That looks like a long list, right? Many people wonder how much this will actually translate into tangible and meaningful differences? For example, you'll notice that Nikon has modified or removed some options. So if you're one of those people who are in the weeds using a very specific aspect/feature of the Z7, you might find that the Z7 II changes it in a way you didn't want it to.
I have no idea why Nikon leaves out or changes features - like TIFF on the Z7 II - but it's annoying and sometimes disrupts people's workflows. I suspect part of the problem is that Nikon has a fixed amount of space available for firmware and that when they add new stuff to the firmware, they sometimes need space, so they take something else away or tweak something in ways that use less. firmware memory. In the case of the removal of the Stack peak imageability, I wonder if it was just to stop the focus shift shooting menu options from being a scrolling list.
Tested Features of Nikon Z7
- slow-mo
- 4k video
- iso
- grains
- color tone
- W.B
- picture style
- blur
- bokeh
- low light
- picture quality
- touch screen
- auto light optimization
- burst shoot
- autofocus
- Sharpness
Nikon Z7 features a rating in Photography
- iso range: 10\10
- color tone: 9\10
- white balance: 9\10
- background blur: 10\10
- bokeh effect: 10\10
- grains coverage: 10\10
- highlights & shadows detail: 10\10
- autofocus: 10\10
- jpeg quality: 9\10
- continuous shooting speed: 10\10
- depth of field: 10\10
- live view photography: 9\10
- eye tracking: 10\10
- flashlight photography: 10\10
- HDR mode: 10\10
- Touch Screen Focus: 9\10
- sharpness: 10\10
- image stabilization: 9\10
Key features of Nikon z7
- Sensor: 45.7 MP FX BSI Sensor, 4.35µ pixel size
- Sensor Size: 35.9 x 23.9mm
- Resolution: 8256 x 5504
- Native ISO Sensitivity: 64-25,600
- Boost ISO Sensitivity: 32, 51,200-102,400
- In-Body Image Stabilization: 5-Axis
- RAW Formats: 45.7 MP (RAW), 25.6 MP (mRAW), 11.4 MP (sRAW)
- Processor: EXPEED 6
- Dust Reduction: Yes
- Weather Sealing/Protection: Yes
- Body Build: Full Magnesium Alloy
- Shutter: 1/8000 – 30 seconds
- Shutter Durability: 200,000 cycles, self-diagnostic shutter
- Storage: 1x XQD slot
- Viewfinder: 3.69 Million Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Coverage: 100%
- Viewfinder Magnification: 0.8x
- Speed: 9 FPS (JPEG or 12-bit compressed RAW), 8 FPS (14-bit RAW)
- Built-in Flash: No
- Autofocus System: Hybrid PDAF, 493 Focus Points
- AF Sensitivity Range: -1 to +19 EV (-4 to +19 EV with low-light AF)
- LCD Screen: Touch-enabled 3.2″ Tilting LCD with 2.1 Million Dots
- Slow Motion HD Video: Yes
- Movie Modes: 4K UHD @ 30 fps max
- Movie Output: MOV, MP4
- Movie Video Compression: H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
- HDMI Output: 10-bit 4:2:2 N-Log
- Silent Photography Mode: Yes
- Intervalometer: Yes
- Focus Stacking: Yes
- In-Camera HDR Capability: Yes
- GPS: No
- WiFi: Built-in
- Bluetooth: Built-in
- Battery Type: EN-EN15b
- Battery Life: 330 shots (CIPA)
- USB Standard: Type-C 3.1
- Weather Sealing: Yes
- Weight: 675 g (1.49 lbs) with battery and card5
- 134 x 100.5 x 67.5mm (5.3 x 4.0 x 2.7″)
- Price: $3,399.95
In terms of image or video quality, I don't see any meaningful differences between the Z7 and the Z7 II. Nikon's 45MP full-frame sensor is still arguably the state of the art for high pixel count sensors.
Many of the smaller things that were changed were also supposed to be done in the firmware update for the Z7 but didn't happen, probably so that Z7 users would consider upgrading.
Yes, the most obvious changes "fix" a few things that many Z7 users have complained about, but to me, it feels like less of an upgrade to the Z7 II than the Z6 II, partly because people tend to use these cameras for different tasks. .
As I write this, the original Z7 is still available and there is a $600 price difference between the Z7 and the Z7 II. Most of you may be asking this question: are the changes worth it?
