ON TRIAL – NIKON Z 6II
Nikon has addressed all the complaints made about its first generation of full frame mirrorless cameras and added some extra goodies for good measure… so the 24 megapixels Z 6II is an even more appealing combination of capabilities, performance and speed. It’s a handy video cam too.
Nikon has listened to the feedback and so the Z 6II answers all the grumbles about the original camera and provides some extra goodies to make it even more competitive… and appealing.
While Nikon might have been a bit slow off the mark with a full frame mirrorless camera system, there’s no question it hit the spot with the original Z 6 and Z 7 models, subsequently followed up by the ‘APS-C’ format Z 50 and the excellent mid-range Z 5. The Z 6 has been particularly popular thanks to its combination of resolution and speed, but it probably could have done even better if there hadn’t been what some potential buyers undoubtedly saw as short-comings. The good news is that the Mark II versions of both the Z 6 and Z 7 rectify all the grizzles while, sensibly, leaving all the good stuff – such as the handling and ergonomics – untouched. Consequently the Z 6II really puts its hand up for careful consideration in the all-important 24 megapixels class of enthusiastlevel full frame mirrorless cameras. There’s plenty of high-quality competition – Canon’s EOS R6, the Sony A7 III and the Panasonic
Lumix S5 – but the Z 6II is really in the mix now and Nikon is working flat out to build up the Nikkor Z lens line-up, and there are more third-party lenses arriving too.
Before we go any further, a few words about spacing… pay attention now. Nikon has been very specific about there being a space between the model series and the model number; hence Z 6, Z 5, etc. It’s being equally specific about having no space between the model number and the Mark II designation; hence Z 6II… well, Z 6 II would look a bit strange, wouldn’t it?
Now we’ve got that sorted out, let’s take a closer look at the camera itself. Two of the major upgrades are a doubling of
previous camera’s capabilities – namely processors and memory card slots. The Z 6II’s dual
‘Expeed 6’ processors increase the maximum continuous shooting up to 14 fps (compared to 12 fps previously) and this is complemented by a huge five times increase in the buffer memory’s size, so the burst lengths are much longer too. With JPEG/large/fine capture, Nikon is quoting 200 frames, and up to 124 frames with 12-bit RAW files and the lossless compression setting. With 14-bit RAW capture the maximum shooting speed steps up from 9.0 fps to 10 fps.
The original XQD format card slot is retained – and which now also supports the even faster CFexpress Type B devices – while the second slot accepts the still much widelyused SD cards with UHS-II speed support. It’s the best of both worlds, especially for anybody who already has a swag of SD cards that they’d like to keep using.
SHARPER EYED
No doubt thanks to the added data processing fire power, the Z 6II has some autofocusing upgrades too, starting with extended low light sensitivity down to -4.5 EV with normal AF and down to
-6.0 EV with the Low Light AF function (both at ISO 100 and f/2.0). Functionality is improved by adding the availability of face- and eye-detection when using the Wide Area Large mode (rather than only in Auto Area, as was the case previously). Given that you can specify the location of the Wide Area focusing zone within the image frame, this allows for a more selective application of eye/face detection, which can be switched between people and animals.
As before, the hybrid phase/ contrast AF employs 273 measuring points, giving 90 percent frame coverage; but the choice of AF area modes expands to nine with the additional subject-based detection options. As before, switching between single-shot and continuous operation is performed manually. Manual focusing can be assisted by a magnified image, a distance scale or a focus peaking display in a choice of four colours – red, white, yellow or blue – with three intensity levels.
Exposure control is also largely unchanged from before, but the timed shutter speeds now wind all the way down to 900 seconds (that’s 15 minutes) so ultra-long exposures don’t require the ‘B’ setting and can simply be dialled in and activated by a single press of the shutter button.
There’s a choice of multi-zone, centre-weighted average, fully averaged, highlight weighted or spot metering measurements. These drive the standard set of ‘PASM’ exposure control modes with Nikon’s ‘Advanced Scene Recognition’ processing finetuning the auto settings to better match the subject and lighting. There are no standalone subject or scene modes. The overrides for the auto modes comprise an AE lock, exposure compensation up to +/-5.0 EV and auto exposure bracketing with a choice of sequences for two, three, five, seven or nine frames. There isn’t a built-in flash, but the Z 6II has Nikon’s i-TTL auto flash exposure control and supports ‘Creative Lighting System’ functions. Flash sync is up to 1/200 second and there’s a flash auto bracketing function (along with the option of bracketing for both available light and flash).
As is standard on mirrorless cameras there’s both a focal plane shutter and a sensor-based shutter, with the third option of combining the hybrid “electronic first curtain shutter” operation. The sensor shutter allows for silent and vibration-free shooting, but with the risk of rolling shutter distortion with moving objects. The hybrid shutter – which uses the sensor to make the exposure, but finishes it with the FP’s second set of blades – still helps reduce vibration, but also makes it possible to use electronic flash.
