Nikon Z* mirrorless

I'm looking to get a Z6II. A few questions and queries please.

1, I'm a bit confused about the Card options.
If I go for the CFexpress will it work in the camera straight out of the box?
I've read somewhere that you have to get an XQD Card and then download something to it to get the Z6ii to work with a CFX Card.

Yes the Z6ii is compatible with CF Express out the box. It's only early versions of Z6 firmware you have to upgrade with an XQD

2, Will the Camera come with the latest firmware or will I have to download this too.

You will have to update, I doubt any in the supply chain have V1.1.0 on them. But depending on where you buy it the shop may be willing to update it for you before sending out.

3, Recommendations for a cheap but reliable Card Reader for the CFX and/or XQD.

I use one off amazon for CFExpress, was a fairly cheap one but it's a metal case and feels solid.

4, Recommendations for a decent L Bracket.
I'll be upgrading my Tripod to something Arca compatible. I understand most or all L Brackets have Arca style fittings ?

5, I assumed Lens Corrections would be 'built in' but I saw a Jared P YouTube saying that the corrections are done by a Nikon arrangement Adobe PS. Is that the case? I don't use PS.

Some lens corrections are done by the camera I think

Thanks
 
I'm looking to get a Z6II. A few questions and queries please.

1, I'm a bit confused about the Card options.
If I go for the CFexpress will it work in the camera straight out of the box?
I've read somewhere that you have to get an XQD Card and then download something to it to get the Z6ii to work with a CFX Card.

As far as I know CFexpress should work straight out of the box with the Z6ii as it was released well after the firmware was available for the use of CFexpress on the Z6

2, Will the Camera come with the latest firmware or will I have to download this too.

I imagine you will need to upgrade the firmware, but it's easy to do whatever the media you decide to use on the Z6ii

3, Recommendations for a cheap but reliable Card Reader for the CFX and/or XQD.

XQD is cheaper than CFexpress, although with the additional SD card you could live with that for a period of time. Sony XQD readers are good, however I haven't had good experience with the CFexpress card readers - I ended up having to go for the more expensive ProGrade reader due to compatibility issues the the other manufacturers readers and my MacBook Pro 13" 2020

4, Recommendations for a decent L Bracket.
I'll be upgrading my Tripod to something Arca compatible. I understand most or all L Brackets have Arca style fittings ?

Not any experience there

5, I assumed Lens Corrections would be 'built in' but I saw a Jared P YouTube saying that the corrections are done by a Nikon arrangement Adobe PS. Is that the case? I don't use PS.

What do you use, I assume more PP software have lens profiles for RAW files.

Thanks
 
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I'm looking to get a Z6II. A few questions and queries please.

1, I'm a bit confused about the Card options.
If I go for the CFexpress will it work in the camera straight out of the box?
I've read somewhere that you have to get an XQD Card and then download something to it to get the Z6ii to work with a CFX Card.

2, Will the Camera come with the latest firmware or will I have to download this too.

3, Recommendations for a cheap but reliable Card Reader for the CFX and/or XQD.

4, Recommendations for a decent L Bracket.
I'll be upgrading my Tripod to something Arca compatible. I understand most or all L Brackets have Arca style fittings ?

5, I assumed Lens Corrections would be 'built in' but I saw a Jared P YouTube saying that the corrections are done by a Nikon arrangement Adobe PS. Is that the case? I don't use PS.

Thanks
1. Z6II works with CFexpress straight out of the box. The original Z6 only used XQD until they released a firmware to allow the use of CFexpress later in it's life, this meant that anyone wanting to use the original Z6 with CFexpress, that they needed to put the firmware on a XQD card to update the firmware for use with CFexpress.
2. It's unlikely to have the latest firmware as they have just released a new one only a couple of weeks ago, but it's very easy to update.
3. I still use XQD cards in my Z6 and Z7II and use a Sony XQD+SD card reader, but this won't read CFexpress cards (the reason why I'm still on XQD)
4. I use a cheap L bracket with Arca mount, it's a cheap Chinese knock off but I only use it to add more height to the body so my wee pinky has something to grip too.
5. The lens corrections are "baked" in now so the camera corrects for vignette, CA .etc upon opening them in Photoshop/Lightroom and others. These can be switched off to be corrected at a later date manually if needed.
 
