Last Updated on 08/25/2018 by Mark Beckenbach
The cat’s out of the bag with the new Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6 to accommodate bigger lenses that have higher optical performance.
Yes, that first sentence and title may sound a tad crazy, but the way Nikon sees it, the Nikon Z 7 and Nikon Z 6 represent the philosophy that bigger is better. They’re not really alone either. Look at what Sigma has done with their 85mm f1.4 Art lens and the 135mm f1.8 Art lens. Plus, look at Nikon’s own 105mm f1.4 G lens. Indeed, when Nikon went about designing the Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6, they had future lens design in place. One could argue that smaller is better when you look at some of the smaller Sony prime lenses and those from Zeiss out there. But instead, it looks like the mirrorless world may be getting big again if Nikon has their way.
Editor’s Note: The Nikon z6 has an OLPF
Now here is what you care about:
The Nikon Z 7 Takes on the Sony a7r III
- The high-resolution Nikon Z7 has 45.7 effective megapixels, back side illumination and supports a standard sensitivity range of ISO 64–25600.
- No low pass filter
- The Nikon Z7 has 493 focus points.
- The new EXPEED six image-processing engine helps to offer a mid-range sharpening feature. Think of this like Adobe’s Clarity engine.
- Same level of strength and durability, as well as dust- and drip- resistance, as the Nikon D850, offered in a compact body
- The Z 7 and Z 6 are equipped with in-camera vibration reduction (VR). The VR unit provides compensation for movement along five axes. The effects of vibration reduction are equivalent to a shutter speed up to approximately 5.0 stops6.
- Both cameras are equipped with an electronic viewfinder for which an approximately 3690k-dot OLED panel has been adopted. The electronic viewfinder has frame coverage and magnification of approximately 100% and 0.8×, respectively, as well as an approximately 37.0° diagonal viewing angle.
- The Z 7 and Z 6 are equipped with in-camera vibration reduction (VR). The VR unit provides compensation for movement along five axes. The effects of vibration reduction are equivalent to a shutter speed up to approximately 5.0 stops6.
- A 3.2-in., approximately 2100k-dot touch-sensitive LCD monitor, with a tilting mechanism
- Silent photography function eliminates shake and noise caused by shutter release,
- Peaking stack image function9 enables confirmation of the area in focus after shooting using focus shift, which is convenient for focus stacking10
- High-speed continuous shooting (extended)11 at approximately 9 fps (Z 7) and 12 fps (Z 6) captures fast motion
- Interval timer photography that makes 8K (Z 7) time-lapse movie creation10 possible
- A display panel has been placed on the top plate of the camera, where information about settings can be displayed, similar to high-end digital SLR camera models.
- An extended low-light metering range12 allows users to easily capture scenes such as the transition from sunset to starry night sky, using aperture-priority auto exposure
- Built-in Wi-Fi® for direct connection to a smart device using SnapBridge
- Built-in Wi-Fi® makes the transfer of images and movies to a computer possible
- Support for existing digital SLR camera accessories such as the EN-EL15/a/b batteries, WT-7/A/B/C Wireless Transmitter (available separately) for transferring images and movies at high speed over a wired or wireless LAN, and radio-controlled/optical controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting, which makes flexible multi-flash photography possible
The Nikon Z 6 Takes on the Sony a7 III
- The Nikon Z6 is an all-purpose FX-format camera with 24.5 effective megapixels, back side illumination and supports the wide sensitivity range of ISO 100–51200. With superior performance at high ISO sensitivities and full-frame 4K UHD video capture with full pixel readout, the Z 6 responds to a variety of needs, such as shooting in dimly lit environments and high-quality movie recording.
- Nikon Z6 has 273 focus points
- No low pass filter
- Both cameras are equipped with an electronic viewfinder for which an approximately 3690k-dot OLED panel has been adopted. The electronic viewfinder has frame coverage and magnification of approximately 100% and 0.8×, respectively, as well as an approximately 37.0° diagonal viewing angle.
- The new EXPEED 6 image-processing engine helps to offer a mid-range sharpening feature. Think of this like Adobe’s Clarity engine.
- Same level of strength and durability, as well as dust- and drip- resistance, as the Nikon D850, offered in a compact body
- A 3.2-in., approximately 2100k-dot touch-sensitive LCD monitor, with a tilting mechanism
- Silent photography function eliminates shake and noise caused by shutter release
- A display panel has been placed on the top plate of the camera, where information about settings can be displayed, similar to high-end digital SLR camera models.
