dinko bilic he actually did not say that! You’re intentionally misquoting him... his gripe is for two main reasons... 1. No second card slot, quite valid, 2. No battery grip or even the possibility for getting this on the current cameras.
I just got my Z6 yesterday and spent afternoon and evening setting it up and trying it out. All I can say if “Holy Shit” this camera is amazing. I held off for long time trying out mirrorless and been using Nikon D500 and D850 for last few years. Then after watching Will’s channel on Z6 decided to try one out. The build quality, weight, image quality is so great. Putting on the 24-70 f/4 kit lens, this camera and lens combo weigh less than my D850 body alone. The ergonomics of body is best I have every used in my opinion, but I do have smaller hands then probably the average male so that could be part of it. How you can customize the camera is another awesome feature. Now let’s talk about the EVF, are you frinkin kidding me I couldn’t believe how beautiful that OLED picture is. Now I know why so many have said the new Z6 is the best probably made to date. Just take it outside when it is dark and you won’t believe how bright and amazing it looks compared to looking through a DSLR OVF. What a Godsend if your shooting in low light conditions, nothing short of amazing. I also tested the 85mm f/1.8 S lens I ordered with it against my Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens which I have to say is without a doubt the sharpest lens I have ever used on any camera. The Nikon 85mm S is so sharp, that when I compared the images on my computer you had to zoom into 100% and get close up to computer and toggle back and forth to see any difference. The Sigma was a hair sharper, I have to honestly admit. But only by a hair and you could only tell comparing them side by side at 100%. In real life images and anything less than 100% you could never see any difference between the two. So when you consider the Nikon 85mm S is about half the size and weight of Sigma I don’t know why I would ever use the Sigma again. Yes it is a f/1.4 which has better Bokeh, but since the DOF at 1.4 is so shallow I hardly ever shot it at that aperture. Because if you just slightly missed focus, you could tell for sure especially on my D850. Also the Sigma I always had problems on my D850 focusing accurately when I used the focus points on outside edges of the focusing area. It was just never consistent nailing focus unless I used the center focusing points which are mostly cross type. Yes I did calibrate my Sigma lens with their docking adjuster to fine tune the AF performance with my D850 body which helped for sure. But I noticed my Z6 did not have any problems with it’’s auto focusing accuracy on Sigma 85mm Art lens, not matter what auto focus points I used all the way out to furtherest edges of the frame. So last thing I can say is if your on the fence about trying out one of the Nikon Z6 or Z7 mirrorless, try one you will be amazed. I can’t believe how many people out there gave these camera’s a bad review, because it doesn’t deserve it. So my D850 will just sit on the shelf for now and collect dust, until I sell it on Ebay. Probably the same for most of the lenses as well, which I will replace with Nikon S lenses. Thanks again to Will for letting everyone out there know about how great these Z cameras are, I probably would have never tried one if it wasn’t for his reviews on them.
Thanks for the continued info on the Z system from a real world perspective.I emailed you back in Sept asking for your input on the 50 MM S lens and your input helped me to decide to pick up that lens. I've used it to shot an engagement session, some portraits and landscapes. It is a great lens, but the reason I'm writing today is because you mentioned the ruggedness of the Z systems, and this includes the lens. Two days after I bought the 50 MM 1.8 S lens I took it out to shoot some landscape and nature stuff, just to get a feel for it. While out shooting I switched to my 24-70 F4 to get a shot of an egret, I left the 50 in my backpack, on the ground, and went to get the shots. When I walked back to my bag I picked it up and slung it over my shoulder, completely forgetting that I had not zipped up the flap to the area where the 50 was stored. Needless to say the 50 came flying out of my bag, and fell about four feet, hit and bounced off an asphalt path. I about had a heart attack right then and there. I had taken all of maybe 10 shots with this lens and I knew I had just ruined it. The lens hood went flying off as did the end cap and the lens cap. I picked up the lens and it looked fine. I put it on the Camera and it worked fine. No issues with the auto-focus. I was shocked, I thought for sure I had just wasted $600.00. The only way you would know that this lens took a hard hit is that there are two tiny dings in the barrel and the lens hood has a small crack. I am completely sold on how well build this system is. Which is a good thing cause as this story clearly shows, I'm a klutz.
I have a z6 and z7, I switched from Sony yes I switched from Sony, I have shot over 100k on both of my Z cameras. And I will tell you straight up they to me produce better results than my Sony’s. Yes they still need improvement. But so do the Sony’s. When I look back at all the shots I have taken of my Son’s Cross Country and Basketball events. The shots are amazing. And You are completely right. The workflow is easy and it has made it easy for me to give back to the parents. Thank you Nikon and Thank you for your Channel. You have great content keep it up.
The next firmware is going to be the CFExpress/Raw firmware update, that is a mail in update. It is rumored to also include autofocus improvements. My wish list would be: -EYE AF improvements, locking on with less jumping and more aggressively, and accuracy improvements -EYE AF in video -I use back button focus, so I agree with the AFC confirmation and separate Eye AF Button Canon just added EYE AF to video and made a significant EYE AF update to the EOS R, Nikon and Canon tend to compete with each other, so I am optimistic with all of these requests I have.
Your summary of the Z6 is just like the camera, rugged, reliable and proven, and importantly zero BS. It's partly your experience with this camera that persuaded my decision to buy into mirrorless with a Z6, so thanks a bunch. cheers from the UK.
It is SO awesome to hear from a professional who has used this camera so much! You are exactly the kind of resource that viewers like me appreciate. Real use. Real experience. On my D500 the "Group" mode is the one that "takes into account" the squares around the center when focus on the center isn't achieved. The Dynamic modes, to my understanding at least, actually "choose" one (single) of the other squares to focus on (which is different from a kind of group "taking into account" using all of them.) So, with Dynamic you could kind of end up with the "closest to the camera" kind of focus via one (single) square. But, I guess I could be wrong about that, and certainly do not know exactly what the Z6 is doing, since I do not have one. I stay behind the times, anyway. My next camera is going to be a Black Friday D750 for $999 to go with my D500. I won't be on the Z series for a few more generations from now, :-) But that won't stop me from watching your videos between now and then! Very glad I found your channel. Subscribed.
Jim Kasson did some tests on the lighting banding issue and how to fix it. He has a lot of other interesting technical info on his website as well. blog.kasson.com/nikon-z6-7/ameliorating-lighting-banding-with-the-z7-silent-shutter/
I agree so much with what you say about ergonomics. I was really gone to buy a sony a 7 3 and when I took it in hand, I had the impression of having a great technological object in the hands but without soul, without sensations. Then by chance I took the z6 and there was incredible feeling, each button is placed in the right place, the joystick is terrible .... my only problem and it is psychological is the only memory card. I move to a fujifilm xt3 for my use in wedding. THANK you really for your videos. Great job
Great video and more than fair on all points. Some thoughts: 1) The grip peeling is an issue. Many people have it - hoping eventually Nikon just repairs them under extended warranty as cameras come in for service 2) Green confirm on AF-C - agreed. From memory it doesn't go green because most people shooting BBF don't have it set so you can only take a shot when focus is confirmed (kinda ruins the point of AF-C/BBF). If it's set to only shoot on focus confirm I believe it turns green. Haven't tried it myself. 3) Green focus assist beam. Again from memory: Has to be green due to the focus being on sensor. IR Filter makes it so it can't see the red focus assist, so green it is. Might be just visible light instead of IR, but either way it's to due with filtering and on-sensor focusing. 4) Z6 for video. I'm by no means a pro but I've used it in challenging situations. One was a nighttime outdoor concert that had 4 lights. Two blue, two yellow (off white) - on of each colour on each side of the band. The footage was good enough for me. You've done a great job communicating your experiences with the Z6 over the year. I have to laugh and shake my head when people say things like the Z series isn't professional, can't do the job, etc. Most have no or very little experience with them. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone (usually FB) post that they used it at a wedding (1!) and it wasn't good, they're selling it - I try to point them here. :)
@@MSmatt76 there was talk of a green light flash coming out but don't know what happened to that. Wouldn't be that hard to make one that can switch green/red I don't think
@@MSmatt76 It is not turned off, the single contact on the shoe sends control data in serial format and the command is not compatible with the SB- series Nikon flash or any other flash programmed for Nikon compatibility. Two points, one, the camera does focus well when a flash mounted traditional red pattern assist light is triggered contrary to internet myth. Point two is the command signal on the single shoe contact for communications is being sent but not in the same code sequence recognized by Nikon flash. One company decoded the command string and updated their firmware so their flash controller would be emmit the normal near IR patterned light. That company, on one of their flash controllers, is Godox but they may have discontinued that model. I have not tried to read the data stream to see what changed but this winter I will have time to do it. With Nikon DSLRs the focusing is not on the sensor but the metering sensor and it is likely that the new infrared patterned light has a different propagation delay that would would focus off because of the different light path. The good news is that assist light is not needed very often and that the mirrorless bodies so sent trigger commands
i played with the z6 for 2 weeks before i felt comfortable taking it to a gig and it was honestly the easiest camera to use especially to trouble shoot problems like the banding issue you talked about. except with my wedding the flicker reduction fixed the problem. and the point you made about the lenses is spot on. i shot with a 35 and the 85 s lens and not only did the s lens render the colors better but the images were way sharper and the subjects popped more from the background. I also noticed that the photo's with a flash seem more balanced on the z6 rather my 750.
I like the Z cameras, tried them at weddings myself, I don’t think they feel any stronger or rugged than the Sony’s at all. The grip is nicer for sure than Sony but more rugged not so sure. I’ve shot over 100 weddings with the R3’s and never had an issue. I just can’t think of a reason to use the Z6 or Z7 over the Sony, other than the nicer view finder and LCD screen
Hey Chris good to hear from you. It’s pure feel and preference for sure. One of the main things I always say is that all cameras produce great results now a days, it’s all about what feels best to you. On some level I don’t think you choose a camera, it chooses you. Thanks for watching!
The Monochrome Memoirs haha yeah I kinda agree. Like the Sony’s are king from everything I’ve reviewed BUT they have no soul at all. I came from Nikon and I loved them. But definitely can’t wait to see what Nikon bring out next. Like you said it’s all kind of irrelevant if you can deliver sick images with anything. I do 40-50 weddings a year also, gotta say, having something nicer to hold would be awesome
Chris Turner Photographer EXACTLY all the “this vs that brand” is so irrelevant and a sure sign of someone I avoid. Cameras are tools simple as that. If you’re a beast you’re gonna crank out amazing work no matter what’s in your hand
Thx again from Holland Will!. Agree fully with your conclusions. We do weddings with 4xZ6. Would be handy to sync those bodies via Save/Load settings function but U1-U3 settings are not saved..... nikon please address in next update!! The old DSLR U1,U2 functionality worked better for us. It would memorize any setting changes while in U1 or U2 until you rotated the dial. Now you have to save any adaptation via user settings to U1,2,3 otherwise you lose it after shutting the camera off, which you do all the time to save the battery power.. not handy i.m.h.o. greetings rob spaans
You may have answered this already but I am trying to understand how you could feel comfortable shooting with only one memory card slot. What will you do if and when that fails?
He doesnt understand the risk hes taking because most likely hes never had a card fail. Ive had 2 fail in 15 years. Hes also being irresponsible by doing a video on how suitable it is for wedding photography.
mark rigg Think his wife shoots with him as well so at least there are two shooters. I just don’t think I would feel comfortable myself but to each their own. Makes zero sense that Nikon did not include 2 cards slots. That omission has cost them.
@@adventuresofjandk Yes Canon did the same thing. The camera companies are a bit out of touch with some of the realities of photography and this leads their customers astray as a result.
