Hey Shaun, as an amateur Z6ii owner, I take my hat off to you for these tests, three cameras and such detailed info. And digs are a good model/subject, better than some random guy running at you. they are super fast, and that dog had a lot of black fur on his face which is harder for the camera.
I think this was one of the best videos I've seen evaluating the Z6III. I shoot with a D750, not mirrorless, so it was a little bit hard to follow when you were describing the blackout. I'll have to watch it a few times. But well done. Now buy one and give us a 6 month review!
Great Video....Thank you for posting. Nikon Shooter for many years, making the switch to Mirrorless recently......My DSLR bodies were D4's with lot's of life left in them so I dipped my toes into the Z system with Z6ii and FTZ converter....Essentially trying to determine if I wanted to go Z or stay D4......The Z6ii was ok and to be fair, not a fair comparison to D Pro body. However, when I brought home my first native Z lens (14-24mm f2.8), it really brought the Z6ii to life and was measurably better than my F14-24mm with a FTZ. At that moment, I decided to commit to the Z eco system..I added the Z8 and was thrilled when paired with the Z Holy Trinity lenses. But I found that the Z6ii now felt inferior to the Z8 "No Surprise" So I just kept grabbing my Z8....The menu's, button placements etc were very different not to mention the focus system. It became difficult to shoot the pair in tandem with how different they were to shoot. When the Z6iii launched, it wasn't even on my radar....However, after seeing it close up, looking at the menu's and combined with the AF, I decided that I both wanted and needed the Z6iii. It's Not a Z8, but it pairs well with the Z8 and the shooting experience is similar..... Now I can choose the body based on need rather than just ignoring the Z6ii. If you shoot them in tandem, you can dial them in fairly close so the differences are much less apparent. Had I owned only the Z6ii, the decision to upgrade would have been more difficult. After spending time with the Z6iii, the upgrade of the sensor, AFS, control buttons and menu system have confirmed my post purchase decision was the right one. If you have aspirations and a budget beyond casual shooting the Z6iii should be on your shopping list.
I have owned the Z6III since launch and can compare it directly with my Z6II and Z9. The Z6III is a massive improvement in terms of AF over the Z6II. It's very close in AF capability to my Z9, the Z9 picks up smaller distant subjects faster however but otherwise they are near indistinguishable in real world use. The Z6III actually trumps even the Z9 in terms of continuous burst speed. At 20fps the Z6III never seems to slow down no matter how long you press the shutter whilst with the Z9 you get a few seconds at the full 20fps before it drops to around 15fps even with the absolutely fastest CF Express cards. The EVF in the Z6III is also superior to that in the Z6II and Z9. I'd say anybody who wants near Z9 performance for half the price the Z6III is a no brainer. I still like the Z6II however, if your shooting style is less AF demanding then the Z6II's AF is perfectly adequate 🙂
I had to turn off image review on my Z6ii to cure the black out. No problems since so that may solve that problem for you. Nikon can and does design its' own sensors but can't find if they took a bog standard Sony sensor or cooked their own. The Sony fab is a separate company from the camera division so I wouldn't assume sensors are shared (at least with the Z bodies - exception being the Z50 series)
I sold my Z5 and Z6ii to acquire the Z6iii last week. I am still adjusting my setting but shot it ISO of 64,000 this morning and was able to edit in LR classic for a great result on a very early morning elk
Just a technique comment on your dog sport photography. I'm not interested in the Nikon Z6iii because I'm VERY happy with my Z8 and Z9. I regularly do thousands of dog photos, but almost all in dog Conformation shows. I've been trying to improve my understanding of how to shoot good shots in dog Performance events. While, to me, Agility is more pleasing to interact with because of the action available, I struggle to find interesting captures in Obedience and Rally. I think this is at least partially because I've taken lots of training classes in handling dogs in Conformation, but I've only participated as a handler in Barn Hunt within the Performance sector. Having said that I've learned a lot about pleasing Performance images from this video and a few other videos that you have produced. So, despite the lack of interest for me in the Z6iii (I'm a former Z6ii owner.), I say "Bravo!" for your wonderful captures in dog Performance activities.
As a competitor (agility, obedience, rally, K9 Nosework) and photographer, I share your observations here. Massive difference photographing agility, compared to less action-oriented dog sports. All of it’s fun, but agility is a blast 🙂
Thank you so much John, yes it's difficult to capture dynamic images of Obedience and Rally. I do quite a bit of Heelwork to Music and try to capture that relationship and connection between handler and dog, though it's an easier subject to photograph.
That's simple - I messed up. However, the difference was already very large. When I upgraded from the Z6 to the Z6ii I was really pleased with the improvements. The Z6iii is in a different league completely
Hey Shaun, as an amateur Z6ii owner, I take my hat off to you for these tests, three cameras and such detailed info.
And digs are a good model/subject, better than some random guy running at you. they are super fast, and that dog had a lot of black fur on his face which is harder for the camera.
I think this was one of the best videos I've seen evaluating the Z6III. I shoot with a D750, not mirrorless, so it was a little bit hard to follow when you were describing the blackout. I'll have to watch it a few times. But well done. Now buy one and give us a 6 month review!