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Well I've gone and ordered it. Last day at work today, and a contribution from my colleagues. A z5 with a kit lens from Panamoz. A 24-70 f4 lens from e-infinity. The 24-50 kit lens will be going for sale unused when it arrives. Can't wait.........

The z5 is here - tookDuff House 78.jpgDuff House 57.jpg some test shots today. I still have to learn how to use it however...................
 
Hi all,
Stumbled into this thread, now I’m considering picking up a Z6ii....

I already own a D750, and a couple of Tamron 2.8 zooms, which I now only really use for my occasional paid work. I’ve been using Fuji X series exclusively for any personal photography for quite a while now (they’re a joy to use). I held off moving to the Z series initially, as it seemed compromised (particularly regarding lack of grip, and lack of 2nd card slot), but that all seems to be resolved with the Z6ii...

I was considering other brands for my “workhorse” full-frame camera, but it seems most logical to stay with Nikon, given I already have some decent glass - and was very happy with the d750 overall as a camera.

I was wondering if anyone have much first hand experience of converting 3rd party glass to the z6 or z6ii and comment on what its like for things like AF, and general usability? I have the Tamron 24-70 G2, and the 70-200 2nd Gen (not the face-lift G2 variant though) - and whilst I would most likely replace them with Z mount equivalents, they will hopefully do for the time being, if I pick up the FTZ adaptor.... and it will also help keep the cost of admission down.

Regarding accessories, am I right in thinking the older en-el15 batteries (e.g. d750 varient) are still compatible?

Finally, will I find that Nikon compatible accessories (e.g. Godox flash triggers etc) should all generally work, as they do with the D750 (e.g. I assume the hot shoe connection is still essentially the same as before).

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to discussing further :)
 
Regarding accessories, am I right in thinking the older en-el15 batteries (e.g. d750 varient) are still compatible?

Finally, will I find that Nikon compatible accessories (e.g. Godox flash triggers etc) should all generally work, as they do with the D750 (e.g. I assume the hot shoe connection is still essentially the same as before).

I don't have xperience of 3rd party glass but can answer these two. IF you EN-EL15 are genuine Nikon ones, you'll have no issues, but the Z6ii won't use any 3rd party or fake batteries. THere was talk of a specific 3rd party variant that does work but I think they are new and couldn't find them in the UK. I am using originals and they all work perfectly.

The Godox flashes and triggers work perfectly but you might need to update the FW in them, I did on my V1.
 
Hi all,
Stumbled into this thread, now I’m considering picking up a Z6ii....

I already own a D750, and a couple of Tamron 2.8 zooms, which I now only really use for my occasional paid work. I’ve been using Fuji X series exclusively for any personal photography for quite a while now (they’re a joy to use). I held off moving to the Z series initially, as it seemed compromised (particularly regarding lack of grip, and lack of 2nd card slot), but that all seems to be resolved with the Z6ii...

I was considering other brands for my “workhorse” full-frame camera, but it seems most logical to stay with Nikon, given I already have some decent glass - and was very happy with the d750 overall as a camera.

I was wondering if anyone have much first hand experience of converting 3rd party glass to the z6 or z6ii and comment on what its like for things like AF, and general usability? I have the Tamron 24-70 G2, and the 70-200 2nd Gen (not the face-lift G2 variant though) - and whilst I would most likely replace them with Z mount equivalents, they will hopefully do for the time being, if I pick up the FTZ adaptor.... and it will also help keep the cost of admission down.

Regarding accessories, am I right in thinking the older en-el15 batteries (e.g. d750 varient) are still compatible?

Finally, will I find that Nikon compatible accessories (e.g. Godox flash triggers etc) should all generally work, as they do with the D750 (e.g. I assume the hot shoe connection is still essentially the same as before).

