Panasonic GH5 vs Nikon Z6 for photos

DJ Teknovibe

DJ Teknovibe

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Richard
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I had a Panasonic GH5 and loved t but I sold it because although the video quality was excellent photo quality was just very good, I used to have a Pentax K70 before that which had WAY better image quality for photos but awful video quality. I'm wondering does anyone know if the Nikon Z6 has better image quality than the GH5 for photos? I was originally wanting the Sony A7III but with it's lack of a touch focus and low resolution viewfinder and LCD screen it put me off.
 
Yes the Z6 has better image quality it’s full frame compared to micro four thirds so it’s hardly a fair fight.

Don’t view the Sony has a low res view finder. Yes the Nikon has a better viewfinder but that doesn’t mean the Sony one is poor. Plus the Sony A7iii wins out in nearly every other category so should also be a serious contender.
 
I’d also add, look at the system as a whole. The Z6 is a great camera but native lenses are still limited.
 
The Sony A7III as far as i'm aware has better autofocus, better battery life and only has sharper more detail pictures because sharpening is higher default on RAW files, the Nikon has the AA filter which softens the photos a bit and has no RAW sharpening as standard from the reviews i've seen. Low light wise both camera have been shown to be excellent at ISO's upto 6400 and higher. The Nikon has slightly better video quality and can output 10bit 4:2:2 to an Atomos recorder whereas the Sony can only do 8bit video at best. The viewfinder is quite a bit lower resolution so images can look soft in it. Also the touchscreen on the A7III is laggy, I saw this on DP Review's review of it.
 
Both the A7iii and the Z6 will blow the G5 out of the water for stills image quality, its not really a fair comparison. It sounds like you need to get your hands on a Z6 and an A7iii and decide which you like because both are very highly regarded.
 
I figured it was a fair comparison because the GH5 is only 4.5MP less, I know the GH5 I had was terrible for noise, even at ISO1600 there was quite a bit of noise. I'd love to demo both the A7III and Z6 but there isn't a camera shop within about 80'ish miles of me that stocks them. I've looked at the DP Review er review of the A7III and compared the image quality and noise of both the A7III and Z6 on their test page where they have loads of stuff and a little square you can move around to see zoomed in image quality. From what I can see the A7III does have slightly more detail than the Z6 but also the Z6 has slightly less noise at higher ISO than the A7III. This kind of backs up what i've read on other review sites that the Z6's image is slightly softer due to more aggressive default noise reduction.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
The Sony A7III as far as i'm aware has better autofocus, better battery life and only has sharper more detail pictures because sharpening is higher default on RAW files, the Nikon has the AA filter which softens the photos a bit and has no RAW sharpening as standard from the reviews i've seen. Low light wise both camera have been shown to be excellent at ISO's upto 6400 and higher. The Nikon has slightly better video quality and can output 10bit 4:2:2 to an Atomos recorder whereas the Sony can only do 8bit video at best. The viewfinder is quite a bit lower resolution so images can look soft in it. Also the touchscreen on the A7III is laggy, I saw this on DP Review's review of it.
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Be careful about reading spec and reviews. For example my A7RIV EVF resolution is better than the Z7's, but I preferred the EVF of my Z7. With regards to the lag I'm not sure if this was fixed via firmware, maybe worth asking on the Sony thread?
DJ Teknovibe said:
I figured it was a fair comparison because the GH5 is only 4.5MP less, I know the GH5 I had was terrible for noise, even at ISO1600 there was quite a bit of noise. I'd love to demo both the A7III and Z6 but there isn't a camera shop within about 80'ish miles of me that stocks them. I've looked at the DP Review er review of the A7III and compared the image quality and noise of both the A7III and Z6 on their test page where they have loads of stuff and a little square you can move around to see zoomed in image quality. From what I can see the A7III does have slightly more detail than the Z6 but also the Z6 has slightly less noise at higher ISO than the A7III. This kind of backs up what i've read on other review sites that the Z6's image is slightly softer due to more aggressive default noise reduction.
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Don't get fooled thinking more MP means better images or vice versa. The sensor of the Panasonic captures 1/4 of the light of a FF camera and also needs to be enlarged twice as much as a FF image for viewing purposes hence why the performance a FF sensor will always be better than that of a m4/3.

Don't get too hung up on the IQ differences between the Z6 and A7III, both are superb and any differences are insignificant compared to those due to technique, light, lens etc etc.

