Nikon's more affordable Z6 full-frame mirrorless camera goes on sale Friday

Shawn Knight

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Why it matters: Nikon's late arrival to the full-frame mirrorless game puts it well behind segment leader Sony and comes at a time when consumer interest in standalone digital cameras is waning. It's a necessary step, however, as mirrorless cameras are a viable alternative to full-sized DSLRs for those looking to explore photography beyond what mobile cameras are capable of.

Nikon in August unveiled its first full-frame mirrorless camera system, the high-end Z7 and the more affordable Z6. The former arrived in September priced at $3,400 and now, we’re just days away from the debut of the Z6.

The Nikon Z6 features a 24.5-megapixel sensor with an ISO range of 100-51,200. It boasts 273 focus points and like its bigger brother, utilizes Nikon’s latest image-processing engine, the EXPEED 6, and an electronic viewfinder with a 3690k-dot OLED panel.

You also get a shutter speed of 1/8000 to 30 seconds, five-axis stabilization, a 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen LCD, 12 fps continuous shooting, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, 4K @ 30 FPS video recording and a rechargeable Li-ion battery that’s rated for more than 300 shots per charge.

The Nikon Z6 starts at $1,999 for the body alone. With the 24-70mm kit lens, it goes for $2,600. Look for it to ship on November 16, one week earlier than previously anticipated. Pre-orders are now being accepted at Amazon, Adorama, B&H Photo, among other retailers.

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Now I want everyone who is buying a mirrorless camera to consider what is either a MASSIVE con or MASSIVE pro.

So when I wanted to get back into photography I bought a Sony a6000. It was and still is an amazing mirrorless camera. It isn't bulky because of that and I carried it with me more than my bulky SLR.

However, then it came to low light photography. Now it was possible to take a few pictures and dial my camera in, but the live view finder in low light is stupid horrible. If you think you will be using a camera in low light situations frequently, do yourself a favor and get a dSLR.

It is perfectly possible to adapt a mirrorless to low light but you have to have a good idea of where you're pointing it and take a few test shots before using it. And even then, you're not going to want to use full manual on mirrorless camera in the dark.

My bottom line is that mirrorless cameras will always be on the low end if the prosumer market
 
Canon really missed the mark with their new mirrorless camera. It's only pro is the 50mp but after that is seems to go downhill .... after so many promises we were expecting a lot better ......
 
Now I want everyone who is buying a mirrorless camera to consider what is either a MASSIVE con or MASSIVE pro.

So when I wanted to get back into photography I bought a Sony a6000. It was and still is an amazing mirrorless camera. It isn't bulky because of that and I carried it with me more than my bulky SLR.

However, then it came to low light photography. Now it was possible to take a few pictures and dial my camera in, but the live view finder in low light is stupid horrible. If you think you will be using a camera in low light situations frequently, do yourself a favor and get a dSLR.

It is perfectly possible to adapt a mirrorless to low light but you have to have a good idea of where you're pointing it and take a few test shots before using it. And even then, you're not going to want to use full manual on mirrorless camera in the dark.

My bottom line is that mirrorless cameras will always be on the low end if the prosumer market

The point of the EVF is for you to see what you're gonna get, so if it's too dark in low light may be it's time for you to increase ISO, or get faster lens?

Secondly, while Sony A6000 is a good camera, it's sensor is APS-C size and obviously it won't do as well as full frame in low light situations. In contrast, these new mirrorless cameras are all full frame, so there won't be low light issues.

Really, the only downside I could think of that's a cons compared to full-frame dSLR is the battery life will never be as good. EVF is superior than OVF in a way that you can see what you're actually getting, and show histogram so you know how much you could do with the shot in post.
 
The point of the EVF is for you to see what you're gonna get, so if it's too dark in low light may be it's time for you to increase ISO, or get faster lens?

Secondly, while Sony A6000 is a good camera, it's sensor is APS-C size and obviously it won't do as well as full frame in low light situations. In contrast, these new mirrorless cameras are all full frame, so there won't be low light issues.

Really, the only downside I could think of that's a cons compared to full-frame dSLR is the battery life will never be as good. EVF is superior than OVF in a way that you can see what you're actually getting, and show histogram so you know how much you could do with the shot in post.
@captaincranky help me out on this one. I love both EVF and OVF and tried to explain why someone might want one over the other.

Not trying to be a ****, and I love both, but I still think EVF is on the low end of the prosumer market spectrum
 
Now I want everyone who is buying a mirrorless camera to consider what is either a MASSIVE con or MASSIVE pro.

Better lens flares? So if you do a lot of video work, this would be a pro? I am just getting into this whole world, but the guys at work (who do it professionally) are getting a whole new mirrorless setup and moving away from traditional DSLRS. Oh and no, we don't have budget for REDs yet, we don't shoot feature movies.
 
Not sure if the option exists on the A6000 but on my A7 I can set "Live view effect" to "off". Most commonly this is used when working with flash as you don't see what the outcome will be anyway. With this the EVF and screen show a brighter image allowing for composition and manual focusing etc. when lighting is not constant/ideal.

As for EVF being low end, tell that to the Sony A9 camera which is an amazing camera in any situation.

I still consider the "WYSIWYG" of an EVF setup superior to OVF, there are some situations where an OVF is still good but in no way are "mirrorless low end prosumer".

http://www.jasonlanier.com/
https://briansmith.com/

A couple of Sony Artisans Of Imagery that do very well with the "prosumer" gear.
 
@yRaz My Prince, the mirror is what makes TTL OVF in a DSLR, (or any SLR for that matter), viewing possible. Doing away with the mirror almost necessitates an EVF.

