Z 6II | Versatile full-frame mirrorless stills/video hybrid camera | Nikon USA Model

I originally bought the GH5 and that camera is a ridiculously good workhorse. However, I shoot predominately consumer electronics, which means I shoot a lot of screens. The GH5, for all its greatness, doesn't have an anti-aliasing filter and that caused all kinds of ridiculous moire. So I sold it, did some research, and landed on the Nikon Z6 II. Super glad I did. For the record, I upgraded originally from the Nikon D5200, which I used with my trusty Sigma 17-50mm lens for many years. I used the GH5 for a month before I got this camera, which I've now had for about a week. Pros 1. Good, sharp photos (obviously lens dependent). I did most of my testing with the included Nikon 24-70mm F/4 and my old Sigma 17-50mm F/2.8 with the FTZ adapter. You can find way better photos by much better photographers on pro reviews or other Amazon reviews, but rest assured those reviewers are right. This camera takes excellent photos. 2. The auto-focus features are a bit outside of my wheelhouse (my subjects rarely move while I shoot them), but I did mess around a little bit. I don't know how it compares to its contemporaries, but it beats my old Nikon D5200 by margins I can't possibly overstate. 3. 4k60fps recording works perfectly. Mine came in the box with the software update already installed so I assume yours will too. I didn't have to do anything other than turn it on in the settings. Even with the crop, it's smooth, sharp, and easy to work with. 4. I've always liked Nikon's menu system. It's simple, easy, and effective. Coming from a previous Nikon, the menu is larger, with controls for modern features, but it's more or less the same layout as previous cameras, so it's familiar. 5. The ability to charge the battery in camera via USB-C is awesome. The ability to power the camera with one is even cooler. 6. I also like that I can connect the camera in a bunch of different ways (wifi, bluetooth, usb-c). Compared to old cameras, it's a massive difference. 7. The ability to have a clean HDMI-out and the ability to turn off sleep mode makes this a great webcam for streaming or similar use cases. Neutral 1. I appreciate that there are two card slots, but I'm not too keen on buying a new card type and a new adapter for my computer. Cons 1. Nikon is intentionally vague about the USB-C power stuff. They want you to buy a $60 wall charger with a USB-C end. However, you basically just need a 15W power brick with USB Power Delivery (USB PD) and it'll get the job done, and you can find those on Amazon for vastly less money. 2. Having the play and delete buttons on the left side makes the camera difficult to use one-handed. Not the biggest deal, but ergonomics matter. Finally, a word about OLPF or an "anti-aliasing filter". This is an electronic component that, to over-simplify, knocks things ever so slightly out of focus to help avoid moire. It's a technology that does work wonders, especially if you shoot a lot of video or photo of things with screens, like smartphones, computer screens, etc. The Nikon Z6 II has one (the Z7 II does not). If you're here and you're considering a career in tech vlogging/journalism, I would put this toward the top of your "maybe" list for that reason alone. Sharp photos and video with the filter is a difficult combo to find. Overall, this camera is bonkers good. When I asked about it on Reddit, someone there challenged me to find a negative review. Turns out, negative reviews of this camera are exceedingly rare. It does well in low light, regular light, and intense light. The controls are good, the ergonomics are mostly good, the video capture is great, and it's just an all-around powerful workhorse camera. I also tried the kit lens. It's nice and sharp, and I actually like the part where the barrel compacts and locks for travel. I'll likely use it most of the time since it's a tad sharper than my Sigma, but if the lighting gets difficult, I have no problem switching back to the f/2.8. The kit lens is really good, and getting it at a $400 discount with the bundle is a smart idea unless you already have an outstanding zoom lens, in which case getting a second is redundant. Finally, a recommendation. If you buy this camera, at MINIMUM, you should consider getting the combo with the FTZ adapter. That gives you access to many older Nikon F-Mount lenses, since the Z-Mount is still kind of new. Buying the adapter separate costs $250, but Nikon reduces the price to $99 if you buy it when you buy a Z-mount camera (Z50, Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II, etc). The deal is available straight from Nikon, here on Amazon, or virtually anywhere else you can buy the camera. It functionally triples the number of lenses you can buy (including some really decent cheaper options, like the Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8). Anyway, this camera is fantastic. Most of the other reviews touch on the kit lens and camera image/video quality, so I wanted to focus mine on some of the technicals and niche stuff. This camera is excellent. I'm happy to have it.