Here's how I'd sum them up. The Nikon is nicer to use, but the Sony edges it in terms of performance and has far more native lenses to choose from.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I figured it was a fair comparison because the GH5 is only 4.5MP less, I know the GH5 I had was terrible for noise, even at ISO1600 there was quite a bit of noise. I'd love to demo both the A7III and Z6 but there isn't a camera shop within about 80'ish miles of me that stocks them. I've looked at the DP Review er review of the A7III and compared the image quality and noise of both the A7III and Z6 on their test page where they have loads of stuff and a little square you can move around to see zoomed in image quality. From what I can see the A7III does have slightly more detail than the Z6 but also the Z6 has slightly less noise at higher ISO than the A7III. This kind of backs up what i've read on other review sites that the Z6's image is slightly softer due to more aggressive default noise reduction.
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The Sony also has twin cards slots, can take a grip and has a native lens collection that completely and utterly dwarfs the Z lineup. I honestly think the Sony is in a league above the Z’s and I shoot Nikon!
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
The Sony A7III as far as i'm aware has better autofocus, better battery life and only has sharper more detail pictures because sharpening is higher default on RAW files, the Nikon has the AA filter which softens the photos a bit and has no RAW sharpening as standard from the reviews i've seen. Low light wise both camera have been shown to be excellent at ISO's upto 6400 and higher. The Nikon has slightly better video quality and can output 10bit 4:2:2 to an Atomos recorder whereas the Sony can only do 8bit video at best. The viewfinder is quite a bit lower resolution so images can look soft in it. Also the touchscreen on the A7III is laggy, I saw this on DP Review's review of it.
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I've never heard that before.

Sharpness is not something I'd worry about.
 
Brazo said:
The Sony also has twin cards slots, can take a grip and has a native lens collection that completely and utterly dwarfs the Z lineup. I honestly think the Sony is in a league above the Z’s and I shoot Nikon!
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I wouldn't say it is, the autofocus and battery life on the Sony might be better and it might be a little more detailed in the image quality but the Sony can only do 8bit video, the viewfinder is much lower resolution and after reading reviews have read that things can look pixelated in the viewfinder. It's got the same viewfinder of the A7II a six year old camera.
 
I've never seen pixilation even with my 1st generation A7 and again as with your sharpness comment on default raws have never heard this before.

You seem to be coming up with reasons not to buy the Sony so why not just stop looking at it, buy the Nikon and be happy.
 
It's not to assume anything mate, I actually would rather have the Sony A7III but a couple of sites said the viewfinder can be pixelated, DP Review said images look soft through it, it was on DP Review forums that I read a guy who tested out an A7III and the Nikon Z6 noticed in Adobe Camera Raw that the Sony A7III's default sharpening was higher, that would back up the idea that the A7III has slightly more detail and slightly more noise at high ISO than the Nikon Z6. I saw on the DP Review review page of the Nikon Z6 the levels of noise at certain ISO and selected the A7III for comparison. I could see the RAW files from the A7III were slightly noisier.
 
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I just moved to Sony and before I bought the A7 iii i'd convinced myself in my mind that the Z6 was better and what I would buy. Then I tried a Z6 alongside the Sony focussing in low light, no competition, the Sony killed it. Yes it has an EVF that could be improved a lot and at first I hated it coming from Fuji but have adjusted and it's more than usable.
 
imattersuk said:
I just moved to Sony and before I bought the A7 iii i'd convinced myself in my mind that the Z6 was better and what I would buy. Then I tried a Z6 alongside the Sony focussing in low light, no competition, the Sony killed it. Yes it has an EVF that could be improved a lot and at first I hated it coming from Fuji but have adjusted and it's more than usable.
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How exactly low resolution is the Sony A7III viewfinder? Some reviews say what you see is a bit soft, other reviews say if you zoom in it can be pixelated.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
How exactly low resolution is the Sony A7III viewfinder? Some reviews say what you see is a bit soft, other reviews say if you zoom in it can be pixelated.
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If you zoom in the Sony EVF (for example to manually focus) the resolution doesn't change, but you just about get to see individual pixels in the image. The A7III EVF is not soft, but it IS a good idea to set up dioptre adjustment to ensure it appears crisp.

Regarding the Nikon image and sharpness, any sensor with an AA filter will have reduced absolute sharpness. That's why Nikon left it off the 800e and later models.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
How exactly low resolution is the Sony A7III viewfinder? Some reviews say what you see is a bit soft, other reviews say if you zoom in it can be pixelated.
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It’s not pixelated it’s ok, not sure I’d call it soft just obviously lacks detail as it’s not as hi res as the latest models. If it was unusable I would have sent it back. Plenty of pros using them.
 
imattersuk said:
It’s not pixelated it’s ok, not sure I’d call it soft just obviously lacks detail as it’s not as hi res as the latest models. If it was unusable I would have sent it back. Plenty of pros using them.
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I think the main thing with the lack of resolution in the viewfinder, the main problem I hear is that it can be hard to manually focus when using a very wide angle lens. I can't be 100% sure which camera I want unless I test both out at a shop which I can't do because the nearest is 60 miles away and I have no transport, plus I have £1,100 credit with a shop that more than 150 miles away and so I doubt the closest shop is gonna get both the Nikon Z6 and Sony A7III out of the locked display cabinet to let me test out both cameras knowing I won't be buying either from them because I have £1,100 credit on my account with another shop much firther away.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I think the main thing with the lack of resolution in the viewfinder, the main problem I hear is that it can be hard to manually focus when using a very wide angle lens. I can't be 100% sure which camera I want unless I test both out at a shop which I can't do because the nearest is 60 miles away and I have no transport, plus I have £1,100 credit with a shop that more than 150 miles away and so I doubt the closest shop is gonna get both the Nikon Z6 and Sony A7III out of the locked display cabinet to let me test out both cameras knowing I won't be buying either from them because I have £1,100 credit on my account with another shop much firther away.
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With Sony you can assign a button to zoom in on the image, and that's what I use for manual focussing if the lens is not electronic (electronic lenses automatically zoom when you manually focus). No idea if that's possible with Nikon.

