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Resolution aside, is there any reason to buy the Z7 over the Z6?

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myotisone said:
HeavyDuty said:
I’ve been planning on purchasing a Z6 once the reviews are out. My reasoning is that I really am fine with 24MP, and that the Z6 should have better low light performance.

But, now I’m wondering if this is the right choice. Other than the 45MP, is there any other reason I might want a Z7 over a Z6?
Click to expand...
A tiny tiny reason for me is that the Z6 doesn't offer a 5x4 crop but the Z7 does. I don't like the 3:2 ratio and tend to work with 5x4 or 1:1 ratios.

For some bizarre reason only the Z7 offers the 5x4 ratio. Unless this is a mistake in the comparison table in the brochure.

Coupled with that, is the one you have already stated, but is more relevant as I could get 5x4 and 1:1 ratio crops and still get decent resolution from the Z7.

Having said all that, my primary reason, at least initially, for buying into a Z camera will be for video, and the Z6 seems the better choice for this, given the big price difference.

Cheers,

Graham
Click to expand...
I posted a question about the 5:4 ratio on the NikonUSA product forum, and they confirmed that the Z6 does NOT have 5:4 crop, while the Z7 does.
 
Dan in OH said:
myotisone said:
HeavyDuty said:
I’ve been planning on purchasing a Z6 once the reviews are out. My reasoning is that I really am fine with 24MP, and that the Z6 should have better low light performance.

But, now I’m wondering if this is the right choice. Other than the 45MP, is there any other reason I might want a Z7 over a Z6?
Click to expand...
A tiny tiny reason for me is that the Z6 doesn't offer a 5x4 crop but the Z7 does. I don't like the 3:2 ratio and tend to work with 5x4 or 1:1 ratios.

For some bizarre reason only the Z7 offers the 5x4 ratio. Unless this is a mistake in the comparison table in the brochure.

Coupled with that, is the one you have already stated, but is more relevant as I could get 5x4 and 1:1 ratio crops and still get decent resolution from the Z7.

Having said all that, my primary reason, at least initially, for buying into a Z camera will be for video, and the Z6 seems the better choice for this, given the big price difference.

Cheers,

Graham
Click to expand...
I posted a question about the 5:4 ratio on the NikonUSA product forum, and they confirmed that the Z6 does NOT have 5:4 crop, while the Z7 does.
Click to expand...
B&H has the specs wrong then. They show that the Z6 does have a 5:4 crop mode, but no 16:9 crop.
 
Dan in OH said:
I posted a question about the 5:4 ratio on the NikonUSA product forum, and they confirmed that the Z6 does NOT have 5:4 crop, while the Z7 does.
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Thanks, I was hoping the Nikon brochure might have it wrong, but unless Nikon were just quoting the brochure (which is always possible), and don't actually "know" then it looks as there is indeed this odd difference between the two cameras.

Cheers,

Graham
 
michaeladawson said:
Dan in OH said:
I posted a question about the 5:4 ratio on the NikonUSA product forum, and they confirmed that the Z6 does NOT have 5:4 crop, while the Z7 does.
Click to expand...
B&H has the specs wrong then. They show that the Z6 does have a 5:4 crop mode, but no 16:9 crop.
Click to expand...
Certainly just as the brochure has the 5x4 crop missing from the Z6, the 16x 9 crop is listed for both cameras.

Cheers,

Graham
 
rhlpetrus said:
I wonder who, except for landscape photogs, will go for the Z7. If the tracking AF and buffer were at D850 level, then, yes, especially for wildlife and action shooters, using DX crop, but not even Nikon is saying anything about action photography.
Click to expand...
Hi.

I am currently using Pentax, mostly for landscapes/hiking photos.

The reason I would pick the Z7 is the extra dynamic range but not so much the resolution, I am quite happy with 24MP.

Is there any information about the Z6's sensor and its dynamic range at base ISO, compared to the Z7's base ISO?

Thank you!
 
The Z6 would be an obvious choice for those adding it to a D8XX based system. It should provide BETTER OOC high ISO performance than the Z7 or D8XX cameras and will be better for video.

For those looking to buy a PRIMARY camera, the 46MP has obvious benefits. But I'd never choose a Z7 over a D850 and the Z7 is hugely redundant next to my D850.

The Z6 is the way to go and I do think it's the smarter buy overall.