Been using it for a few months now, and I am so pleased with the Z6ii. I know folks dog the AF system, but coming from a D3300, it’s lightyears ahead. This is a camera you learn to use but also adapt to yourself. Between integral settings like Active D-lighting, Dynamic AF, Subject Tracking, exposure lock, manual focus peaking, view finder zoom, Eye-AF, button mapping, and user control groups, I’ve gotten my Z6ii to a point where I can do just about anything I want on it with quick finger movements, minimal futzing, and my eye almost never leaving the viewfinder if I so desired. And all of this, in a comfortable, responsive, and lightweight form factor. Time will tell how durable it is, but as it stands, I’ve not had a single issue with it so far. What’s interesting, is the camera is so easy to navigate the menus with, that I no longer do much editing on the computer anymore, it’s surprisingly quick to NEF process on the camera and then send to my iPhone for sharing. I only use Lightroom, NX Studio, or Photoshop for library management and special projects. Plus, I like the true-to-life look straight out of the camera, I rarely need to alter stuff anyways. I started on that D3300 and fell in love with the colors, Nikkor glass, image quality, and flexibility of NEF files. With the Z6ii, I got all of that, and more capability/reliability. You could go get something else from Sony or Canon with wicked fancy and reliable AF features, and no one would fault you. If I had to pick a camera strictly for that, I would pick one from their lineups too. But the point is, a camera is more than just one feature or spec, and in any case, it’s how ya use it given it’s strengths and limitations. Whatever you end up deciding, I hope you enjoy the ride and opportunity. I know I have. PS: get an extra battery or two, the S Line 35mm f/1.8 is amazing, and read the manual and Nikon shooting guides (they actually have lots of really insightful hints and tips).

Really love this camera, it is very high quality while still being on the affordable end of full frame cameras. I have only used it a handful of times, since I purchased it with intention of it being my backup camera for my Z6iii. And only use it for wedding days. But I seriously love it! Definitely one of the better/cheaper Nikon cameras on the market!

Purchased as an upgrade from my Nikon Z 5. Well worth the money and I’m thrilled to have this for the weddings I have booked this year!

I owned the Z6 and Z6 and actually rather liked them. The Z6 II is a nice upgrade. It is a well built very nice handling camera that makes you want to take pictures. Paired with Z f/4 24 to 70 lens it is an excellent camera being easy to handle and relatively compact. This camera produces excellent out of camera jpgs and, with the improved autofocus, it is easy to get tac sharp pictures. I went for the Z6 II rather than the Z7 II since I already had a camera that provided high resolution photographs and I wanted an easy to use, high quality camera. Pros: 1. High quality weather proofed camera body that handles well. 2. Excellent out of camera jpgs. 3. 2 card slots (a nice improvement over the Z6/Z7. 4. Excellent quality Z lenses which are high quality. 5. Easy access to most features via a touch screen with well designed menus. 6. Good low light performance. Cons: 1. Focus tracking is a little tricky at times and it loses the subject more easily than my other cameras. 2. No 70 to 200mm f/4 Z lens. (This is my biggest issue, there is a variable aperture non S series Z lens 24 to 240 mm but this does not match the quality of the S series 24 to 70 mm f/4 lens) (S lenses are the highest quality equivalent to the L series from Canon). 3. Concern about the long term viability of Nikon (I am sure they will survive but in what form, they seem to be contracting). Overall I love this camera but that missing Z mount S series 70 to 200mm f/4 is a problem for me (I go for the f/4 lenses and not the f/2.8 lenses due to cost and size).