For white balance control there’s a choice of three auto correction modes called ‘Keep White’, ‘Normal’ and ‘Keep Warm’. These are supplemented by 13 lighting presets (including seven for gas-ignition sources) and up to six custom settings can be created. Fine-tuning, auto bracketing and manual colour temperature control – settable over a range of 2500 to 10,000 degrees Kelvin – are available as additional controls.
READY AND STEADY
The Nikon-designed BSI-type CMOS sensor is unchanged from the Z 6 and has a total pixel count of 25.28 million, giving an effective count of 24.5 million. The maximum image size is 6048x4024 pixels with the option of two smaller sizes for both JPEG and RAW capture, along with 8-bit RGB TIFFs. The JPEGs can be captured at one of three compression levels which a choice of three aspect
THE ADDED AVAILABILITY OF FACE/EYEDETECTION IN AN AREA MODE IS A BIG PLUS AS IT GIVES MUCH GREATER CONTROL OVER WHAT THE CAMERA ACTUALLY FOLLOWS.”
ratios – 3:2, 1:1 and 16:9. As noted previously, the largest size RAW file can be captured with either 14-bit or 12-bit RGB colour and there’s the choice of lossless compression, lossy compression or uncompressed files at all three image sizes.
In-body image stabilisation is provided via sensor shifting with five axes of movement and correction for camera shake of up to five stops. Three-axis image stabilisation is still available when using the F-to-Z mount adapter with either ‘VR’ optically-stabilised lenses or non-VR types.
The Z 6II maintains a choice of eight ‘Picture Control’ presets, supplemented by a further 20 ‘Creative Picture Control’ settings. The latter are special effects, but with the same choice of adjustment parameters as the standard presets plus, additionally, a total of ten effect levels. The ‘Picture Control’ adjustment parameters comprise Sharpening, Mid-Range Sharpening, Clarity, Contrast, Brightness, Saturation and Hue. For convenience, there’s a ‘Quick Sharp’ setting that combines Sharpening, Mid-Range Sharpening and Clarity into one collective adjustment.
The Z 6II also has a multiple exposure facility (for up to ten shots with various exposure corrections) and an intervalometer which can record up to 9999 frames in a sequence. The selftimer is programmable for the delay time, the number of shots and the interval time.
There’s also the standard Nikon fare of ‘Active D-Lighting’ (ADL) processing to expand the dynamic range (also with an auto bracketing mode), noise reduction processing for long exposures and high ISO settings and dualshot HDR capture with either manual or automatic exposure adjustment and edge smoothing to correct for any slight subject movement. There’s also a ‘Focus Shift Shooting’ function that can capture up to 300 frames, adjusting the focus in each via a predetermined step from one (narrow) to ten (wide). These frames can then be assembled post-camera for focus stacking. A handy ‘Peaking Stack Image’ function gives a monochrome preview image to show the areas in focus before all the frames are combined. Within focus shift it’s
also possible to vary the interval time between shots, employ exposure smoothing or engage silent shooting.
The manual lens corrections are for vignetting, distortion and diffraction which counters the softening that occurs when shooting at very small apertures such as f/16 or f/22. Corrections for both lateral chromatic and spherical aberrations are performed automatically behind the scenes.
IN THE HAND
The Z 6II is virtually identical to the Z 6 in both styling and control layout, and there are only some very slight variations in the size and weight. The bodyshell comprises a magnesium alloy chassis with magnesium alloy covers and is sealed against the intrusion of dust or moisture. The top deck control layout comprises a main mode dial, an info display panel and a substantial rear input wheel. Dedicated control buttons for adjusting ISO and exposure compensation are conveniently located near the shutter release button.
The rear control layout has both a joystick-type controller and a four-way keypad, both of which can be used for navigational purposes or to select the AF points/zones. Handily, there’s also a dedicated button here for setting the drive mode or activating the self-timer. A total of six controls on the camera body are customisable which includes two multi-function ‘Fn’ keys adjacent to the lens mount. There’s also the multi-function control ring on the Nikkor Z lenses which can be set to manual aperture selection, exposure compensation adjustment or as a full-time manual focus override. Some Z lenses also have customisable ‘Lens Fn’ buttons.
The quick menu display in the monitor screen – which Nikon calls the ‘i-Menu’ – can also be customised and includes a total of 12 function tiles. These can be configured from a long list of userassignable functions and there’s the added convenience of touch control so you simply tap and go. The touchscreen implementation extends to the menus, AF point selection/focusing (with the option of auto shutter release), and the replay/review functions, but there’s still no AF touchpad. The monitor is the same 8.1 cm TFT LCD panel as before, with a resolution of 2.1 megadots and adjustable for up/down tilt. The EVF is also unchanged from the Z 6 and uses a 1.27 cm OLED-type panel with 3.686 megadots resolution and 0.8x magnification. Both the EVF and the monitor are adjustable for brightness and colour balance.
