Nikon Z7 - Field Tested in ICELAND

[tallguyphoto]

What I actually love is u are a actual photographer. You have a lot of tech guys reviewing gear and don’t have the background to even comment on photography equipment

[RussellHeller]

Matt ...of all the reviewers banging or harping on the Z7 shortcoming or benefits....Yours is the most straight forward, believable and honest review...you neither fell on your sword supporting it as the best, nor tore it apart on its (few) flaws or less desirables. That is why you are one of the most trusted reviewers and go to people on YouTube about cameras. This review and the one on the lenses testing with the FTZ are excellent...more people should strive to meet you at the top of your game, rather than sinking themselves into the mud of bashing or fanboying whatever they review. You are to me a verbal, intelligent YouTube version of Consumer Reports --- a written source I've trusted for years....Your work on the Z7 and the lenses has me disconnecting from some other YouTubers...simply because I only need one trusted source ...and you are it ....Oh yeah....GREAT REVIEW

[terrywbreedlove]

For me the Z7 is perfect. Fantastic image quality. Perfect size and ergonomics. Fast accurate AF for landscapes and portraits. Tough weatherized build. Super awesome EVF and LCD. I don’t shoot sports or events and I am not a Vlogger so no need for dual card slots and I hate the Flippy screens so this one is perfect.

[davidv]

Thanks Matt. I was on the fence and pulled the trigger and purchased another D850, for a backup. Your review on the D850 helped on the choice of purchasing it. I couldn't be happier!

[DjCjFoto]

Matt, All I want to say is, you are the master of this business, what a great video, and review! You just won my subscription, this kind of video takes a lot. I got tired of armchair reviewers, who didn't even bother to learn how to use that camera, but they know all about it. Thank You!

[mcheung]

Great review Matt, reflects many of my experiences with the Z7. Really love the camera but it has a few flaws. One correction though - the Z7 definitely will charge off of a portable battery pack; it doesn't require mains power. I tried it with two separate Mophie portable battery packs and it charged. Of course, it won't shoot while charging as you pointed out, which is a disappointment.

[snasayed]

I have not had the issue of opening the memory card compartment accidentally despite using it for 5 years now. I did have to get used to the single memory slot but it works great and the shorter battery life as compared to a DSLR in general but i use the EV screen as well so more power consumption. Autofocus is not the best but gets the job done. I love it. The Z lenses are now class leading.

[BillFerris]

Matt, thanks for doing such a detailed field test and review of the Z7. Also, kudos for photographing the engagement of the young couple. You're a good man.

Your comments on the Z7's flaws that are "by design" really struck a cord with me. I've not seen other reviews frame the camera's issues in that manner. While it appears Nikon has designed and executed a camera with great ergonomics, excellent image quality, a really nice EVF and other solid qualities, they've left in some vulnerabilities, as if by intention.

Your comments about the single card slot are spot on and I agree Nikon made the right choice by making it an XQD slot. As a photography enthusiast, I wouldn't give this "issue" a second thought. Even as a professional photographer who primarily shoots personal projects, I could accept it as a very minimal risk. But for the professional who earns a living shooting client sessions and events, is it good practice to rely on a single slot? Regardless of the reliability of the format? And does the ease with which the card door can be opened (and exposed to the elements) make that single slot a deal-breaker for the pro who shoots client sessions and events? Probably not all but, I would think, a good number.

I am hopeful Nikon will adopt Sony's strategy of short intervals between the release of new iterations. It would be great to see a Z7II released a year from now, especially if it addresses at least the most critical flaws you and many others have identified. That would send a great signal that Nikon is serious about quickly evolving the Zs to become world class on all fronts.

They might even persuade you to part with the magnificent D850 ;)

[davidb]

Finally a real review. I'm a Nikon shooter. Nice to see the thought put in on the Z7.

[chris]

Wonderful review, the field tested videos are simply the best camera review videos on Youtube.

[sundeeprao]

I tested charging my Nikon Z7 with an Anker PowerCore Power Bank 20100, the one I use for my hiking trips, and it charged the camera absolutely fine. Perhaps lower power USB chargers that don't deliver enough current cannot charge the Z7. I agree that charging while in use should the default, but it does charge with a reasonable battery pack when off. Perhaps you should look for a better battery pack and/or cable. I did use a cable that is suitable for powering my MacBook Pro from an iPad/iPhone charger and perhaps the use of that makes the difference. Having said that, your review was, at least for me, fair and unbiased. The Nikon Z7 has its flaws but if you can look past those, or if maybe they don't matter in your style of shooting, a pretty good camera.

[hckwon]

This is one of the best reviews I saw. Great job! 👍🏼👍🏼

[christernilsson]

Thanks for the comprehensive review with plus and minuses. I’ve got one Z7 and is in process of testing. So far I love it but still see it as a complement to my D850. Thanks for sharing.

[Rdmsguy]

Well done. The best review of the Z7 to date.

[runemaster]

I absolutely love how objective this review is Matt - to consider all the comparisons both new and old provides great perspective for people with different situations in terms of both gear and usage. Also highlighting the huge oversight in fully utilising USB C is crucial!

[cactustweeter]

Matt thanks for this review. 1) I am so glad you added your voice confirming the CIPA rating for the Z7 is just wrong and battery life on this camera is not an issue. 2) Backing up why XQD was the right media card choice. It gets me when people buy expensive cameras and then buy cheap media cards. SD historically is much more failure prone and as you correctly pointed out XQD is not that much more expensive than a good UHS II SD card. Besides the XQD slot will be able to be upgraded through firmware to CFExpress which is the future media card format.

[infinitumstudio]

Excellent review! Hope Nikon can solve two of the problems you mentionned on the Z6 before its launch, like the card door problem, adding something to block it so that is doesn't open accidentally, as well as the USB-C issue so that you keep on shooting while charging your camera through the USB-C port! This will be small nice pluses!

[JayTsTech]

+1 Respect. I see all these canon people dry humping the EOS R like its something special while completely ignoring any of the issues or trying to sell you on how its issues will make you "a better photographer/ videographer" Its nice to see no fanboyism in this and actually calling out the issues

[michelandre]

A fantastic informative and non-biased review, Well done.

[LDPIX]

Stumbled across your Z7 review whilst researching. You've earned my sub! Don't normally watch videos like this all the way through without skipping however as a very long standing Nikon user I felt compelled to check out all the very thorough details you put forward in your review. You are exactly right when suggesting that we (as Nikon users with lots of Nikon glass already) have been waiting for their offering without jumping ship too soon to Sony, fuji etc. Thanks for the testing and great examples that you captured with it!