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to discussing further :)
The F mounts will work fine with a Z6ii and FTZ ,you may find that they are a little sharper than on the D750 (Thats if your D750 is not that sharp)
The Z6ii is compatible with Godox but which one I am not too sure of and may require a firmware update, Nikon has made changes so not all non Nikon flashes work. Obviously perfect with Nikon flashes though.
The batteries EN-EL a,b & c will all work fine across the D750 and Z6ii but only the "c" batteries will charge via the USB "C" port and they are grey in colour to help you notice the difference.
 
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Just in case anyone is interested in my views after test driving the Canon R5 I posted my thoughts after spending a weekend with the R5 on my blog https://bokehballs.co.uk/?p=1

In summary though I decided to stick with Nikon, and in fact have now sold my Z6ii and now own a Z7ii.
I skimmed through and noticed there is no mention that the Canon is £1200 more expensive in the UK than the Z7II, which is a big difference when comparing like for like.
 
I skimmed through and noticed there is no mention that the Canon is £1200 more expensive in the UK than the Z7II, which is a big difference when comparing like for like.

It is mentioned, however IMO it's not really as relevant as it seems, because if you use cost as a metric you could argue the Z7ii should be better than the R6. But in the places the R5 is better ( mainly AF ) so is the R6.
 
It is mentioned, however IMO it's not really as relevant as it seems, because if you use cost as a metric you could argue the Z7ii should be better than the R6. But in the places the R5 is better ( mainly AF ) so is the R6.
The Z7II isn't really comparable to the much more expensive R5, as price is a very relevant factor when comparing like for like.
The R6 is cheaper than the Z7II, closer in price to the Z6II and with even less megapixels than either of them so it can't really be compared to the Z7II.
There's clearly another camera for Nikon to price in the R5 range and as expected it would be better than the Z7II.
I want A9II/A1 performance, from the Z7II at it's same £2999 price but we all know you get more for your money (normally).
 
The Z7II isn't really comparable to the much more expensive R5, as price is a very relevant factor when comparing like for like.
The R6 is cheaper than the Z7II, closer in price to the Z6II and with even less megapixels than either of them so it can't really be compared to the Z7II.
There's clearly another camera for Nikon to price in the R5 range and as expected it would be better than the Z7II.
I want A9II/A1 performance, from the Z7II at it's same £2999 price but we all know you get more for your money (normally).

You can absolutely compare them on the things I was comparing though. You're very clearly paying for features the Z7ii doesn't have, 8k video, huge buffer and much faster shooting speed. But the basics of autofocus, image quality, ergonomics etc I'd argue you can compare directly. I was comparing the things that are important to me, as I said in the write up, others may have different views because they have different priorities, and there is nothing wrong with that.
 
I would check as some of the Tamron lenses had issues but I think they can be resolved via an update to the lens.

The D750 batteries work fine as I've some very old EN-EL15 batteries that work as expected.

The Godox stuff will work fine too as it's all got the same hotshoe mount.
Thanks very much for sharing the link. So it looks like my 24-70 will be fine, I also own the tap on console, so can update firmware if needed.

However, it looks like my older 70-200 will only work with manual focus, as the firmware can’t be flashed. That’s understandable, but a little disappointing, as an upgrade to the Nikon version is a big outlay up front, albeit inevitable at some point.

thanks!
 
The F mounts will work fine with a Z6ii and FTZ ,you may find that they are a little sharper than on the D750 (Thats if your D750 is not that sharp)
The Z6ii is compatible with Godox but which one I am not too sure of and may require a firmware update, Nikon has made changes so not all non Nikon flashes work. Obviously perfect with Nikon flashes though.
The batteries EN-EL a,b & c will all work fine across the D750 and Z6ii but only the "c" batteries will charge via the USB "C" port and they are grey in colour to help you notice the difference.
Thanks for this. I think my godox stuff is all user updatable via USB, so hopefully I would be ok here.
 
I don't have xperience of 3rd party glass but can answer these two. IF you EN-EL15 are genuine Nikon ones, you'll have no issues, but the Z6ii won't use any 3rd party or fake batteries. THere was talk of a specific 3rd party variant that does work but I think they are new and couldn't find them in the UK. I am using originals and they all work perfectly.

