Nikon Mirrorless

[Lance B]

Picked up my Z7 kit on Wednesday afternoon late and have really had little time to take photos. The kit is thr Z7 + 24-70 f4s and FTZ adaptor. All I have been able to do so far is to set the camera up similarly to how my D850 is set up and play with the AF with the native 24-70 f4s lens and a few of the F mount lenses with the FTZ adaptor. The AF speed is very good, probably as fast as the D810 but not like the lighting fast D850 and I never thought it would be as the D850 is simply a stunning AFing camera. However, the AF like the D810 means that it is still excellent and F mount lenses with the FTZ adaptor work just as well. I must say am very impressed with the AF, much better than I had anticipated. Build quality is excellent, it's a solid little thing and imparts confidence. The camera feels good in the hands and is comfortable to hold and operate, but still getting used to how it works. The good thing is that the menu etc are very much like all Nikons which means it is easy to navigate. The 24-70 lens is sharp, and focuses down to 300mm and thus can be almost like a macro! Overall IQ looks great and similar to the D850 as you would expect as it is similar Mp to the D850 and has the same pedigree.

For me, the Z7 is an adjunct to my D850 not a replacement as the D850 is for my birding and fast action camera. However, the Z7 could basically do everything else and all in a package that is half the weight of the D850 and still be able to use all my Nikon F mount lenses. As a travel camera and general purpose camera, it will fit the bill perfectly. A few months back I was considering a Fuji X-T2 or X-H1 and lenses as a travel alternative and to take on my recent trip to China in order to save weight and room and I asked MissionMan for his thoughts on that system, which he kindly gave some excellent advice - thank you once again, MM. However, Nikon then announced the Z7 and I decided to wait and see what they had to offer and I am glad they did as the Z7 is simply perfect for my requirements and I don't have to buy a new kit of lenses! I ended up taking the D850 and lenses to China and even though it was a heavy and large kit, it paid dividends, the results are excellent.

In a nutshell so far, the Z7 is simply a great little camera and is much better than I had anticipated and will do everything that I was hoping it could do.

[Jorge Arguello]

Well, I al glad to read you are happy with it. Enjoy it, and hope to see photos soon.

[Lance B]

A few more thoughts on my Z7 for those interested.

After just over two weeks of use, I am even more impressed by the Z7. As I stated in the previous post about the Z7, it is not a replacement for my insanely good D850 for action, the AF of which is just incredible. However, the Z7's AF is no slouch and even with all my F mount lenses they all work pretty much flawlessly. The lenses I have and thus tested are, 16-35 f4 VR, 24-70 f2.8E VR, 70-200 f2.8E FL VR, 80-400 f4.5-5.6G VR, 20 f1.8G, 24 f1.4G, 105 f2.8 Micro, 105 f1.4E, 400 f2.8E FL VR and 500 f5.6 PF. They all focus on normal subject matter on the Z7 at within about a 0-10% envelope faster or slower than on the D850. Interestingly, the 20 f1.8, 24 f1.4, 70-200, 80-400 all seem to focus a tad faster on the Z7 than on the D850! The others are about the same except the 500 f5.6 PF may be a tad slower. I think some get a little caught up in the AF speed debate and may equate the smoothness and lack of noise of the Z7 to appear as though it is slower than the less smooth and a little more noisy D850 which gives the audible signs that focus has been achieved. As there are no cross type AF sensors for the OSPDAF for the F mount lenses, you need to make sure you are focusing on something with vertical contrast in order to get quick focus and this may require a small focus recompose in some instances but generally it is never a problem. The OSCDAF using the dedicated Z mount lenses is also fast and accurate. For all but the most demanding fast moving AF applications, the Z7 handles it all very well.

The new Z mount promised to deliver exceptional IQ with the dedicated Z mount lenses due to the larger throat diameter and the very short mount to sensor distance. So far, using the 24-70 f4s and 35 f1.8s lenses it is delivering on that promise. Sharpness is amazing especially the zoom which has amazing sharpness for a zoom and even for a prime, with incredibly low CA and other aberrations - all part of the promised benefit of the new mount. The 35 f1.8s is at least as sharp wide open as the acclaimed Sigma 35 f1.4 Art wide open but is sharper across the frame as well. Stopped down, things get even better.

Output of the 46Mp sensor is similar to that of the D850 IQ. In other words, stunning. Not much to say here other than what you see with the output of the D850 is basically exactly the same as with the Z7.

IBIS, is a great benefit and in conjunction with the VR in some of the Nikon lenses gives up to 5 stops of vibration reduction depending on circumstances.

Build quality is excellent, it really feels beautifully built and solid as a rock and all the dials and button operations have a quality feel to them. Menu is similar to the D850 so, it took me no time to set up and be under way. There are a few new things that need to be learnt and new ways to achieve specific goals, but this is just part of the learning experience with a mirrorless camera. There are features that can be utilised with an EVF that you do not have on a DSLR with OVF. Things like zooming in on the VF image and what overlays can be employed on the EVF image etc. Speaking of EVF, this is one area of mirrorless I was never a fan of, but the EVF of the Z7 is simply incredible. Clear, brilliant quality, basically no jitter or lag when panning and lots of info.

The single card slot is a non issue for me as I *never* ever used the second card in my D850 for back up and only for overflow and that never occurred anyway!