@@markrigg6623 One reason the Z cameras are considered pro is that do not use the unreliable SD cards. No one should be shooting critical sessions with SDcards, they are the reason SanDisk, Nikon and Sony got together to solve the SD card unreliability and came up with the XQD. The mean time between failure of the XQD system is orders of magnitude better than 2 SD. Sony reserves the use of XQD to their pro video cameras $30,000 and up and they use one slot. After a million sold, Sony says they had one failure. All SD cards fail even if the card is not defective the exposed contacts and the dumb interface that has the same bus structure as the 1960s 5.25-inch floppy drives with no error detection or error correction. When a cell fails it controller inside the card maps out that cell and marks it bad. It uses the tried and tested PCIe+ standard bus used on much high-speed network node like SSD drives I think he knows the risks better than you which is why he shoots with Z6 or D850. The only other pro-grade mirrorless out is the Panasonic S1 series. Besides most of use wireless transfers during events, like the WT-7 that is 1 gb/s data rate and has a range of 650 feet to a hot spot or wireless node. I use it to send to a computer connected to large monitors to start a near-realtime slide show as it is being shot, plus storing another copy to my home-based server. So all files are backed on my home network drive before I even turn off my camera. I charge extra for the popular slide show that can be started in a few seconds after the first shot is fired. Maybe you do not know how people work nowadays to be repeating UA-cam guru personalities who never shot a paid gig in their lives. Notice how the most popular camera channels are hosted by youtube personalities and not by photographers. But everyone believes them when they push cameras they are paid a lot to hype. Those with over a million subs earn in ad revenue alone, over a million a year plus commission on every camera they sell through affiliate links. But one thing they do not have is pro photo credibility.
@@stanspb763 Sending wirelessly to you computer like you do is obviously the way to go. But as for the unreliability of reasonably new SD cards, having 2 instead of one is by an order of magnitude safer. The U tubers that I follow are all working proffessional photographers. Thanks for the detailed response.
You mentioned the grip rubber as an issue, I bought a silicone slip over cover which may solve your problem. Thank you for the fabulous information. I recently bought a Z6, have tons of old Nikon glass, also just love the z6.
Great video, every time I watch a Z series video I get the urge to upgrade but then I realize my D7200 works great and I am not most likely using it to its full potential.
I can attest to the weather sealing on this camera. I went to Journey Behind the Falls in Niagara Falls Canada. I was under Horseshoe Falls with the Z6 and the 24-70 f/4. The wind was spraying water everywhere, and the camera never failed.
Mine wasn't as successful. I went for a family trip in Coron, Palawan best beach in the world! Anyway, my Z6 wasn't exposed to any water just probably the high humidity. Got back home in US and my Z6 was dead and won't power on. Warranty replaced my unit with a brand new Z6 and now I'm extra careful.
@@markrigg6623 Why not? It focuses down to -6ev, has better noise and color than a D5 up to 102000 ISO, is more rugged than Sony, better weather-sealed, has excellent image quality. For events, weddings or anything else that requires a high-performance rugged camera that is has a great choice of lenses would be well suited to weddings. It has replaced a D850 as #1 camera in my work. No brand has a better lens performance than the S series.
Who are you to judge weather a camera is “sufficient” for weddings though. Do you shoot weddings? Last I checked I shot 40 this year with the Z and had a great experience
I still use my D850 as my main camera but I bought two z6 ( 1 for video coverage and the other one is my back up camera ). I am still not fully committed to mirrorless but I am getting there slowly.
Very informative video with lots of useful info. Curious to know if you lost any images due to card failure? Apologies in advance if this was previously addressed in the 300+ previous comments.
Thanks for your video! This shows that the Z6 is a camera you can trust! What I would like to see from Nikon is a vertical grip with shutter release button. I shoot a lot in vertical mode and the miss of a vertical grip is a show stopper for me.
The lack of grip was one reason I resisted but after using it, and being so comfortable to shoot in either orientation that I feel the D800 and D850 with grips are cumbersome monsters in comparison. Rent one for a week and see if ti doesn't become more comfortable for you.
So I'm seriously debating on upgrading from my D750 to a mirrorless and I really want to go with the Z6 so I can keep my Nikkor glass. The one major drawback with this camera that I didn't hear you mention is the single XQD memory card slot. They're ridiculously expensive, $200 for a 120BG card is insane! I get why Nikon made the switch from a technical point of view,, but other comparable cameras have an option for either SD or XQD.
XQD and its cousin CFEpress are the only pro-grade memory card systems and were designed from day one by SanDisk, Nikon and Sony to address the serious issues with SD which was never designed for critical applications. We have all had SD failures with no warning. So anyone serious about their files welcomes the big step up in reliability. Of you really want to continue using SD, there are many cameras that stayed with the old tech because the hardware is so cheap to install in the camera. Why are you using 200gb cards? That is a big risk to have so many files on a card that can be lost or misplaced. The 64GB cards are more than anyone needs in a session. They are designed for temporary storage before transfer to the archive system with RAID storage. I have shot long events and never came close to filling a 64gb card. If you are using SD you need two in mirrored mode so a large fast SD x 2 is more expensive than a single XQD that if far more reliable than 2 S cards. Having XQD is one reason working pros are calling the Z6 a pro camera. If you upgrade to a Z6 or 7 it will be more expensive than most assume. After using S lenses they immediately start replacing F lenses. Every S lens is significantly better than the F lenses that have been considered tops before. F lenses still work a good portion of their new cost but as more switch, primary cameras to the resale value will drop a lot.
I´d wish for three additional things: 1. Being able to activate AF tracking without having to switch to "Auto" mode. The way it's implemented today (v2.10) doesn´t make sense to me. 2. When switching between screen and viewfinder modes, the current chosen mode (eyesensor, monitor only and so on) could be visible on the rear screen, every time. Now I tend to cycle between the modes multiple times before I get the one I want. 3. Not as important, but being able to touch and drag on the display when using the viewfinder to move the AF point. The way it´s implemented on Canon EOS R has to be only a FW update away. Thanks for a great video!
Hi Will, this is a great overview of your experience with the Nikon Z6. By the way, I had the same problem as you regarding the grip. Right now, Nikon is repairing the grip of my Nikon Z6. Fortunately, they do it for free because my Nikon Z6 is still under warranty. Here are my general thoughts about the Nikon Z system. I think Nikon needs to have a Z body with (i) a much better AFC (why in this mode the focus point remains red whereas in AFS it gets green when the camera focuses, and Nikon should give us the 3D tracking), (ii) a better eye AF (which works for further subjects and in all the focus modes, and not only in the AF area mode), (iii) two card slots, (iv) the ability to mount a real grip and not only a battery pack and (v) a 60 MP sensor. It would be also great to be able to touch and drag on the LCD screen and to use the LCD screen when using the electronic viewfinder. And why can’t we have the ability to display no information on the electronic viewfinder or the LCD screen when taking a picture? Finally, it would be appreciated not to have this virtual horizon in the middle of the frame and instead have the little arrow at the bottom of the frame as it is the case for the DSLRs. And obviously Nikon needs to release the 70-200 mm f/2.8 and the 14-24 mm f/2.8 asap.
It is nice to hear from a photographer who not only talks the talk. But walks the walk. 317,000 shots. Can I say wow. I have held the Z6 and I find it just like you said. Feels great. I shoot mostly landscape, cars, planes and trains. I use a 7100 and 7500 nikon of course. I have a lot of lens. I am interested in the Z6 . Most of my lens are DX .
rubber grip breakdown? the rubber is said to be defective on earlier production z6 and z7 and this issue is common. apparently it is a warranty item. too bad my affected z6 is gray market :( anyone know of a solution to stop this rubber breakdown from progressing?
Yes, the rubber of the Z6 has a problem and I totally agree that we need a button to start/stop Eye-AF in every AF-mode. Supporting the AF with your finger/thumb on the Touchscreen while you look through the EVF would also really grate.
For a low light wedding, where the mood of the ceremony is very important to the couple, what focus mode would you feel the most comfortable with in this situation?
Very informative, thank you! BTW: the lighting in your video is excellent. Far too many photographers provide content that has poor lighting and general aesthetics, which I do not understand. Yours is excellent. Thank you.
I'm using the Z6 for weddings and pre weddings for almost 1 year now. It's not so long, but I do shootings almost everyday, the camera feels great, and everything you said is so true! I also use it for video and the quality of the footage is amazing!
Great stuff bro! I am shooting weddings on Z6 and Z7 and I can agree 100% with what you said. The low light focusing assist and AF system definitely needs improvement. The AEF it's not so important for me because I am not doing close up portrait and print them out in large anyway , and the face tracking is pretty usable most of the time. In normal conditions I'am not dealing with much of banding unless I have to puss shadow recovery a lot. I love the shutter sound and the how's it fells in my hand. Overall both are great cameras for me and they do the job well.
I just bought the z6 used from a friend. It has been quite a learning curve coming from a Pentax DSLR. One thing I have notice is the shutter release button has a hair trigger on it. With the camera set at single shot, when I depress the button, sometimes two shots fire off. I have to quickly go all the way down on the button to avoid this. Have you had this issue? I guess I will get use to it.
Hey! Thanks for this great video! :) What do you think about having no dual card slot in the Z6? We shoot events 99% of the time with 'dual-slot' cameras and I am a bit anxious about having just one card at a time. Did you have any issues with the XQD cards?
Can not agree more to your statements, being first sceptical, I felt in love with the Z system, specially because of lenses optical quality. The green box in AF-C and configurable button for face detection is a superb suggestion. Low light AF needs definitely to be dramatically improved in general and focus assist beam needs an additional option: use on camera flash assist beam. This is now disabled for e.g. Nikon SB-5000 as well as Profoto A1X-N. To me a catastrophe, shooting portrait mode right camera side up, my hand covers the Z6 focus assist beam, which is placed left side of camera body. Holding camera normal, lens hood does that anyway also; for protecting lens front element, I always have lens hood mounted. - Something completely different, because you mentioned you did 40 weddings: I am starting with wedding photography and really interested in a video how to get successfully into this business from scratch, having no wedding portfolio yet. I did yet only photojournalism, landscape and a little bit of portrait, where I live a shrinking business and need to diversify.
Yes, my grip is also wearing out. I guess it depends on the length of your fingers. I would like them to add the shutter release mode to U1, U2, U3. I have each of these set for different requirements, but still have to go back and manually set the shutter release, which can be clumsy. If they did that, then switching to face detect would at least be faster then it is now.
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs That really is not a camera problem but a light problem. A string of lights all connected in the same phase are actually pulsing but experienced electricians know to reverse phase on every other string so there is and add a reactive element that like a ballast so when one phase it at its peak in output the other is 90 out of phase that smooths the light output instead of pulsing 120 times a second in the US, and 100 times a second in the rest of the world. LED lights tun one and off also but at a much higher rate. Some operate on DC that are steady but are not dimmable. The ones that can be dimmed are pulsing DC with a variable pulse width(so the same peak voltage is applied and the led is lit to the full brightness but stays on for a variable length of the time so the light saw is averaged by our eyes and hopefully by the camera bit since they operate at very high pulse rates, faster than our fastest shutter speed is not a great problem)
@@stanspb763 Thanks for that thorough explanation, it would be great if such installation became standard as I have shot in LED light with no banding with the ELECTRONIC shutter.In such places you can almost tell immediately that the LEDs are well installed because the light is perceptibly easy on the eyes.
Wow! 40 Weddings - can’t that couple get it right? Just kidding’ live the channel. Love the B&W theme... I’ve been holding off on my own project - waiting for ProRes RAW - but I’m getting to the point where I’m just going to have to EAT the higher cost of storage and shoot log next year to get going with what I’ve got ie the Z6 and Ninja V and 3-5 times more GBs per shoot. I’m shooting actors with a script so HOPEFULLY I can shoot less and delete what simply isn’t useable.