As a very happy Nikon Z6 owner, I questioned this upgrade. Nikon (for once) provided a series of strong updates to the original Z6/Z7 firmware, especially with the addition of eye (subject) detection that made it a much stronger camera over time. What ultimately drove me to update was the addition of dual card slots (redundancy, split RAW+JPG), a much deeper buffer for continuous shooting, and faster autofocus. I am pleased with my decision, but your priorities may differ. First of all, image quality is outstanding, and equal to the Z6 (it uses the same 24MP sensor). Frankly, there wasn’t much to improve there in my opinion. Burst processing is dramatically improved, and the buffer is much deeper, allowing you to capture live-action shots at a faster rate (14 fps if you use 12-bit not 14-bit RAW), and many more shots. This alone may be worth the upgrade for many photographers. For me, the dual card slots were a major driving factor. It's annoying that they are different form factors (XQD/CFExpress and UHS-II SDXC), but you have a variety of menu options for how you store photos and videos, which slot has "priority", and the ability to duplicate everything to both cards or split NEF RAW and JPG between them. You can also use the cards sequentially as overflow, although that kind of defeats the purpose of redundancy. All of this in a body that is exactly the same dimensions as the original Z6. Which leads me finally to autofocus. Nikon likes to tout that the dual EXPEED processors in the Z6 II lets you autofocus 2-stops darker conditions. I took a number of shots in low lighting conditions with the same lens between my old Z6 and the new Z6 II, and although the Z6 II focuses faster, it wasn't noticeable enough (for me) to justify the upgrade on this alone. I will say that the Z6 II adds new autofocus modes not available in the Z6, including Eye (People or Pets) to Video capture, as well as the ability to specify a smaller frame to focus on eyes. This functionality provides perhaps more accurate autofocus with complex subjects. All-in-all a very worthwhile upgrade for me from the original Z6, but your mileage / priorities my vary.

The Nikon Z6 was and still is a great camera, but has been heavily derided by reviewers on the 'Tube. Some of the criticisms were unjustified, while others had some merit. The Z6 II fills in any of the gaps that caused these criticisms. The TLDR of this camera is that its a refined Z6. Nikon listened and updated the Z6 in every was that was necessary. Still, the reviewers will hold this up against the Sonys and the Canons, but Nikon's target audience is not people switching camera systems. Instead, Nikon's audience is its own current DSLR consumer base who may want to go mirrorless. The theme for the Z6 II (note that Nikon does not call it a "Mark II") is two of everything. Internally, this camera is faster and has a larger buffer, due to the inclusion of a second processor. Continuous High shooting speed has increased by two frames per second from 12 to 14. There are now two card slots (1 XQD/CFExpress Type B and a USH-II SD card). I wish there were two of the same cards for convenience. The Z5 has two SD card slots if you prefer that. The Z6 II supports a vertical battery grip with buttons for taking photos in portrait orientation. So now there are two sets of buttons, with the optional grip. It has the same sensor as the Z6, so no changes there. Currently as of this writing (November 15, 2020), none of the major photo editing software packages have been updated to support the .NEF raw files it produces. This is normal for newly released cameras, and the updates should be coming soon. In the meantime, you can shoot raw and jpeg so you can edit the raw files later. Alternatively, you can use Nikon's Capture NX software. My firmware is 1.00. Firmware updates will make it even better (like the video updates coming in February 2021). It uses the en-el15c battery, but accepts the older en-el15 and en-el15b batteries. I think the greatest improvement so far is the wide area eye detection, where you can enable a red box in the viewfinder that restricts the eye detection to only eyes inside the red box. This way, you are giving the camera a helping hand as to where you want it to look for eyes. This is a rather unique approach that I don't believe any other camera system supports. Overall, the Z6 II feels familiar more than it feels different. In fact, if you have a Z6, you may not need to upgrade to the Z6 II, depending on your needs. If you are a still life, street, or portrait photographer, your Z6 is still a great camera. Pros and wedding photographers (business owners) will probably want to upgrade though for the autofocus, dual card slots, and speed improvements. If you shoot fast action or wildlife, I think this is a great upgrade for you due to the speed improvements. This is the complete camera from Nikon. Nikon has given everyone what they wanted in the Z6 II.

I upgraded from my Nikon D750 to this new model, and I have zero regrets — the image quality is absolutely incredible. It’s a noticeable jump in performance, especially in low light and autofocus speed. The dynamic range and color depth are also much better, and I love how intuitive the controls feel coming from the D750. It’s everything I wanted and more. If you’re thinking about upgrading, don’t hesitate. This camera delivers professional-level results and makes photography even more enjoyable. ✅ Outstanding image quality ✅ Fast and accurate autofocus ✅ Great upgrade from the D750