Some thoughts to the Nikon Z cameras
Weight:
Body difference to Dslr less than expected, Z 6 to D750 almost nothing, Z 7 to 850 about 300 gramms.
Ergonomics:
Compact body, but not too small like the Sony a6000 series. The EVF protrudes from the body which gives enough space for your nose.
Very good to use for people which are „left eyed“, because the AF controller and the 4 way controller are usable without bumping your nose in them. That the left eye is the dominant one is not so uncommon as you might think:https://fstoppers.com/originals/right-handed-photographers-using-their-left-eye-236828
Af mode selection is cumbersome, as the Fn buttons at the front are not easy to operate in conjunction with the front dial. I am missing the Af switch and button of the Dslrs at the left side of the bodies.
The FTZ Adapter works but the tripod mount on it is a negative thing for me. I still did not find any use for it, but it is in the way very often. Many heavier lenses have tripod collars, for smaller lenses it is not necessary to mount the FTZ adapter to the tripod (he is very stiff and stable). Even the Tilt Shift lenses do not benefit from this, as the tripod mount on the FTZ adapter is a non rotating design, so only usefull in horizontal orientation. Please Nikon offer a simpler version of the FTZ adapter without this stupid tripod mount!
Menus are similar to the other Nikon bodies, so very well structured and good to read. But the fonts are a little bit smaller, so for photographers age 50+ bigger letters would be better. On the other hand the „i“ menu is one of the reasons why I do not switch to a system like the Fuji, because here I can read most of the letters without glasses.
The elctronic Viewfinder is very nice but I still do not like it very much in bright sunlight as it is very contrasty and with 60 Hz looking through the viewfinder while panning is not so good. In dim light the EVF is a real winner and the fact that you see the exposure keeps mistakes at bay. Due to the Af to work properly the aperture is only closed to f5,6, you have to assign the depth of field preview to a function button to close it further, but then AF is not working as long as you are pressing the button.
The rear screen is of the same quality as the one from the D850 which means it is very good and the high resoltion helps a lot with critical work like macro or usage of tilt shift lenses. Strangely this screen has a broader outer dimension (9cm) than that on the D850 (8,2cm) but the useable area of the screen is almost the same (6,6 to 6,3 cm). As there are no buttons at the left, the next step to a fully articulated screen like in the D5600 should have been possible. This would be very helpful for shots in vertical position.
The focus stacking feature works fine, similar to the D850 but even faster at least with the 24-70 lens, 50 pictures ar done in no time. While the 24-70 is no macro lens it focuses quite close (objects about 11 cm wide) and can be used for some closeup work. Quality is good but not as good as a dedicated macro like the Tamron 90 mm f2,8.
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| Nikon Z 7 with 24-70 mm S lens, focus stacking processed in Helicon focus |
Lenses.
The 24-70 is a very good lens overall. It is sharp and contrasty and the corners are very good even at f4. I compared it to my 24-120 f4 and 24-85 f3,5-4,5 and was shocked how bad the older lenses are, especially in the corners. Here are my findings of the 14-30 S f4: Short Review of the 14-30 f4 S lens for the Nikon Z System
IBIS/IS:
Sensor based IS works fine and 5 axis is certainly better than the IS built into the lenses in many cases. It is on the other hand the question how often you really need IS, as with moving subjects it has no benefit. But for casual shooting or for „lazy“ photographers it is a bonus, as the use of a tripod can be minimised but not avoided (a four second exposure in a dark church still needs a tripod for optimal quality, but you can certainly make a good snapshot with High Iso and IBIS though).
3.party lenses:
My Tamron 90 mm G2 Macro lens is not working at all, no AF, no aperture. The reply from Tamron Europe was that this lens is not working with the Z series and they do not know if and when a firmware update is coming from Tamron Japan. Shame on Tamron, because as I am writing this (March 2020) this lens is still not working, others got a firmware update and do work. But also shame on Nikon, as they do not share information about their lens protocols as for example Sony is doing. Nikon might sell a few more lenses with this strategy, but a closed system might also keep away photographers or they might even switch to another system, because of the poor lens lineup. Just think about smartphones not allowing third party apps.
GPS works on the Z, tested with a Di-Gps Unit. This older and longer Version fits nicely on the CoolpixA but on the Z Series it is reversed and protrudes at the left side down. Other GPS trackers like the Solmeta Geotagger N3-C might be better suited, as a short wire runs from the plug to the device which can be fixed on the flash hot shoe. But that might be old school. I was not a fan of snapbridge when it was introduced. But with the Z 7, geotagging with the smartphone seems to be working well. Further testing would be necessary about the power drain of camera and smartphone.
