Nikon Z7 & Z6 Review by Ken Rockwell

Nikon Z7 & Z6 Review by Ken Rockwell

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[joelcrow]

Thanks for coming over to YouTube to share some solid sense and real life application for us, Ken! God knows the reviews we've been left with up til now on here have been terrible! Stupid intro music, people reading off specs and forming pointless opinions, big hair... #godhelpus

[AnandaGarden]

Cheers, Ken. A breath of fresh air. Can't tell you how much I've been helped over the year by your website, good to finally meet you in person, so to speak. Grateful for your long and in-depth experience as a full-time shooter and engineer. No bull here, and no genuflecting to the camera manufacturers.

[knightsabre]

1. AE doesn't lock anymore when shooting at max fps as of firmware 2.00.
2. Depending on your mode you can turn on Easy Exposure Compensation to control EC using the rear dial, if you don't like having to press the button. Alternatively, you can assign EC to the lens control ring.
3. Personally, I've never been confused which way the XQD card slots in, but even if you get confused it only fits in one way (the correct way) anyway. CFexpress (same form factor as XQD) is the future for high end cameras (the upcoming Canon EOS-1D X Mark III will use dual CFX), so might as well get used to it.

[Ahmad-iudq]

I cannot believe for how long I've been reading reviews on your website, It's definitely over 15 years now?? And now it's even more fun watching your channel.
Thanks for all these years Ken, and for helping us making the right decisions.

[rkuns]

Have read your reviews for years. Great to see you on YouTube with concise, abbreviated reviews.

[AntPDC]

Ken, I owe you an apology. On reflection, and considering your gracious and witty reply to a rather silly comment I made yesterday, I deleted it for shame.

I owe you much more than that. Many others do. For years your site has been among the top handful of GO-TO destinations when weighing gear purchases. You hold strong opinions - often highly controversial ones - but that is your style, and it's unique. Aside from purely subjective matters, your attention to detail is outstanding: scrupulously detailed assessments of gear, down to the exact materials used in their manufacture - and in particular, meticulously well-researched historical surveys of cameras and lenses, even down to the level of historical pricing. These are real and concrete achievements, and you should be congratulated for them unconditionally.

Warmest thanks for all you have done, and continue to do.

[Yalelax]

Interesting to hear a very frank evaluation of the Nikon Z series. Thanks Ken. Good to see that you are still offering in depth reviews that are completely honest.

[raksh]

Ken, your website is my go-to resource for information about Leica lenses for at least ten years. Now I'm going to explore the Nikon side of your site. Great to see you're expanding your channels.

[Johnkostercreative]

Ken I've been going to your website and happily donating for quite some time, I've always enjoyed your experience and candor, though we do disagree on plenty. I've got the Z7 and although it has its flaws, it's a monster camera. The IQ is beyond amazing. Maybe most don't need a 46 MP sensor, but with the work I do the additional pixels are incredibly useful. Since I tether in studio, the card situation isn't a concern for me. I've been shooting digital for 15 years professionally and this is hands down the best camera I've ever owned, and I think I've owned every Nikon full-frame except the D5. The addition of IBIS is a game changer for Nikon, and handholding this is a dream come true. Thanks.

[bugalaman]

Thank you for starting a Youtube channel, Ken. I've greatly enjoyed your website over the last 10 years. Your reviews inspired me to purchase a D7000, and eventually a D610. Your advice is always honest and unbiased. Keep up the great work.

[DB-nlxw]

This is a proper review. Fast concise no annoying intro. Miracle!

[StylonWang]

Finally your reviews are coming to YouTube! I have been reading your camera reviews on Kenrockwell.com for years. Thanks for all the sharing of gears review and great photos.

[ThePhotographyHobbyist]

Well I don't know...there's a lot of opinions in this review and that's the thing...others will not have the same needs/wants and therefore the opinions become irrelevant. All I know is I love my Z7 quite a bit more than the a7R III I sold to buy the Z7. It's making outstanding images for me (and very easily I might add) and is my most favorite camera so far (and I've had way too many mirrorless cameras lately).

[RobertNuttmann]

My problem with Canon Mirrorless is multifaceted. Crop and full frame do not use same mount. Nikon z50 far superior for me than Canon offering. But biggest deal is I don’t like their lens line up for R. Huge! Expensive! Monster lenses - no thank you. I want good smaller lenses that don’t weigh more than the camera body. They have one light lens that does not cost a ton, the 35 mm. Nikon’s lens map for the Z’s fits what I want. And I do not want to adapt lenses. Tried that with the Sony A7iii. The Z50 sold me on the z system. So I bought one and two days later a z7. So now I have a walk around small system the z50 and a detailed sensor camera for when needed all using same lenses. Thanks for the workshop. Enjoyed it even though it wore me out. Dave is super too. Sony ergonomics got me to sell Sony system and not colors. The grip on Sony full frame either the A7iii (which I owned) and the A7rIV which I looked at and tried out. They just don't fit my hands. Plus Sony body - lens combo too front heavy. Nikon Zs mostly do not have that issue. Well balanced and fits my hand very well.

[mrmdpgh]

Love my Z7. Have been shooting Olympus, Pentax as well as Canon since the late 1960’s. I agree with your assessment other than I think the XQD card is a big improvement. Also, although I love Canon, I think the video offered by these new Nikons is hard to beat. Thanks for the great review.

[itsthetinydutchman]

Amazed by how well you’ve transitioned to YouTube! Always been a fan of your thoroughly detailed reviews on your site. You’ll dominate this space.

As for the z7, too bad so many people find it to be a bit of a premature camera. Obviously the z mount is a bold move and makes more sense in 5 years from now. Ive got the d750 and looking to upgrade to mirrorless in 2020 since i do a lot of hiking, and size/weight matters. Doing a big antartica bucketlist trip at the end of this year, and i want to be updated before that. Future proving those images! Hopefully theyll bring out another full frame Z camera this year.

[majorgify]

This is the best review I've seen of the Z6. It's heartening to see such a comprehensive unbiased review.

[guermeisterdoodlebug]

Lots of camera jocks on YouTube, but I think you are far more experienced and knowledgeable than most. Thanks for the video.

[christroy]

Ken - you are fantastic - what can I say. Love your reviews. P.S. I got a Z50 and love that camera - then actually picked up a Z6 and put firmware 3 on there and really took my time with learning the AF system of the camera and I have no issues with that (learning curve like most things) - there are some secret sauce settings in the camera to get the most out of it! I actually sold my Sony A7 III I liked the Nikon so much. P.S. keep it up, you are one of the best.

[GregB]

Nice to see you on youtube. I think the camera is better than what you give it credit for. It's slick nice, and easy to use. The XQD, while more expensive, transfers video much quicker than a typical XD and I've yet to experience a problem with its reliability. The Z glass, although limited, is very nice, especially the kit 24-70 F4 kit lens. I was pleasantly surprised to find it on par with my 24-70 ED. Aside from a few quirks, I think it's the best camera Ive owned. Sure, anyone can nitpick but at the end of the day, I really like the Z6.