Rob
 
Horatiu Mihalache said:
rhlpetrus said:
I wonder who, except for landscape photogs, will go for the Z7. If the tracking AF and buffer were at D850 level, then, yes, especially for wildlife and action shooters, using DX crop, but not even Nikon is saying anything about action photography.
Click to expand...
Hi.

I am currently using Pentax, mostly for landscapes/hiking photos.

The reason I would pick the Z7 is the extra dynamic range but not so much the resolution, I am quite happy with 24MP.
Click to expand...
How do you know the Z7 has more DR than the D6? Or are you saying that it has more than the Pentax?
Horatiu Mihalache said:
Is there any information about the Z6's sensor and its dynamic range at base ISO, compared to the Z7's base ISO?
Click to expand...
I have not seen any such.

Bill Claff has Z7 RN here:


No PDR for either camera yet on Bill's site.

Jim
 
HeavyDuty said:
I’ve been planning on purchasing a Z6 once the reviews are out. My reasoning is that I really am fine with 24MP, and that the Z6 should have better low light performance.

But, now I’m wondering if this is the right choice. Other than the 45MP,

is there any other reason I might want a Z7 over a Z6?
Click to expand...
7 is a luckier number, it is one more than 6 and you can call it Zed 7 if you like

Same as that amp that goes to 11... better than the ones that only go to 10..

c039d4b863e74ef79b5c61ca458d3544.jpg
 
Last edited:
I never put double the resolution aside. Unless I'm using my cell phone :^)
 
Horatiu Mihalache said:
rhlpetrus said:
I wonder who, except for landscape photogs, will go for the Z7. If the tracking AF and buffer were at D850 level, then, yes, especially for wildlife and action shooters, using DX crop, but not even Nikon is saying anything about action photography.
Click to expand...
Hi.

I am currently using Pentax, mostly for landscapes/hiking photos.

The reason I would pick the Z7 is the extra dynamic range but not so much the resolution, I am quite happy with 24MP.

Is there any information about the Z6's sensor and its dynamic range at base ISO, compared to the Z7's base ISO?

Thank you!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't.

If I'm shooting serious landscapes, I have a tripod, and I'll bracket multiple exposures.

Stacking multiple shots will get significantly more dynamic range than any single shot is capable of; and landscape photography is a prime candidate for this, since the scene is still.

In theory, the Z7 may have a higher dynamic range at base ISO just because it drops down to ISO 64--but this also requires a longer exposure. Same thing with bracketing.

Use the e-shutter to avoid any and all vibration caused by the shutter, and you don't even need to worry about aligning the images.
 
Simon Garrett said:
It will be interesting to see if high ISO performance on the Z6 is any different to that of the Z7 in practice.

What I mean: with similar sensor technology, one would expect low light noise performance of a 24Mpixel sensor to look better with a 24M pixel image than with a 45Mpixel sensor and a 45Mpixel image. But if you downsize the 45Mpixel to 24Mpixel then the noise may be similar.
Click to expand...
If you use linear techniques, and the sensors have the same technology, what you say is true. However, if you use nonlinear noise reduction, you'll get a better downsized image from the higher-res camera.

Noise reduction with nonlinear tools and downsampling - the last word

In the last half-dozen posts, I've explored the noise reduction effects and quality of the results from six or seven different downsampling methods. From doing that work, I've concluded that there are several choices for someone with a small-pixel camera to produce images that have similar noise...
blog.kasson.com blog.kasson.com

Jim
 
Reilly Diefenbach said:
I never put double the resolution aside. Unless I'm using my cell phone :^)
Click to expand...
Uh, about 1.4 times the resolution:

The dimensions of resolution - the last word

Back when I was in high school physics class, the teacher taught us to analyze the dimensions involved in any problem we were trying to solve before plugging in the numbers and grinding out the calculations. If the dimensions weren't right, you'd set up the problem wrong, and no amount of fancy...
blog.kasson.com blog.kasson.com

Jim
 
JimKasson said:
Simon Garrett said:
It will be interesting to see if high ISO performance on the Z6 is any different to that of the Z7 in practice.

What I mean: with similar sensor technology, one would expect low light noise performance of a 24Mpixel sensor to look better with a 24M pixel image than with a 45Mpixel sensor and a 45Mpixel image. But if you downsize the 45Mpixel to 24Mpixel then the noise may be similar.
Click to expand...
If you use linear techniques, and the sensors have the same technology, what you say is true. However, if you use nonlinear noise reduction, you'll get a better downsized image from the higher-res camera.

https://blog.kasson.com/the-last-word/noise-reduction-with-nonlinear-tools-and-downsampling/

Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks for the correction!