I have never found any conventional viewfinder tremendously helpful when trying to focus - it's always a best guess - but the ability to zoom in the Sony takes out the guesswork & wishful thinking of an OVF.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I think the main thing with the lack of resolution in the viewfinder, the main problem I hear is that it can be hard to manually focus when using a very wide angle lens. I can't be 100% sure which camera I want unless I test both out at a shop which I can't do because the nearest is 60 miles away and I have no transport, plus I have £1,100 credit with a shop that more than 150 miles away and so I doubt the closest shop is gonna get both the Nikon Z6 and Sony A7III out of the locked display cabinet to let me test out both cameras knowing I won't be buying either from them because I have £1,100 credit on my account with another shop much firther away.
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Call the shop with credit and tell them you want to buy one of two cameras from them but need to try them both first, you can return one of them under dsr within 14 days, just look after it.
 
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OP there’s a lot of talk about viewfinder resolution but nothing from what I’ve seen about lenses and usage. I’d look at which system looks better for you, which has the lenses you want and how expensive they are. This imo is far more important than which has the nicer EVF to look at.

Bodies come and go and no doubt you’ll ‘upgrade’ at some point, but once you’re invested in a system it can be very expensive to swap.
 
twist said:
Call the shop with credit and tell them you want to buy one of two cameras from them but need to try them both first, you can return one of them under dsr within 14 days, just look after it.
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It's Wex who have the credit on my account but i'm sure they don't send out a camera to try out.
 
snerkler said:
OP there’s a lot of talk about viewfinder resolution but nothing from what I’ve seen about lenses and usage. I’d look at which system looks better for you, which has the lenses you want and how expensive they are. This imo is far more important than which has the nicer EVF to look at.

Bodies come and go and no doubt you’ll ‘upgrade’ at some point, but once you’re invested in a system it can be very expensive to swap.
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Lens wise I adapt to what lenses are on offer I always have done, whenever I choose a camera I like then I then choose lenses I never choose lenses then a camera because i'm unlikely to stay with one manufacturer. I've had Pentax K30, Pentax K70, Nikon D3100, Nikon D5100, Panasonic GH5, Olympus E500 and Olympus E-510.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
Lens wise I adapt to what lenses are on offer I always have done, whenever I choose a camera I like then I then choose lenses I never choose lenses then a camera because i'm unlikely to stay with one manufacturer. I've had Pentax K30, Pentax K70, Nikon D3100, Nikon D5100, Panasonic GH5, Olympus E500 and Olympus E-510.
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Interesting approach (y)
 
I finally tried out the Sony A7III, I hated the joystick it wasn't anywhere near as nice to use as the GH5's joystick, the menu system on the A7III was awful too, really laggy and annoying and the viewfinder was the worst i've ever seen. Coming from the GH5 with it's frankly amazing quality viewfinder the Sony's looked awful. The reviews were spot on about it being very low resolution. I didn't test out the Nikon Z6 because the shop said I could only test it out if I was going to buy it, that defeats the point of me testing me out to see if I like it, talk about morons.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I finally tried out the Sony A7III, I hated the joystick it wasn't anywhere near as nice to use as the GH5's joystick, the menu system on the A7III was awful too, really laggy and annoying and the viewfinder was the worst i've ever seen. Coming from the GH5 with it's frankly amazing quality viewfinder the Sony's looked awful. The reviews were spot on about it being very low resolution. I didn't test out the Nikon Z6 because the shop said I could only test it out if I was going to buy it, that defeats the point of me testing me out to see if I like it, talk about morons.
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Tell them you’re gonna but it. Then, after trying it buy it or change your mind.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I finally tried out the Sony A7III, I hated the joystick it wasn't anywhere near as nice to use as the GH5's joystick, the menu system on the A7III was awful too, really laggy and annoying and the viewfinder was the worst i've ever seen. Coming from the GH5 with it's frankly amazing quality viewfinder the Sony's looked awful. The reviews were spot on about it being very low resolution. I didn't test out the Nikon Z6 because the shop said I could only test it out if I was going to buy it, that defeats the point of me testing me out to see if I like it, talk about morons.
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Shame you hate the Sony as IQ wise it'll smash MFT to smithereens, if you go looking for the differences and given your comments I suspect you will.
 
DJ Teknovibe said:
I finally tried out the Sony A7III, I hated the joystick it wasn't anywhere near as nice to use as the GH5's joystick, the menu system on the A7III was awful too, really laggy and annoying and the viewfinder was the worst i've ever seen. Coming from the GH5 with it's frankly amazing quality viewfinder the Sony's looked awful. The reviews were spot on about it being very low resolution. I didn't test out the Nikon Z6 because the shop said I could only test it out if I was going to buy it, that defeats the point of me testing me out to see if I like it, talk about morons.
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I’d say just stick with your GH5, you’re obviously happy with the way it handles and that’s more important to you than the final image (y)
 
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