Comprising the essentials needed to begin shooting, the Nikon Z6 Mirrorless Camera with 24-70mm Lens and Accessories Kit from B&H bundles the sleek full-frame mirrorless body and NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S standard zoom lens with a 72mm UV filter and a protective camera bag.
I've been shooting 30+ years professionally (mainly Nikon) and (as always) I did a lot of research before hitting the buy button. A LOT! Nikon, Canon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic and even a few MF bodies were all fair game for my upgrade into mirror-less. Our studio started booking video in the past few years and while our dedicated HD Panasonic video cameras are very good, we need to jump into 4k. I considered upgrading to 4k Panasonic because I was very happy with the output for the most part but decided why not invest in a DSLR body with great video and I'll have the best of both worlds? So after all the (extensive) research was done I decided to stick with Nikon and purchase the Z6ii kit. That's my back story and here are my findings: The body itself is very well balanced albeit for a small one. The weight is not too heavy and I can easily shoot all day without tiring. My hands are about average and I would prefer at least 1' more on the bottom. Larger hands will most definitely need the grip. The included 24-70 f:4 is extremely sharp with no discernible aberrations and has a smooth zoom and focus ring(s). All and all it's one of the best lenses in that focal range I've owned. There is no creep on this lens at all (a nice surprise). It stays put. The locking feature on the lens is very welcome. When not in use it ensures the lens will not vacillate if it is placed in my Spyder holder. For shooting video this lens is silent. With continuous focus enabled you will not hear any noise what so ever! The control layout will be intuitive for Nikon users. I am extremely happy about the (re) inclusion of a mechanical mode dial. It's right in front of you, tells you what mode your in and locks securely into place. They should have never gotten rid of it in the first place. I'm not going to go over each button but I will say that Nikon got it right with easy access menus and shooting options at your fingertips. The rear screen is nice and big with high resolution HOWEVER, Nikon really dropped the ball by not having a fully articulating one. It's not a deal breaker (we will get to that at the end) but it's completely unacceptable in 2022. The battery life, well, it's not that great but I it was fully expected considering it has a video (eye) viewfinder. You'll definitely need a battery grip (highway robbery) if you will be shooting for any considerable length of time. I am very happy that my enel15 batteries can all be used to power it. It saved me $$ in purchasing 8 more. The shutter sound is heavenly. It's nice and quiet in both modes. I can't describe it but it evokes a sense of solidity. It's like a well tuned exhaust system on a 68 Ford (Bullitt) Mustang. It's the small things... ;) The PHOTO image quality is sweet! The color out of the box is very pleasing (SD) and the resolution is more than enough for any shooter. The high ISO (once again) is just mind blowing. It's better than the D500 which is saying a lot. The dynamic range is very impressive and handling high contrast scenes shouldn't be of any concern. For the small amount of test VIDEO I have shot here are my impressions: The video quality is spectacular. The high ISO is amazing and the color out of the box is as well. Believe it or not with the kit lens attached it was almost too sharp. The focus, ah the focus... I can't lie, I was expecting a bit more. While it is vastly improved from the D500 I was expecting a bit more (video wise). It has slight trouble locking on in lower light situations (which I definitely need it to do). It's not slow but it's not fast either. I'm sorry to say that, in my limited tests, the video stabilization is not very good which is what I needed above everything else. I'm OK with the cropping that occurs in EIOS but it's got this weird jumpy look. It just doesn't look right. Even with both stabilization modes engaged you have to walk very steady and slow. Forget fast walking or running. Now granted I've used the GoPro 10 quiet a bit in event shooting and that stabilization is phenomenal. Maybe I'm just expecting that Nikon and all camera manufacturers should be at that level now. It's really not too much to ask these days that I shouldn't have to buy a $$$ Gimbal to steady it out. Saving the worst for last: THE VIEWFINDER: There will be some out there who absolutely swear by the viewfinder and will probably comment as such but all I can say is coming from over 30 years of composing through (pro) pentaprism finders I was absolutely shocked how much I despise it. Enough so that I just can't see myself shooting a 12 hour event with that up to my eye! The resolution seems very high and it has some great features like adjusting the brightness and image review but there is something that irritates my eye and brain when I look through it. It just doesn't look right and I'm never sure how the image will look. Maybe that's just me needing to get used to it but it's annoying! I will say that the diopter adjustment is greatly improved and being able to adjust the brightness for inspecting is helpful but looking at a screen that close (for me) is just not happening. Plus, I'm positive in 10-20 years they will come out with a study finding it causes vision issues. Is the Z6ii a worthy professional grade camera with beautiful output? Without question YES. The image output is beautiful but, as any pro will telly you, that's not everything. MY D500 has amazing still output and great looking video and I have used it for jobs on lockdown however the auto focus is horrible and noisy and there is zero stabilization making it impractical to use handheld. If I could find a light weight gimbal with which works with ALL the functions at a reasonable price I would but it doesn't exist. Right now I'm on the fence whether to keep it (40%) or send it back (60%).
After the firmware update fixed the AF it became an excellent camera. The AF is still not on par with Sony, but in most cases I don't experience any problems. The raw files are fantastic, there isn't much editing needed to get nice bright colors, and noise is very low and easy to remove. The biggest con is poor customization. I can assign buttons and dials on Sony so I never need to dive into the menu, not so with Nikon, even for common functions you need to go to menu. That is somewhat mitigated by the custom menu, which I assigned to Fn2 button.
So far it is working great. Light, nice sharp photos. Good investment.
This is my first mirrorless camera and I couldn't be happier. It's everything you'd expect from Nikon. Body feels sturdy and substantial but more compact than my old SLRs. Performance is phenomenal so far. Controls layout is intuitive and makes sense. The lens is a typical kit lens. Decent quality. Feels higher quality than other kit lenses but I added some higher quality prime lenses immediately. Overall I'm really happy with this purchase and can't wait to continue using it.
I just got the Nikon Z6 Mirrorless camera; this is my first mirrorless body and I'm super excited to see how it compares to my DSLRs. First impressions are great with it producing high quality images and fast focusing. I love that it's light-weight and easy to travel!
My old D5000 was long overdue for an upgrade. I wanted to downsize from carrying around my DSLR along with a few primes, to being able to travel with a versatile camera and a single zoom lens. The Z6 is that camera for me, and the lens is the 24 - 70mm F/2.8. The quality of the images from this camera are beautiful and razor sharp. I was a hardcore manual focus photographer, but I've been beyond impressed with the speed and accuracy of the auto-focus. Overall this is just what I was looking for, a compact, yet powerful camera that I can carry around with me everywhere, without compromising on quality.
I always want to z-camera series in this 2022 is the most affordable price and still are rock in the industry of pro cameras! I so glam to said I buy my first camera Nikon d600 in B&H and now 10 years later I renew to z6 in the same B&H
This is the body you want for a knock around camera, like when hiking or when thrown in the back seat of the car. And cheap now that v2 is out and you could wait for V3 then buy V1 ... as you wait for the Z8,
