewer photos, I know how it is going to turn out so no bracketing or chimping needed. What it looks like in the EVF is what the file looks like except in low light where the EVF is brighter allowing much more precise framing and focusing.
All that said, I took it back to the store last night and traded it for a Z6. Two reasons, the fact that I have high res covered, already the large file sizes made less sense than the stop better low light performance. I do notice the difference in resolution but I also was amazed by what files at 22,000 ISO looked like, perfectly usable. In a pinch, H2, 204,000 produced remarkable color and detail that just does not exist with the D850.
If money was no object I would have both. I like my big gripped D850 and D800, they feel great in hand and the image quality is great but after using the Z7 and Z6 for a couple weeks, it is pretty obvious, for my shooting, mirrorless is here to stay. I can see now that I shoot fewer frames but have more keepers because the EVF is such an accurate view of the final image, there is no need for bracketing shots or chimping, the framing it right, exposure and color are right, and especially so in low light.
One thing I noticed right away, in clubs or events, no one notices you with a small camera so getting truly candid shots is easier but I found with the Z7 fewer people approached to ask for photos because a gripped D8x0 body, and large lenses seem to suggest the user is serious.

The announced upgrades in firmware is likely to cause the Z6 to be most popular higher end camera Nikon ever produced. ProRes RAW at 12 bit out HDMI to a $700 monitor/recorder just drop the entry cost to real cine quality by $40,000. Plus the only cameras designed for CFExpress with its fantastic read/write rates will cause every video fan to move to Nikon. ProRes RAW and ProResHD RAW is like having the only still camera with RAW file output which everyone else has to use JPG. But more so, there is more flexibility with ProRes RAW in video than RAW in still images.
 

spb_stan

Senior Member
Having shot with the Nikon and Sony mirrorless, they are not for me. Motion blur in the EVF can't keep up with action sports.

The display and EVF of Sony is slower but the Z cameras do not have motion blur in either the monitor or EVF. Z's are faster in refresh, even the response to the touch screen of the Sony's lags far hind if moving a finger over the screen. But Z cameras AF is slower than a D5 and D850 but currently, the fastest AF of any is the a9 Sony, but it is poor in handling and control placement and menu structure.
For just about every other subject matter, the Z cameras are really good, with excellent shooting experience, IQ and ease of use. The low light performance of the Z6 is significantly better than the D850which has been the IQ leader. Luckily almost any sort of subject matter is covered by reasonably priced models now from more brands. The majority of new camera buyers are desiring video good capability and that is where there is no contest between DSLR and mirrorless and Nikon has the best option in FF.
 
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