Z7 or Z6 II?

[woneal]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

 

[ericbowles]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

If you photograph events or fast action, the Z6II is probably better, but the Z7 is very good and the price you are getting would make it my choice.

I have a Z6 and a Z7II. You should be able to find a used 24-70 f/4 for $450-500, and an FTZ for $50-75. See if your friend has an extra FTZ. The FTZ will allow you to use existing lenses. They might have an extra XQD card as well.

The Z6II with 24-70 f/4 and FTZ is probably what you would be buying going that route, so consider everything you need - lens, FTZ, card, etc.

 

[LASR]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

If you shoot tele or macro and need to crop with the advantage of adjusting the composition I would say Z7. If you need to print very large sizes and need the full resolution, Z7 as well. If you need the grip, more responsive AF, or two cards, then the Z6 II. In terms of noise if you downsample the Z7 image you get almost the same noise level as the Z6 II, and on the other side the Z6II has more than enough resolution for most applications.

 

[shuncheung]

If you don’t need the extra pixels, I would get the Z6 II: second card slot/may use SD cards, improved AF. The Z6/II is better for video also.

I have had the Z6 since they were available in November 2018. I don’t need the extra pixels.

 

[spec68]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

1st -- when you quote "current used gear" are you talking about on Craigslist or at a retail site like KEH or B&H that sells used gear. There is a difference because the latter comes with a piece of a warranty. Also, they grade their gear based on actual usage, not just that it looks good aesthetically. When these retail shops buy used gear they are paying 1/2 price of new IF the gear is in pristine condition (and for a body, low click count). Their buy price goes down precipitously after that. For an example go to KEH's site and pretend to sell them a Z7. Put in bogus personal info, it will give you a quote just the same. That's what you friend could get, so its also a good bargaining chip. You don't really say what condition your friend's camera is in, esp. click count. so hard to say if $450 off is a good deal or not.

2nd -- If you are coming from a 7100 and haven't been craving more resolution then, as you say, it's not a priority for you. Also, if you do go to a higher resolution camera can your computer handle the bigger files both to edit and store or will you need to buy a new computer and/or new hard drives?

3rd -- One unknown is whether Nikon will continue to push out functional firmware for the Z6 and Z7 or if it's reached the end of the performance line and only bug updates will come in the future. On the other hand, Nikon has said it will continue to improve the Z6 II and Z7 II via firmware for awhile.

4th -- Either camera is going to blow away your 7100 in speed, dynamic range, low light sensitivity, every single category. So really, you can't lose here.

 

[Guy Dagar]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

First and foremost, you will probably be waiting a long, long time for a new Z6 II, at least a US model which is all you should buy if you're in the US. A used one may pop up from time to time, but you best be prepared to wait on either.

While the Z6 II has some great improvements over the original Z6, it still isn't comparable to the original Z7. If the Z7 being offered has a reasonable amount of shutter clicks, like under 10-15K, and the price is as you say, really good, then it really is a no-brainer.

You can do a lot more with the Z7—it renders sharper photos and the difference in noise level is insignificant compared to the Z6 II. If you are shooting everything other than fast action, like birds in flight, the Z7 is the way to go.

Now, someone mentioned that you'll have larger file sizes and so on, BUT you can shoot the Z7 in DX mode and get photos about the same size as far as megapixels go, almost 20MP compared to 24MP. I shoot in DX mode quite often with my Z7 and it gives my longer lenses that extra "reach" that you get with a D7100 and a full frame lens. It still leaves you with the option of shooting at the larger FX frame size when you need it for more flexibility to crop the final image or when you want to make huge prints of your best shots. The Z7 lacks the low-pass filter, and it has slightly better dynamic range than the Z6 II with a lower native ISO of 64. So if you want to get into landscapes, the Z7 will be the better choice.

I own both the Z7 and the Z6 II, and as far as action goes, there isn't really much difference although the Z6 II has a faster frame rate and better buffer. I haven't found either of those specs to make a big difference. If you are really into shooting a lot action, then you should be looking for a D500.

As far as having that extra card slot, poo! Yes, it's possible a card can fail, but the XQD cards that I have been using for the past couple years have never had a problem, and they are faster than any SD card I've tried so far. Yes, it's nice to have that extra slot for backup or overflow, but I have not yet found either to be necessary.

If the price of the used Z7 body is less than the price of a new Z6 II body and, like I said, if it doesn't have a lot of shutter clicks, the Z7 in my opinion is the better choice in the long run. It is, after all a $3,000 camera.

Oh, one last little thing from my personal experience: I originally bought a Z6 not long after it came out when I also owned a D850. I loved the smaller body and all the features of the Z6 so much, I rarely used the D850 after that. But, I missed the higher resolution of the D850 so I decided to sell it and move up to the Z7 which is a close second to the D850 in most respects and better than the D850 in many others. Moving from a DSLR as you are hoping to do, to one of the Nikon mirrorless cameras will completely blow your mind, and you may before long wish you had the top of the line—the Z7.