For me, superior low light AF while people are moving is the reason I'm still holding onto my D750 and just ordered a new one last week (about 1000 EURO, a steal). I use it together with a Z6, shot about 50.000 on the Z6. Occasionally, I do nightlife and also spend 2hrs on the dancefloor at a wedding. And the Z6 has not given me the same confidence you get with a D750 + AF assist beam from a SB-910, that's a solid 90% hit rate - even in complete darkness and only the AF beam lighting people up. With the Z6 (and even dimmed lights) it's about 50% or less. The green AF-assist on the Z6 is of course a no go if you want to take candid shots - which I always do on the dancefloor. And as you all know, the AF assist on your Nikon or Godox flash is also disabled by default on a Nikon Z. So yes, there is a handicap. There is no learning curve, it's just how it is. The Z6/Z7 is no camera for dark dancefloors. They might improve a bit with updates, but there is no magic software update to fix this. A part of me hopes they'll come out with a speedlight specially adapted to mirrorless. If the D760 comes out, I'll probably buy it and just use it next to my Z6 as my main tools. And a D750 as backup.
Pros: 1. Rugged 2. Auto white balance 3. Dynamic area auto focus 4. Regular Firmware updates 5. Great Lenses 6. Easier to clean sensors with that big Z mount mouth 7. Quietest shutter
So i am getting into photo from video. Hybrid will be nice to compliment my xa30. One of the projects im going into is providing pictures of still born childrens, free of charge to the parrents. A cooperation with norwegian foundation quiet (foreningen stille). This is one of the things i want to do, so quiet shutter is a must. I am by no means an expert. But since im starting from scratch i would like some inputs on what to go for. Have no glass so not tied to anything. Am looking at the z6, am looking at sony. Canon just came with their two new cameras. Its hard to choose. So what does ppl recomend, but more important, why.
Congratulations Will and Sara on a very successful business year. Thank you Will for the great insight and info about this camera. I bought my Z6 based on your excellent videos and believe me you are right on the money by saying it's a great camera. Bloody Hell yes you are absolutely right about the green focus square! Nikon definitely needs to change that! All in all the Z6 has been a great camera for me and a great upgrade from my D750. Thank you again Will, keep up the great work with the excellent videos brother! P.S.- Do you have any Podcasts coming up? I really enjoy those too in addition to your videos and I haven't seen you post any of those lately.
Always appreciate to hear from you Sidney! I am glad you are enjoying the Z6 as I knew you would! It really is a joy to use. As far as the podcasts go YES. Sara and I are going to be stepping up a lot of content now that wedding season is coming to an end. Appreciate the support!
Excellent Will, that’s great to hear! I really enjoy the great content of the podcasts that you and Sara put together. The content is very informative, the interaction that you and Sara have between the guest is very entertaining and engaging, and the topics are a great learning opportunity for the community. I’m really looking forward to seeing them soon!
'You need to throw away your old dslr way amd learn the camera' you nailed it. So many Nikon naysayers come from this fact. It would be great if they could fix bamding but all mirrorless suffer and no one has yet, can always hope though. Love my Z6. Eagerly awaiting the next z as well.
I have a D850. I set one of my function buttons to a different focus mode. You may be able to do the same with your Z6. This enables me to switch focus modes with the touch of a button.
What are your thoughts about only one card slot? You as wedding photographer do you find it a lack? Do you trust your z6 and a card to perform a full day?
Why the Z6 over the Z7? I'm so torn over switching from my D850... I'm about to buy one of them... Opinion? Lastly any concern on only 1 card slot since your shooting with the z's?
Do you have a video mentioning the color differences between your D810/D850 vs Z6 files? I've switched to a Z7 recently, but having a hard time getting the same results like before with my most used presets. Seems like they changed some things in the profiles or color space or something. I can't figure it out. Never had this problem when editing files from the D810 and D850 when used at the same shoot.
Hi do you have any problems with dust spots I had the fuji system and it was awful so switched back to the d500 no problem at all but I do miss the evf so looking at the z6 or z7 ty great channel by the way
Dust is a rare problem for Z cameras because Nikon applied a coating that is very hard for moisture or dirt to stick to. I had to wet clean mine one time and only because the wind changed as a crop duster got me and the camera when changing lenses. Otherwise, no dust sticking to the sensor in a year of daily use. The dust shaker seems pretty effective and even if really contaminated as mine was, it is very easy to clean compared to a DSLR.
The z6 is a wonderful camera but I don't understand why the 4 sided selector on the back is not programmable for various menu settings. It is redundant to the toggle switch. Plus the "subject tracking" focus setting is awkward. Other than these two I think it is great.
Hi! thank you so much for your video. From Argentina. :D I'm a wedding photographer too, and I use 2 d750 for work. I'm very concern about af help light, because in my country, most of the venue is dancefloor, so, I have 70% of my work in dark areas, with bad or null lights. I trust 100% on the af help beam of my sb700 flash, and I want to ask you , can I use the same flash into the z6? what do you use?
Great content, love my z6, suggestion when you mention viewing a video you've done, can you link to it so its easier for your viewers. Great content otherwise. Improvement wise, better autofocus in continuous mode and I would love that focused beam you suggested as well as better overall focus, more updates and with a faster turn around time for updates. Issues I've had, my camera has locked up shooting off-camera lights with godox system, like three times where the only solution is to pull the battery then press shutter have you experienced this? This was using the 24-70 2.8 as well.
Thanks for watching my man! Def will link to video I reference in the future. Great suggestion. I have experienced a lock up one time with my flashes. I had one on camera that was triggering two off cameras. For some reason the ON CAMERA would not fire but it was still triggering the off cameras. I pulled the battery and everything was fine after that. These things are basically hand held computers now so as long as the issues are rare I’m not too worried about it. If it does happen more for you though I’d definitely send it in to Nikon and have them check it out. Great to have you on the channel!
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs Watched the other recommended video as well, good stuff! Immediately noticed the quicker focus already, when you do decide to get the 24-70 you'll love it, especially for your weddings. Regarding edits, have you used Capture one to edit vs lightroom? I've noticed z6 photos for some reason even with resetting the profile imported in lightroom, that Capture one and the way it renders to raw photos seem to look better, atleast to my eyes.
88omarz thanks for watching man! I haven’t used capture one because my editor uses Lightroom so I just send my catalogs over to him I have heard it’s absolutely excellent though
electronic *front curtain* shutter, also I don't think there would be any bending issues when using conventional mechanical shutter. It should work like any other DSLR camera. Thanks a lot for this video, it's a lot more helpful than even a review...
Please forgive me for saying this - Will, you and Sarah are fantastic and support me immensely with my learning. (I'm not that confident in posting yet I'm doing all the learning). You are far to cool to swear and taking Our Lords Name in Vain. I think you are brilliant and my go-to-man; you and Sarah: for the Z6. I want one so bad and I delight in your reviews, enthusiasm and professionalism in helping me make this choice. I want your tutorials for teaching kids about their vocational learning and what they can be. I totally get your methodology when it comes to VLOGS.. God bless you both and congratulations,… and continue to help my learning. Thanks a million - Pete
Hey man I think you're right on the mark with your Z6 comments. I use a Z7 and with the exception of banding have all the same issues. My Z takes second seat though at dark parties, most parties actually. I shoot pretty high end Bat and Bar Mitzvahs and they're dark. I absolutely need the focus assist light and as you know the one built into the camera is a joke. What's the problem with getting a dedicated flash here Nikon? Usually the Z works alongside my D3s (the primary flash camera) when the dancing begins doing the available light work, but I shot a party last weekend that was predominantly red light... it barely focused, worst experience I've had to date with the camera. I finally just put it away. I like your idea of the maglite. Have you thought of strapping a tiny one to the top of the flash and have a remote button to trigger it? But that brings me to my real question for you. What are you using for a grip? I find the camera really unbalanced when using a flash without any type of grip. I'll check your other vids for this, I'm going to watch your focusing vid as well. But without a decent grip I'm coming home with a sore hand after a nights shooting, and that sucks. It's actually another reason I'm shooting the Z as my available light camera. The AFC green light is definitely needed as well. Having a button for face detect would be HEAVEN. I'm getting better at using FD, but sometimes it just becomes too confused and shifting Focus mode away from Face Detect is just too time consuming in the heat of the moment so I seldom use it outside of portraits. It would be great to be able to hit a button for Face Detect, and when you release the focus mark stays on the face. Finally, yes, my rubber is fraying and getting super thin, but on the back right corner of my camera body. Giving you a sub. Thanks.
Hey Dennis great to have you on the channel. Yes I agree the focus assist beam issue is a strange one. The Z’s have the capability to work well in low light but you seriously have to practice and know how it works on a deep level for dance floor work. My d850s did better at receptions but the overall benefits of the Z made me force myself to figure out how to work it with low available light. I do think they will keep improving the AF with firmware updates but if not I’ll upgrade to the Z8 when it hits the scene. As far as grips go I am with you 100%. I drag the shutter a lot and couldn’t whip a flash around without some extra space for my whole hand. I did a video a few back on the grip I use titled “you must have this cheap accessory for the Nikon Z6” it’s the Mieke grip. Works like a champ for me, very comfortable and I trust it hanging off my black rapid. Overall I love the camera and my wedding photography had gotten stronger this year despite its shortcomings. Look forward to hearing from you again my man!
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs Thank you sir. Yeah I found your other vid on the grip, and the one on low light focusing. Super interesting and great idea there using the focus peaking. I'm going to get one of those grips and try it out. I need something. I actually bought a Vello grip for another Nikon camera that looked close, I modded it to fit the Z7 and it even had a shutter button on it. Man I thought I was golden. Two problems arose, one, the battery connection was not great and it would often just shut the camera down. Two, and this is the big one, the ridiculous one actually, I spent all this time making the thing fit, and it did. I got the battery to work, the shutter fired perfectly and it was great with my 24-70/4. But as soon as I tried using the FTZ adapter for my G lenses, OH NO, the mounting ring was in the way. What a joke on me. In the end though the project was worthwhile because it made me realize the trigger button alone is not that much help if you can't make any other adjustments. It's Ok, but not worth the effort. I think that Meike you found may do the trick and it still maintains the smaller footprint, which is great. Thanks. I haven't fully committed to the Z yet. But I'm real real close. I love it, but I only have the kit lens in S mount. I'm thinking hard about the 85, the 50 and of course the new 24-70. But buying those lenses is a commitment to buying another body, as you know. We'll see. I really need to sort out the low light focus thing. Looked at your site btw, a lot of really really nice work in there. Cheers!
It was nice to hear your views on the Z6 at weddings. I’m a wedding photographer myself and currently half switched from Nikon to Sony.. most the issues you are looking at seems like it would be resolved by going to Sony. The auto focus is amazing on the A7III and zero banding at all in the images even when pushed dramatically. Have you had a chance to check out the Sony’s?
It is great for video if you set the focus to slowly transition while shooting. It looks more natural that way. In default, it snaps into focus from face to face and that is a little too mechanical
You mentioned the D700! I have a question! I'm getting a 8 year old used D700 for about $300. It's Shutter Count is around 153000. I checked it yesterday with the guy and it's quality is so good - I want it to back up my D750. Do you think I should get it at $300 or is it a bad deal? (a guy selling a D750 at 65000 Shutter Count is asking for $620 but I need to travel 350km one way to get it. I really don't mind the images from the D700, I'm just concerned about it's shutter life. Where I live, we typically make about $300-$1000 profit in a wedding and I shoot around 5-7 weddings a year because that is not my main work. I only shoot weddings when I'm free. And this D700 will only be used in weddings. I will also need to get extra battery's, a better CF card so about a $150 more. I believe as a B cam (which will be used quite a lot - about 2k pics per wedding), $450 is a fair price but my issue is with the camera's life. Can you please tell me about your D700 and it's life so I can comprehend my situation a little better.
