Should you buy the Nikon Z 6II or Z 7II? (A history of the Z6/Z7 and thoughts on the Z 6II and Z 7II)

I will start by saying this is not a review of the Z 6II and Z 7II.

Nikon yesterday announced the Nikon Z 6II and Z 7II (yes, there is a space between the Z and number but from now on I will just write Z6II and Z7II because it is easier). Nikon announced the original Z6 and Z7 in August 2018. Many Nikon owners have been hoping that Nikon would release a full frame mirrorless camera for years (going back to 2012, when there was first speculation about a Nikon mirrorless camera (which turned out to be the Nikon 1, which actually had a 1” sensor and was a bit of a failure).

From the reports of those attending the press event, the Nikon employees attending the event were very pleased with the Z6 and Z7, and they were a bit unprepared for what came next, which was not particularly positive criticism of the cameras. For not having 2 card slots, not being able to mount a battery grip, an AF system, which was fiddly to use, a zoom lens which felt a little plasticy to some and so on and so forth.

Nikon was on the defensive, right from the start, what should have been a glorious unveiling had turned into a bit of a disaster. The reviews, whilst not terrible, were not good either. Nikon had come late to the party and when they arrived they were only partially dressed.

Over the last 2 years, Nikon has worked on improving the Z6/Z7, particularly the AF and it turned out that the Z6 was a decent to good camera for shooting video and which Nikon worked on, addin raw in a paid firmware release. Unfortunately, for all Nikons improvements, it still didn’t stand out as a great camera, for all the AF tweaking, it still paled in comparison to the Sony A7III for autofocus, particularly after Sony updated, their AF firmware. And of course, Canon stepped up in a big way with their AF for the Canon R, before releasing the R5 and R6, with the R5 being a game changing camera.

Nikon have now responded with the Z6II and Z7II and they have fixed a lot of the issues turning what was a average camera into a generally very good camera. Now back in 2018, I bought the Fujifilm X-H1 a great camera, which failed in many ways. A few months after the Z6/Z7 were announced and my first thoughts were ‘Oh nuts, I have just bought a Fujifilm where I can’t use most of my Nikon lenses’ but upon seeing the specs of the camera, I was left scratching my head, it wasn’t the camera I was expecting and when I first tried the camera, I hated it.

’Hated’ is a strong word, surely it isn’t that bad? Cameras can be a very individual thing. I love the feel of my Nikon D800 and Fujifilm X-H1 is a wonderful camera in hand. I didn’t get that with the Nikon Z6/Z7, what I got was a Nikon Z6/Z7, which felt like a prosumer camera, with a grip that didn’t suit my hand and was uncomfortable to use. I loathed the camera with a passion for its ergonomics. But for many, they loved the cameras ergonomics.

So going into this talk, going into the history of the Z6/Z7 and my thoughts on the body are worth mentioning. I have mixed biases. I am a big Nikon fan but I hated the Z6 and Z7.

So, the Z 6II/Z 7II. Nikon to their credit, have listened to ‘customer feedback’ and Nikon have fixed most of the issues of the two cameras. They added a second card slot, they have allowed for a battery grip, they have added a second processor to improve, AF speed and low light AF capabilities, allowed for faster shooting (but in 12 bit raw instead of 14), allowed for USB charging from a power pack, tweaked the AF system so it is much better to use and several other things, which should really improve the camera.

Unfortunately, they didn’t change the grip or body, which rules the camera out for me but as I say, that is a personal thing, so I wouldn’t say don’t buy a camera because I don’t like the grip.

Nikon have also been pretty competitive about the pricing, the Nikon Z 6II is "£1999 the same as the original Z6 upon release and the Z 7II is £2999, which is several hundred cheaper then the Z7 upon release (£3399). When you look at cameras in the price range, I would say both cameras are very competitive. The Z 6II is probably the best camera under £2000, with its main competition being the Panasonic S5 and the Fujifilm X-T4. The venerable Sony a7III, is still up there for many (though I have never been a big fan, due to the ergonomics and menu system) but I feel that the Z 6II is a better camera.