- Peaking stack image function9 enables confirmation of the area in focus after shooting using focus shift, which is convenient for focus stacking10
- High-speed continuous shooting (extended)11 at approximately 9 fps (Z 7) and 12 fps (Z 6) captures fast motion
- Interval timer photography that makes 8K (Z 7) time-lapse movie creation10 possible
- An extended low-light metering range12 allows users to easily capture scenes such as the transition from sunset to starry night sky, using aperture-priority auto exposure
- Built-in Wi-Fi® for direct connection to a smart device using SnapBridge
- Built-in Wi-Fi® makes the transfer of images and movies to a computer possible
- Support for existing digital SLR camera accessories such as the EN-EL15/a/b batteries, WT-7/A/B/C Wireless Transmitter (available separately) for transferring images and movies at high speed over a wired or wireless LAN, and radio-controlled/optical controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting, which makes flexible multi-flash photography possible
There is a Nikon 58mm f0.95 Lens
The NIKKOR Z 58mm f0.95 S Noct that Nikon is currently developing will be the fastest lens in Nikon’s history3; a large aperture, standard 58mm prime focal-length, manual-focus lens positioned at the very top of the S-Line. It will stand to symbolize the Nikon Z mount system’s new dimension in optical performance.
It has inherited the design concept behind the original AI Noct-NIKKOR 58mm f1.2, a standard prime lens released in 1977, named for “Nocturne” (a musical composition inspired by or evocative of the night), and was popular for its ability to finely reproduce point light sources as point images. The new Noct lens that is currently in development will take advantage of the advanced design flexibility afforded by the Z mount, pursuing ultimate optical performance. Development continues with the goals of achieving an extremely fast maximum aperture of f/0.95, offering the ultimate in NIKKOR rendering performance with superior detail and sharpness. Additionally, the goal is to achieve beautiful blur characteristics, or bokeh, with good continuity, and ensure outstanding point-image reproduction capabilities for more compelling, three-dimensional imaging.
Nikon Did it Right: A Nikon 35mm f1.8 and a Nikon 50mm f1.8 are Available at Launch
Yes, there are two prime lenses available at launch. Nikon is improving on what Sony did at initial launch and improving therefore what Fujifilm did at initial launch.
NIKKOR Z 35mm f1.8 S Primary Features
- Rendering performance that redefines perceptions of what a 35 mm f1.8 lens can do
- Sharp resolution even in the peripheral areas of the frame from the maximum aperture, effective suppression of sagittal coma flare that enables superb point-image reproduction when capturing point light sources in night landscapes, and the soft and natural bokeh characteristics expected of a fast (bright) lens
- Adoption of a new multi-focusing system featuring two AF drive units providing driving power at high speed and with high accuracy that achieves quiet, fast, and accurate AF control, as well as high image-forming performance at any focus distance
- Adoption of two ED glass elements, and three aspherical lens elements
- Nano Crystal Coat adopted to suppress ghosting and flare
- In consideration to a dust- and drip-resistance, the entire lens, including moving parts, has been sealed
NIKKOR Z 50mm f1.8 S Primary Features
- Superior rendering ignites creativity, and redefines perceptions of what a 50mm f/1.8 lens can do
- Thorough suppression of axial chromatic aberration ensures superior resolution with faithful reproduction of the fine textures in subjects, even from maximum aperture
- Sharp and clear rendering of details from the center of the frame to the peripheral edges, regardless of the shooting distance
- The soft and beautiful bokeh characteristics at any shooting distance possible only with a fast (bright) lens
- Adoption of two ED glass, and two aspherical lens elements
- Nano Crystal Coat adopted to suppress ghosting and flare
- Adoption of a new, powerful stepping motor (STM) enables quiet and accurate AF control during both still-image capture and video recording
- In consideration to a dust- and drip-resistance, the entire lens, including moving parts, has been sealed
The Adapter
- Full compatibility with more than 90 lenses and functionality with approximately 360 existing NIKKOR F lenses from AI type onwards2
- The unique characteristics of NIKKOR F mount lenses can be applied to Z mount system image quality
- In-camera VR (Vibration Reduction) with three-axis VR is available when attaching a NIKKOR F lens without built-in VR; in-camera VR also performs well with stills and video recording
- When attaching a NIKKOR F lens with built-in VR, lens VR and in-camera VR effectively work together to compensate for camera shake by enabling three-axis VR.
- Various sections of the adapter are effectively sealed to ensure dust- and drip-resistant performance equivalent to that of NIKKOR F lenses
- Designed to be lightweight yet tough with consideration for superior operability as a part of a complete system
Development of the MB-N10 Multi-Power Battery Pack
The MB-N10 Multi-Power Battery Pack that is currently in development will hold two EN-EL15b, effectively increasing the number of shots possible and/or movie recording time by approximately 1.8×. It will provide the same level of dust and drip resistance as the Z 7 and Z 6, and will support USB charging using the EH-7P Charging AC Adapter. Information regarding the release of this product will be announced at a later date.
Price and Availability
The Nikon Z 7 will be available September 27 for a suggested retail price (SRP) of $3,399.95* for the body-only configuration, or for $3999.95* SRP as a kit with the new NIKKOR Z 24-70 f4 S lens. The Nikon Z 6 will be available in late November for the $1,995.95* SRP for the body only configuration, or for the $2,599.95* SRP with the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f4 S lens kit.