Nikon Z6 Review - Photography Life (2023)

The Nikon Z6 was announced in August of 2018 alongside the higher resolution Z7. Both Z-series cameras marked the company’s entry into the full-frame mirrorless market, a category of camera that many Nikon shooters had anticipated anxiously for years. But it was always a question of “when,” not “if” Nikon would satisfy the mirrorless hunger, as the demand for such cameras remained steady and even increased despite the camera market’s overall decline. The Nikon Z6 in particular – being the more affordable of the two Z cameras – is a critical part of Nikon’s future plans. But how does this camera hold up in practice? Read on to find out…

With other camera companies like Sony, Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, and Leica already having years of experience in mirrorless technology, including pro-grade cameras, Nikon’s relatively late timing with the Z6 and Z7 was quite interesting. As we have seen in the past, launching a new system is not an easy task; it usually takes two or three generations of cameras to finally appeal to the masses, and time was not on Nikon’s side. All the while, the company’s now-discontinued Nikon 1 mirrorless cameras served as a harsh reminder that the new Z series cameras needed to be positioned well on the market or else risk almost immediate failure.

Nikon’s strongest asset was its large and loyal audience of F-mount DSLR users, including the over 100 million Nikkor lenses that have been sold since the company’s inception. Therefore, it was important for Nikon to not only develop a reliable, advanced mirrorless camera system on the first generation but also to allow existing Nikon F mount lenses to be used without any serious drawbacks or limitations. On top of that, the new Z camera system had to be future-proof for potentially the next several decades, should mirrorless cameras eventually overtake DSLRs.

For many photographers, the first question about a new camera system is simple: How are the lenses? This question encompasses everything from individual lenses, which must be high in quality, to the overall lens lineup and its versatility. And that is where Nikon made a big, correct decision early on with the Nikon Z-series cameras – to design the Nikon Z mount with the closest flange distance and the largest inner diameter of any full-frame camera on the market today. This not only allows more adapted lenses from different companies to mount on the Z6 and Z7, but also affords Nikon’s optical engineers greater flexibility in lens designs for maximum optical quality.

We have already seen this exceedingly high optical quality with the Z-mount lenses, which are among Nikon’s sharpest lenses ever made. If Nikon’s future Z lenses are held to the same standard, there will be no doubt that the Z system has met its goal of future-proofing.

Alongside these lenses and the Z cameras themselves, Nikon also announced a Nikon F to Z “FTZ” adapter, providing full autofocus and autoexposure for more than 90 Nikon F-mount lenses. Older lenses can be mounted and used on the Z6 and Z7, but they will have limited or no autofocus and autoexposure capabilities. Nikon says that a total of 360 lenses are supported by the FTZ adapter, which does not include third-party lens options.

Let’s take a closer look at what the Nikon Z6 has to offer in terms of specifications. Then, we will compare the camera side-by-side with the Z7 as well as other cameras like the Sony A7 III, Nikon D750, and the new Nikon D780.

Nikon Z6 Specifications

A detailed list of camera specifications is available on the Nikon Z6 page of Nikon USA.

Nikon Z6 vs Nikon Z7 Specifications Comparison

The Nikon Z6 was announced alongside the higher-resolution Z7. The two cameras use exactly the same body, but they have some different specifications overall, and the Z7 has a significantly higher launch price of $3400. Here is a comparison between the Z6 and Z7, which only includes the differences between the two cameras:

As you can see, the cameras are very similar overall – nearly identical in many respects. If you have read our Nikon Z7 review, you will find that many of our takeaways from that camera are shared here as well. Both the Z6 and Z7 sport the same high-quality magnesium alloy body that is fully weather-sealed, both have the same weight and dimensions, and even many of the in-camera features are the same. There are some differences that stand out, however: sensor technology, autofocus system, continuous shooting speed, video sensor readout, battery life, and price.

Simply put, the two cameras are aimed at different photography needs – the Z6 is a more general-purpose camera for situations where 24 megapixels is enough (which usually will be the case), such as portraiture, travel, and event photography. By comparison, the high-resolution Nikon Z7 is targeted for architecture, landscape, and studio photography where maximum detail and resolution are required.

You can think of the Nikon Z7 as a D850 mirrorless equivalent in terms of image quality, whereas the Z6 is a mirrorless D750. This explains why the two cameras are priced so differently. At the same time, considering that both cameras are pretty much identical physically and functionally (whereas the D850 and the D750 are quite a bit different), these cameras aren’t positioned exactly the same way as their DSLR counterparts. In fact, Nikon positioned the two cameras similarly as Sony has done with its A7 and A7R-series cameras: same body build and ergonomics, different sensors and prices.

For a more detailed comparison of the Nikon Z6 with the Z7, check out our Nikon Z6 vs Z7 Comparison article. Also, you can find dynamic range and high ISO performance differences between the Nikon Z6 and Z7 on pages five and seven, respectively.

Nikon Z6 vs Sony A7 III Specifications Comparison

Next, let’s take a look at how the Nikon Z6 compares to the Sony A7 III:

As you can see, the Sony A7 III and Nikon Z6 make for good competition! Depending upon the specification you care about the most, you can convince yourself that either camera has the advantage. The Sony has more autofocus points and better battery life, as well as dual SD cards (which I suspect most photographers would prefer over one XQD). Also, of course, Sony has been making full-frame mirrorless cameras and lenses longer than Nikon, so their lineup of lenses and accessories is significantly deeper.

