Nikon Z7

Nikon Z7: full review

There were several rumors, previews and spoilers on the new mirrorless by Nikon, launched after the 2011 commercial fiasco. Nikon 1 series – this was the name of the first mirrorless attempt of the Japanese company – never gained a foothold in the market, neither with the most advanced models, nor with the cheaper selection.

With Nikon Z7, and its cheaper version Z6, a “before and after” happened. And for once, the expectations were repaid by a very high-quality product and I think that this camera, so much discussed before its launch, is not a bluff at all, on the contrary. So, after the misstep with Nikon 1, Nikon Z7 is at the center of a launch in style, supported by a less powerful model (Z6), by several lenses and by adapter for reflex lenses.

The greatest novelty of Nikon Z7 is the Z-mount optical system, with 55 millimeters diameter, 11 more than the mount of reflex, and a reduction of the distance between the mount and the sensors. Obviously such a system allows more light on the frame, therefore large aperture settings.

Having personally tested the camera, I can give you some advice: using the Z series, be careful in attaching the lens to the bayonet for the first time. You’ll risk to touch the sensor while doing it.

The camera body of Nikon Z7

Excellent feelings I had holding Nikon Z7 for the first time. The weight is right, it’s quite easy to handle, the structure is solid being made of magnesium alloy. The grip is absolutely not bad, tropicalization as well.

If you come from a reflex, of course, you’ll feel the difference of weight and size of the camera body. But in the end, what seems a flaw is actually a quality. And you’ll see that habits…are just habits. When I held Nikon Z7 I missed the important weight of my reflex cameras, their considerable size. But it took me a couple of minutes to get acquainted to a very comfortable grip and two rings. And the buttons are very well-placed, the ergonomics has been studied well.

Aesthetically, Nikon Z7 is very minimal, so nothing new according to the same sobriety that Nikon gives to all its reflex lines.

The jointed display, sadly only vertically, isn’t the best, while the 3.69 million dots viewfinder is definitely a plus, if compared with the mirrorless of the same range as Nikon Z7.

From such a camera, finally, I would expect two slots for XQD cards, but there aren’t. A small step backwards compared to the other reflex cameras by Nikon.

Taking pictures with Z7

Does a mirrorless with more than 45 megapixels resolution and 32-102,400 ISO range need very few words of presentation in terms of technical features? Besides, testing it, I realized that the great expectations on the big time return of Nikon into the mirrorless segment were well-founded, starting from the grip and the weight of the camera body.

675 grams are my personal perfect weight according to my hands sensitivity. Not too light – so no annoying “toy effect” – nor too heavy to put you off taking pictures.

Same thing goes for the ergonomics of Nikon Z7, which does not regret the best reflex cameras in terms of commands and buttons accessibility. The grip is not the best but, also in this case, I think it’s due to habits winning over reason. The switch from photos to video is excellent, thanks to the lever in a corner of the display, easily reachable with the thumb.

The viewfinder is up to the rest, as well as the “intuitive” autofocus, which seemed to me very fluid and devoid of annoying twitches. To be short, Nikon Z7 lives up to the expectations that preceded it. Also video recording is good, with a real, vibrant and detail-rich 4K.

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D850: the quality of the images

Compared to the images of reflex D850, which I think is the closest model to this mirrorless, the images of Nikon Z7 are not that different. Never saturated, highly detailed, they have the natural colors of the best cameras by Nikon. With the 1600-6400 ISO range we’re close to perfection; obviously, after 12,800 it’s a whole different thing but we’re still at very high quality levels. I didn’t notice big gaps in the color range as well, compared to D850.

Going head to head, the two Nikon cameras are even on price – both price lists around 3,500 euros. About the weight, Nikon Z7 wins with almost 4 hg less than D850, while about ISO, sensor and LCD display they’re on the same level. Nikon Z7, finally, has better burst mode (9 vs. 7 fps) and 493 points autofocus, against 151 points of Nikon D850.

That said, in my opinion, between the two models the technical features are not as crucial as the big weight difference in favor of Z7. Of course, if you like sports or wildlife photography, Nikon D5 or D850 are still unrivaled, but maybe it makes more sense to compare Z7 with the mirrorless models by Canon.

EOS R, for instance, is much cheaper and weighs almost the same. Resolution (30 mp) is lower and burst mode takes 5 instead of 9 fps. Canon, though, has better Autofocus, with 5655 areas.