In this post I will share my opinion on the Nikon Z7 full frame mirrorless camera, and share my hands-on experience at the end of this post. I went to the Taipei Photography Exhibition last weekend, and really enjoyed it. The expo was very crowded, and Nikon's booth was the most visited, especially because of the new Z7 (there were long lines).
I have first just been able to take some photos of the camera in the hands of other visitors, because the lines were too long, and many people spent 10 to 15 min playing with the camera. In Taiwan Nikon is slightly ahead of Canon when it comes to stills camera sales, so naturally when the market leader launched its newest amazing mirrorless camera, it was a huge magnet for people to visit this exhibition (I have covered it here).
The marvel of Nikon
Visitors seemed to be very impressed with the new Nikon Z7. While I was able to get my hands on the model with the 24-70mm f/4, I was not able to play with the one that had the new 500mm f/5.6 PF lens. The lines were too long for that, which is not surprising. The lens is simply amazing.
Here are some images of the Z7 in the hands of visitors. Further below are my own hands on snaps, and impressions.
My hands-on experience
After some time of waiting I finally had the chance to get my hands on the new Nikon Z7. I have to say I was pretty surprised with some things, but more about that later. Check out my pictures of the Z7 taken with my iPhone.
My verdict
The positive:
- Amazing build quality: The camera is built like a brick. It really feels like a Leica. A short while ago I had the chance to play with the Fuji X-H1, and while it was nicely built, the Z7 is one step up from that. It's also feeling more premium than the Canon EOS R and the Sony A7R iii.
- Familiarity: I was amazed how quickly I understood how the camera works. It feels like a Nikon camera right away, from the button layout and the menu design, I felt at home right away.
- Good ergonomics: The ergonomics are good for a mirrorless, but not as great as my D810. Of course the footprint is smaller, which is great, so in this perspective Nikon.
- The LCD screen is really good: Nothing more to say here, the screen is really iPhone X quality, it's bright, clear, and very responsive.
- The EVF is amazing: The LCD was impressive, but the EVF is even more impressive. Far superior to the Fuji X-H1, and still better than the Canon EOS R (which I tested as well)
- The auto-focus was great: Take this with a grain of salt, as I was only able to play with this camera for 10-15 minutes. I took some photos of the model that Nikon hired. The light was artificial and not so good, but the focus worked perfectly.
- The image quality was awesome: I did not have the chance to put my SD card in and inspect the picture quality in Lightroom, so take this with a grain of salt as well. All I could see was the pics I took that were displayed on the back LCD and in the EVF, and the quality was really great. Crisp and sharp in lots of low and artificial light.
The not so positive:
- The weight: The great built quality comes at a cost: The weight! The camera was quite heavy, with the 24-70 lens it was over 2 lbs (around 1kg). Still lighter than my D810 with a small prime, but not that much far from it. Still, a very small issue.
- The front scroll wheel is hard to use: As an American, my hands are big, so when I was trying to scroll the front wheel I really struggled. I can see how the average Taiwanese (or Japanese) won't have such problem, because on average the hands are smaller, but for me this was maybe the biggest issue (the scrolling on D810 is perfect in my opinion). The scroll wheel on the backside however works perfectly.
- The price: This camera will cost around 3530 USD, if I convert the New Taiwan Dollar price. That's quite steep, and it's just for the body. Once I add the FTZ adapter and the 24-70 f/4, I will have to pay 4300 USD for that. Since I don't need a high resolution sensor, as amazing as it is, this camera is not for me. It's still better than the Fuji GFX, though. A great and cheaper alternative to that, for sure.
In conclusion
The Nikon Z7 is an amazing camera. Currently the FF mirrorless camera with the highest resolution and image quality, more or less destroying Fuji's medium format offerings at a much lower price and having great 4K video features, and a huge lens selection through the native FTZ adapter. I think a lot of Fuji fans will switch to one of the new Nikon Z cameras. I plan to buy the Nikon Z6 when it comes out, because of the lower price point, the lower resolution (something I prefer), and still offering 95% of the Z7 features. The Nikon Z7 is currently sold out in Taiwan, the supply is way behind meeting demand. I do hope the Z6's availability will be better. I can't wait to get my hands one of those.