BEFORE
AFTER
My answer is no and yes, in that order. I didn't find myself, particularly appreciating (or in many cases not using) these changes. They fall into the category I would call "okay nice but it doesn't make a difference to me". I could do without those things, so no, the changes aren't worth it. I wrote the same thing in my review of the Z6 II, but I feel like it's even more so with the Z7 II. If you're using the Z7 II for landscape work, for example, very few changes have any real meaningful impact on your images.
Yes part of my primary answer only has to do with three things, so I would suggest that if you don't really care, read my review of the Z7 and consider this version of the camera. What are these three items?
BEFORE
AFTER
Buffer performance. If you're running the camera at the highest frame rate and filling the buffer, the Z7 II is simply better. It's not that the Z7 has a particularly restrictive buffer, it's that the Z7 II has a large enough buffer that you can generally ignore buffer limitations. But realistically, how many Z7 users are pushing their buffer limits? I was not.
Focus on performance. Yes, the focus performance of the Z7 II is better. It's a little faster to focus, a little better to track focus, a little better in low light, and the Z7 II clearly detects faces and eyes at longer distances. However, faster focusing is a difficult benefit to quantify. That said, it's a noticeable enough difference that it will make sense to people shooting action with the Z7 II. In addition, the addition of AF Area "human/animal" modes partially solves the problem with the fast switching of the focus system.
USB power supply. The Z7 II can stay powered via USB or charge the in-camera battery. I find both things useful at different times.
Now, a dual slot or vertical grip could answer your question, but the former will cause camera complications and the latter will cause additional costs.
BEFORE
AFTER
So to many of you reading this review, I've probably already given a short answer. Now let's get to the full review. As before, my review will look a lot like the previous review (but with modifications where new features/processing/performance come into play). This is because Nikon has produced five cameras (Z5, Z6, Z6 II, Z7, Z7 II) that are all very similar in capabilities. These cameras have more in common than different. And to be consistent, I try to use the same exact wording and phrasing across multiple reviews when the features and performance are the same.
The Z7 II, like the Z7 before it, is very much from the DSLR line, especially the D850, which seems to have served as the primary basis for the Z line. The Z7 II also shares accessories with the DSLR line. Unlike the Nikon 1, the Z series is almost fully integrated into older Nikon SLRs/DSLRs.
The Z7 II is a 45MP full frame (36x24mm) mirrorless camera. The image sensor itself is the same as the Z7 and appears to be similar to the one used in the Nikon D850. It is an Exmor type BSI (backside illumination) design with the addition of phase detection photosite masking built into the microlens layer. Base ISO is 64, with a directly selectable range up to 25,600 (expandable with the HI setting to the equivalent of 102,400 and with the LO setting up to ISO 32).
The Z7 II sensor measures a little differently than the Z7 sensor in one thing: a fixed noise pattern. Nikon seems to have caught their error in the focus pixel rows and corrected their calculation. All other measurements I took between the Z7 and Z7 II were within sample error.
BEFORE
AFTER
We don't have a low-pass (AA) filter on top of the Z7 II's image sensor, which means that moiré and, to some extent, noise can create small detail-level artifacts. On the other hand, the lack of AA also tends to create what some consider visually useful spurious detail outside of the Nyquist frequency. A sharp lens like the 14-24mm f/2.8 S produces incredibly textured detail when working in landscape.
The Z-mount that the Z7 II uses for lenses features the smallest flange distance yet from the main competitors (16mm compared to the more typical 18-20mm). Coupled with a very wide 52mm throat opening (compared to the Sony's narrow 43.6mm), Nikon can (and sometimes does) place larger lens elements closer to the sensor than anyone else with a full frame camera. This allows Nikon engineers to consider new optical designs where the entrance and exit pupils of the optical path have more flexibility. Nowhere do I see this coming into play more than with a few Z Nikkors mounted on the Z7 II. In fact, I tend to prefer the results from my Z7 II (at 45mp) to my Sony A7R Mark IV (at 60mp).
BEFORE
AFTER
Nikon kept the lens release button in its usual position on DSLRs, and Z-mount lenses rotate onto the Z7 II camera body in exactly the same way that F-mount lenses rotate on Nikon DSLRs. Which means backwards for some ;~). Still, it's the level of detail and consideration that any Nikon DSLR user would want Nikon to put into mirrorless cameras that complement DSLRs. The zoom and focus rings also work in Z-dom as they do in D-dom: zoom in by turning to the right (over the top of the lens), zoom out to the left.
BEFORE
AFTER