One more question, have you implemented any system to give yourself a backup on the day of a wedding? Even just transferring JPEGS to have something? I'm trying to find a way to do it easily. Snapbridge doesn't let you transfer all images at once, or that would work, but it's only one at a time. There are things like the Gnarbox and others that would let me transfer quickly midday without a laptop, but that's very pricey. Is this a concern for yours or do you have something place? Thanks for your help!
The Wi-Fi connection allows transferring everything but that is a lot slower for real-time transfers. I use the WT-7 which sends raw files to a laptop for slide show as shots are taken and send a copy to my network server at my home so everything is on the server at home by the time my last shot is taken. The WT-7 is not cheap but it is fast and has a 660-foot range, at 1 gigabit per second it is pretty fast for transfers. It will even log into FTP for bulk transfer.
I would really love to know how you use the Z6 during a reception when the focus is real slow and wonky. I have to switch to my DSLR during receptions because I don't trust the Z6.
I am using my Z6 for portraits mostly (and rarely some events) and I am super happy with it. But I wonder (maybe I missed it in the video) why you not mentioned the battery grip as an improvement for the camera? This would have been my number 1 point 😁 With a smooth live view on the Z6 it is "okay-ish" to take vertical shots but still it is much more comfortable having a proper battery grip (with function buttons and not just extra batteries in it 🙄 ). Great content btw! I really enjoyed the video and the review from another Z6 user 👍
Great video. I have a Z6 and I'm finding, for some reason, the ibis not working well at all. If I use the kit lens at 1/100 shutter speed, I'll get blurry subjects. It seems to clear up if I push it up to 1/160 but it's a bit disappointing there. I know they had released some cameras with the ibis not working but mine was not part of that, apparently. I took photos of a recent work event with the z6 kit and my old d7500 with a 70-300 and found the d7500's photos to be clearer, crisper, and more colourful. I'm hoping some more third party lenses get released for the z mount. I'm really waiting for a good 105+ macro lens but all of Nikon's Z mount lenses cost a month's salary (for me).
Hi Will, did you try to set up one of your function buttons to change focus modes? You can disable other modes in the menu that you aren't using keeping just two or three modes, such as single point, area (for eye AF) and dynamic. So that will allow you to change modes in a fraction of second. Push the fn button and rotate the wheel. Of course, you can program your custom menu as well, this is just another way to do it. What I really want is the ability to move my single point in area mode when eye AF isn't working as I want and touch&drag focus points using the screen
Hey Andy, Yea that’s how I set my cameras up. Fn1 is image review and fn2 focus modes. Would be nice if there was a dedicated button for face tracking though!
Perhaps not what you are asking for, but in face tracking mode, to track another face, press OK-button, a white square comes up in the middle on the screen (EVF) that you reposition, and when you press AF-button again, the autofocus will follow that person. A function not talked about a lot.
Hey I really enjoy your videos very informative. I recently purchased a Nikon z6 so i am about to jump into the mirrorless. I ask one thing of you? It might not seem like much but when my grandkids are in the room and you throw out the "F" word turn it off. I think your videos would be much better without all the expletives? I hope you understand that there are more than adults that watch your videos and i think you have a lot of knowledge to share. Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks I heard you say in another video that your working on the language and I appreciate that. I too have to watch myself. We all have habits that’s hard to break. . Have a Merry Christmas!!
when you say the dynamic range on sony cameras is good what models? ive heard nikon z6 has better dynamic range than sony a7iii . like u can recover underexpose pictures better on nikon
love your channel very informative and strait to the point. I am loving my Z6 thus far. Thanks for the settings video it really helped me get more keepers.
Do you have a video of the cleaning? Do you clean the sensor often ? And if so how do you do it ? I have both the solution with the wipes and a aid kit with a stick to capture the dust. But I'm always afraid of doing it wrong so I avoid doing it. I'm really interested. Thank you
I had a D700 and yes it was loud. The Auto Focus is why I didn't buy a Z Series. You are right about the banding issue with mirrorless, especially in the electronic shutter, I have experienced it with my Fuji Xt3 and during certain types of lighting, it is a trade-off. I won't be getting rid of my DSLRs, but I can't deny that mirrorless is lighter and more convenient to grab and go. My Fuji kit, which is mainly for video, I have taken out and my bag is super light and the lenses are in one small bag and they can fit in the shoulder bag with the camera and flash instead of my plastic cases, one a roller and the other four have lenses and two bodies, so you are right, quite a difference. I'm not going to lie to anyone, has the thought crossed my mind to sell all of my DSLR stuff and go total mirrorless, yes, will I do this no. I have far too much great glass that I'm not willing to take a beating on and for certain sports events, no mirrorless out there beats the D500 except for the Sony A9, which sounds outstanding and this would beat the D500 for keepers due to the eye autofocus, but not the buffer (D500 buffer is near bottomless) for this. Congrats on the 40 weddings and its great to have someone use that use the camera to talk about it.
A grip with a shutter release for vertical shooting would be a nice option. Don't know why they didn't include that in their recent battery expansion option. Its just a button... :)
Great video, love your channel! I’ve been using Z6 for a year now professionally for nightclub photography and other events. Brilliant camera but totally agree with the little points that need sorting @nikon please take note
Hey! I'm waiting my z6 to arrive.. and im a little scared not to have an assist beam for flash. Often i do photos in night clubs or in places that i dont have light, and dont have a Sara that holds a flashlight for me 😂. On my d7200 the red light of my flash really improves the focusing..
If you can see the subject, it will focus. There is Focus assist light in AF-S mode like in the DRSLs but neither using Assist in AF-C. With 2.0 and later firmware, the AF sensitivity was increased to -6ev which is about as good at it can get with anything, including the D5. Also, there is one Godox flash controller that activates the AF assist light if it has the latest firmware as of last winter. There is a popular claim that mirrorless can't use the new IR patterned light so they left it out and use the green light that is blocked by lens hoods. I did experiments in fully darkened room setting a Z6 next to a D850 with SB900 mounted and the Z6 would not focus in total darkness but when the AF-On button on the D850 triggered the red pattern light from the SB900 the Z6 focused perfectly. I was concerned at first that very low or bizarre light in clubs would suffer, going out and actually trying it, relieved my concerns. I do not have a problem in really low light with the Z6. It is better in real darkness than my D850 or D800. IF Nikon releases an update that allows the flash or controller to turn on assist light, I would be happy but it is not essential. Almost any club has enough light for a Z6. I have not run into one yet on my 2 days a week in clubs until 6am. Dancing is my only form of exercise and it is more fun than a gym. I used to have a web site where 100,000 photos were in galleries by date and club but when I changed to a dedicated server I never bothered uploading them to the new server because everyone who wanted their photos no doubt already downloaded them..
I bought the Z6 because of the wider spread of focus points, and its lower weight w/ its native lenses compared to the D750. It makes a world of difference when strapping the weight of two cameras over my back for 7 - 10 hours for weddings. The image quality is comparable to the D750, but I have noticed a little more color noise in the shadow areas of higher ISO pics with the Z6, starting at around ISO 1600. The 750 is just as noisy at high ISOs, but seems to retain the correct tones of the shadow areas a little better. You have to look at the image at 100% to see it, but there's definitely a difference. That's really the only negative. I have two bodies, and see the same with both. Anyone else notice this? All-in-all, the Z6 is a perfect cam for wedding/portrait and real estate photography. Will, I also love dynamic focus when I have to grab moving targets on the dancefloor! I also used the silent shutter during ceremonies and @ my kids' plays, and it makes me feel like a first-time ninja! Maybe it's not ready for pro and college sports, but I'm sure mirrorless cousins for the D500 and D5/6 will make their way into the lineup eventually.
The grip area below the function button got chewed up in my cam too and it didn't take a year. It happened over the weekend when I had forgotten to cut my nails and was covering a wedding. I was really disappointed.
Great video. About media, i’m receiving my Z6 next week. I’m going to buy CFExpress card over Xqd... makes sense to start directly with that media waiting for the firmware?
Well it just all depends on how long you’re willing to wait to start shooting. I think the firmware updates will be here soon so it shouldn’t be too long. I’d prob buy a 32 Gb XQD so you can start shooting but put the big investment to the CFexpress
Thanks for your video and honest feedback..actually I am in confusion state whether to order it or not..now i got confidence..ordering now..Please suggest some lens also.
How about that a youtuber who uses the camera EXTENSIVELY and then gives his opinion, how refreshing
Hello Longrider, do you still drop by to that bald angry youtuber's channel, who said that all Z cameras are crap? :D from his own basement? :)
@@dinkobilic9078 moved on quite a while ago 🙄
@@longrider9551 good for you. And everyone :). I completely agree with your first comment here.
Well said!
dinko bilic he actually did not say that! You’re intentionally misquoting him... his gripe is for two main reasons... 1. No second card slot, quite valid, 2. No battery grip or even the possibility for getting this on the current cameras.
15:59 Do you know if this has been fixed? I want to buy this camera but that point has made me doubt...
Wow ! 40 weddings in less than a year ! That's amazing..... I can only imagine......
Thanks my friend! It’s been a grind for sure, we feel blessed!
40 weddings $$$$$$$$
Yeah! I have only gotten married once. Can you believe this guy! Phew!
39 divorces wow,lol
I do 50 odd, it's pretty hectic.
I just got my Z6 yesterday and spent afternoon and evening setting it up and trying it out. All I can say if “Holy Shit” this camera is amazing. I held off for long time trying out mirrorless and been using Nikon D500 and D850 for last few years. Then after watching Will’s channel on Z6 decided to try one out. The build quality, weight, image quality is so great. Putting on the 24-70 f/4 kit lens, this camera and lens combo weigh less than my D850 body alone. The ergonomics of body is best I have every used in my opinion, but I do have smaller hands then probably the average male so that could be part of it. How you can customize the camera is another awesome feature. Now let’s talk about the EVF, are you frinkin kidding me I couldn’t believe how beautiful that OLED picture is. Now I know why so many have said the new Z6 is the best probably made to date. Just take it outside when it is dark and you won’t believe how bright and amazing it looks compared to looking through a DSLR OVF. What a Godsend if your shooting in low light conditions, nothing short of amazing. I also tested the 85mm f/1.8 S lens I ordered with it against my Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens which I have to say is without a doubt the sharpest lens I have ever used on any camera. The Nikon 85mm S is so sharp, that when I compared the images on my computer you had to zoom into 100% and get close up to computer and toggle back and forth to see any difference. The Sigma was a hair sharper, I have to honestly admit. But only by a hair and you could only tell comparing them side by side at 100%. In real life images and anything less than 100% you could never see any difference between the two. So when you consider the Nikon 85mm S is about half the size and weight of Sigma I don’t know why I would ever use the Sigma again. Yes it is a f/1.4 which has better Bokeh, but since the DOF at 1.4 is so shallow I hardly ever shot it at that aperture. Because if you just slightly missed focus, you could tell for sure especially on my D850. Also the Sigma I always had problems on my D850 focusing accurately when I used the focus points on outside edges of the focusing area. It was just never consistent nailing focus unless I used the center focusing points which are mostly cross type. Yes I did calibrate my Sigma lens with their docking adjuster to fine tune the AF performance with my D850 body which helped for sure. But I noticed my Z6 did not have any problems with it’’s auto focusing accuracy on Sigma 85mm Art lens, not matter what auto focus points I used all the way out to furtherest edges of the frame. So last thing I can say is if your on the fence about trying out one of the Nikon Z6 or Z7 mirrorless, try one you will be amazed. I can’t believe how many people out there gave these camera’s a bad review, because it doesn’t deserve it. So my D850 will just sit on the shelf for now and collect dust, until I sell it on Ebay. Probably the same for most of the lenses as well, which I will replace with Nikon S lenses. Thanks again to Will for letting everyone out there know about how great these Z cameras are, I probably would have never tried one if it wasn’t for his reviews on them.
