Z6 or Z7 - a few questions

I am likely going to be picking one of these up for my holidays this year - and also to use some adapted lenses on. Now, I have been reading online and I am amazed that the first few pages of links on Google are all previews of the cameras and saying that they are basically the same. Really not useful to me.

 

So I have a few questions - and any input or even links to save you answering what has maybe been said would be great.

 

My questions.

 

How do the Z6 and Z7 play with adapted rangefinder lenses - is one better than the other at controlling the smearing and colour bands that can afflict these lenses used on digital?

How is the colour and tone of each? I understand that processing will have the most effect however the Df has probably the nicest look and colour I have seen - natural but not muted. Easy to tweak to perfect. Sometimes no tweaking!

What is the strength of the Z6 AA filter? Some say strong, some sway weak? Be good to know how much is will smudge landscapes etc.

 

Cheers for any input. I would like to pick one up as I said and I know both will be great I am sure, but the above is important to me so one that ticks more boxes would be better.

 

To add, I have a D810 and Df and use of a D850 if so either MP count is fine (Z6 or Z7).

I think 24MP on the Z6 is plenty, especially if you are going to adapt older lenses onto it.

 

I would spend more on the 2nd or 3rd-generation Z bodies after Nikon has a chance to refine them. The Z6 and Z7 are good, but there is clearly room for improvement, such as dual memory card slots, better AF, etc.

 

The EN-EL15 batteries you have for your D810 should work just fine on the Z6/7, unless they are third-party, but you'll need XQD memory cards.

How do the Z6 and Z7 play with adapted rangefinder lenses

Nikon used a thinner cover glass than Sony - so the issues should be somewhat reduced (and indeed are from the few reports that I've seen).

 

To me the strength of the Z system will be with its native Z-mount lenses - and until those I want/need are available, I personally have no reason to purchase a Nikon mirrorless. I rented the Z7 with the 24-70/4S for a weekend - the camera is in no way a "mirrorless D850" (except for the identical number of MPs).

Ian,

 

I posted basically the same question a few weeks ago, you may want to find that thread. There are some good inputs there, but the thread died without extensive discussion.

 

I, too, would like better info on the effect of the Z6 AA filter vs Z7, and am curious if the AF is actually better in the Z6 as some sites hint at. I might buy Thom's Ebook to see what it says about the two.

 

Like you, I have a D810 and other Nikons, and a Sony A7 that just failed. Different horses for courses, but I do like some of the features that mirrorless offers and plan to replace the Sony with a Nikon Z I think, though the current deal on a new Sony A7 II is tempting. I don't like the Sony interface, though.

How is the colour and tone of each?

Doesn't that depend mostly on how you set up the camera - especially now that adobe reads the JPEG parameters and applies them when processing the RAW file? One surprise I had - and one that would force me to change my workflow when using a Z6 or Z7 - is that apparently Nikon NEF files no longer contain a full-size (though reduced quality) JPEG but only a 120x160 pixel thumbnail (Sony does the same). I use BreezeBrowser Pro to view and cull images from a shoot - and that program relies on displaying that embedded JPEG. For whatever reason, Sony's JPEG at least gets blown up in that program, Nikon's is only displayed as a thumbnail. Now I have to either go through the time-consuming process of generating previews in LR or deal with it being generated every time in DxO PhotoLab (or Capture One for Sony).

I don't like the Sony interface, though.

Not sure I understand what exactly you are referring too here. Buttons certainly feel better on the Nikon and placement isn't as haphazard as on the Sony's. The Sony menu is a disaster - but once set up, there's precious little difference between a Nikon and a Sony in that regard (as one hardly ever has to dive into the menu again and makes all the changes from the user-defined menu on the back LCD).

Re: Sony interface...my D810 always seems ready to capture when I press the shutter release. The A7, well, most of the time. I have experienced times when the Sony would not capture when all should have been ready.

 

I'm pretty sure I have the Sony menu items set correctly for my purposes. Maybe those times when the A7 balked, the camera had not achieved focus or something, IDK. Disconcerting, to say the least. Now the thing died while in the camera bag in my office. Repair is expensive enough that I will probably not do it.

Any mirrorless I've used so far was more than sluggish waking up from standby than any DSLR.

Cheers Robert - I had a read of that. Useful.

 

I am 80% set on the Z6 - however the extra resolution is still an appeal - especially if the native lenses are as good as I hope they will be.

 

It may be just me but I feel that 24-ish MP is neither here nor there. I would love a storming 16-18 MP low light do anything you want sensor or a 40-ish high resolution one.

I would love a storming 16-18 MP low light

You've gotta wonder if any of the main makers feel like making a dedicated full frame 4K (9Mpix) camera.

 

With modern designed sensors low light should be truly excellent.

You've gotta wonder if any of the main makers feel like making a dedicated full frame 4K (9Mpix) camera.

 

With modern designed sensors low light should be truly excellent.

 

Dedicated you meant for video? How about them Red camera? They have camera with 40.95x21.6mm sensor.

Canon do make 4K sensors for their cinema line. Son'y s A7S also have something similar though it is 2:3 aspect ratio. However, it doesn't necessarily mean there would be better high ISO image quality. I think they use such sensors because it requires less computation to reach a 4K video (and no lines are skipped).

Sorry, I was meaning 4K dedicated to BOTH, which I guess doesn't mean dedicated*...Doh...:confused:

 

ie for a still not to be a downsampled frame from a 24MPix sensor.

 

With convergence of design between still and video (consumer level) there was the view that stills would be just single frames from video.

 

However, for fast moving things doesn't the shutter speed get kinda mess things up?

 

There used to a 'double the frame rate' aspect of video shutter speed. ie 30fps = 1/60th sec. and 60fps = 1/125.

 

If you take a single frame from that of anything faster than a slow walking target it's going to show serious subject movement isn't it?

 

Horse eventing needs 1/2000 to freeze motion.

 

*That's what happens with writing and editing and cutting and pasting and then NOT proof reading..:(

I am thinking that Nikon started with the Z6 and Z7 so they later could introduce the Z1 when they decide that a mirrorless can take the place of the D1-D5.

I have looked around the net a couple of times but have not been able to find a site that has the same photo/same (good) lens, trpod shot, Z6 & Z7, raw that can be downloaded for comparison. Anybody on PNet have both cameras?

 

One would think a comparison like this would be available since the Z6 has been shipping a while.

Exactly Robert. With the D800/e there were some excellent examples with a few complex city shots showing real differences between the two. What I liked is that some of the differences were quite significant whilst on some subjects there was hardly anything in it. There's been nothing like this for the Z.

 

I suppose the logical choice is Z6 and put the extra to a lens or a wonderful trip.