Expert review of the Nikon Z6
Nikon Z6 no longer available
The Nikon released the Z6 II, the successor to the Z6. This mirrorless camera has a larger buffer and faster processor, so you can take many photos after each other. You can record videos in 4K resolution at 60 fps.
First impression
The first thing I notice when I hold the camera for the first time is the weight. For a mirrorless camera, the Z6 is pretty heavy. Despite its high weight, the camera fits comfortably in the hand. This is because of the ergonomic design. Together with the 24-70mm lens I have on it, the camera is balanced. The screen at the top of the camera seems very useful. If you photograph close to the ground, you can see how the camera is set up.
User-friendliness
With the tiltable screen, you can photograph from various angles. The screen isn't horizontally tiltable, so you're a bit limited in freedom of movement. When you photograph close to the ground, you can see the settings at the screen on top of the body. This is definitely a plus. The settings dial has a lock, so it won't rotate by accident in your bag, for example. But if you often change settings, you probably leave it off the lock.
Image quality
Thanks to the large full frame sensor with 24.5 megapixels, the image quality of this mirrorless camera is very good. When I take pictures, I see a lot of detail in the image, such as the fabric of clothes. I also think the colors of the photos are very bright. You won't be bothered much by motion blur, thanks to the image stabilization. This is useful when you're on a dark location and need a longer shutter time.
Lighting
To take good photos in low light, you need a high ISO value. The maximum ISO value of the Z6 is 51,200. Keep in mind that more noise will be noticeable in your photo when you increase the ISO value. This is already noticeable from an ISO value of 1600. Thanks to the image stabilization, you can photograph freehand with longer shutter times. That way, you won't have to increase the ISO value right away.
Focus
The camera has 273 focus points spread over 90% of the image. With this, you can accurately set on which part of the photo you want to focus. You decide the focus speed of the camera. That way, you can make creative recordings, such as focus pulls. If you like to capture fast-moving action, this camera is suitable for you. With the fast autofocus, you can track a moving object like an athlete.
Video functions
With the Nikon Z6, you can record in 4K quality at 30 frames per second. This results in detailed recordings. If you want to record slow motion videos, choose Full HD quality at 120 frames per second. Thanks to this high number of fps, the quality remains high when you slow down recordings. The downside of this camera is that there's no external microphone connector. Because of this, you can't improve the sound quality of your videos.
Conclusion
The Nikon Z6 is a sturdy mirrorless camera with a good image quality, thanks to the full frame sensor. This makes the camera suitable for advanced and professional photographers. The model is user-friendly, thanks to the screen at the top of the camera. You can see the settings of the camera on this. In addition to sharp photos, you can also record detailed videos and slow motion videos with the Z6. The downside for videographers is that the camera doesn't have an external microphone jack to improve the sound quality of your videos.