Thanks for the continued info on the Z system from a real world perspective.I emailed you back in Sept asking for your input on the 50 MM S lens and your input helped me to decide to pick up that lens. I've used it to shot an engagement session, some portraits and landscapes. It is a great lens, but the reason I'm writing today is because you mentioned the ruggedness of the Z systems, and this includes the lens. Two days after I bought the 50 MM 1.8 S lens I took it out to shoot some landscape and nature stuff, just to get a feel for it. While out shooting I switched to my 24-70 F4 to get a shot of an egret, I left the 50 in my backpack, on the ground, and went to get the shots. When I walked back to my bag I picked it up and slung it over my shoulder, completely forgetting that I had not zipped up the flap to the area where the 50 was stored. Needless to say the 50 came flying out of my bag, and fell about four feet, hit and bounced off an asphalt path. I about had a heart attack right then and there. I had taken all of maybe 10 shots with this lens and I knew I had just ruined it. The lens hood went flying off as did the end cap and the lens cap. I picked up the lens and it looked fine. I put it on the Camera and it worked fine. No issues with the auto-focus. I was shocked, I thought for sure I had just wasted $600.00. The only way you would know that this lens took a hard hit is that there are two tiny dings in the barrel and the lens hood has a small crack. I am completely sold on how well build this system is. Which is a good thing cause as this story clearly shows, I'm a klutz.
I have a z6 and z7, I switched from Sony yes I switched from Sony, I have shot over 100k on both of my Z cameras. And I will tell you straight up they to me produce better results than my Sony’s. Yes they still need improvement. But so do the Sony’s. When I look back at all the shots I have taken of my Son’s Cross Country and Basketball events. The shots are amazing. And You are completely right. The workflow is easy and it has made it easy for me to give back to the parents. Thank you Nikon and Thank you for your Channel. You have great content keep it up.
Great to have you on the channel my friend!
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs how often do you change batteries? And how is the battery life in general?
Hey Steve I did a whole video on why I chose the Z6 over the Z7. Check it out!
Definitely make a video on how you clean the camera after every shoot and get in the zone haha! This video makes be so proud to own a Z6.
That’s the next one coming!
The next firmware is going to be the CFExpress/Raw firmware update, that is a mail in update. It is rumored to also include autofocus improvements. My wish list would be:
-EYE AF improvements, locking on with less jumping and more aggressively, and accuracy improvements
-EYE AF in video
-I use back button focus, so I agree with the AFC confirmation and separate Eye AF Button
Canon just added EYE AF to video and made a significant EYE AF update to the EOS R, Nikon and Canon tend to compete with each other, so I am optimistic with all of these requests I have.
Great additions for sure!!
Your summary of the Z6 is just like the camera, rugged, reliable and proven, and importantly zero BS. It's partly your experience with this camera that persuaded my decision to buy into mirrorless with a Z6, so thanks a bunch. cheers from the UK.
It is SO awesome to hear from a professional who has used this camera so much! You are exactly the kind of resource that viewers like me appreciate. Real use. Real experience.
On my D500 the "Group" mode is the one that "takes into account" the squares around the center when focus on the center isn't achieved. The Dynamic modes, to my understanding at least, actually "choose" one (single) of the other squares to focus on (which is different from a kind of group "taking into account" using all of them.) So, with Dynamic you could kind of end up with the "closest to the camera" kind of focus via one (single) square.
But, I guess I could be wrong about that, and certainly do not know exactly what the Z6 is doing, since I do not have one. I stay behind the times, anyway. My next camera is going to be a Black Friday D750 for $999 to go with my D500. I won't be on the Z series for a few more generations from now, :-) But that won't stop me from watching your videos between now and then! Very glad I found your channel. Subscribed.
So glad to have you on the channel Wilson, you’re the man!
i have been using a z6 exclusively for real estate and its been an incredible camera. I love it, and yeah the 14-30 is a phenomenal.
In this video I discuss what i've learned throughout this year about the Z6. I've put it to the test and here are my thoughts. Hope this helps! - Will
Jim Kasson did some tests on the lighting banding issue and how to fix it. He has a lot of other interesting technical info on his website as well.
blog.kasson.com/nikon-z6-7/ameliorating-lighting-banding-with-the-z7-silent-shutter/
I want to be a divorce photographer.
I'm divorced and have a camera :)
lol best comment :D
I agree so much with what you say about ergonomics. I was really gone to buy a sony a 7 3 and when I took it in hand, I had the impression of having a great technological object in the hands but without soul, without sensations. Then by chance I took the z6 and there was incredible feeling, each button is placed in the right place, the joystick is terrible .... my only problem and it is psychological is the only memory card. I move to a fujifilm xt3 for my use in wedding. THANK you really for your videos. Great job
Thanks so much for watching my brother!
Same here, was close to going over Sony A7III but the Z6 won me over and stay with Nikon. It's not there yet but enough to keep me on the Nikon side.
Great video and more than fair on all points. Some thoughts:
1) The grip peeling is an issue. Many people have it - hoping eventually Nikon just repairs them under extended warranty as cameras come in for service
2) Green confirm on AF-C - agreed. From memory it doesn't go green because most people shooting BBF don't have it set so you can only take a shot when focus is confirmed (kinda ruins the point of AF-C/BBF). If it's set to only shoot on focus confirm I believe it turns green. Haven't tried it myself.
3) Green focus assist beam. Again from memory: Has to be green due to the focus being on sensor. IR Filter makes it so it can't see the red focus assist, so green it is. Might be just visible light instead of IR, but either way it's to due with filtering and on-sensor focusing.
4) Z6 for video. I'm by no means a pro but I've used it in challenging situations. One was a nighttime outdoor concert that had 4 lights. Two blue, two yellow (off white) - on of each colour on each side of the band. The footage was good enough for me.
You've done a great job communicating your experiences with the Z6 over the year. I have to laugh and shake my head when people say things like the Z series isn't professional, can't do the job, etc. Most have no or very little experience with them. I can't count the number of times I've seen someone (usually FB) post that they used it at a wedding (1!) and it wasn't good, they're selling it - I try to point them here. :)
I wonder if Nikon will update their speedlights to use green instead of red focus assist?
@@MSmatt76 there was talk of a green light flash coming out but don't know what happened to that. Wouldn't be that hard to make one that can switch green/red I don't think
@@JohnMayfield-NS If they didn't have the function turned off from the camera I would experiment with taping a green gel over the focus assist beam.
@@MSmatt76 It is not turned off, the single contact on the shoe sends control data in serial format and the command is not compatible with the SB- series Nikon flash or any other flash programmed for Nikon compatibility. Two points, one, the camera does focus well when a flash mounted traditional red pattern assist light is triggered contrary to internet myth.
Point two is the command signal on the single shoe contact for communications is being sent but not in the same code sequence recognized by Nikon flash. One company decoded the command string and updated their firmware so their flash controller would be emmit the normal near IR patterned light. That company, on one of their flash controllers, is Godox but they may have discontinued that model. I have not tried to read the data stream to see what changed but this winter I will have time to do it.
With Nikon DSLRs the focusing is not on the sensor but the metering sensor and it is likely that the new infrared patterned light has a different propagation delay that would would focus off because of the different light path.
The good news is that assist light is not needed very often and that the mirrorless bodies so sent trigger commands
Stan SPb Whoa, that got deep fast. Thank you.
i played with the z6 for 2 weeks before i felt comfortable taking it to a gig and it was honestly the easiest camera to use especially to trouble shoot problems like the banding issue you talked about. except with my wedding the flicker reduction fixed the problem. and the point you made about the lenses is spot on. i shot with a 35 and the 85 s lens and not only did the s lens render the colors better but the images were way sharper and the subjects popped more from the background. I also noticed that the photo's with a flash seem more balanced on the z6 rather my 750.
☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻 great to hear from you Will.
I like the Z cameras, tried them at weddings myself, I don’t think they feel any stronger or rugged than the Sony’s at all. The grip is nicer for sure than Sony but more rugged not so sure. I’ve shot over 100 weddings with the R3’s and never had an issue. I just can’t think of a reason to use the Z6 or Z7 over the Sony, other than the nicer view finder and LCD screen
Hey Chris good to hear from you. It’s pure feel and preference for sure. One of the main things I always say is that all cameras produce great results now a days, it’s all about what feels best to you. On some level I don’t think you choose a camera, it chooses you.
Thanks for watching!
The Monochrome Memoirs haha yeah I kinda agree. Like the Sony’s are king from everything I’ve reviewed BUT they have no soul at all. I came from Nikon and I loved them. But definitely can’t wait to see what Nikon bring out next. Like you said it’s all kind of irrelevant if you can deliver sick images with anything. I do 40-50 weddings a year also, gotta say, having something nicer to hold would be awesome
Oh also the focus assist beam doesn’t work on Sony when your in continuous also. Dunno what’s up with that
Chris Turner Photographer EXACTLY all the “this vs that brand” is so irrelevant and a sure sign of someone I avoid. Cameras are tools simple as that. If you’re a beast you’re gonna crank out amazing work no matter what’s in your hand
The Monochrome Memoirs totally man. Keep up the channel bro looks cool
As usual a great video. 300 k pictures in one year is amaizing. Look forward to see the video on cleaning the sensor.
Thx again from Holland Will!.
Agree fully with your conclusions.
We do weddings with 4xZ6. Would be handy to sync those bodies via Save/Load settings function but U1-U3 settings are not saved..... nikon please address in next update!!
The old DSLR U1,U2 functionality worked better for us. It would memorize any setting changes while in U1 or U2 until you rotated the dial. Now you have to save any adaptation via user settings to U1,2,3 otherwise you lose it after shutting the camera off, which you do all the time to save the battery power.. not handy i.m.h.o. greetings rob spaans
I have picked up more from you in tuning up my Z6 like a Stradivarius than any other UA-camr. I send sincere thanks (but no money lol)
Haha just happy to help my friend!
You may have answered this already but I am trying to understand how you could feel comfortable shooting with only one memory card slot. What will you do if and when that fails?
He doesnt understand the risk hes taking because most likely hes never had a card fail. Ive had 2 fail in 15 years. Hes also being irresponsible by doing a video on how suitable it is for wedding photography.
mark rigg Think his wife shoots with him as well so at least there are two shooters. I just don’t think I would feel comfortable myself but to each their own. Makes zero sense that Nikon did not include 2 cards slots. That omission has cost them.
@@adventuresofjandk Yes Canon did the same thing. The camera companies are a bit out of touch with some of the realities of photography and this leads their customers astray as a result.
@@markrigg6623 One reason the Z cameras are considered pro is that do not use the unreliable SD cards. No one should be shooting critical sessions with SDcards, they are the reason SanDisk, Nikon and Sony got together to solve the SD card unreliability and came up with the XQD. The mean time between failure of the XQD system is orders of magnitude better than 2 SD. Sony reserves the use of XQD to their pro video cameras $30,000 and up and they use one slot. After a million sold, Sony says they had one failure. All SD cards fail even if the card is not defective the exposed contacts and the dumb interface that has the same bus structure as the 1960s 5.25-inch floppy drives with no error detection or error correction. When a cell fails it controller inside the card maps out that cell and marks it bad. It uses the tried and tested PCIe+ standard bus used on much high-speed network node like SSD drives
I think he knows the risks better than you which is why he shoots with Z6 or D850. The only other pro-grade mirrorless out is the Panasonic S1 series.
