Rant thread: Bought a Z6, no thanks to youtoobers and "pro-photographers"

insanefred

Long rant made short.

I was shooting a Nikon D700 for last several years and was going to upgrade to the D750 or D850, that is until Nikon announced the Z6 and Z7 cameras. Between a lot of youtubers, and those to claim to be "pro photographers". There has been a deafening echo chamber of "poor AF-C and lack of dual card slot" So much so, that I started to ignore those mediums. I purchased the Z6 with the 24-70 f/4 and the 50 1.8s, and it absolutely kills my D700.

The AF-c is just as fast and more predictable, it also has the ability to focus further into the corners, something I hated with the D700. Probably why I held out so long and didn't upgrade to the D750 or D850. It has been compared to the competitors but I am not just going to buy a Sony or Canon or Fujifilm just because they have a slightly better af-c performance, I have plenty of Nikon glass so, they need to be compelling in every other aspect for me to even consider to make a switch or adopt a second system. So, comparing brands is worthless to me.

As for the "I can't shoot with out dual card slots" this is an absolute joke to me. If this is something you can't live with out, then why bother repeating it over and over again. We have cameras with dual card slots, buy of those. It doesn't need to be repeated in every other post, thread, comment and video it just makes you sound like like a troll at this point. The Z6/Z7 isn't for you, end of the story, please go away, you are not helpful.

After trying to find out if the Z6 was for me, I gave up on review sites, forums, youtube and just went and purchased the camera myself to see if I liked it.
After using it for the last few weeks, turns out, the Z6 is a godsend for me. A breath of fresh air, it gives me so much more flexibility that I never had with any DSLR. Being able to focus into the corners and lenses that have that corner sharpness to support the outer focus points and they're sharp at wide open apertures. It is lighter and smaller, for when I go backpacking with it. The viewfinder makes my D700 seem dark, small and muddy. It is quite and feels more durable, better overall ergonomics. I also like shooting black and white much more with the Z6, just switch in the the b&W picture control and it shows you what you are going to get in the viewfinder. Also, focus peaking is awesome.

Awais Yaqub

Happy shooting. ML cams are truly amazing for the convenience. Online Reviews are more confusing than helping, real user reviews might be more useful. Yesterday i was discussing with a friend about new tech and we recalled how inspiring photos were made with dated DSLRs with crop sensors, its more about going out and shoot in best lighting conditions than time waste on social media getting confused, and feeling dejected for what you can't afford or for what you have. i guess i will continue with canon's dated sensor tech

ziggy53

The reviewers have a duty to report omissions and shortcomings. It's much better to be fully informed, and then let each user decide for themselves what's important.

I retain lots of older bodies that lack some of the modern amenities, and when it's appropriate I use those old bodies "just because I can". I'd much rather have the choice to embrace a camera that's old and familiar in times that won't matter anyway.

Bottom line, if you find something that works for you it's OK if that thing doesn't "tick everyone's needs". Good shooting with the Nikon Z6. It has some wonderful qualities and recent firmware upgrades are improving eye-AF among other things.

insanefred

@ziggy53 said:
The reviewers have a duty to report omissions and shortcomings. It's much better to be fully informed, and then let each user decide for themselves what's important.

I retain lots of older bodies that lack some of the modern amenities, and when it's appropriate I use those old bodies "just because I can". I'd much rather have the choice to embrace a camera that's old and familiar in times that won't matter anyway.

Bottom line, if you find something that works for you it's OK if that thing doesn't "tick everyone's needs". Good shooting with the Nikon Z6. It has some wonderful qualities and recent firmware upgrades are improving eye-AF among other things.

It's not a review when that is all they can gripe about, especially when some reviewers haven't even touched the camera. Yes, there are some reviewers out there doing reviews on products they never held in their hands. Very sad but true.

"tick everyone's needs"

I am starting to believe there is a some kind of cult of needs or a made up list of needs that someone decided that they needed or told they needed. Or simply want to cry about something that for the sake of creating more drama for whatever reason. I hope something stops this horrible cycle or echo chamber of cries.

insanefred

@Awais Yaqub said:
Happy shooting. ML cams are truly amazing for the convenience. Online Reviews are more confusing than helping, real user reviews might be more useful. Yesterday i was discussing with a friend about new tech and we recalled how inspiring photos were made with dated DSLRs with crop sensors, its more about going out and shoot in best lighting conditions than time waste on social media getting confused, and feeling dejected for what you can't afford or for what you have. i guess i will continue with canon's dated sensor tech

Sometimes they are, but you have to dig through an echo chamber of crying babies to find a real review from someone who actually spent some time with the camera or lens and give you some fair and reasonable review.

