Nikon unveils full-frame mirrorless camera system in bid to disrupt Sony's dominance

[Shawn Knight]

Why it matters: Sony will soon have some competition in the full-frame mirrorless camera market as Nikon has finally introduced its full-frame mirrorless system after months of rumors and teasing. Nikon is late to the game but at least it'll have something available in time for the holidays.

Nikon on Thursday unveiled two new full-frame bodies, the high-end Z7 and the more affordable (yet still expensive) Z6, along with three lenses and a lens adapter.

The pro-level Z7 features a 45.7-megapixel backside-illuminated full-frame CMOS sensor supporting a standard sensitivity range of ISO 64-25,600 and 493 focus points. The new EXPEED 6 image-processing engine supports 9fps continuous shooting; you can also grab full-frame 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160) / 30p movies using the FX-based movie format or opt for Full-HD / 120p quality.

The Nikon Z6, meanwhile, is a 24.5-megapixel full-frame shooter with a native ISO range of 100-51,200. It, too, offers 4K video recording capabilities and supports 273 focus points. Like the Z7, the Z6 also utilizes the new EXPEED 6 image-processing engine but can support up to 12fps of continuous shooting.

Nikon’s newcomers additionally sport built-in vibration reduction systems equivalent to 5.0 stops of compensation. The company says both offer the same level of strength and durability as well as dust- and drip-resistance as the Nikon D850.

The Nikon Z7 launches September 27 priced at $3,400 for the body alone or $4,000 when paired with the new 24-70mm f/4 S lens. Optionally, you can grab the Z6 in late November for $2,000 or $2,600 with the kit lens.

Nikon will have two other lenses available at launch – the wide-angle prime Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S and a standard prime Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S – priced at $850 and $600, respectively. If purchased separately, the kit lens will set you back $1,000 so it’s probably best to get it with the body should you be interested in it.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/76115-nikon-unveils-full-frame-mirrorless-camera-system-bid.html

 

[madboyv1]

Can we also talk about the 58mm F/0.95 that is gonna be released for this system next year? https://petapixel.com/2018/08/23/this-is-the-nikon-z-58mm-f-0-95-noct-ultimate-lens/

The last one by nikon was the manual 58mm F/1.2 and that was discontinued over 20 years ago... *drool*

 

[Steve]

4K at just 30fps? Man Nikon are out of the game.

 

[m-tec]

When you think of the stick Sony got with their original releases. 5 years later you would have thought Nikon would have learn't from that. Clear proof that their MAIN focus is on SLR's, alleged pro camera with only 1 card slot and no F mount lens adapter available from launch in 2018, REALLY? Nikon R.I.P....

 

[m-tec]

Can we also talk about the 58mm F/0.95 that is gonna be released for this system next year? https://petapixel.com/2018/08/23/this-is-the-nikon-z-58mm-f-0-95-noct-ultimate-lens/

The last one by nikon was the manual 58mm F/1.2 and that was discontinued over 20 years ago... *drool*

we can, $6k..................................................

 

[mbrowne5061]

4K at just 30fps? Man Nikon are out of the game.

What camera model can do above 4K@30fps? That is an insane amount of bandwidth you would need, and the XQD card this Z7 is using already has one of the highest bandwidths available for flash-based memory.

 

[m-tec]

Panasonic GH5 in March 2017, 4k at 60fps, and 4.2.2 10 bit. 6K photo (18MP from video capture), post focus, focus stacking, and it films for over 30 minutes

 

[Steve]

Panasonic GH5 in March 2017, 4k at 60fps, and 4.2.2 10 bit. 6K photo (18MP from video capture), post focus, focus stacking, and it films for over 30 minutes

There are quite a few but I personally use the GH5. Panasonic has offered 4K 60fps for quite some time now.

 

[GregonMaui]

Panasonic GH5 in March 2017, 4k at 60fps, and 4.2.2 10 bit. 6K photo (18MP from video capture), post focus, focus stacking, and it films for over 30 minutes

"is the first mirrorless camera capable of shooting 4K resolution video with 10-bit color with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, along with recording in 4K 60p or 50p (but only in 8 bit)is the first mirrorless camera capable of shooting 4K resolution video with 10-bit color with 4:2:2 chroma subsampling, along with recording in 4K 60p or 50p (but only in 8 bit)"

According to research the GH5, the 4K 60p drops to 8-bit, not 10. So......gotta get bandwidth somewhere!

 

[GregonMaui]

Panasonic GH5 in March 2017, 4k at 60fps, and 4.2.2 10 bit. 6K photo (18MP from video capture), post focus, focus stacking, and it films for over 30 minutes

There are quite a few but I personally use the GH5. Panasonic has offered 4K 60fps for quite some time now.

, but at greatly reduced quality.

Seriously, would any professional or pro-am photographer compare a Nikon D6/D7 with a Panasonic GH5 without laughing?

 

[Steve]

, but at greatly reduced quality.

Seriously, would any professional or pro-am photographer compare a Nikon D6/D7 with a Panasonic GH5 without laughing?

I would, like I said I use the GH5 and I'd pick it every day over the D7.

The GH5 downsamples to 4K BTW, the results are impressive.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Panasonic GH5 in March 2017, 4k at 60fps, and 4.2.2 10 bit. 6K photo (18MP from video capture), post focus, focus stacking, and it films for over 30 minutes

Sure, if you drop it to 8-bit video from 10-bit; which blows when it comes to color reproduction and dynamic range. 2^8=256 of each color, or 16.7 million total colors, vs 2^10=1024 shades of each color, or 1.07 billion total colors. You can't seriously call that 4K video. The resolution may be there, but the detail is not.

The sensor of the Panasonic is also a tiny 4/3 sensor, compared to the FF in the Z7. That alone will give the Z7 the advantage in video quality, both in terms of lighting and range.

Of the cameras that didn't play games with their quality, just so they can slap a higher marketing numbers on the box, no consumer models have released 4K@60fps yet. You need to see a new class of consumer storage be released before that happens. Professional video camera do it be essentially writing directly to SSDs (often setup as a kind of 'removable' RAID0; two SSD drives setup in one SSD-like shell, that gets treated like a single drive by the camera), if they aren't tethered to professional video capture sources.