The Godox flashes and triggers work perfectly but you might need to update the FW in them, I did on my V1.
Thanks very much - yes I think all my batteries are original Nikon ones so hopefully all fine, apart from not supporting in-body charge via USB...
 
You can absolutely compare them on the things I was comparing though. You're very clearly paying for features the Z7ii doesn't have, 8k video, huge buffer and much faster shooting speed. But the basics of autofocus, image quality, ergonomics etc I'd argue you can compare directly. I was comparing the things that are important to me, as I said in the write up, others may have different views because they have different priorities, and there is nothing wrong with that.
You're right you can compare them, anyone can compare anything to something else.

What I'm trying to say is that because they're in a different price category to each other, the specification of the cheaper camera isn't going to compete fairly with the more expensive camera.
You state that the autofocus is perfectly comparable, but I disagree as with more expensive cameras you get better autofocus. The R5 although very similar to the R6, claims to have the fastest autofocus of any Canon camera.

As it stands both are the top mirrorless camera from each manufacturer but ultimately not in the same category.
 
You're right you can compare them, anyone can compare anything to something else.

What I'm trying to say is that because they're in a different price category to each other, the specification of the cheaper camera isn't going to compete fairly with the more expensive camera.
You state that the autofocus is perfectly comparable, but I disagree as with more expensive cameras you get better autofocus. The R5 although very similar to the R6, claims to have the fastest autofocus of any Canon camera.

As it stands both are the top mirrorless camera from each manufacturer but ultimately not in the same category.

well we will just have to agree to disagree there.
 
You can absolutely compare them on the things I was comparing though. You're very clearly paying for features the Z7ii doesn't have, 8k video, huge buffer and much faster shooting speed. But the basics of autofocus, image quality, ergonomics etc I'd argue you can compare directly. I was comparing the things that are important to me, as I said in the write up, others may have different views because they have different priorities, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Yes I agree,
Price shouldn't influence comparisons at all.

Price is a factor that a buyer can consider when making their purchasing decision.
This used to drive me mad when buying AV stuff etc. Mags would repeatedly put adequate cheaper stuff higher in their rankings than better stuff just because it was more expensive.
 
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I must admit I'm very impressed with the EVF.

I had a entry-level DSLR, a d3300, so I don't have a decent OVF to compare it with, but I was out today for some more practising with the z5 in bright sunlight and the viewfinder was a revelation.
 
I'm just wondering if by any chance anyone had used one of the old Nikon 80-200 f2.8 lenses on a Z camera, esp. the 6. I'm not looking for AF but am curious about IQ with these sensors. They're pretty cheap these days (I am eyeing one at around £260) and although I certainly wouldn't take it for travel -- I have the 70-300 AF-P for general purpose --, it could provide some nice options for landscapes or longer portraits. Interested in rendering, sharpness and bokeh qualities.
 
Haven’t used one myself but am also thinking of getting one for my Z6 and d500 (AF)

Ken Rockwell has a good summary of the variants




The older, pre 1997 version is a push pull and doesn’t take a tripod mount if that matters.

The IQ will be the same on a Z6 as on a D750 ( and same on a Z7 and a D850 ) s you can just use those dslrs as references.

Don’t expect edge to edge sharpness.

For the money they look pretty decent to me. Might be tricky getting a good one - they had a lot of use by professional photographers in their day.
 
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thanks for the advice. I've seen a few reviews including the Rockwell summaries but not much about any specifics for Z users. I guess the D750 sensor is pretty similar (though not backlit if I remember correctly so probably slightly slightly weaker at high ISO) and will keep researching.
 
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I'm just wondering if by any chance anyone had used one of the old Nikon 80-200 f2.8 lenses on a Z camera, esp. the 6. I'm not looking for AF but am curious about IQ with these sensors. They're pretty cheap these days (I am eyeing one at around £260) and although I certainly wouldn't take it for travel -- I have the 70-300 AF-P for general purpose --, it could provide some nice options for landscapes or longer portraits. Interested in rendering, sharpness and bokeh qualities.