Besides most of use wireless transfers during events, like the WT-7 that is 1 gb/s data rate and has a range of 650 feet to a hot spot or wireless node. I use it to send to a computer connected to large monitors to start a near-realtime slide show as it is being shot, plus storing another copy to my home-based server. So all files are backed on my home network drive before I even turn off my camera. I charge extra for the popular slide show that can be started in a few seconds after the first shot is fired.
Maybe you do not know how people work nowadays to be repeating UA-cam guru personalities who never shot a paid gig in their lives. Notice how the most popular camera channels are hosted by youtube personalities and not by photographers. But everyone believes them when they push cameras they are paid a lot to hype. Those with over a million subs earn in ad revenue alone, over a million a year plus commission on every camera they sell through affiliate links. But one thing they do not have is pro photo credibility.
@@stanspb763 Sending wirelessly to you computer like you do is obviously the way to go. But as for the unreliability of reasonably new SD cards, having 2 instead of one is by an order of magnitude safer. The U tubers that I follow are all working proffessional photographers. Thanks for the detailed response.
You mentioned the grip rubber as an issue, I bought a silicone slip over cover which may solve your problem. Thank you for the fabulous information. I recently bought a Z6, have tons of old Nikon glass, also just love the z6.
Thanks for the input Sidney! Will def check it out
Great video, every time I watch a Z series video I get the urge to upgrade but then I realize my D7200 works great and I am not most likely using it to its full potential.
I can attest to the weather sealing on this camera. I went to Journey Behind the Falls in Niagara Falls Canada. I was under Horseshoe Falls with the Z6 and the 24-70 f/4. The wind was spraying water everywhere, and the camera never failed.
More feedback, nice! Camera is built well for sure
Mine wasn't as successful. I went for a family trip in Coron, Palawan best beach in the world! Anyway, my Z6 wasn't exposed to any water just probably the high humidity. Got back home in US and my Z6 was dead and won't power on. Warranty replaced my unit with a brand new Z6 and now I'm extra careful.
Great news for anyone who wants to start in business... They now know the Z6 would be a good choice..
Sure do! Just trying to help people through my experience. Thanks for watching and the support!
A good choice for wedding photography it aint.
@@markrigg6623 Why not? It focuses down to -6ev, has better noise and color than a D5 up to 102000 ISO, is more rugged than Sony, better weather-sealed, has excellent image quality. For events, weddings or anything else that requires a high-performance rugged camera that is has a great choice of lenses would be well suited to weddings. It has replaced a D850 as #1 camera in my work. No brand has a better lens performance than the S series.
@@stanspb763 Im not questioning its abilities as a camera. Most cameras these days have sufficient image quality and features.
Who are you to judge weather a camera is “sufficient” for weddings though. Do you shoot weddings? Last I checked I shot 40 this year with the Z and had a great experience
I still use my D850 as my main camera but I bought two z6 ( 1 for video coverage and the other one is my back up camera ). I am still not fully committed to mirrorless but I am getting there slowly.
Very informative video with lots of useful info. Curious to know if you lost any images due to card failure? Apologies in advance if this was previously addressed in the 300+ previous comments.
Thanks for your video! This shows that the Z6 is a camera you can trust!
What I would like to see from Nikon is a vertical grip with shutter release button. I shoot a lot in vertical mode and the miss of a vertical grip is a show stopper for me.
Thanks for watching! I agree a grip with controls would be amazing
The lack of grip was one reason I resisted but after using it, and being so comfortable to shoot in either orientation that I feel the D800 and D850 with grips are cumbersome monsters in comparison. Rent one for a week and see if ti doesn't become more comfortable for you.
So I'm seriously debating on upgrading from my D750 to a mirrorless and I really want to go with the Z6 so I can keep my Nikkor glass. The one major drawback with this camera that I didn't hear you mention is the single XQD memory card slot. They're ridiculously expensive, $200 for a 120BG card is insane! I get why Nikon made the switch from a technical point of view,, but other comparable cameras have an option for either SD or XQD.
XQD and its cousin CFEpress are the only pro-grade memory card systems and were designed from day one by SanDisk, Nikon and Sony to address the serious issues with SD which was never designed for critical applications. We have all had SD failures with no warning. So anyone serious about their files welcomes the big step up in reliability. Of you really want to continue using SD, there are many cameras that stayed with the old tech because the hardware is so cheap to install in the camera. Why are you using 200gb cards? That is a big risk to have so many files on a card that can be lost or misplaced. The 64GB cards are more than anyone needs in a session. They are designed for temporary storage before transfer to the archive system with RAID storage. I have shot long events and never came close to filling a 64gb card. If you are using SD you need two in mirrored mode so a large fast SD x 2 is more expensive than a single XQD that if far more reliable than 2 S cards. Having XQD is one reason working pros are calling the Z6 a pro camera.
If you upgrade to a Z6 or 7 it will be more expensive than most assume. After using S lenses they immediately start replacing F lenses. Every S lens is significantly better than the F lenses that have been considered tops before. F lenses still work a good portion of their new cost but as more switch, primary cameras to the resale value will drop a lot.
Enjoyed watching this. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with the Z 6 and provide the balanced view.
Thank you for watching Mary. Great to have you on the channel!
I´d wish for three additional things:
1. Being able to activate AF tracking without having to switch to "Auto" mode. The way it's implemented today (v2.10) doesn´t make sense to me.
2. When switching between screen and viewfinder modes, the current chosen mode (eyesensor, monitor only and so on) could be visible on the rear screen, every time. Now I tend to cycle between the modes multiple times before I get the one I want.
3. Not as important, but being able to touch and drag on the display when using the viewfinder to move the AF point. The way it´s implemented on Canon EOS R has to be only a FW update away.
Thanks for a great video!
Hi Will, this is a great overview of your experience with the Nikon Z6. By the way, I had the same problem as you regarding the grip. Right now, Nikon is repairing the grip of my Nikon Z6. Fortunately, they do it for free because my Nikon Z6 is still under warranty. Here are my general thoughts about the Nikon Z system. I think Nikon needs to have a Z body with (i) a much better AFC (why in this mode the focus point remains red whereas in AFS it gets green when the camera focuses, and Nikon should give us the 3D tracking), (ii) a better eye AF (which works for further subjects and in all the focus modes, and not only in the AF area mode), (iii) two card slots, (iv) the ability to mount a real grip and not only a battery pack and (v) a 60 MP sensor. It would be also great to be able to touch and drag on the LCD screen and to use the LCD screen when using the electronic viewfinder. And why can’t we have the ability to display no information on the electronic viewfinder or the LCD screen when taking a picture? Finally, it would be appreciated not to have this virtual horizon in the middle of the frame and instead have the little arrow at the bottom of the frame as it is the case for the DSLRs. And obviously Nikon needs to release the 70-200 mm f/2.8 and the 14-24 mm f/2.8 asap.
Always great to hear from you Pierre and these are excellent points. I hope Nikon is listening!
It is nice to hear from a photographer who not only talks the talk. But walks the walk. 317,000 shots. Can I say wow. I have held the Z6 and I find it just like you said. Feels great. I shoot mostly landscape, cars, planes and trains. I use a 7100 and 7500 nikon of course. I have a lot of lens. I am interested in the Z6 . Most of my lens are DX .
rubber grip breakdown? the rubber is said to be defective on earlier production z6 and z7 and this issue is common. apparently it is a warranty item. too bad my affected z6 is gray market :( anyone know of a solution to stop this rubber breakdown from progressing?
Basically, you're a satisfied customer. Great review.
💯 💯 💯
Yes, the rubber of the Z6 has a problem and I totally agree that we need a button to start/stop Eye-AF in every AF-mode. Supporting the AF with your finger/thumb on the Touchscreen while you look through the EVF would also really grate.
For a low light wedding, where the mood of the ceremony is very important to the couple, what focus mode would you feel the most comfortable with in this situation?
Very informative, thank you! BTW: the lighting in your video is excellent. Far too many photographers provide content that has poor lighting and general aesthetics, which I do not understand. Yours is excellent. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the kind words and feedback Ken. Great to have you on the channel
I'm using the Z6 for weddings and pre weddings for almost 1 year now. It's not so long, but I do shootings almost everyday, the camera feels great, and everything you said is so true! I also use it for video and the quality of the footage is amazing!
Great stuff bro! I am shooting weddings on Z6 and Z7 and I can agree 100% with what you said. The low light focusing assist and AF system definitely needs improvement. The AEF it's not so important for me because I am not doing close up portrait and print them out in large anyway , and the face tracking is pretty usable most of the time. In normal conditions I'am not dealing with much of banding unless I have to puss shadow recovery a lot. I love the shutter sound and the how's it fells in my hand. Overall both are great cameras for me and they do the job well.
Yessir!! That shutter sound, damn what a dream in ceremonies
Late to the party but is the eye AF not being amazing not a complete deal breaker ?
I just bought the z6 used from a friend. It has been quite a learning curve coming from a Pentax DSLR. One thing I have notice is the shutter release button has a hair trigger on it. With the camera set at single shot, when I depress the button, sometimes two shots fire off. I have to quickly go all the way down on the button to avoid this. Have you had this issue? I guess I will get use to it.
Hey! Thanks for this great video! :) What do you think about having no dual card slot in the Z6? We shoot events 99% of the time with 'dual-slot' cameras and I am a bit anxious about having just one card at a time. Did you have any issues with the XQD cards?
Can not agree more to your statements, being first sceptical, I felt in love with the Z system, specially because of lenses optical quality. The green box in AF-C and configurable button for face detection is a superb suggestion. Low light AF needs definitely to be dramatically improved in general and focus assist beam needs an additional option: use on camera flash assist beam. This is now disabled for e.g. Nikon SB-5000 as well as Profoto A1X-N. To me a catastrophe, shooting portrait mode right camera side up, my hand covers the Z6 focus assist beam, which is placed left side of camera body. Holding camera normal, lens hood does that anyway also; for protecting lens front element, I always have lens hood mounted. - Something completely different, because you mentioned you did 40 weddings: I am starting with wedding photography and really interested in a video how to get successfully into this business from scratch, having no wedding portfolio yet. I did yet only photojournalism, landscape and a little bit of portrait, where I live a shrinking business and need to diversify.
Yes, my grip is also wearing out. I guess it depends on the length of your fingers.
I would like them to add the shutter release mode to U1, U2, U3. I have each of these set for different requirements, but still have to go back and manually set the shutter release, which can be clumsy. If they did that, then switching to face detect would at least be faster then it is now.
Agree with this!!
I've only had banding problems in silent mode, never with mechanical shutter
That was true for me all year until
I had one wedding recently with terribly cheap lighting. I found keeping my SS below 1/160 banding was resolved
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs good to know, in case it ever happens. Thanks !
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs That really is not a camera problem but a light problem. A string of lights all connected in the same phase are actually pulsing but experienced electricians know to reverse phase on every other string so there is and add a reactive element that like a ballast so when one phase it at its peak in output the other is 90 out of phase that smooths the light output instead of pulsing 120 times a second in the US, and 100 times a second in the rest of the world. LED lights tun one and off also but at a much higher rate. Some operate on DC that are steady but are not dimmable. The ones that can be dimmed are pulsing DC with a variable pulse width(so the same peak voltage is applied and the led is lit to the full brightness but stays on for a variable length of the time so the light saw is averaged by our eyes and hopefully by the camera bit since they operate at very high pulse rates, faster than our fastest shutter speed is not a great problem)
@@stanspb763 Thanks for that thorough explanation, it would be great if such installation became standard as I have shot in LED light with no banding with the ELECTRONIC shutter.In such places you can almost tell immediately that the LEDs are well installed because the light is perceptibly easy on the eyes.