However, Nikon has some tricks up its sleeve as well. It has a higher maximum frame rate (12 versus 10), as well as a higher-resolution LCD and viewfinder. The Z6 also wins out in video, with 10-bit over HDMI versus the Sony’s 8-bit. Plus, if you pay Nikon $200, you will be able to get 4K ProRes RAW video recording capability, which is not an option on the Sony.

Nikon’s larger lens mount with a closer flange distance allows more flexibility in designing lenses, as well as easier adaptation of lenses from other brands. For example, there is already an adapter announced to use Sony FE lenses on Nikon Z cameras, while the other way around will not be possible (see our article on lens mounts).

Beyond specifications, we have high ISO and dynamic range comparisons of these two cameras on the following pages. However, their ISO performance is practically identical, and the Sony A7 III wins out by only the slightest margin in dynamic range. So, you are better off picking between the cameras based on things like lens lineup, ergonomics, and the specifications above.

Also, think about which company you would rather buy into. Sony has been innovating at a rapid pace recently, with a great lineup of both lenses and cameras already on their third generation. Nikon, on the other hand, has a tried and true history of making DSLR cameras for professional photographers and is going all-in on the Z system with some excellent lenses, but has a lot of catching up to do. The better choice depends on the photographer in question, and how long down the road you’re thinking.

Nikon Z6 vs Nikon D750 vs Nikon D780 Specifications Comparison

All three cameras have 24 MP sensors and (at least at launch) similar prices, so a lot of photographers will naturally want to compare them head-to-head. At the same time, the three cameras differ quite a bit when it comes to construction, features, and autofocus systems. Let’s take a look at both in detail and identify the core differences:

While these cameras have quite a few similarities, there are key differences between the three that are important to point out. First of all, the cameras have completely different underlying technologies – the Nikon Z6 is a mirrorless camera that feeds the image directly from the image sensor into an electronic viewfinder (EVF), whereas the Nikon D750 and D780 are DSLR cameras that reflect the image through a pentaprism to an optical viewfinder (OVF). This directly impacts the overall size and weight of each camera, with the Nikon D750 and D780 being larger and heavier by comparison. The Nikon D780 is the heaviest of the bunch at 840 grams – a lot more than the Z6.

Second, the cameras have completely different mounts. The Z6 has the new Nikon Z mount, whereas the D750 and D780 have the older Nikon F mount. This has a big effect on what lenses you can use with these cameras. The Nikon D750 / D780 can take pretty much any Nikon F lens out there, whereas the Nikon Z6 can only directly mount new Nikon Z lenses, which are somewhat limited at the moment. To use F-mount lenses on the Nikon Z6, you need to use the FTZ adapter. However, you cannot mount any of the Nikon Z lenses on the D750 and D780 at all. There are pros and cons to both the F-mount and Z-mount. You can read more in our Nikon Z vs Nikon F Mount comparison.

Third, the Nikon Z6 has a very important advantage over the D750 and the D780: It has a 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system, which can help a great deal to reduce blur from camera shake in images. As you will see further down, the IBIS on the Z6 is amazing and certainly does make a difference when shooting hand-held. It is especially effective with native Z lenses, but it still helps quite a bit with adapted lenses via the FTZ. In fact, thanks to IBIS on the Z6 (and other features, like the electronic viewfinder to easily magnify focus), this camera can breathe new life into older Nikon F-mount glass.

Fourth, the three cameras offer different types of storage media. The Nikon Z6 is limited to one XQD memory card slot, whereas the Nikon D750 has dual SD memory card slots. The Nikon D780 is even better, adding UHS-II memory card support to both slots. This puts the Nikon D750 / D780 at an advantage for those who prefer to shoot to two cards for backup purposes, but as we discuss later, it is not as big of an issue as presented by some photographers out there.

Fifth, although all cameras can use the same EN-EL15 battery (despite the “a” and “b” variants), the Nikon D780 has far better battery life compared to the other two cameras, thanks to OVF and the fast EXPEED 6 processor, as well as losing the built-in flash, which significantly affects the CIPA battery ratings (speaking of flash, the Nikon D750 is the only camera in the group to have one). As you will see later on, for those who rely on using live view via the LCD, battery life on the Z6 is quite comparable to its DSLR counterparts, so it all depends on how you actually use the camera. If you are careful about keeping the Z6 screen and EVF turned off when not using them, you will extend battery life quite a bit compared to the CIPA numbers.

Sixth, for video shooters, the Nikon Z6 is by far the vastly superior option, thanks to 4:2:2 10-bit output over HDMI, including N-log capabilities. Nikon has also made it possible to upgrade the Nikon Z6 with ProRes 4K RAW video shooting capabilities if you are willing to pay an additional $200 for the license. In short, video features are not really a contest; the Z6 comes out way ahead, with the D780 being the second-best in the group.

Lastly, there are differences in autofocus features between the three cameras. The Nikon Z6 is a mirrorless camera, so it does not have the same DSLR phase-detection AF system as what we see on the D750 and D780. As a result, its AF system is completely different, with on-sensor phase detection pixels and other mirrorless technologies like Eye AF and Animal Detection AF. The Nikon D780 inherits some of this functionality through its live view implementation, but it is not as feature-rich.

Let’s now go over the Nikon Z6 in more detail. Please select the next page below.