Now I haven’t tried the Panasonic S5, which is £1799 currently but I was a big fan of the S1 and loved the bodies of those camera, which for me felt like the camera Nikon should have made but the S1 doesn’t have the best autofocus, even compared to the Nikon. The S5 has improved upon the S1’s AF fixing many of the issues (a firmware update I hope the S1 and S1R get). The X-T4 is an exceptional camera and many love it but it is APS-C and for many, they won’t like the ergonomics (it is a love/hate thing).

The Z 7II is more interesting. Reducing the price to less than £3000 makes the camera much more competitive. It is cheaper than the Sony a7rIII, generally, also the much cheaper than the Canon R5 (thought the Canon is a better all round camera). It comes into a similar price range to the Panasonic S1R, which I really rate as a camera (£2799) but from looking at various websites, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an update to the S1R soon, as it is currently unavailable. The Panasonic S1R is a better camera for video has a similar sensor and for me a much better body. where it falls is the AF, which isn’t terrible but like the S1 really does need improving in a firmware update.

So Nikon have priced the cameras quite competitively and they have fixed the issues, which have turned the cameras into something, that I would say is class leading for the price. There is a but though. The Sony a7III is three years old and is due for a replacement and I suspect, spec wise it will easily beat the Z 6II, it will also I suspect have a improved menu system (similar to the a7SIII) and Sony may even improve the ergonomics (though I suspect, I will still dislike them). So, I expect that whilst Nikon are on top for now, this won’t be the case for long.

So should you buy a Nikon Z 6II or Z 7II? I know I won’t be but that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t. There are 2 factors I haven’t mention yet.

1. Do you need a massively spec’d camera that has 60mp or can shoot 8k video? For most the answer is ‘no’. Specs are not everything. As I said, I hate the Nikon Z cameras because I don’t like the bodies but many love those bodies and even though I don’t that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t buy the camera if you like the bodies and the cameras meet your needs.

I have been using the Nikon D800 for 8 years, it is a great camera and even after all that time, it still does everything I need it to. The Z 6II and Z 7II are good camera and for the most customers will do everything they want and adding more specs for most isn’t going to make the photographer able to take a better photo.

2. Nikon lens line up. Nikon doesn’t have as many lenses as Sony but the lenses Nikon does have are exceptional. Yes, I mentioned that many upon release didn’t think the zoom lens (Nikkor 24-70s) was great but opinion has generally changed, optically the lens has been great and the comments about the build and feel of the lens have been unfounded. Nikon have released the holy trinity (14-24, 24-70, 70-200mm f.2.8) and have a lot of great cheap (ish) prime lenses and are starting to build on their higher end lenses. Yes, Sony has more lenses available and many are very good but Nikon are stepping up the lenses to a level, it is going to be hard for Sony to compete with in the long run).

I have tried to be as unbiased as possible but I am. My heart is pulled in 2 directions. My love for Nikon says buy, my loathing for the bodies says don’t buy. If you decide to get either the Z 6II or Z 7II, you will be getting a very good camera, so I would for the most part say ‘yes’ buy if you are happy with the camera.

Plot twist or directors cut. Yes, we get to the end of the film and we all think that it is over but their is one more point worth mentioning. The Nikon Z9. Nikon rumors posted the proposed specs of the Nikon Z9 a few days ago and from the specs, it does sound like a behemoth of a camera, 45mp about to shoot at 20fps, shoots 8k video and with a professional body, similar to the Nikon D6. It all sound extremely impressive and it is. If the specs on the camera are real, it sound like Nikon are really stepping up to the plate. Of course the proposed price of the camera is between £6000-7000 which for most will be far too expensive but whilst only a few will go for the Z9, that technology will sprinkle down and we will see Nikon cameras that come from that which will have some exceptional specs.

I don’t upgrade my cameras very much now days, they do everything I need and more. I suspect I won’t be buying the Z9 (my bank manager would be very unhappy) but I suspect I will be upgrading in the next 2-3 years and I think it will still be a Nikon.