Shootout The Nikon Z6 vs the Sony A7III - Unbiased Comparison!

* I took posts I made at Fred Miranda and at Nikon Cafe and combined them here for those interested in maybe switching to the Z (own current Nikon F-Mount lenses) or perhaps want to add the Z to access Nikon lenses. I also highlighted key points if you don't want read through everything!  

To make a long story short, I ended up returning a used Z6 I purchased from B&H partly because I missed the current Z6+FTZ+XQD card deal they are running right now by two days (wasn't given a price adjustment), secondly, the camera had more shutter clicks than I was comfortable with (almost 2k clicks) and lastly, I want to wait and see if the upcoming Eye-AF firmware improves other aspects of the camera.

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Nikon Z6 + Voigtlander 40mm 1.4 MC:

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190318_NIKON_Z6_SAMPLES_FRIOLO_009 by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

Sony A7III + Voigtlander 15mm 4.5 II:

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181228_VOIGTLANDER_15_A7III_TAP_FRIOLO_001 by Jonathan Friolo, on Flickr

Unlike most reviewers, I was completely fine with the AF. No issues whatsoever using the FTZ adapter. It's fast and works with all my F-mount lenses. The one XQD card slot isn't an issue and for all-intents and purposes the Z6 is a mirrorless Nikon FF body and just works. It was pretty close to my D750 in terms to AF acquisition. Menu settings work just like a Nikon DSLR and surprisingly AF seemed fairly snappy with all my Nikon and Sigma glass using the FTZ. In fact the biggest complaint about AF seems to be the most overblown. Yes it's no D5 or even a D850, but it's almost at D750 level AF performance which means it's fast for all but the most demanding of action.

A few things I want to note comparing the Z6 to the A7III. Sony raw files seem a bit sharper out of camera, but Nikon colors/metering are easier to work with especially in diverse lighting. Nikon files just need a bit more sharpening in post to match Sony files. I did compared images from both cameras using the same lens (Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art).

My biggest issue though with the Z camera was the magnify view. I have about 10 or so MF Nikkors, a few M mount lenses and some M42 Russian glass I like, so having a good magnify view is important to me. I found when magnifying, there is some significant slow down which is a bit of an issue for me. On the Sony and Olympus MILC bodies I've used, it's always been smooth so I was surprised that this wasn't the case with the Z. In fact this is the one area where I want to see if the upcoming firmware will fix.

Also the lack of Eye AF, while awesome on the Sony bodies, I didn't find I needed it all that much on the Z. Since the Z settings are similar to a Nikon DSLR, you can skip every other focus point making it easier to compose your shot. Sony doesn't offer focus point skipping, making Eye AF a bit more necessary to speed up operation in portrait shooting.

For now, I'll wait out the Z until the firmware update (hopefully addressing the magnify view issue), CF Express is released for cheaper cards, more native lenses come flooding the used market and a holiday price reduction come end of year. I think overall the Z6 feels just like a Nikon DSLR and if someone wants to jump into Nikon mirrorless with access to many F-mount lenses, I'd totally recommend the camera!  ​

 

A few side notes:

- The current F-mount 70-300mm AF-P FX VR retails for under $600 USD. When combined with a FTZ adapter, it performs virtually as a native lens due to the new AF pulse motors Nikon is using. It's quite fast and is completely silent. Performance is highly rated and is cheaper than the Sony 70-300mm G bought new.

- The Z6/Z7 build quality is excellent and controls are very intuitive. Though I also appreciate Sony's compact approach to FF mirrorless. One issue on the Z6 body is that people with long fingers will dig their nails into the rubber grip, causing possible wear and tear. It's highly recommended to get a half case or perhaps add an arca bracket to change the way the camera is gripped.

- Video is actually awesome (I'm not a video guy though). Full screen recording with no crop. Nikon doesn't penalize you for using adapted lenses and they will focus just as a native lens would in video (though depending on lens AF motor, it might cause some focus noises).