Haven't used one on a Z (yet) but I owned the 80-200mm 2.8 AF-S version for years (5th one down on the Ken Rockwell list) and bang for buck (think I paid £400 about 10 years ago) it's by far the best lens I ever owned. It was super quick on my D50 and then D90, so I am keen to get hold of one for my Z5 at some point.

It's pretty rare compared to the AF-D versions but for me at least focus speed was basically up there with the newer 70-200 2.8s, £300ish seems to be the going rate.
 
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Setting up my new Z5 and I'm a bit confused by the silent shooting option. I hop between the electronic shutter and regular shutter quite a bit during a wedding day so on my old Sony a7RII (and III) I had that toggle assigned to a function button.

Oddly, Silent Photography doesn't appear under the options for either of the Fn buttons.

Am I missing something? Surely I don't have to dive into the menus each time I want to use it?
 
Setting up my new Z5 and I'm a bit confused by the silent shooting option. I hop between the electronic shutter and regular shutter quite a bit during a wedding day so on my old Sony a7RII (and III) I had that toggle assigned to a function button.

Oddly, Silent Photography doesn't appear under the options for either of the Fn buttons.

Am I missing something? Surely I don't have to dive into the menus each time I want to use it?

Okay - I'm a newbie, and have just got my z5 but here are a couple of thoughts.

One of the options for the Fn buttons is to use the top item from 'my menu' Can you add the silent function to 'my menu' and put it top?

Are you using the U1, U2 and U3 profiles? You could set the ordinary camera settings for regular shutter, set up U1 for electronic shutter and switch between the two?
 
Are you using the U1, U2 and U3 profiles? You could set the ordinary camera settings for regular shutter, set up U1 for electronic shutter and switch between the two?

Ah that's a great shout, I will set up two identical profiles and just change the second one to silent shooting, in fact that will be even quicker than the function button.
 
Haven't used one on a Z (yet) but I owned the 80-200mm 2.8 AF-S version for years (5th one down on the Ken Rockwell list) and bang for buck (think I paid £400 about 10 years ago) it's by far the best lens I ever owned. It was super quick on my D50 and then D90, so I am keen to get hold of one for my Z5 at some point.

It's pretty rare compared to the AF-D versions but for me at least focus speed was basically up there with the newer 70-200 2.8s, £300ish seems to be the going rate.

that AF-S version does indeed seem less common and has a different optical construction. Anyway, I just bought the second gen. push-pull D version in a local shop for the equivalent of £265 with one year warranty. Initial impressions are that the rendering, detail and bokeh are all superb and I'm almost there with reliable MF though a few more tests will be needed to perfect my technique with this lens. AF should be serviceable if a D lens adaptor is ever made (that's my second D lens so I'd certainly find it useful).

Anyway, I can already tell it's looking like by far the best telezoom I've owned -- the pro versions have always been beyond my budget and I've not been keen on the weight but it wasn't too bad walking around this morning.
 
Well I've gone and ordered it. Last day at work today, and a contribution from my colleagues. A z5 with a kit lens from Panamoz. A 24-70 f4 lens from e-infinity. The 24-50 kit lens will be going for sale unused when it arrives. Can't wait.........


My 24-70 lens arrived yesterday. I'm in the middle of a house sale and haven't had an opportunity to try it, but it is a very different beast from the 24-50. It is bigger and heavier, with a manual / auto switch. It is also designated as an 'S' lens, which the 24-50 isn't.

As the camera arrived a week before the lens I didn't manage to restrain myself and keep the 24-50 unused. I don't expect it will make much difference selling it between 'unused' and a few days 'light use.'
 
The 24-70 is a cracking lens - I only sold mine to fund a 24-200, which feels incredibly similar but obviously with the extra reach.
 
The 24-70 is a cracking lens - I only sold mine to fund a 24-200, which feels incredibly similar but obviously with the extra reach.

I really like my 24-70. Nice and sharp and lovely images.

But...