The live view screen – in both the viewfinder and the monitor screen – can be configured with basic capture settings, a real-time histogram, a dual-axis ‘Virtual Horizon’ level display and a 4x4 guide grid. You can cycle through most of these options using the ‘Display’ button which also
THE Z 6II REALLY PUTS IT HAND UP FOR CONSIDERATION IN THE ALLIMPORTANT 24 MEGAPIXELS CLASS OF ENTHUSIASTLEVEL FULL FRAME MIRRORLESS CAMERAS.”
accesses a monitor-based info screen. This includes the i-menu which is switchable between black-on-white and white-on-black displays.
The review/replay options include pages of four, nine or 72 thumbnails; zooming up to 32x and a slide show with adjustable frame intervals. Individual images can be displayed full-frame either with or without basic capture info or as thumbnails accompanied by a full set of histograms (i.e. brightness plus the RGB channels) or a highlight warning. Additionally, the autofocus points or area used to take the shot can also be shown. Cycling through the replay options also brings up various pages of detailed capture data which are displayed over the image. There’s also a ‘Retouch Menu’ which provides a selection of in-camera editing functions including RAWto-JPEG conversion, ‘D-Lighting’ (for dealing with contrast issues post-capture), Distortion Control, Perspective Control, Straighten, Resize and Image Overlay.
The Z 6II has both WiFi and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity, the latter using Nikon’s SnapBridge app for image transfer, remote viewfinding and remote camera control. This now also allows for firmware upgrades.
Power comes from a new version of Nikon’s EN-EL15 battery pack, now with the ‘c’ suffix and 1900 mAh capacity (which is 20 percent higher than the ‘b’ version). Of course, the camera is compatible with all the earlier batteries, but in-camera charging via USB-C is only available with the ‘b’ and ‘c’ versions. It can also be fitted with the optional MB-N11 battery/vertical grip.
Like its predecessor, the Z
6II handles superbly and it’s the ergonomics that give Nikon an edge over some of its competitors in the full frame mirrorless camera categories. Assigning key shooting functions to dedicated buttons – so you don’t have to go searching for them or resort to a custom set-up – what makes a big difference and it clearly stems from Nikon’s photo heritage. The camera not only feels right in the hand, but everything is where it should be and, of course, you’ll feel even more at home if you’re switching from a Nikon DSLR.
SPEED AND PERFORMANCE
Loaded with a Sony G series 64 GB XQD memory card, the Z 6II captured 115 best-quality JPEGs in 8.335 seconds which represents a shooting speed of 13.8 fps. The camera would, of course, happily kept going beyond the burst of
115 frames. The test files averaged 13.5 MB in size.
The autofocusing performance is, not surprisingly, much the same as the Z 6 in terms of speed and accuracy, but with much more reliable operation in lower light/ contrast situations. The added availability of face/eye-detection in an area mode is a big plus – specifying either human or animal subjects – as it gives much greater control over what the camera actually follows. Subsequently, the tracking using eye- or facedetection keeps locked on the subject, but the anomaly remains that the subject tracking in the Auto Area mode simply identifies an object per se which it doesn’t specify as human (so eye- or facedetection don’t work here). It’s not
really an issue though; you just need to pick the right area mode for whatever you’re shooting.
The imaging performance too, is obviously virtually the same as we found with the Z 6. The out-ofthe-camera JPEGs exhibit plenty of well-defined detailing, smooth tonal gradations and excellent colour fidelity across the spectrum with the usual well-judged Nikon balance of saturation and realism. The sensor employs ‘dual gain’ circuitry – which means two base ISO settings, one low and one high – which results in inherently lower noise at the higher sensitivity settings. Subsequently, less noise reduction processing is required, so the image quality – particularly in terms of the definition and colour saturation – is better than would normally be the case. It also provides increased exposure latitude which is useful if you need to underexpose to help preserve more detail in the brighter highlights.
Both saturation and detailing are well maintained all the way up to ISO 6400, with only a small reduction in the overall image quality at ISO 12,800 and even at ISO 25,600. The ISO 51,200 setting is still also useable and, while detailing and saturation both start to diminish, the visible noise is still quite finely grained.
THE VERDICT
The original Z 6 was still a great package even if there was a lot of criticism of its single card slot. With this now addressed in the Mark II model and a number of other useful upgrades also thrown it for good measure, it’s a formidable competitor in a category which boasts all highfliers, including Canon’s EOS R6 and the Panasonic Lumix S5.
However, the Z 6II still has a certain, distinct Nikon-ness about it which means it still feels and works like a camera that’s been designed by people who instinctively know what enthusiastlevel photographers really want. The operation still has old-school elements, but you can also take full advantage of new-school efficiencies if you want them.
But no matter how you fly the Z
6II, it’s effortlessly intuitive and, consequently, a real pleasure to use, making everything easy to access and apply. Like many of Nikon’s great DSLRs (and 35mm SLRs), that you’ll quickly grow to love and it will replay you, time and again, with consistently great results. The tradition continues.