Nikon Z6II
The world of cameras never stops moving forward, despite still essentially involving grabbing an impression from some beams of light and nailing them to a form of storage. Now that mirrorless cameras are finally coming of age, the news industry is in that rare state of flux as people ponder when to switch, who to switch to and what to buy. I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Nikon for some time and was able to play with the initial Z incarnations before the release of the second generation and, in particular, the Z6ii.
First of all, it can’t be denied that Nikon were a little slow in their development on mirrorless cameras, with the competition charging full steam into the market and some already being multiple generations into their professional ranges. However, I think Nikon have all the ingredients to catch up, with the Z6ii being a good example of the shape of things to come.
Before you roll your eyes at that truly unexpected opinion, I’ll admit that I found the mk1 versions of both the Z6 and Z7 slightly lacking in the performance that I need. Thankfully, Nikon have been working hard to tackle those issues with the Z6ii.
Returning to the basics, I should explain that I chose the Z6ii over the Z7ii due to the smaller file size of 24.5mp (compared to 45.75mp) being what I need for my daily work. While I enjoy the extra information that I get from my D850, I find that I rarely need to enlarge an image file size, even after cropping. Plus, 14fps and an increased ISO range at the high end is far handier to me on a daily basis than a larger file size.
Nikon always put the effort in when looking at the ergonomic design of their cameras and the Z6ii is no exception. While the camera is small, the grip remains the right size for a human hand which is more than can be said for a certain member of the competition. It may seem a small thing but it’s been enough for me to not even consider some brands. If you think about the ratio of how many hours you’re holding your cameras, compared with how many hours you’re actually taking photographs, it’s hugely important to have a camera that doesn’t cause hand fatigue.
Since the Covid-19 story landed on UK shores in early 2020, I would estimate that I’ve shot 70-80% of my work on a Z camera. Using the Z6i until the arrival of the Z6ii, I’ve found myself favouring them over my D5 or D850 bodies. The edge-to-edge sharpness on the glass is something that I’ve never experienced before. On any camera, from any manufacturer, we’ve all accepted the fact that an image drops off towards the edges with some even going as far as becoming smears by the time you reach those far-off cornerlands. With the Nikon Z6ii and a Z series piece of glass, those corners are now just as sharp as the holy grail of the centre of the frame. It’s game-changing. The crop I choose to make now can be from anywhere in that file and I know that it will work. The frame below has no distortion or softening, even in the far corners. Yum.
A big concern among some photographers on the release of the first generation of Z cameras was the single card slot which, again, has been addressed in the shiny new versions. The Z6ii has a slot for an XQD or CFexpress card, and a slot for an SD card, allowing you to back up your shots or provide an overflow. Personally, I’ve never had an XQD card corrupt on me since the cards were first introduced. I’ve had a few of the very early Sony ones fall apart on me with plastic splinters coming away from the edge of the card but that seems to have been a manufacturing issue. I’m currently using the Delkin “Power” series of CFexpress cards, so we’ll see how these work out.
An overlooked feature of the Z6ii and it’s high pixel sibling is the in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) system, moving the work of stabilising your images from the glass to the body. A huge benefit is that, suddenly, those non-stabilised lenses that you use will be able to take advantage of all that hi-tech goodness, opening up your primes to shooting on much slower shutter speeds.
Speaking of lens developments, obviously the Z series is based on a new mount system so your old lenses will have to be attached through the FTZ adaptor. I found that the first Z6 seemed to struggle a little with some of the longer F-mount telephoto lenses, almost feeling as though the body didn’t quite have the strength to push those heavy elements around. Thankfully, this has been addressed in the Z6ii, with the body handling every lens that I’ve thrown at it so far.
As of 25 February 2021, V1.10 of the firmware has finally brought 4k 60fps video to the Z6ii too, a feature that was only available on the Z7ii at launch. Those of you in need can find the new firmware here.
The firmware has also provided a huge boost in performance to the eye-detection performance in the autofocus system, with the camera now finding the eye with greater ease than the previous firmware which seemed to regularly settle with just being head-detection, rather than eye-detection. The shot above was taken using the fold-out screen, with the camera on the floor in front of me as I crouched below the main TV camera during the daily press conference in Downing Street. The eye detect has locked onto his eyes perfectly, as he briefly glanced down to see why I’d apparently given up on taking photos.
A nice little addition, and one that I’m going to forever tell myself that I played a small part in bringing to fruition through nagging, is the option to trickle charge the EN-EL15c battery in the camera with a mains charger, or a portable powerpack. I’ve been asking Nikon to incorporate this feature since testing the prototype D4s at the Sochi Olympics in early 2014. It’s such an obvious thing to include; you’ve got a USB cable there already, make it two-way. Finally, they have. It may seem a small thing but being able to just plug my camera into my portable battery pack while it sits on the car seat between jobs just gives it a little bump of juice if I’ve been caught out.
Colours from the Z6ii are, as you would expect, punchy and accurate with the “auto natural light” white balance proving to do the job nearly all of the time for me. Noise at very high ISO is subtle and easily managed, even using the in-camera noise reduction options that I usually tend to avoid.
There’s no way to sugar coat one aspect that remains a problem; shutter roll. If you’re shooting movement, it can be a problem if you also use the electronic shutter. From my very first use of the Z6, I realised that, for me, I have to shoot on the mechanical shutter. Once I’d accepted that and moved on, it’s great. It took me a while, I must admit, as silence is one of the biggest selling points but I now no longer even think about it. The mechanical shutter is quiet. I’m talking virtually on par with my Leica Q-quiet. A regular assignment over the last year has been as “pool” photographer for the evening daily press conferences in number 10, Downing Street, (see above) with a strong request from the press team that its shot on silent mirrorless cameras. I’ve used the Z6 or Z6ii every time on mechanical shutter and they can barely be heard. No complaints. No problem.
In conclusion, the Z6ii is currently my daily camera, with my choice only really being affected by certain very specific requirements, such as live-filing from camera. It’s light, sharp, has great battery life, and consistently accurate colour. The range of Z glass available is game-changing and the Z6ii is capable of moving every bit of glass from the new range that I’ve tried with it. The camera can currently be found for under £2000, which is pretty amazing, coming in at £500 cheaper than one of it’s biggest rivals.
Pros
* The Z6ii is light, small and quiet.
* Images are sharp across the whole frame, freeing up your options when cropping.
* Ergonomics are up to the standard you expect with no hand cramping you can get from small camera grips.
* Battery life is long, lasting a day or so between charges under everyday working conditions.
* Fold-out screen opens up many new angles when composing your shot.
* Regular firmware updates are providing real world performance improvements and new features.
* Cheaper than the competition.
Cons
* Shutter roll can be a problem if shooting fast moving subjects on the electronic shutter.
* Filing images live from the camera relies on the bulky WT-7 wireless transmitter.
* While the eye-detection system is improving, it’s still a little behind the competition.