Battery life is well understated by CIPA. I can easily get over 1000 photos out of a battery charge with normal use and even if I do run out, it is a simple 30 second task to swap it for a back up battery.

So, all in all I believe it is a fantastic little camera and it is way better than I had ever anticipated, especially the AF and EVF.

A variety of images from my first few weeks with the Z7:

Z7 + 400 f2.8E FL VR + 1.4x TCIII, 1/200s f/4.0 at 560.0mm iso1250



Z7 + 70-200 f2.8E FL VR, 1/100s f/4.0 at 190.0mm iso90



Z7 + 500 f5.6 PF VR, 1/200s f/5.6 at 500.0mm iso900



Z7 + 35 f1.8s, 1/320s f/8.0 at 35.0mm iso100



Z7 + 35 f1.8s, 1/250s f/2.8 at 35.0mm iso64



Z7 + 24-70 f4s, 1/160s f/8.0 at 24.0mm iso64



Z7 + 500 f5.6 PF VR, 1/250s f/5.6 at 500.0mm iso72



Z7 + 24-70 f4s, 1/500s f/8.0 at 47.0mm iso64

[Bear Dale]

Nice write up Lance on the Z7, I've been following your comments over at DPR and Fred Miranda.......little bit jealous of your new 500mm

[Lance B]

Nice write up Lance on the Z7, I've been following your comments over at DPR and Fred Miranda.......little bit jealous of your new 500mm

Yeah, that 500 PF is a little gem.

[Glenda]

Sounds amazing Lance and some excellent photos to show of its (and your) capabilities. I think I'll have to wait until its price comes down - a lot

[Mary Anne]

Glad to read you are happy with your new camera lance and enjoying it, these are wonderful images
And Thank You for Sharing.

[torro]

Hi Lance, when I first bought the d800 I didn't get many sharp photos until I improved my technique re holding camera etc. I found that over time this improved and overcame this issue. I'm wondering with the TZ 7 having a higher resolution is this going to be a major concern still. With the 5-axis in-body image stabilisation does this help. Thanks for your post re the new camera,
cheers
chris

[Lance B]

Hi Lance, when I first bought the d800 I didn't get many sharp photos until I improved my technique re holding camera etc. I found that over time this improved and overcame this issue. I'm wondering with the TZ 7 having a higher resolution is this going to be a major concern still. With the 5-axis in-body image stabilisation does this help. Thanks for your post re the new camera,
cheers
chris

Hi Chris. A couple of things with the D800. One was the less than impressive AF and two the high resolution meant that to get the most out of it, you *may* need to up your camera technique, generally shutter speed. By this I mean that when viewed at the same viewing size of a lower Mp camera, the D800 won't look any *worse*. So, if you have a 20Mp camera and the D800 comparing at say the size of a standard computer screen, then the same technique applied to both cameras will mean that the D800 shouldn't look worse for camera shake. However, if you want to be able to display the D800 at full resolution, ie pixel level, then you *may* need to up the shutter speed to ensure that you get the sharpest results more often. Either that or have better handholding techniques. However, I have found that much of the time with my D810 and now my D850 (even higher Mp of 46Mp), I still manage to get superb results even at the old 1/focal length rule of thumb, and with a VR lens, even much lower with subjects that do remain perfectly still.

The Z7 is a different beast as it does have IBIS and that helps very much with stationary subject matter. Not only that, but the AF *accuracy* seems to actually be a tad better than with a DSLR, even better than that of the D850 which has phenomenal AF tracking ability and general speed. The on sensor AF does seem to be a better bet than the old separate AF module for DSLR's. Whatever the case, IBIS is a real boon for these high Mp cameras.

Had a quick look at your Flickr images. Superb photos and some very exotic places you have visited! You now have another follower.

[torro]

Hi Lance, yes that's what I found with the d800, higher shutter speeds did help. Thought lens choice also is important. I mainly shoot with the 16-35 f4, (get sharp images and good detail). Last trip I did take the old 24-70 f2.8 to China, didn't use it much but got some decent pictures. I see the advantage of the z7, sharing lens, body stabilisation and better dynamic range. As well I can use the same batteries and charger. And a lighter body. Thanks for the encouraging comments re photos. Only downside I'll have to purchase different memory cards where did you buy yours? Enjoy your trip to China and look forward to the photos.

[Lance B]

Hi Lance, yes that's what I found with the d800, higher shutter speeds did help. Thought lens choice also is important. I mainly shoot with the 16-35 f4, (get sharp images and good detail). Last trip I did take the old 24-70 f2.8 to China, didn't use it much but got some decent pictures. I see the advantage of the z7, sharing lens, body stabilisation and better dynamic range. As well I can use the same batteries and charger. And a lighter body. Thanks for the encouraging comments re photos. Only downside I'll have to purchase different memory cards where did you buy yours? Enjoy your trip to China and look forward to the photos.

The lighter body means less angst going through airport carry on weight restrictions! I got my XQD's card from B&H. I got a Lexar 64Gb before they went AWOL and then got a Sony 64Gb G when on sale.

As for photos from China, we were in a tour group so the opportunity for those right-time-of-day-and-right-place photos were rare. Excellent quality holiday snaps more than excellent photography grade photos. However, there were a few very nice shots of this amazing country.