Great Video....Thank you for posting. Nikon Shooter for many years, making the switch to Mirrorless recently......My DSLR bodies were D4's with lot's of life left in them so I dipped my toes into the Z system with Z6ii and FTZ converter....Essentially trying to determine if I wanted to go Z or stay D4......The Z6ii was ok and to be fair, not a fair comparison to D Pro body. However, when I brought home my first native Z lens (14-24mm f2.8), it really brought the Z6ii to life and was measurably better than my F14-24mm with a FTZ. At that moment, I decided to commit to the Z eco system..I added the Z8 and was thrilled when paired with the Z Holy Trinity lenses. But I found that the Z6ii now felt inferior to the Z8 "No Surprise" So I just kept grabbing my Z8....The menu's, button placements etc were very different not to mention the focus system. It became difficult to shoot the pair in tandem with how different they were to shoot. When the Z6iii launched, it wasn't even on my radar....However, after seeing it close up, looking at the menu's and combined with the AF, I decided that I both wanted and needed the Z6iii. It's Not a Z8, but it pairs well with the Z8 and the shooting experience is similar..... Now I can choose the body based on need rather than just ignoring the Z6ii. If you shoot them in tandem, you can dial them in fairly close so the differences are much less apparent. Had I owned only the Z6ii, the decision to upgrade would have been more difficult. After spending time with the Z6iii, the upgrade of the sensor, AFS, control buttons and menu system have confirmed my post purchase decision was the right one. If you have aspirations and a budget beyond casual shooting the Z6iii should be on your shopping list.
You may be the best Nikon camera reviewer on UA-cam, love your videos.
Good grief, thank you
This is really some spectacular testing. Thanks for sharing. Z6iii is my next camera.
I have owned the Z6III since launch and can compare it directly with my Z6II and Z9. The Z6III is a massive improvement in terms of AF over the Z6II. It's very close in AF capability to my Z9, the Z9 picks up smaller distant subjects faster however but otherwise they are near indistinguishable in real world use. The Z6III actually trumps even the Z9 in terms of continuous burst speed. At 20fps the Z6III never seems to slow down no matter how long you press the shutter whilst with the Z9 you get a few seconds at the full 20fps before it drops to around 15fps even with the absolutely fastest CF Express cards. The EVF in the Z6III is also superior to that in the Z6II and Z9. I'd say anybody who wants near Z9 performance for half the price the Z6III is a no brainer. I still like the Z6II however, if your shooting style is less AF demanding then the Z6II's AF is perfectly adequate 🙂
I don't think I could agree more
Great review. Thoughtful and informative.
Great review as always, thank you 🙏🏻
I had to turn off image review on my Z6ii to cure the black out. No problems since so that may solve that problem for you.
Nikon can and does design its' own sensors but can't find if they took a bog standard Sony sensor or cooked their own. The Sony fab is a separate company from the camera division so I wouldn't assume sensors are shared (at least with the Z bodies - exception being the Z50 series)
I sold my Z5 and Z6ii to acquire the Z6iii last week. I am still adjusting my setting but shot it ISO of 64,000 this morning and was able to edit in LR classic for a great result on a very early morning elk
Fascinating, thank you Nathan
Just a technique comment on your dog sport photography. I'm not interested in the Nikon Z6iii because I'm VERY happy with my Z8 and Z9. I regularly do thousands of dog photos, but almost all in dog Conformation shows. I've been trying to improve my understanding of how to shoot good shots in dog Performance events. While, to me, Agility is more pleasing to interact with because of the action available, I struggle to find interesting captures in Obedience and Rally. I think this is at least partially because I've taken lots of training classes in handling dogs in Conformation, but I've only participated as a handler in Barn Hunt within the Performance sector. Having said that I've learned a lot about pleasing Performance images from this video and a few other videos that you have produced. So, despite the lack of interest for me in the Z6iii (I'm a former Z6ii owner.), I say "Bravo!" for your wonderful captures in dog Performance activities.
As a competitor (agility, obedience, rally, K9 Nosework) and photographer, I share your observations here. Massive difference photographing agility, compared to less action-oriented dog sports. All of it’s fun, but agility is a blast 🙂
Thank you so much John, yes it's difficult to capture dynamic images of Obedience and Rally. I do quite a bit of Heelwork to Music and try to capture that relationship and connection between handler and dog, though it's an easier subject to photograph.
I do love photographing K9 Nosework
I just wish they didn't cripple the controls compared to the Z8. Give us "Recall Shooting Functions" and "Cycle AF-area mode".
Why did you test the AF at a different aperture for each body ? I'd expect the largest possible aperture to make the missed shots more obvious.
That's simple - I messed up. However, the difference was already very large. When I upgraded from the Z6 to the Z6ii I was really pleased with the improvements. The Z6iii is in a different league completely
👑
I have 2 Nikon Z9 cameras 📷 but heard good things about the Z8
The Z9 is my go to camera, but the Z8 is a great back up camera for me. Of course a second Z9 would be perfect
Someone please show this to the northups
Love the brilliant Z6iii but its not a Z8 ... 🦘