... I’m so tempted to ditch it and the adapted 70-300 I use and replace them with the 14-30 and the 24-200. Weight is a real consideration for me and a two lens set-up would be great. The two lenses I’ve mentioned would do all I need. I could just add the 14-30 to what I’ve already got but it’s three lenses then. :(

Do you find the IQ from the 24-200 compares well with the 24-70, Chris?
 
my standard setup for travel is the 24-70 and 70-300 AF-P. The weight and IQ of this combo is fine. As I'm a big fan of selective focus effects, I got the 50mm f1.2 AIS and just now the 80-200 f2.8D. There is always a temptation to go 14-30 + 50 + 70-300 for travel as this sort of thing I have used in the past but I decided on the Irix 15mm for UWA as it was well under half the price of the Nikon and more than a stop faster. But for a holiday, I can mostly leave the 15mm at home unless I know that such a focal length is essential for what I'm wanting to photograph.

Also interested in the 24-200 though my suspicion is it might be really just a bit too slow. But Chris will comment further.
 
I’d say the IQ is almost indistinguishable from the 24-70 - I’m not a pixel-peeper though! It must (logically) be softer at 200mm, but not to a level that I ever notice. Obviously you have to deal with f/6.3 at the long end, which may or may not work for you, but the iso performance on modern cameras is so good that I don’t find it to be an issue.

A 14-30 and the 24-200 would be my go-to general purpose combo if I can ever pull the trigger on the former (still waiting for something half the price to come along as I don’t use UWAs that much). I’ve also got a couple of fast primes and a 150-600 for more specialist low-light or wildlife stuff!

I haven’t put anything on Flickr for ages, but here’s one of a flower bed at 200mm with only very minimal tweaking:

DSC_2687e by Chris Willetts, on Flickr


I’ll try and dig some others out when I have a chance!
 
...... I decided on the Irix 15mm for UWA as it was well under half the price of the Nikon and more than a stop faster. But for a holiday, I can mostly leave the 15mm at home unless I know that such a focal length is essential for what I'm wanting to photograph.

Also interested in the 24-200 though my suspicion is it might be really just a bit too slow. But Chris will comment further.
........14-30 and the 24-200 would be my go-to general purpose combo if I can ever pull the trigger on the former (still waiting for something half the price to come along as I don’t use UWAs that much). I’ve also got a couple of fast primes....

Cheers both. I don’t find I need to shoot wider than 24mm very often but it’s a pain when you just need, say, 20mm or so. The 14-30 is very expensive for a lens that would get minimal use. I’m tempted by a secondhand 20mm prime or thereabouts. If I did buy the 14-30 it would be just my luck for Sigma or Tamron to jump on the Z-train with something half the price the week after.

Re. the 24-200, I’ll probably give in at some point. Everytime I think ‘to hell with it‘ and decide to buy it’s out of stock everywhere.
 
Cheers both. I don’t find I need to shoot wider than 24mm very often but it’s a pain when you just need, say, 20mm or so. The 14-30 is very expensive for a lens that would get minimal use. I’m tempted by a secondhand 20mm prime or thereabouts. If I did buy the 14-30 it would be just my luck for Sigma or Tamron to jump on the Z-train with something half the price the week after.

Re. the 24-200, I’ll probably give in at some point. Everytime I think ‘to hell with it‘ and decide to buy it’s out of stock everywhere.
Given your lack of need for an expensive option would you consider an adapted lens? If so then have a look at the tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4. I have one for my D750 and have been over the moon with it since i bought it. Doesn't weigh much at all, excellent image quality and can be bought new for 469 from wex now. I bought mine when it was 649 and i thought it was excellent value at that price.
 
Given your lack of need for an expensive option would you consider an adapted lens? If so then have a look at the tamron 17-35 f/2.8-4. I have one for my D750 and have been over the moon with it since i bought it. Doesn't weigh much at all, excellent image quality and can be bought new for 469 from wex now. I bought mine when it was 649 and i thought it was excellent value at that price.
that's what StephenL went for and seemed pretty happy with the IQ but he's now sadly departed to pastures SONY
 
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