Personally, the only advantage I can "see" to a mirrorless camera, is higher framing rates. High speed film bodies once upon a time used what was called "a pellicle mirror", which crapped up the optical path but made faster framing possible. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_RT.

People can spend their money on whatever they desire. For financial and personal reasons, I'm sticking with my four DSLR Nikon relics. (D-90, D-3000, D-5100, D-3300), all of which I bought as refurbs.

But then, I still have a land line phone, and won't entertain the idea of a smart phone under any circumstances.

Have any of you priced priced fast SLR lenses these days? Well, if you're going mirrorless, none of the lenses you have will work.

I I go out and take pictures, it's to get away from the bullsh!t that a camera which is essentially a glorified cell phone brings into the mix. Besides, I use funny lenses, (8mm FF fisheye, 10-20 WA zoom, 80 - 200 F2.8 Nikon D. A "normal lens" rarely enters into the mix.

I also think that extremely high megapixel sensors are just pandering. Does anybody really need to crap up their HDDs with stinking 50 MP baby pictures?

Unless you\re being contracted for posters ot album covers, 18 MP is plenty, perhaps even too much. Given that Adobe's resizing algorithms are state of the art, they're really isn't that much to be gained with excess sensor resolution.

There's an "erotic art" studio in the Ukraine called "MPLStudios. They took some pretty spectacular photos with a 6 MP DSLR. I'm assuming it was a full frame pro body. I obviously can't post links here, but feel free to search the studio, and it's early models, Alisa, Anya, Sasha, Amelie, and Marie. You'll be amazed what an HQ sensor,and pro quality lenses can accomplish on such "low resolution" digital sensors.

Or as Jackson Browne so wildly off topic says:

"They sell us the President the same way
They sell us our clothes and our cars
They sell us everything from youth to religion
The same time they sell us our wars"

They just didn't have iPhone 10 and mirrorless cameras when he wrote that, ot I'm sure he would have said something about it...:rolleyes:

And while this video is 180 degrees off topic, I think it goes to being able to sort out reality from the propaganda which all of us are constantly being force fed to enrich a very few;


Sorry if that didn't quite answer the question....:dizzy:
 
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Well the EFV and the live view on the screen of the camera ARE THE SAME THING. You are limited by the ability of the sensor to produce an image of what you're trying to take. And OVF side steps this entirely and I've encountered many situations where an OVF is preferable

What is so effing hard about this concept?

I love my a6000, it takes amazing pictures. The thing is, knowing what I know now I would had gone with a dSLR because the OVF and the light meter takes out a lot of the guess work.

My a6000 is amazing in low light but the image the camera is feeding the screen or EVF is essentially useless. I have found this to be true with the a7 and I cannot speak to the a9. I'm not saying anything about the quality of the pictures they take, they take amazing pictures. I'm saying EVF as a technology can be limiting depending on your shooting situation. I rarely need an OVF but when you need it you really effing need it.
 
Apparently, for those who absolutely, positively, have to have movies of baby's first steps in 4K and blasted all over the web simultaneously, mirrorless cameras are indispensable.

But really, isn't that what iPhones are for? :confused:.
 
Who said they weren't??


There isn't light meter functionality in mirrorless cameras?
In low light the frame rate on the display drops a ton making using it more difficult than it needs to be. I don't know if this is true of all mirrorless cameras but it is true of mine.
 
In low light the frame rate on the display drops a ton making using it more difficult than it needs to be. I don't know if this is true of all mirrorless cameras but it is true of mine.
Yes, all the benefits of focus assist/peaking disappear too in low light/higher ISO on my A7. As I already agreed " there are some situations where an OVF is still good".
 
@yRaz @Arris Well Canon forced a new lens mount on their customers when they went to auto focus, whereas Nikon didn't. This time around Nikon has released a new mount for its mirror less cameras. They're planning an F .95, Yes .F point 95 50 mm something for the new mount. Now, as F1.2 55's have been around for decades, I suppose a 1/3 of a stop is a big deal BUT, the digital sensors have gotten so sensitive, what's the point? Well, other than to have you drop a couple of grand on the marginally faster lens.

All my crap refurbs have both EVF & OVF already. My ancient D-5100 has a swing out EVF, so you can lay on the ground and still see the subject. Which happens to me more than you might think, as I use UWA zoom and fish eye lenses. (POV and spatial relations nonsense).

My Prince, if you wanted a smaller camera than a DSLR, you could have had one, (or many), more than a decade ago. Or simply had a tribesman carry the larger camera on a purple velvet pillow, and vested.upon him, (or her), the "honor" of handing it to you, when your no doubt powerful sense of creative impetus so moved you.

The only "advantage" I can see to mirror less design is faster, "motor drive", rates. But, when you go to movie mode with a DSLR, the mirror locks up anyway, and you must use the EVF! (Or simply aim, and hope for the best). So, in that aspect/mode, a standard DSLR IS a mirror less camera.

Since an iPhone has a poop pile of screen resolution, it really is better in that respect than your fancy mirror less.

Now, DSLRs have the same technological advancements, and are keeping pace with mirror less designs.

The only real reason I can think of for buying a mirror less camera, is to spend a crap load of money for the imagined status it would bestow. In simpler terms, mirror less cameras are the iPhone X, for photo hipsters.

And @Arris, are the Scots ever going to make good on the threat to secede from the UK? I simply want to see the Windsors have to show passports to get to Balmoral. It's an integral part of my bucket list. Maybe the Scots could raise a rowdy legion of drunken warriors, all with blue painted faces, to greet them as they de-plane...(y) (Y):laughing:
 
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