Nikon's new Z6 III is the first mirrorless camera with a partially-stacked CMOS sensor

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: Nikon has introduced the world's first mirrorless camera with a partially-stacked CMOS sensor, enabling a higher level of shooting performance compared to cameras equipped with a standard sensor. Stacked sensors do exist, but they're only found in higher-end models with much larger price tags.

The new Nikon Z6 III features a 24.5-megapixel full-frame partially-stacked sensor that sits squarely between a standard and a stacked sensor in terms of price and performance. It utilizes high-speed processing circuits above and below the imaging area of the sensor which, combined with the EXPEED 7 image processing engine, enable a readout speed that's roughly 3.5 times faster than the Z6 II.

According to Nikon, the new shooter can capture up to 20 frames per second when shooting in RAW at full resolution, up to 60 fps in JPEG at full res, or up to 120 frames a second in JPEG at 11 megapixels. There is also a pre-release capture feature that starts buffering images with a half-press of the shutter-release button, which could help get shots that might have otherwise been missed.

The camera additionally boasts a mechanical and electronic shutter (1/8,000 sec. and 1/16,000 sec., respectively), an upgraded autofocus system that's 20 percent faster than the Z6 II's, and an advanced subject detection system that can automatically detect nine subject types including people, animals, and vehicles.

The built-in five-axis image stabilization system delivers up to 8.0 stops of vibration reduction. The native ISO range is from 100 – 64,000, but is expandable to 204,800 when shooting in extremely dim environments.

The 4,000 nits electronic viewfinder, meanwhile, is the brightest ever in a mirrorless camera. Those who prefer the LCD touchscreen will appreciate the fact it can be used as a front-facing screen, and rotated to better frame low-angle shots.

Nikon's new Z6 III mirrorless camera is due out at the end of June and carries an MSRP of $2,499.95. It's available to order now from leading camera retailers including Adorama and B&H Photo.

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Nikon's new Z6 III is the first mirrorless camera with a partially-stacked CMOS sensor

 

[kiwigraeme]

For anyone upgrading from a D750 this would be an amazing upgrade. If I decide to go back to say the Okavango etc would be first on my list.
Nearly everything from the beasts with out the weight and costs 24Mega pixels plenty , a bit slower AF etc

Bet they will sell lots to pros as backup cameras or even main camera for likes of weddings etc

Still not cheap , but nor are lenses

 

[p51d007]

Considering how "smartphones" have pretty much taken over the camera industry, you'd think some of these manufacturers would produce good cameras at a lower price point.
I'm still using my d-slr, just can't justify spending that amount on a camera yet. Plus, the EVF...could probably
get use to it, but my camera days go back to my SLR film cameras of the 80's.

 

[daffy duck]

Come on there is no such thing as partially stacked sensor, it's as silly as partially pregnant. This sensor is still slow, but a definite improvement over the old Z6II but it only matches Canon's R6II in sensor scan speed.

I had hoped they would use a real stacked sensor, even the one from the old Sony A9II which would have much lower cost now than in 2019.

 

[yRaz]

Come on there is no such thing as partially stacked sensor, it's as silly as partially pregnant. This sensor is still slow, but a definite improvement over the old Z6II but it only matches Canon's R6II in sensor scan speed.

I had hoped they would use a real stacked sensor, even the one from the old Sony A9II which would have much lower cost now than in 2019.

I switched to sony mirrorless ecosystem years ago from Nikon and never looked back. Went to an A6000 in I think 2015 and upgrade to my current A7 II and I'm thrilled with it. My Samsung s21 does great from what I call "Facebook photography".

But, cameras have gotten so good that I might never need to buy another camera. Canno, Nikon, Sony. Aside from some niche I'm confident that nearly anyone can get a mid level camera from any of those brands these days and have a fantastic experience.

Honestly, I'd probably still have the A6000 if my hands fit it better, that was the only reason switched to the a7.

 

[mbrowne5061]

Considering how "smartphones" have pretty much taken over the camera industry, you'd think some of these manufacturers would produce good cameras at a lower price point.
I'm still using my d-slr, just can't justify spending that amount on a camera yet. Plus, the EVF...could probably
get use to it, but my camera days go back to my SLR film cameras of the 80's.

Smartphones are exactly why camera companies are ignoring the low-end market. Most people just don't see the point in having 'more camera' than what their smartphone already includes. Even then, Nikon, Canon, Rioch, Fuji: they all have point-and-shoots of various sizes and configurations (compact, super-zoom, pseudo interchangeable lenses, etc).

Speaking from experience, I hated the idea of an EVF at first. And actually hated the earlier implementations of it. But more modern ones, like the one in the Z7ii, have a very fast response time so you don't feel any lag when using it. The unexpected upside is what you see in the EVF actually reflects what the camera will capture in terms of dynamic range and exposure, which is a step up from an optical view finder, imo. No more snapping a 'blink and you miss it' photo, only to discover on review that your camera was set incorrectly and its all washed out/black, you can now see that right in EVF and use the on-camera controls to bump the exposure as needed.

 

[p51d007]

Speaking from experience, I hated the idea of an EVF at first. And actually hated the earlier implementations of it. But more modern ones, like the one in the Z7ii, have a very fast response time so you don't feel any lag when using it. The unexpected upside is what you see in the EVF actually reflects what the camera will capture in terms of dynamic range and exposure, which is a step up from an optical view finder, imo. No more snapping a 'blink and you miss it' photo, only to discover on review that your camera was set incorrectly and its all washed out/black, you can now see that right in EVF and use the on-camera controls to bump the exposure as needed.

That would be a plus on the EVF. First EVF I looked at was a couple years ago and I didn't like it. I'm lucky to still have a dedicated camera shop that I've gone to for almost 40 years. They know me, I know them. Maybe one of these days I'll drop by and take a look at another one to see how they've improved. It would be nice to see what the sensor is going to see, like you said to make sure you have the settings set correctly. I set everything manually still. I think I've use AE once or twice at an airshow. Most everything I shoot is "nature" so I can set everything how I want it to come out, in raw mode of course, then clean it up in post.

 

[daffy duck]

The current EVF's in the Nikon Z8/Z9 were already so good, you barely knew it wasn't optical and the Z6III is a leap above those in clarity. It's better than just using your own eyes. Anybody worrying about EVF in 2024 is crazy. These new EVF's are far better than the cheap optical VF's we had in anything but the best DSLR's.