 

The Z cameras in operation are not that bad. My 300mm PF VR was actually quite fast to AF with the Z6. I found FTZ + F-mount AF speed more dependent if a particular lens is fast to begin with. Honestly I don't find the system a disappointment at all. The current Z bodies actually cover a large amount of photographic subjects except for certain niches of which Nikon has those areas covered with specialized DSLRs (D500, D850, D5). Also the 500mm PF seems to be hard to get everywhere and the same thing happened with the 300mm PF when it was released. I wouldn't be surprised if the Phase Fresnel elements are hard to produce slowing down production.

My biggest complaint about the Z is perhaps the least talked about or flatly ignored and that's the way the Z camera handles magnify view. For my particular niche of adapting manual lenses, to me it's completely unusable.

Having used the camera in-depth, I'm actually quite optimistic about the system. The Z6/Z7 are basically the Nikon equivalent of the A7III/RIII. I think Nikon caught up quite closely to Sony and the weaknesses aren't as bad and overblown in most instances.

 

- Frame rate: I consider the Z6/Z7 closer to a D750 class camera and I didn't find the frame rate a big detriment. There's a handful of shooters now using the camera in pro sports and other action, and many seem happy to use everything from their 300mm 2.8, 200-400mm, 200mm f2 and other exotics.

- AF modes: The AF modes are a bit of departure from the DSLRs, but they're easy to adjust to and figure out. In fact I find them closer in operation to Sony's AF mode implementation.

- There is black out, but it's quite brief and it mainly happens at the end of a burst. It was more of an annoyance, but not necessarily a major issue. My guess is Nikon is probably ironing out the software side, but it was either release the camera early and get a jump on market penetration or wait until firmware was more mature, but release the camera at a later date.

My main takeaway is that all the fundamental blocks are in place and Nikon is in a better long term position in regards to F-mount compatibility via the FTZ and a well thought out mount and IBIS. Honestly, I think you should give one a try, you might actually like it!

 

I found in actual operation the Z6 to be on par with the A7III which it's directly competing against. The A7/R III buffer is deeper, but it was quite noticeable how fast XQD and (soon to be) CF Express flushes it out. Nikon could of released an A9 caliber body, but who's going to buy it with no native lenses? They have 6 native lenses on schedule to be released this year covering most of of the core zooms and primes. Also I just want to ask if you're NPS? I'm pretty sure Nikon was fulfilling NPS priority orders first and then releasing the 500mm PF to the dealer network. Sony can't even fulfill all their 24mm 1.4 GM orders right now and that lens is significantly smaller and should be easier to manufacturer. Is Sony being reckless for not being able to meet pre-orders?

Also why would they release a cropped super telephoto? The 300mm PF VR is lighter and more compact than most M43 and APS-C super telephoto primes. These new PF primes are reason alone to stay in the Nikon fold for long lens shooting. It's always hard to get new lenses the first year anyways. By this time next year I'm sure 500mm PF VR lenses will be all over the place!

 

Yeah, Nikon should of clarified better where the Z cameras sit performance wise. Z auto focus is definitely D7xx class. I also think they should of launched with the FTZ adapter included as well, as opposed to charging extra for it. The lack of grip also sucks, since the A7/RIII/A9 and Canon R both come with grips. I have no clue what Nikon was thinking there. Yeah also the lack of a locking switch would of been nice. I noticed several times using the Z6, when the AF box moved inadvertently. On the plus side, the 'center' button does reset the position easily.

Neither Canon nor Sony make long APS-C telephoto lenses. In fact Sony's longest APS-C telephoto lens is the 55-210mm. Sony released the A6400 and for the most part, people are buying either native/adapted Sigma glass, since they're the ones filling in most of the blanks in the lens line-up. I don't understand why Nikon is at fault while Sony is indemnified from such criticisms?

Nikon can definitely work on their product distribution. It was near impossible to find a D850 in the US until around September 2018, despite being launched back in September 2017! I partly blame the old school management at Nikon for their rigid thinking and organizational structure. Saying that, I don't see the Z as being a failure though. It's every bit as good as an A7/R III that it's competing against. Far better than the Canon R as well!

 

Nikon makes a full frame and an aps-c version. This is the full frame version:

NikonAF-P NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6E ED VR Lens