If I understand you correctly, then we might expect better low-light performance from the Z7 than the Z6, despite the nominal higher ISO range of the Z6? I'm assuming comparing like-with-like, that is downscaling a Z7 image to 24Mpixel, and that the two cameras are likely to use similar sensor technology, though that might be wrong.

I await your testing eagerly!
 
Simon Garrett said:
JimKasson said:
Simon Garrett said:
It will be interesting to see if high ISO performance on the Z6 is any different to that of the Z7 in practice.

What I mean: with similar sensor technology, one would expect low light noise performance of a 24Mpixel sensor to look better with a 24M pixel image than with a 45Mpixel sensor and a 45Mpixel image. But if you downsize the 45Mpixel to 24Mpixel then the noise may be similar.
Click to expand...
If you use linear techniques, and the sensors have the same technology, what you say is true. However, if you use nonlinear noise reduction, you'll get a better downsized image from the higher-res camera.

https://blog.kasson.com/the-last-word/noise-reduction-with-nonlinear-tools-and-downsampling/

Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks for the correction!

If I understand you correctly, then we might expect better low-light performance from the Z7 than the Z6, despite the nominal higher ISO range of the Z6? I'm assuming comparing like-with-like, that is downscaling a Z7 image to 24Mpixel, and that the two cameras are likely to use similar sensor technology, though that might be wrong.
Click to expand...
That is what I am saying. Of course, we don't know much about the sensor in the Z6 yet, but if the tech is the same, that's what I expect.
Simon Garrett said:
I await your testing eagerly!
Click to expand...
So do I!

Jim
 
JimKasson said:
Simon Garrett said:
JimKasson said:
Simon Garrett said:
It will be interesting to see if high ISO performance on the Z6 is any different to that of the Z7 in practice.

What I mean: with similar sensor technology, one would expect low light noise performance of a 24Mpixel sensor to look better with a 24M pixel image than with a 45Mpixel sensor and a 45Mpixel image. But if you downsize the 45Mpixel to 24Mpixel then the noise may be similar.
Click to expand...
If you use linear techniques, and the sensors have the same technology, what you say is true. However, if you use nonlinear noise reduction, you'll get a better downsized image from the higher-res camera.

https://blog.kasson.com/the-last-word/noise-reduction-with-nonlinear-tools-and-downsampling/

Jim
Click to expand...
Thanks for the correction!

If I understand you correctly, then we might expect better low-light performance from the Z7 than the Z6, despite the nominal higher ISO range of the Z6? I'm assuming comparing like-with-like, that is downscaling a Z7 image to 24Mpixel, and that the two cameras are likely to use similar sensor technology, though that might be wrong.
Click to expand...
That is what I am saying. Of course, we don't know much about the sensor in the Z6 yet, but if the tech is the same, that's what I expect.
JimKasson said:
I await your testing eagerly!
Click to expand...
So do I!

Jim
Click to expand...
If that pans out, one of you owes me $1400 to pay the extra for a Z7... ;)
 
Neither camera is cheap. Both cameras look pretty capable. I can see people saying, hell I want that 45mp and I'll pay the extra. Not daft, if that 45mp matters to you. Those are the people the Z7 is aimed at. It's not a D850 replacement as such, but it is likely the first of a line of Z cameras with that sort of resolution.

Me, I've convinced myself the Z6 is the sensible choice. I think. Or is it....? Wait... :-D

Maybe the clincher is that I could always swap it for a Z7 or equivalent later, if I wanted to. I've shoved in a pre-order for the Z6, am interested to see what the real reviews come up with.
 
The obvious answer is... get both. Lol
 
Hi Jim.

Sorry for the late answer. I was indeed referring to Z7 having more DR than Z6. Obviously I do not know if this is the case, it's just a personal assumption based on the reviews of D850.

Thanks for the link, from the graph is looks like the performance is very similar to D850, at least when it comes to read noise.
 
beatboxa said:
If I'm shooting serious landscapes, I have a tripod, and I'll bracket multiple exposures.

Stacking multiple shots will get significantly more dynamic range than any single shot is capable of; and landscape photography is a prime candidate for this, since the scene is still.
Click to expand...
I cannot agree more with this, however, I am not that serious about landscapes. In the sense that the tripod and the time it takes to take a picture following this technique will seriously impact my hike. I shoot handheld.
 
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