Nikon has finally jumped into the mirrorless game headlong with the announcement of the Z6 and Z7, Nikon's first full frame mirrorless cameras
Nikon had been teasing a new mirrorless camera for quite some time and today, the company has finally revealed the Z6 and the Z7. The duo makes for the first full-frame mirrorless cameras from the Japanese camera giant and are designed to squarely take on Sony in the mirrorless space.
The Nikon Z6 features a 24-megapixel full frame BSI sensor with 5-axis in-body stabilisation, a first for Nikon. The new sensor has also required Nikon to build a new camera mount, dubbed the Z mount, which is bigger than their current FX mount. The camera also has a very short flange distance of just 16mm, aiding in making the camera body as thin as possible. The Z6 features an ISO range of 100-51,200. Since the Nikon Z6 is a direct competitor to the Sony A7 MarkIII, it also features a fast 12 frames per second burst mode. In order to meet the burst mode’s speed, the Z6 also has a 263-point AF system with hybrid PDAF. Nikon has take a bold step of putting only a single card-slot on the Z6, which happens to be the not-so-popular XQD card slot.
The second camera from Nikon is the Z7, which is aimed at fashion and studio photographers who need extremely high-resolution images. Sporting a 45-megapixel full-frame BSI sensor, the Z7 has an ISO range of 64-25,600. The AF point-count is also much higher than the Z6, with a total of 493 AF points and again, a hybrid PDAF system. The Z7 also features a singular XQD card slot. You can read the full specifications of the two cameras below.
Since the Z6 and Z7 have a new mount, Nikon has also announced a set of lenses for the new system. The Nikkor Z lenses will have a 35mm f/1.8 s and 24-70mm f/4.0 s at launch, with the roadmap (subject to changes) also revealing a NIKKOR Z 58mm f/0.95 S NOCT which is currently under development. The 50mm f/1.8 s will release later in October. While a majority of lenses for the Z system are slated for release in 2019, Nikon hopes to have a total of 12 lenses available by the end of 2020.
Nikon and Canon have been rumoured to foray into the full-frame mirrorless camera market for a long, with Nikon being the only one of the two to actively make any announcements. Sony’s growth in the full frame mirrorless market has been significant over the last few years, often eating into the market share that would have otherwise belonged to professional DSLRs. The benefits of compact bodies and lighter systems are not lost on photographers and given how popular mirrorless cameras have become, it only makes sense for Nikon and Canon to jump into the mirrorless territories with professional cameras.
As of now, there is no word on pricing and availability for India.
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Swapnil Mathur
Swapnil was Digit's resident camera nerd, (un)official product photographer and the Reviews Editor. Swapnil has moved-on to newer challenges. For any communication related to his stories, please mail us using the email id given here. View Full Profile
