Nikon Z 7II

£2999/$2997 The Nikon Z 7II gets a number of refinements over the Z 7, including dual processors and dual card slots. Is it enough to persuade you to make the move to mirrorless?

Our final verdict on Nikon’s full-frame mirrorless powerhouse

The Nikon Z 7II is the follow up to Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z 7, a camera that was launched back in the summer of 2018. With a 45.7-megapixel full-frame sensor at its heart, the Z 7II is Nikon’s flagship mirrorless camera that is also designed to tempt existing DSLR owners to make the switch by addressing the criticisms levelled at the previous model. Sitting alongside the Z 7II is Nikon’s more enthusiast-orientated full-frame mirrorless camera, the 24.5-megapixel Nikon Z 6II. With the same form factor but costing a third less than the pro-orientated Z 7II, the Z 6II is marketed as more of an all-rounder.

We’re big fans of the original Nikon Z 7 and, as the name suggests, Nikon hasn’t started from the ground up with the Z 7II. Instead the company has listened to feedback and looked to iron out the weaknesses of the original, tweaking and refining to arrive at the Z 7II. Externally at least, the only giveaway that you’re dealing with the newer camera is the new Nikon Z 7II badge. However, with the mirrorless landscape changing in the last two years with a selection of new rivals, do the changes made to the Z 7II offer enough to put it ahead of the competition?

Key features

Nikon has opted to use the same 45.7-megapixel full-frame back-illuminated sensor that was seen in the Z 7, but rather than the single EXPEED 6 processor that was featured in the older model, the Z 7II now has the luxury of dual EXPEED 6 processors. Doubling the processing power brings with it a number of improvements, including the burst shooting speed increasing from 9fps to 10fps. You do need to read the small print though, as this speed is only achievable if you’re shooting 12-bit Raw files and using a single AF point. The extra processing power delivers a much deeper shooting buffer, with the Z 7II now having up to 3.3x the buffer capacity of the original model.

The Z 7II’S video offering has also been enhanced, with the new camera now capable of shooting 60p 4K footage. This is up from 30p on the Z 7, but this

higher frame rate sees a slight 1.08x crop applied to the footage to achieve this, with the Z 7II using 93% of the width of the sensor. If you’re planning to send footage to an external recorder then the Z 7II can output ready-to-view Hybrid Log Gamma (HLG) footage for viewing on HDR TV sets, while the Z 7II’S ‘hot charging’ USB-C support means you’ll be able to power the camera while it’s in use, allowing you shoot as long as you want.

Speaking of power, the Z 7II gets a new, uprated battery. While the Z 7’s battery life was officially rated at an underwhelming 330 shots, the Z 7II uses a higher capacity version of the battery, with the new EN-EL15C now able to deliver 420 shots per charge with the LCD, and 360 shots through the viewfinder.

One area that was often singled out with the original Z 7 was its reliance on a single XQD card slot, but the Z 7II now benefits from dual card slots with the welcome addition of a UHS-II SD card slot that sits alongside the Xqd/cfexpress Type B socket, thus enabling in-camera backup.

Rather than developing a new AF system, the Z 7II utilizes the same 493-point AF system that was enjoyed by the Z 7, but the extra EXPEED 6 processor has allowed Nikon to make some improvements here also. As well as sharpening up the overall performance of autofocus, the Z 7II now includes human or animal eye/face detection in Wide Area AF modes and improved focusing in low light that sees the Z 7II now able to focus down to -3EV (compared to the Z 7’s -2EV).

Elsewhere, though, the specification of the Z 7II remains identical to the Z 7.

Build and handling

Despite the extra card slot the design of the Z 7II is identical to the Z 7 (and the Z 6 and Z 6II, for that matter, while the much more affordable Nikon Z 5 is very similar too), and apart from the Z 7II badge, the only other difference is it’s a couple of millimetres thicker and a gram or two heavier.