JonaBeth Russell

Welcome to the dark side - mirrorless, ISO invariant cameras. Wait a few months, then try to pick up that big D700 and welcome your surprise feelings of 'how did I deal with this for so long?'

insanefred

@JonaBeth Russell said:
Welcome to the dark side - mirrorless, ISO invariant cameras. Wait a few months, then try to pick up that big D700 and welcome your surprise feelings of 'how did I deal with this for so long?'

I still have my D700 with the 24-120 f/4 VRii attached. I am keeping it for that very reason, to remind me "how did I deal with this brick for so long." I picked it up last night and that feeling was very strong.

OutdoorsAddict2

I liked the Z 6 when I tested it recently. The only thing for me is that as a full frame camera, when it comes to telephoto lenses for sport, I will need a much longer lens for the same field of view as an APS-C camera. That said, it was light and easy to use. Although for sports I'm not so sure it's a good choice because both the viewfinder and the rear LCD have a short delay between events actually happening and what's then shown on the displays. This could be the difference between getting the shot or missing it entirely.

Brett1000

@insanefred said:
Long rant made short.

I was shooting a Nikon D700 for last several years and was going to upgrade to the D750 or D850, that is until Nikon announced the Z6 and Z7 cameras. Between a lot of youtubers, and those to claim to be "pro photographers". There has been a deafening echo chamber of "poor AF-C and lack of dual card slot" So much so, that I started to ignore those mediums. I purchased the Z6 with the 24-70 f/4 and the 50 1.8s, and it absolutely kills my D700.

The AF-c is just as fast and more predictable, it also has the ability to focus further into the corners, something I hated with the D700. Probably why I held out so long and didn't upgrade to the D750 or D850. It has been compared to the competitors but I am not just going to buy a Sony or Canon or Fujifilm just because they have a slightly better af-c performance, I have plenty of Nikon glass so, they need to be compelling in every other aspect for me to even consider to make a switch or adopt a second system. So, comparing brands is worthless to me. > As for the "I can't shoot with out dual card slots" this is an absolute joke to me. If this is something you can't live with out, then why bother repeating it over and over again. We have cameras with dual card slots, buy of those. It doesn't need to be repeated in every other post, thread, comment and video it just makes you sound like like a troll at this point. The Z6/Z7 isn't for you, end of the story, please go away, you are not helpful.

After trying to find out if the Z6 was for me, I gave up on review sites, forums, youtube and just went and purchased the camera myself to see if I liked it.
After using it for the last few weeks, turns out, the Z6 is a godsend for me. A breath of fresh air, it gives me so much more flexibility that I never had with any DSLR. Being able to focus into the corners and lenses that have that corner sharpness to support the outer focus points and they're sharp at wide open apertures. It is lighter and smaller, for when I go backpacking with it. The viewfinder makes my D700 seem dark, small and muddy. It is quite and feels more durable, better overall ergonomics. I also like shooting black and white much more with the Z6, just switch in the the b&W picture control and it shows you what you are going to get in the viewfinder. Also, focus peaking is awesome.

welcome to the mirrorless world !
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmirrorless/

Fujikon

I have been shooting a Nikon D700 for many years as well, had the full complement of crazy expensive heavy lenses. I recently bit the bullet and switched over to the Fujifilm X-T3 and a few of their smaller, but awesome lenses (especially the XF 35mm f/2 R WR and the 16mm f/1.4 R WR). This change has brought me into modern times! I feel like the delta between the D700 and the X-T3 is nearly the equivalent to transitioning from film to digital. Not only that, I can confine my exercise routine to things that I really enjoy like hiking and biking, not hauling 15 pounds of camera and lens hardware to remote locations. The cost, features and weight benefits of the new mirrorless cameras are fantastic, and the resulting IQ is absolutely phenomenal. Yes, the D850 gets excellent reviews, and I'm sure it's a fantastic camera, but I'm no longer willing to pay the cost and bear the weight of the dinosaurs of the past.