Nikon Z6iii Review, Press Release, And Photos - Official Thread

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fcotterill said:
Nikon have probably released another award winning best seller, priced in the right zone for many Enthusiasts. Too early to state how it compares against the Z8 and Z9 for action, but the first look by @Steve shows this Z6 III is up to the job. The Ricci report conforms this - judging from his tests on seabirds near Cape Town. It should have better image quality in Lowlight situations compared to 45mp sensors

As always we now look forward to how fast Nikon can get this camera into stores!

from translated tech page linked above on Nikon Imaging Japan : "A partially stacked CMOS sensor with high-speed processing circuits stacked above and below the imaging section. The readout speed is extremely fast, about 3.5 times faster than the Z6II, and it is possible to shoot still images at up to about 120 frames per second, shoot full HD 240p videos, and even record 6K 60p N-RAW videos in the camera. In addition, shooting with reduced rolling shutter distortion is possible in all shooting modes. In addition, the EVF refresh rate has been improved to a maximum of 120 fps, and you can track the movement of the subject with a smooth viewfinder image (with electronic shutter) with a refresh rate of 60 fps that minimizes display skipping even during high-speed continuous shooting (extended) at about 20 frames per second. Moreover, the AF achieves a focusing speed that is about 20% faster than the Z6II in cooperation with EXPEED 7. Whether shooting fast-moving animals or taking cinematic videos, you can demonstrate your creativity like never before."
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Yes, I read that too, but wanted to hear from some engineers with respect to the challenges, benefits (faster read?), and compromises (DR?, heat?, etc.) with the design.
 
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So glad Nikon is improving their EVF. The Z8/Z9 EVF is poor for exposure evaluation IMHO.

DPReview says scan speed is around 1/60 which is the flash sync in ES. That is the same as the R5 which is usually pretty good for not distorting wings. But it will surely cause leaning lines in the backgrounds. @Steve did you see leaning lines like reeds or trees when reviewing your images?

I can sort of see why they didn't release a Z7III. Z6II and Z7II were $1000 apart. Z6III is $2500 which would put Z7III at $3500. Well Z8 is $4000. So unless they sell Z7III closer to Z6III price or give it some other differentiating feature like 60MP sensor, I think at least for wildlife people would buy the Z8 for $500 more. Maybe with higher MP and the smaller body it would be good for landscapes.
 
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thelordofthelight said:
Amazing walkthrough @Steve Covered everything i was looking for! I saw the EVF on the Z6II is 60 FPS. Did you notice a difference vs Z8/Z9 when panning? When the Z9 was launched it had 60FPS EVF and I could instantly notice a difference after they gave us the 120FPS refresh.
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From just a panning standpoint, I didn't see much of a difference, although I wasn't doing direct side by sides. Still, it seemed good to me. When panning and shooting, it was still good, but the Z8/9 are smoother for sure.
 
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Thanks @Steve , what a QAF (Question Answering Frequency) you can get out of 27+ minutes is pretty impressive (y):D.
As I have one Z8 that I am really happy with, but still miss having the second body I usedgto have in DSLR terms (Jusrt couldn't afford it when changing to MILC) the Z6III has instantly become my favourite camera no. 2. That said, for me the small differences in the functions you actually have and can alleocate to a button and the traditionally existing small differences between the models concerning which function can be allocated to whoch button lets hesitate me a bit, but I am sure there will be firmware updates available soon that will take care of this. For me it was never an option to be a front runner with new gear.

I'm glad you mentioned the Hi ISO performance, because with all the software many people tend to forget that getting a good image in the first place is always the best starting point for post nad in this discipline sensor pixel size is the joker, just like it was ages ago with dinosuars like the 16,2 MP D4s. In fact, this was one of the main arguments for me to shoot a D4s side by side with a D850 in DSLR times.

Another thing that might not only interesting for me but also for others is the "true story" behind the user modes of the Z6 III. I never quite the clue behind these banks (ABCD) because they do not store setups persistently, but I loved the user modes since they started working really well with the D750. For me it would be great news to hear or read more about this for the Z6 III.

Yes, there are situations where 45+ MP are nice, but after some time for getting the flaws out of the Z6III - which will exist for sure - , getting some things introduced like the AF mode circulation and learning a bit more about the differences between fully and partially stacked sensorsI and their impact on my way of working I can well imagine getting rid of my Z8 and use two Z6III instead.
 