While sticking with an unchanged design might appear to be playing it safe, the original Z 7 was a pretty well sorted camera when it came to handling, so it’s perhaps no bad thing that Nikon’s felt no need to tinker here. The deep grip makes the Z 7II incredibly comfortable to hold and the

control layout makes it one of the most satisfying mirrorless cameras to shoot with. Key controls fall to the hand easily, while it’s nice to see face/eye detection is now accessed along with all the other area AF modes. A dedicated drive mode selector would be nice to see on the Z 7II (perhaps around the collar of the mode dial, as in its top-end DSLRS?), but this is relatively straightforward to get to via the menu.

Just like the Z 7, the Nikon Z 7II enjoys magnesium alloy top, front and back covers to deliver ample rigidity, and its body has been weather-sealed to Nikon’s professional specifications. This all combines to deliver a camera that’s very well made and one that can happily be used in a number of lessthan-hospitable environments.

One area that we’d like to have seen Nikon overhaul is the EVF and rear display. While the 3.69m-dot EVF in the original Z 7 impressed at the time, it’s disappointing not to see Nikon equip the Z 7II with a higherresolution display. Another curiosity is the fact that Nikon’s stuck with the tilting rear touchscreen LCD. While this method has a range of uses and applications, a vari-angle mechanism would have made it a more appealing proposition for videographers and portrait shooters.

Performance

Even though the Z 7II is now able to max out at 10fps, that still leaves it lagging behind the likes of the Z 6II that can shoot at up to 14fps, though admittedly with images half the resolution. And to be fair, 10fps will be plenty enough for most disciplines.

The 493-point hybrid autofocus system inside the Z 7II is a very solid performer. Using both phase and contrast-detect AF, the Z 7II finds focus very quickly, while as we found with the Z 6II, human/animal face and eye detect modes work very well. Train the Z 7II on your subject and, even against the busy backgrounds, it’ll lock-on and automatically switch between faces or individual eyes. Predictive focus tracking is also good on the Z 7II, enabling you to maintain focus on your subject as it moves round the frame. Viewed in isolation, the AF system on the Z 7II is very impressive, but Nikon users shooting action are probably still best served by the company’s D850 and D6 DSLRS – while they can’t match the 90% coverage of the Z 7II, their advanced tracking AF has the edge.

There are no nasty surprises when it comes to image quality, having seen variations of this sensor used in both the Z 7 and D850. The level of detail achievable is impressive, while the wide dynamic range means there’s plenty of flexibility in the Raw files. It’s possible to recover good amounts of shadow detail, while the Z 7II’S Matrix metering does a good job of aiming to preserve the highlights.

The Z 7II’S in-body image stabilization (IBIS) is a strong performer, delivering 5-stops of compensation. This means that shooting at slow shutter speeds and still coming away with a sharp shot is very much a reality when shooting with the Z 7II.

This isn’t just a benefit for stills, though, as it can be harnessed when shooting video as well. Provided you keep movement down to a minimum wherever possible, you can come away with some incredibly smooth handheld 4K footage.

Verdict

All the changes that we’ve seen on the Z 7II are certainly welcome, but we can’t help feeling that Nikon’s played it a bit safe. We’d like to have seen even more of a jump, but in all likelihood Nikon is holding this tech back for an all-new model and, with no disrespect to the Z 7II, it feels a little like a stopgap.

That said, the Nikon Z 7II has a lot going for it. The build, handling and image quality are all excellent. The Nikon Z 7II takes Nikon’s top-of-the-line mirrorless camera and makes it even better.

2 3 The Z 7II has several refinements over the original Z 7, including dual processors and card slots.

As with the Z 7, the kit lens option remains the excellent 24-70mm f/4 lens.

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Aside from the Z 7II badge, it’s physically almost identical to its predecessor.

Used in conjunction with the 24-70m f/4, the camera produces superb bokeh when shooting wide open.

Narrowing down the aperture produces images that are impressively crisp from foreground to background.

With a 45.7Mp sensor, the Z 7II has double the number of pixels as the Z 6II, making it the ideal choice for landscape photographers, though it costs about £1000/$1000 more.

The on-sensor AF system covers 90 per cent of the image frame spread over 493 autofocus points, and can track moving subjects at up to 10fps, compared to 9fps on the original Z 7.

Colour rendition is nothing short of excellent, as we’ve come to expect from Nikon.

Dynamic range now stretches to -3EV, compared to -2EV on the Z 7, for better low-light performance.