Thoughts on the Nikon Z6
Before you read on, know that I really like this camera and that it’s very likely that one day, it will become part of my kit. But not this day.
My very first digital camera was a mirrorless, and I came to enjoy it’s light weight and compact size. Unfortunately it was slow to focus, had a limited ISO range, and no manual focus. At the time, it was classified as a “Bridge” camera. But, like all point and shoot, compact, bridge and superzoom cameras, it was indeed a mirrorless camera.
Fast forward to today, when mirrorless cameras have evolved to having half-frame and full-frame sensors, phase-detection focus right on the sensor, incredible ISO range and interchangeable lenses with manual focus capability. But while much has changed, the form factor itself more closely resembles a point and shoot as opposed to the fully mature DSLR.
The Nikon Z6 definitely gives a nod to the DSLR, but most of those great controls I’ve come to know and love have been condensed into a touch screen, point-and-shoot style. When I think of the Z6 I think of a very capable “superzoom” camera with an interchangeable lens. And a larger sensor. But, missing a built-in flash.
That last point is a real stickler. I need a built-in flash solution, which many DSLRs accommodate. While it’s not great as a primary light source, its use as fill flash can make or break a photo. By omitting the flash, Nikon doesn’t instantly make the Z6 or any single-digit body “professional grade”. It’s not an evolution of the DSLR as was the pellicle mirror, it’s an evolution of the point-and-shoot. And a devolution of the DSLR.
That said, I would be a happy owner of the Z6. I love to shoot with vintage, non-native glass, and do so quite regularly with my full frame DSLR. But with the Z6, I can do it without the necessary corrective optics to achieve infinity focus. It is a universal body. The Z6 will inevitably become legendary as the go-to camera for infrared, ultra-violet or full spectrum conversion, because as lens adapters become available it will be able to shoot with any glass, infinity focus included. (Yes, Canon users, that means that it will be able to shoot with all of your Canon glass.) I don’t see myself converting a new Z6—that would be a kind of sacrilege—but I could definitely see myself picking up a used one and converting that in the not-too-distant future.
Yes, Nikon definitely got it right with the Mirrorless, full frame Z series. But while it’s not a replacement for your DSLR it can be a valuable companion to it, whatever you shoot with.