Congrats on your 40 weddings! I think you gave me some good vibes because I closed three yesterday just out of the blue!
You the man Jeff!!!
Wow! 40 Weddings - can’t that couple get it right? Just kidding’ live the channel. Love the B&W theme... I’ve been holding off on my own project - waiting for ProRes RAW - but I’m getting to the point where I’m just going to have to EAT the higher cost of storage and shoot log next year to get going with what I’ve got ie the Z6 and Ninja V and 3-5 times more GBs per shoot. I’m shooting actors with a script so HOPEFULLY I can shoot less and delete what simply isn’t useable.
For me, superior low light AF while people are moving is the reason I'm still holding onto my D750 and just ordered a new one last week (about 1000 EURO, a steal). I use it together with a Z6, shot about 50.000 on the Z6. Occasionally, I do nightlife and also spend 2hrs on the dancefloor at a wedding. And the Z6 has not given me the same confidence you get with a D750 + AF assist beam from a SB-910, that's a solid 90% hit rate - even in complete darkness and only the AF beam lighting people up. With the Z6 (and even dimmed lights) it's about 50% or less. The green AF-assist on the Z6 is of course a no go if you want to take candid shots - which I always do on the dancefloor. And as you all know, the AF assist on your Nikon or Godox flash is also disabled by default on a Nikon Z. So yes, there is a handicap. There is no learning curve, it's just how it is. The Z6/Z7 is no camera for dark dancefloors. They might improve a bit with updates, but there is no magic software update to fix this. A part of me hopes they'll come out with a speedlight specially adapted to mirrorless.
If the D760 comes out, I'll probably buy it and just use it next to my Z6 as my main tools. And a D750 as backup.
I bought a Z6 three weeks ago.Can't wait to try shooting live music with it.
Pros:
1. Rugged
2. Auto white balance
3. Dynamic area auto focus
4. Regular Firmware updates
5. Great Lenses
6. Easier to clean sensors with that big Z mount mouth
7. Quietest shutter
☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻
So i am getting into photo from video. Hybrid will be nice to compliment my xa30. One of the projects im going into is providing pictures of still born childrens, free of charge to the parrents. A cooperation with norwegian foundation quiet (foreningen stille). This is one of the things i want to do, so quiet shutter is a must. I am by no means an expert. But since im starting from scratch i would like some inputs on what to go for. Have no glass so not tied to anything. Am looking at the z6, am looking at sony. Canon just came with their two new cameras. Its hard to choose. So what does ppl recomend, but more important, why.
Congratulations Will and Sara on a very successful business year. Thank you Will for the great insight and info about this camera. I bought my Z6 based on your excellent videos and believe me you are right on the money by saying it's a great camera. Bloody Hell yes you are absolutely right about the green focus square! Nikon definitely needs to change that! All in all the Z6 has been a great camera for me and a great upgrade from my D750. Thank you again Will, keep up the great work with the excellent videos brother!
P.S.- Do you have any Podcasts coming up? I really enjoy those too in addition to your videos and I haven't seen you post any of those lately.
Always appreciate to hear from you Sidney! I am glad you are enjoying the Z6 as I knew you would! It really is a joy to use.
As far as the podcasts go YES. Sara and I are going to be stepping up a lot of content now that wedding season is coming to an end. Appreciate the support!
Excellent Will, that’s great to hear! I really enjoy the great content of the podcasts that you and Sara put together. The content is very informative, the interaction that you and Sara have between the guest is very entertaining and engaging, and the topics are a great learning opportunity for the community. I’m really looking forward to seeing them soon!
Set it to Focus Priority and it is in focus or does not trigger the shutter. Set A1 menu to Focus instead of Release.
'You need to throw away your old dslr way amd learn the camera' you nailed it. So many Nikon naysayers come from this fact. It would be great if they could fix bamding but all mirrorless suffer and no one has yet, can always hope though. Love my Z6. Eagerly awaiting the next z as well.
I have a D850. I set one of my function buttons to a different focus mode. You may be able to do the same with your Z6. This enables me to switch focus modes with the touch of a button.
What are your thoughts about only one card slot? You as wedding photographer do you find it a lack? Do you trust your z6 and a card to perform a full day?
Why the Z6 over the Z7? I'm so torn over switching from my D850... I'm about to buy one of them... Opinion? Lastly any concern on only 1 card slot since your shooting with the z's?
Do you have a video mentioning the color differences between your D810/D850 vs Z6 files? I've switched to a Z7 recently, but having a hard time getting the same results like before with my most used presets. Seems like they changed some things in the profiles or color space or something. I can't figure it out. Never had this problem when editing files from the D810 and D850 when used at the same shoot.
Hi do you have any problems with dust spots I had the fuji system and it was awful so switched back to the d500 no problem at all but I do miss the evf so looking at the z6 or z7 ty great channel by the way
Dust is a rare problem for Z cameras because Nikon applied a coating that is very hard for moisture or dirt to stick to. I had to wet clean mine one time and only because the wind changed as a crop duster got me and the camera when changing lenses. Otherwise, no dust sticking to the sensor in a year of daily use. The dust shaker seems pretty effective and even if really contaminated as mine was, it is very easy to clean compared to a DSLR.
@@stanspb763 ty very much for your reply keep up the great work ty
The z6 is a wonderful camera but I don't understand why the 4 sided selector on the back is not programmable for various menu settings. It is redundant to the toggle switch. Plus the "subject tracking" focus setting is awkward. Other than these two I think it is great.
Hey Allen,
I agree it is redundant. I use the joystick 100% of the time when moving my focus points, it’s excellent for that
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs could a firm ware update make the selector switch programable?
Hi! thank you so much for your video. From Argentina. :D I'm a wedding photographer too, and I use 2 d750 for work. I'm very concern about af help light, because in my country, most of the venue is dancefloor, so, I have 70% of my work in dark areas, with bad or null lights. I trust 100% on the af help beam of my sb700 flash, and I want to ask you , can I use the same flash into the z6? what do you use?
My z6 grip is chipping off too. The material seems to be weaker than I am used to.
Great content, love my z6, suggestion when you mention viewing a video you've done, can you link to it so its easier for your viewers. Great content otherwise. Improvement wise, better autofocus in continuous mode and I would love that focused beam you suggested as well as better overall focus, more updates and with a faster turn around time for updates. Issues I've had, my camera has locked up shooting off-camera lights with godox system, like three times where the only solution is to pull the battery then press shutter have you experienced this? This was using the 24-70 2.8 as well.
Thanks for watching my man!
Def will link to video I reference in the future. Great suggestion.
I have experienced a lock up one time with my flashes. I had one on camera that was triggering two off cameras. For some reason the ON CAMERA would not fire but it was still triggering the off cameras. I pulled the battery and everything was fine after that.
These things are basically hand held computers now so as long as the issues are rare I’m not too worried about it. If it does happen more for you though I’d definitely send it in to Nikon and have them check it out.
Great to have you on the channel!
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs Watched the other recommended video as well, good stuff! Immediately noticed the quicker focus already, when you do decide to get the 24-70 you'll love it, especially for your weddings. Regarding edits, have you used Capture one to edit vs lightroom? I've noticed z6 photos for some reason even with resetting the profile imported in lightroom, that Capture one and the way it renders to raw photos seem to look better, atleast to my eyes.
88omarz thanks for watching man! I haven’t used capture one because my editor uses Lightroom so I just send my catalogs over to him I have heard it’s absolutely excellent though
The Monochrome Memoirs you’re welcome. And it is pretty awesome
electronic *front curtain* shutter, also I don't think there would be any bending issues when using conventional mechanical shutter. It should work like any other DSLR camera. Thanks a lot for this video, it's a lot more helpful than even a review...
Great video, happy that i found this channel. Keep up the good work!
Please forgive me for saying this - Will, you and Sarah are fantastic and support me immensely with my learning. (I'm not that confident in posting yet I'm doing all the learning). You are far to cool to swear and taking Our Lords Name in Vain. I think you are brilliant and my go-to-man; you and Sarah: for the Z6. I want one so bad and I delight in your reviews, enthusiasm and professionalism in helping me make this choice. I want your tutorials for teaching kids about their vocational learning and what they can be. I totally get your methodology when it comes to VLOGS.. God bless you both and congratulations,… and continue to help my learning. Thanks a million - Pete
Thank you so much for the support Pete!
I just bought the Z6 thanks to your videos! Thank you so much for these amazing, informative and educational videos!
Hey man I think you're right on the mark with your Z6 comments. I use a Z7 and with the exception of banding have all the same issues. My Z takes second seat though at dark parties, most parties actually. I shoot pretty high end Bat and Bar Mitzvahs and they're dark. I absolutely need the focus assist light and as you know the one built into the camera is a joke. What's the problem with getting a dedicated flash here Nikon? Usually the Z works alongside my D3s (the primary flash camera) when the dancing begins doing the available light work, but I shot a party last weekend that was predominantly red light... it barely focused, worst experience I've had to date with the camera. I finally just put it away. I like your idea of the maglite. Have you thought of strapping a tiny one to the top of the flash and have a remote button to trigger it?
But that brings me to my real question for you. What are you using for a grip? I find the camera really unbalanced when using a flash without any type of grip. I'll check your other vids for this, I'm going to watch your focusing vid as well. But without a decent grip I'm coming home with a sore hand after a nights shooting, and that sucks. It's actually another reason I'm shooting the Z as my available light camera.
The AFC green light is definitely needed as well.
Having a button for face detect would be HEAVEN. I'm getting better at using FD, but sometimes it just becomes too confused and shifting Focus mode away from Face Detect is just too time consuming in the heat of the moment so I seldom use it outside of portraits. It would be great to be able to hit a button for Face Detect, and when you release the focus mark stays on the face.
Finally, yes, my rubber is fraying and getting super thin, but on the back right corner of my camera body.
Giving you a sub. Thanks.
Hey Dennis great to have you on the channel.
Yes I agree the focus assist beam issue is a strange one. The Z’s have the capability to work well in low light but you seriously have to practice and know how it works on a deep level for dance floor work. My d850s did better at receptions but the overall benefits of the Z made me force myself to figure out how to work it with low available light. I do think they will keep improving the AF with firmware updates but if not I’ll upgrade to the Z8 when it hits the scene.
As far as grips go I am with you 100%. I drag the shutter a lot and couldn’t whip a flash around without some extra space for my whole hand. I did a video a few back on the grip I use titled “you must have this cheap accessory for the Nikon Z6” it’s the Mieke grip. Works like a champ for me, very comfortable and I trust it hanging off my black rapid.
Overall I love the camera and my wedding photography had gotten stronger this year despite its shortcomings.
Look forward to hearing from you again my man!
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs Thank you sir. Yeah I found your other vid on the grip, and the one on low light focusing. Super interesting and great idea there using the focus peaking.
I'm going to get one of those grips and try it out. I need something. I actually bought a Vello grip for another Nikon camera that looked close, I modded it to fit the Z7 and it even had a shutter button on it. Man I thought I was golden. Two problems arose, one, the battery connection was not great and it would often just shut the camera down. Two, and this is the big one, the ridiculous one actually, I spent all this time making the thing fit, and it did. I got the battery to work, the shutter fired perfectly and it was great with my 24-70/4. But as soon as I tried using the FTZ adapter for my G lenses, OH NO, the mounting ring was in the way. What a joke on me.