NIKON Z7 + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm S f/4.0 SETTINGS: 70mm • ISO 64 • f/4.5 @ 1/5 Sec

 

[abc123brian]

They are both good options and closer to the same than different. If you don’t photograph moving subjects or shoot video, I’d probably go with the Z7. The original Z models are very good and capable cameras. My Z7ii is not a lot quicker at anything than my Z6 or Z7, but if it is a moving subject (even a relatively slow moving subject), the AF is noticeably more reliable. The Z6ii is more capable at video and 24MP is really enough for most things.

 

[Hello123]

nt

 

[sirhawkeye64]

I have the opportunity to buy a used Z7 at a great price (about $450 lower than current used gear goes for) (it's not hot or stolen; the seller is a friend, who was going to sell it to a used gear buyer, but instead, offered it to me at the price he could unload it for quickly)

I'm upgrading from a D7100 and in doing so, I'd have to replace a few lenses that don't autofocus on the Z7. So that makes the purchase a lot more costly.

Of course the extra megapixels would be great, but I don't think I NEED them.

I love new tech, and don't waste any time on upgrading, but this cost is considerable. It's time to go from SLR to mirrorless.

Should I go for the 3 year old Z7, or wait a few weeks for the Z6 II?

What are you shooting? If you're doing landscapes or architecture (or even travel) I'd go with a Z7 for the resolution, which is nice to have (because if you need to, you can put the camera into DX crop mode and get a bit more ("reach") out of your lenses and still end up with a respectable 19MP image.

Of course, you don't ever NEED that many pixels, but it's nice to have, and given the price of a used Z7 I think being around $2k on average, I'd get that. Also keep in mind the Z6/Z6 II still use an AA filter which can soften the image (but only on close inspection can you see this).

Now, you did say he 's offered it (a Z7) to you at a price he could unload it for quickly... this has me a little concerned, even though he's your friend. A good used one is $2k at retail. If it's significantly less than that (like $1500 or less) then I'd be weary as that's too cheap. You don't say how much he's offering, but the way you made it sound, there could maybe be something wrong... just my interpretation though.

 

[abc123brian]

Now, you did say he 's offered it (a Z7) to you at a price he could unload it for quickly... this has me a little concerned, even though he's your friend. A good used one is $2k at retail. If it's significantly less than that (like $1500 or less) then I'd be weary as that's too cheap. You don't say how much he's offering, but the way you made it sound, there could maybe be something wrong... just my interpretation though.

I will usually sell items to friends of mine for the trade in value unless I planned to sell it elsewhere for more money. So if I was getting rid of my Z7 and a friend wanted it, would be the $1400-$1500 trade in value. I’d rather let a friend have a deal than trade. I’m sure I am not the only person who does this.

 

[sirhawkeye64]

Now, you did say he 's offered it (a Z7) to you at a price he could unload it for quickly... this has me a little concerned, even though he's your friend. A good used one is $2k at retail. If it's significantly less than that (like $1500 or less) then I'd be weary as that's too cheap. You don't say how much he's offering, but the way you made it sound, there could maybe be something wrong... just my interpretation though.

I will usually sell items to friends of mine for the trade in value unless I planned to sell it elsewhere for more money. So if I was getting rid of my Z7 and a friend wanted it, would be the $1400-$1500 trade in value. I’d rather let a friend have a deal than trade. I’m sure I am not the only person who does this.

Well, I guess you're pretty generous. I'd still give a friend a discount, but if something goes for $2000 in the used market, and trade is $1500 I'd probably sell it to them for $1700. That way, they're getting a deal, and I'm getting a better value than a trade in value, because if you just give someone trade-in value, you're not getting much benefit on your end but you're just helping them out (nothing wrong with that) but I still ask a fair price even for friends. They save money and get a good deal, and I get more than what a trade would yield me.

 

[J_o_e_l]

Z6ii - best for low light performance (which is surprisingly often), ii version fixed the rolling shutter banding, works with nicer new N11 battery grip (which is helpful since mirrorless battery life sucks ), works with SD cards (which we all have like 12 of), and it saves money for some good side/artsy lenses (like a 14-30, 20mm, or 50mm)!

Z7 - best for huge files that allow cropping (like in birding where you just have to crop often, unless you have a 1200mm lens!), and for slightly better dynamic range if you like to use advanced photo editing software to pull almost black images to look like daylight, does not work with newer battery grip (though I own the N10 and it's fine), costs a lot without a lens.

My gut tells me you'd love the Z6ii and feel it was the best choice after using it as well. I love my Z6 and I've shot my father's Z6ii a lot too, both fantastic. The only time I ever think about the Z7 if when I'm considering a D850 as a backup for bird/action photography.

Both will be great. But Z6ii is a really smart choice and works awesome. No compromise.

Hope that's helpful

Joel