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Many thanks @Steve , a useful summary of the new features on the Z 6III and how it applies to Wildlife and helped me with my decision. I was wondering about selling my Z 9 for a Z 6III to compliment my Z 8 for low light. However, after seeing your review I am thinking there are just too many differences between the Z 6III and Z 8 and nothing extra special to justify the Z 6III. If the Z 6III had raw pre-capture I think I would have gone ahead with my plan and I feel a little disappointed after Nikon's teaser campaign about pre-capture.
 
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Admittedly not one of the more important specs but any news on zebra stripes in still photos?

I use tajohnson's picture control as posted on dpreview to get around this, but it would be great to have it native in stills for once. Makes me think it's more of a patent issue than a technical issue, but who knows.
 
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dupcak said:
Admittedly not one of the more important specs but any news on zebra stripes in still photos?

I use tajohnson's picture control as posted on dpreview to get around this, but it would be great to have it native in stills for once. Makes me think it's more of a patent issue than a technical issue, but who knows.
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It’s a very useful option in video capture on Nikon Z cameras. If it’s a licensing issue for stills, I wish Nikon would pay for it and make it available.
 
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Am I correct in seeing they have added additional subject detection from the pre production version? On Nikon‘s release email they list:

Automatic recognition of
9 subjects.​

People, dogs, cats, birds, airplanes, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and trains.
 
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Ad Astra said:
Many thanks @Steve , a useful summary of the new features on the Z 6III and how it applies to Wildlife and helped me with my decision. I was wondering about selling my Z 9 for a Z 6III to compliment my Z 8 for low light. However, after seeing your review I am thinking there are just too many differences between the Z 6III and Z 8 and nothing extra special to justify the Z 6III. If the Z 6III had raw pre-capture I think I would have gone ahead with my plan and I feel a little disappointed after Nikon's teaser campaign about pre-capture.
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The Z6iii is a huge leap forward of the series, but it's still not a Z8 :)
 
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dupcak said:
Admittedly not one of the more important specs but any news on zebra stripes in still photos?

I use tajohnson's picture control as posted on dpreview to get around this, but it would be great to have it native in stills for once. Makes me think it's more of a patent issue than a technical issue, but who knows.
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I talked to the Nikon rep about it and he said, "That's what histograms are for."

I went on to explain how useful zebras were in the field and how looking at a histogram - even in the viewfinder - takes your concentration away from the subject. He saw my point and says he'll pass it on to Nikon. So, we'll see.
 
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Casey said:
Am I correct in seeing they have added additional subject detection from the pre production version? On Nikon‘s release email they list:

Automatic recognition of​

9 subjects.​

People, dogs, cats, birds, airplanes, cars, motorcycles, bicycles and trains.
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dogs cats and birds are all under Animal.
 
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Steve said:
Nope, and I was looking for them. However, most of the birds I was shooting were slower fliers too, so I wasn't turning nearly as fast as with something like a swallow.
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Jan Wegener posted a video where you can see hints of rolling shutter but it’s very mild - even milder than R5 I’d say and that’s a very useable sensor.
The A7iv was never a wildlife champ but the z6iii just put the last nail il that coffin. Nobody is commenting on Canon R6mkii vs Z6iii - for wildlife, that‘s really the only viable competitor price-wise (my guess is that the R6mkii keeps a small edge for bird AF and the z6iii for pretty much everything else).
 
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Steve said:
I talked to the Nikon rep about it and he said, "That's what histograms are for."

I went on to explain how useful zebras were in the field and how looking at a histogram - even in the viewfinder - takes your concentration away from the subject. He saw my point and says he'll pass it on to Nikon. So, we'll see.
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That rep’s not a wildlife photographer 🤪
 
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Steve said:
I talked to the Nikon rep about it and he said, "That's what histograms are for."

I went on to explain how useful zebras were in the field and how looking at a histogram - even in the viewfinder - takes your concentration away from the subject. He saw my point and says he'll pass it on to Nikon. So, we'll see.
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I won't hold my breath but it's better than a flat out refusal :)

Also the histogram is difficult to discern when you have just a small portion is blown out (such as a bald eagle head at a distance).

Thanks for asking!
 
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dupcak said:
Also the histogram is difficult to discern when you have just a small portion is blown out (such as a bald eagle head at a distance).
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on-point!

and i’d go farther… “useless” is the word i might use 😂

i shot like 70k [sic] or so images over the last several days with some challenging lighting conditions and basically eyeballing (guessing) is still my best tool for highlights and shadow detail.

we can do better…

zebras (for BOTH highlights AND shadows) would be a good tool

also, my previously suggested subject detection driven exposure would be appreciated. the camera knows what you’re focusing on, use that info better
 
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