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| Nikon D850 with 20 mm f1,8, 1/125s f13 Iso200, I like this lens because you can get nice sunstars. |
Conclusion (for me):
A good first mirrorless from Nikon. Weight savings depend if you use primes or zooms. The two S primes are heavier than their F-mount counterparts. If you use Zooms, the S 24-70 f4 has at least the quality of the 24-70 f2,8 lens in F mount. And smaller size of body and lens makes packing for a longer hike easier.
For even more weight savings you still have to switch to a system with a DX sensor and small lenses like the Nikon 10-20 mm f4,5-5,6 (this lens is much better than you might think).
Very important for me: Good ergonomics also for left eyed people.
Very good kit optic and a good but not stellar 14-30 f4 Wide angle zoom. But not many lenses on the horizon, so for a long time adapted lenses have to be used.
The new 50 mm f1,8 is very good but quite heavy (2x than the old 50 mm) because it is build for video use and should have less focus breathing.
Af switching not so nice.
FTZ adapter needs a smaller brother without tripod mount!
Weight savings are very depending on what you prefer: I often use with my D850 the 20 mm f1,8, the 50 mm f1,8 and the 90 mm Tamron macro lens. Sometimes I switch the Tamron with the new 70-300 AF-P Zoom from Nikon. Because I have to use the FTZ adapter there would be no great weight savings with such a combination, as the new 20 mm S lens is heavy (500 gr) and no Nikon macro lens is available for the Z system.
On the other hand, if you prefer zoom lenses this could be the camera for you. While the new Zooms are only f4, they are as good or even better than their f2,8 siblings and weight only 50%. Sadly this will not be the case with tele lenses, here the new mount wont play such a big positive role.
For people doing a lot of video this new cameras are also a big step forward, the Z 6 is here the better choice.
March 2020:
I do own now a Nikon Z 7 and the 24-70 f4 lens. The kit was sold for 2990.-€ with the FTZ adapter. As mentioned before, I have to use my left eye, which works better with this camera. Also the bright EVF is really helpful and in bright sunlight I often look into the viewfinder for the menus, not on the rear screen. Focus stacking works fine, but not with the Tamron 90 mm Makro lens. Last firmware 3.0 brought useful refinements and the Eye Af is a real help for me. The cost of XQD or CFexpress cards Typ B is not nice, maybe with more cameras to use this type of card the price drops. I remeber the first "Microdrive" 1 GB cards costing a fortune for my Nikon D100. Power consumption is certainly much higher than with my D850. A few days ago I shot a concert and first it was irritating for me that the viewfinder was not always on like on my Dslr. Certainly the custom funktion C3 can fix this, but if you keep the screen/viewfinder always on the battery will drain even faster. On the other hand, when the camera is in standby mode there is a wakeup time of about 1sec. So apart from setting the viewfinder to "always on" you can train yourself to tap the shutter first and then bring the camera to your eye.
Sadly the camera automatical switches to DX mode when a DX lens is attached. On the D850 this is not the case. My main use would be a Makro lens like the 85 mm f 3,5 DX, because if you use an extension tube, this lens could be used in FX without vignetting! Also the 1,2x mode is missing on the Z 7. These are minor things which could easily be fixed with a firmware update (but I doubt Nikon will do this).
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| Nikon D7200 with 16-80 mm lens at 28 mm 1/60 sec f 14, tripod |
March 2020:
I do own now a Nikon Z 7 and the 24-70 f4 lens. The kit was sold for 2990.-€ with the FTZ adapter. As mentioned before, I have to use my left eye, which works better with this camera. Also the bright EVF is really helpful and in bright sunlight I often look into the viewfinder for the menus, not on the rear screen. Focus stacking works fine, but not with the Tamron 90 mm Makro lens. Last firmware 3.0 brought useful refinements and the Eye Af is a real help for me. The cost of XQD or CFexpress cards Typ B is not nice, maybe with more cameras to use this type of card the price drops. I remeber the first "Microdrive" 1 GB cards costing a fortune for my Nikon D100. Power consumption is certainly much higher than with my D850. A few days ago I shot a concert and first it was irritating for me that the viewfinder was not always on like on my Dslr. Certainly the custom funktion C3 can fix this, but if you keep the screen/viewfinder always on the battery will drain even faster. On the other hand, when the camera is in standby mode there is a wakeup time of about 1sec. So apart from setting the viewfinder to "always on" you can train yourself to tap the shutter first and then bring the camera to your eye.
Sadly the camera automatical switches to DX mode when a DX lens is attached. On the D850 this is not the case. My main use would be a Makro lens like the 85 mm f 3,5 DX, because if you use an extension tube, this lens could be used in FX without vignetting! Also the 1,2x mode is missing on the Z 7. These are minor things which could easily be fixed with a firmware update (but I doubt Nikon will do this).