In the end though the project was worthwhile because it made me realize the trigger button alone is not that much help if you can't make any other adjustments. It's Ok, but not worth the effort. I think that Meike you found may do the trick and it still maintains the smaller footprint, which is great. Thanks.
I haven't fully committed to the Z yet. But I'm real real close. I love it, but I only have the kit lens in S mount. I'm thinking hard about the 85, the 50 and of course the new 24-70. But buying those lenses is a commitment to buying another body, as you know. We'll see. I really need to sort out the low light focus thing.
Looked at your site btw, a lot of really really nice work in there. Cheers!
It was nice to hear your views on the Z6 at weddings. I’m a wedding photographer myself and currently half switched from Nikon to Sony.. most the issues you are looking at seems like it would be resolved by going to Sony. The auto focus is amazing on the A7III and zero banding at all in the images even when pushed dramatically. Have you had a chance to check out the Sony’s?
Thanks for another excellent video Will!
Thanks for watching Karen!
It is great for video if you set the focus to slowly transition while shooting. It looks more natural that way. In default, it snaps into focus from face to face and that is a little too mechanical
☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻 great tip here
Thanks for adding to the conversation Meek
@@TheMonochromeMemoirs thanks boss
In this video, u talking like u a king..!! BUT u pictures, NEVER TALK..!! Even 1 photo..!!!
How the autofocus for video recording work for moving subjects? Suggest me for better autofocus for video?
I can't get my sigma 8-16mm zoom to focus with the Z6. Any ideas as to why?
It was a useful video! Don’t you afraid to work with a 1 card slot camera on weddings?
You mentioned the D700! I have a question! I'm getting a 8 year old used D700 for about $300. It's Shutter Count is around 153000. I checked it yesterday with the guy and it's quality is so good - I want it to back up my D750. Do you think I should get it at $300 or is it a bad deal? (a guy selling a D750 at 65000 Shutter Count is asking for $620 but I need to travel 350km one way to get it. I really don't mind the images from the D700, I'm just concerned about it's shutter life. Where I live, we typically make about $300-$1000 profit in a wedding and I shoot around 5-7 weddings a year because that is not my main work. I only shoot weddings when I'm free. And this D700 will only be used in weddings. I will also need to get extra battery's, a better CF card so about a $150 more. I believe as a B cam (which will be used quite a lot - about 2k pics per wedding), $450 is a fair price but my issue is with the camera's life. Can you please tell me about your D700 and it's life so I can comprehend my situation a little better.
One more question, have you implemented any system to give yourself a backup on the day of a wedding? Even just transferring JPEGS to have something? I'm trying to find a way to do it easily. Snapbridge doesn't let you transfer all images at once, or that would work, but it's only one at a time. There are things like the Gnarbox and others that would let me transfer quickly midday without a laptop, but that's very pricey. Is this a concern for yours or do you have something place? Thanks for your help!
The Wi-Fi connection allows transferring everything but that is a lot slower for real-time transfers. I use the WT-7 which sends raw files to a laptop for slide show as shots are taken and send a copy to my network server at my home so everything is on the server at home by the time my last shot is taken. The WT-7 is not cheap but it is fast and has a 660-foot range, at 1 gigabit per second it is pretty fast for transfers. It will even log into FTP for bulk transfer.
I would really love to know how you use the Z6 during a reception when the focus is real slow and wonky. I have to switch to my DSLR during receptions because I don't trust the Z6.
I am using my Z6 for portraits mostly (and rarely some events) and I am super happy with it. But I wonder (maybe I missed it in the video) why you not mentioned the battery grip as an improvement for the camera? This would have been my number 1 point 😁
With a smooth live view on the Z6 it is "okay-ish" to take vertical shots but still it is much more comfortable having a proper battery grip (with function buttons and not just extra batteries in it 🙄 ).
Great content btw! I really enjoyed the video and the review from another Z6 user 👍
Great to hear from you my friend!
I actually did a video a few back on the grip I use. Check it out!
great video, very helpful. the ONE card slot doesn't bother you? I think I need 2, especially for weddings....
Great video. I have a Z6 and I'm finding, for some reason, the ibis not working well at all. If I use the kit lens at 1/100 shutter speed, I'll get blurry subjects. It seems to clear up if I push it up to 1/160 but it's a bit disappointing there. I know they had released some cameras with the ibis not working but mine was not part of that, apparently. I took photos of a recent work event with the z6 kit and my old d7500 with a 70-300 and found the d7500's photos to be clearer, crisper, and more colourful. I'm hoping some more third party lenses get released for the z mount. I'm really waiting for a good 105+ macro lens but all of Nikon's Z mount lenses cost a month's salary (for me).
Hi Will, did you try to set up one of your function buttons to change focus modes? You can disable other modes in the menu that you aren't using keeping just two or three modes, such as single point, area (for eye AF) and dynamic. So that will allow you to change modes in a fraction of second. Push the fn button and rotate the wheel. Of course, you can program your custom menu as well, this is just another way to do it.
What I really want is the ability to move my single point in area mode when eye AF isn't working as I want and touch&drag focus points using the screen
Hey Andy,
Yea that’s how I set my cameras up. Fn1 is image review and fn2 focus modes. Would be nice if there was a dedicated button for face tracking though!
Perhaps not what you are asking for, but in face tracking mode, to track another face, press OK-button, a white square comes up in the middle on the screen (EVF) that you reposition, and when you press AF-button again, the autofocus will follow that person. A function not talked about a lot.
Hey I really enjoy your videos very informative. I recently purchased a Nikon z6 so i am about to jump into the mirrorless. I ask one thing of you? It might not seem like much but when my grandkids are in the room and you throw out the "F" word turn it off. I think your videos would be much better without all the expletives? I hope you understand that there are more than adults that watch your videos and i think you have a lot of knowledge to share. Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks I heard you say in another video that your working on the language and I appreciate that. I too have to watch myself. We all have habits that’s hard to break. . Have a Merry Christmas!!
This is what I was waiting for to make that decision and purchase it, much appreciated
Glad I could help my friend
when you say the dynamic range on sony cameras is good what models? ive heard nikon z6 has better dynamic range than sony a7iii . like u can recover underexpose pictures better on nikon
love your channel very informative and strait to the point. I am loving my Z6 thus far. Thanks for the settings video it really helped me get more keepers.
Excellent! Glad that helped my man
Do you have a video of the cleaning? Do you clean the sensor often ? And if so how do you do it ? I have both the solution with the wipes and a aid kit with a stick to capture the dust. But I'm always afraid of doing it wrong so I avoid doing it. I'm really interested. Thank you
Hey Isaac!
Yes I do have a sensor cleaning vid. Check it out!
I had a D700 and yes it was loud. The Auto Focus is why I didn't buy a Z Series. You are right about the banding issue with mirrorless, especially in the electronic shutter, I have experienced it with my Fuji Xt3 and during certain types of lighting, it is a trade-off. I won't be getting rid of my DSLRs, but I can't deny that mirrorless is lighter and more convenient to grab and go. My Fuji kit, which is mainly for video, I have taken out and my bag is super light and the lenses are in one small bag and they can fit in the shoulder bag with the camera and flash instead of my plastic cases, one a roller and the other four have lenses and two bodies, so you are right, quite a difference.
I'm not going to lie to anyone, has the thought crossed my mind to sell all of my DSLR stuff and go total mirrorless, yes, will I do this no. I have far too much great glass that I'm not willing to take a beating on and for certain sports events, no mirrorless out there beats the D500 except for the Sony A9, which sounds outstanding and this would beat the D500 for keepers due to the eye autofocus, but not the buffer (D500 buffer is near bottomless) for this. Congrats on the 40 weddings and its great to have someone use that use the camera to talk about it.
A grip with a shutter release for vertical shooting would be a nice option. Don't know why they didn't include that in their recent battery expansion option. Its just a button... :)
Can I ask if you considered the z7 for weddings ? Or is the z6 a better choice ?
Great video, love your channel! I’ve been using Z6 for a year now professionally for nightclub photography and other events. Brilliant camera but totally agree with the little points that need sorting @nikon please take note
Hey! I'm waiting my z6 to arrive.. and im a little scared not to have an assist beam for flash. Often i do photos in night clubs or in places that i dont have light, and dont have a Sara that holds a flashlight for me 😂.
On my d7200 the red light of my flash really improves the focusing..
If you can see the subject, it will focus. There is Focus assist light in AF-S mode like in the DRSLs but neither using Assist in AF-C. With 2.0 and later firmware, the AF sensitivity was increased to -6ev which is about as good at it can get with anything, including the D5. Also, there is one Godox flash controller that activates the AF assist light if it has the latest firmware as of last winter.
There is a popular claim that mirrorless can't use the new IR patterned light so they left it out and use the green light that is blocked by lens hoods. I did experiments in fully darkened room setting a Z6 next to a D850 with SB900 mounted and the Z6 would not focus in total darkness but when the AF-On button on the D850 triggered the red pattern light from the SB900 the Z6 focused perfectly. I was concerned at first that very low or bizarre light in clubs would suffer, going out and actually trying it, relieved my concerns. I do not have a problem in really low light with the Z6. It is better in real darkness than my D850 or D800. IF Nikon releases an update that allows the flash or controller to turn on assist light, I would be happy but it is not essential. Almost any club has enough light for a Z6. I have not run into one yet on my 2 days a week in clubs until 6am. Dancing is my only form of exercise and it is more fun than a gym. I used to have a web site where 100,000 photos were in galleries by date and club but when I changed to a dedicated server I never bothered uploading them to the new server because everyone who wanted their photos no doubt already downloaded them..
I bought the Z6 because of the wider spread of focus points, and its lower weight w/ its native lenses compared to the D750. It makes a world of difference when strapping the weight of two cameras over my back for 7 - 10 hours for weddings. The image quality is comparable to the D750, but I have noticed a little more color noise in the shadow areas of higher ISO pics with the Z6, starting at around ISO 1600. The 750 is just as noisy at high ISOs, but seems to retain the correct tones of the shadow areas a little better. You have to look at the image at 100% to see it, but there's definitely a difference. That's really the only negative. I have two bodies, and see the same with both. Anyone else notice this? All-in-all, the Z6 is a perfect cam for wedding/portrait and real estate photography. Will, I also love dynamic focus when I have to grab moving targets on the dancefloor! I also used the silent shutter during ceremonies and @ my kids' plays, and it makes me feel like a first-time ninja! Maybe it's not ready for pro and college sports, but I'm sure mirrorless cousins for the D500 and D5/6 will make their way into the lineup eventually.
Couldn’t have said it better myself brother!
The grip area below the function button got chewed up in my cam too and it didn't take a year. It happened over the weekend when I had forgotten to cut my nails and was covering a wedding. I was really disappointed.
Agree with your recap, especially the face tracking button, and auto focus issues: My biggest grip with the Z system is the Auto Focus.
Great video man! I've been highly considering the Z6 and this video helped.
What do you recommend in terms of autofocus mode when shooting in low light? I have huge problem with it
Great video. About media, i’m receiving my Z6 next week. I’m going to buy CFExpress card over Xqd... makes sense to start directly with that media waiting for the firmware?
Well it just all depends on how long you’re willing to wait to start shooting. I think the firmware updates will be here soon so it shouldn’t be too long. I’d prob buy a 32 Gb XQD so you can start shooting but put the big investment to the CFexpress
The Monochrome Memoirs makes 100% sense.
Thanks for your video and honest feedback..actually I am in confusion state whether to order it or not..now i got confidence..ordering now..Please suggest some lens also.
because the huge experience you have using the Z 6 it is great to know what gear you are using like strap and others ..
Hi, how good is the Z6 for pre wedding videos?