A great real-life review of a Wedding shoot with the Nikon Z7.
I have first just been able to take some photos of the camera in the hands of other visitors, because the lines were too long, and many people spent 10 to 15 min playing with the camera. In Taiwan Nikon is slightly ahead of Canon when it comes to stills camera sales, so naturally when the market leader launched its newest amazing mirrorless camera, it was a huge magnet for people to visit this exhibition (I have covered it here).
The marvel of Nikon
Visitors seemed to be very impressed with the new Nikon Z7. While I was able to get my hands on the model with the 24-70mm f/4, I was not able to play with the one that had the new 500mm f/5.6 PF lens. The lines were too long for that, which is not surprising. The lens is simply amazing.
Here are some images of the Z7 in the hands of visitors. Further below are my own hands on snaps, and impressions.
My hands-on experience
After some time of waiting I finally had the chance to get my hands on the new Nikon Z7. I have to say I was pretty surprised with some things, but more about that later. Check out my pictures of the Z7 taken with my iPhone.
My verdict
The positive:
- Amazing build quality: The camera is built like a brick. It really feels like a Leica. A short while ago I had the chance to play with the Fuji X-H1, and while it was nicely built, the Z7 is one step up from that. It's also feeling more premium than the Canon EOS R and the Sony A7R iii.
- Familiarity: I was amazed how quickly I understood how the camera works. It feels like a Nikon camera right away, from the button layout and the menu design, I felt at home right away.
- Good ergonomics: The ergonomics are good for a mirrorless, but not as great as my D810. Of course the footprint is smaller, which is great, so in this perspective Nikon.
- The LCD screen is really good: Nothing more to say here, the screen is really iPhone X quality, it's bright, clear, and very responsive.
- The EVF is amazing: The LCD was impressive, but the EVF is even more impressive. Far superior to the Fuji X-H1, and still better than the Canon EOS R (which I tested as well)
- The auto-focus was great: Take this with a grain of salt, as I was only able to play with this camera for 10-15 minutes. I took some photos of the model that Nikon hired. The light was artificial and not so good, but the focus worked perfectly.
- The image quality was awesome: I did not have the chance to put my SD card in and inspect the picture quality in Lightroom, so take this with a grain of salt as well. All I could see was the pics I took that were displayed on the back LCD and in the EVF, and the quality was really great. Crisp and sharp in lots of low and artificial light.
The not so positive:
- The weight: The great built quality comes at a cost: The weight! The camera was quite heavy, with the 24-70 lens it was over 2 lbs (around 1kg). Still lighter than my D810 with a small prime, but not that much far from it. Still, a very small issue.
- The front scroll wheel is hard to use: As an American, my hands are big, so when I was trying to scroll the front wheel I really struggled. I can see how the average Taiwanese (or Japanese) won't have such problem, because on average the hands are smaller, but for me this was maybe the biggest issue (the scrolling on D810 is perfect in my opinion). The scroll wheel on the backside however works perfectly.
- The price: This camera will cost around 3530 USD, if I convert the New Taiwan Dollar price. That's quite steep, and it's just for the body. Once I add the FTZ adapter and the 24-70 f/4, I will have to pay 4300 USD for that. Since I don't need a high resolution sensor, as amazing as it is, this camera is not for me. It's still better than the Fuji GFX, though. A great and cheaper alternative to that, for sure.
In conclusion
The Nikon Z7 is an amazing camera. Currently the FF mirrorless camera with the highest resolution and image quality, more or less destroying Fuji's medium format offerings at a much lower price and having great 4K video features, and a huge lens selection through the native FTZ adapter. I think a lot of Fuji fans will switch to one of the new Nikon Z cameras. I plan to buy the Nikon Z6 when it comes out, because of the lower price point, the lower resolution (something I prefer), and still offering 95% of the Z7 features. The Nikon Z7 is currently sold out in Taiwan, the supply is way behind meeting demand. I do hope the Z6's availability will be better. I can't wait to get my hands one of those.
A great real-life review of a Wedding shoot with the Nikon Z7.
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