Nikon Z7 Conclusion

Nikon Z7 Conclusion

The Z7 is a very important model for Nikon as it is the company's first-ever full-frame mirrorless camera. The camera includes many new features and technologies, such as the all-new Z mount, which is larger in diameter and has a much shorter flange back distance than found in the company's SLR cameras, allowing Nikon to leave behind the limitations of the 60-year-old F mount. The Z7 also features in-body image stabilization, a first for Nikon, as well as a new hybrid-AF system, which none of their DSLRs have. The pressure on Nikon from competing mirrorless camera manufacturers has been growing in recent years, so Nikon had to pull out all the stops and get their new mirrorless system started off on the right foot.

The end result of extended research, development and engineering at Nikon headquarters is a full-frame mirrorless camera with a very impressive list of features and excellent overall performance, both in our lab and in the field. However, while the Z7 is no doubt a very impressive first step for Nikon, like every camera and especially the first of its kind from a manufacturer, it's not without its flaws.

Image Quality: Very good performance from the 45.7MP full-frame sensor

The Z7's sensor is brand new, but has pretty similar image quality to the D850, including dynamic range. That said, the Z7 does improve on some things like better sharpening control, brighter colors and higher contrast than the hugely popular D850. High ISO performance is also similar to the D850's, which is to say very good. The Z7's images print extremely well, producing good-looking 30 x 40 inch prints all the way to ISO 1600. Even more impressive, it can produce a nice 24 x 36 inch print at ISO 3200, and a nice 8 x 10 at ISO 25,600. That's very, very good.

As mentioned, JPEG image quality is very similar to the D850, but not identical. In addition to the aforementioned processing tweaks, we noted the Z7 struggled a bit with certain image quality issues not seen on the D850, such as custom white balance under incandescent lighting. Also, the on-chip PDAF pixels can cause banding. And, being a mirrorless camera, the Z7 can exhibit some blurring due to shutter shock when using the fully mechanical shutter. See our analysis for all the details.

Autofocus and Performance: 493 AF points and new processor deliver impressive speed

The Nikon Z7 has a brand-new hybrid autofocus system. The camera offers 493 autofocus points which cover around 90 percent of the horizontal and vertical area of the frame. This is a dramatic improvement both in terms of points and coverage when compared to the Nikon D850's dedicated phase-detect AF system.

With respect to speed, we found that the Z7 was fairly quick to focus and generally did a good job in difficult lighting situations, although its low-light autofocus performance varied quite a bit depending upon the subject you are photographing and what settings you use. (A dedicated Low-light AF mode is required to focus in very low-light, and the Z7's exposure simulation needs to be turned off if you don't want the camera to use the selected aperture when focusing unless shooting wide open.) Continuous autofocus performance was quite good, although the Z7 did not appear quite as adept in real-world testing as the D850 with respect to subject tracking.

Powered by a new image processor, the EXPEED 6, the Nikon Z7 delivers good performance for its class. The camera powers up a bit slower than most DSLR cameras, taking around 1.5 seconds, but this is about an average time for a mirrorless camera. Likewise, full AF shutter lag is good for a full-frame mirrorless, but slower than most high-end DSLRs like the D850. The 5-axis in-body image stabilization works great for stills and video as well as with adapted F-mount lenses.

When looking at continuous shooting performance, the Z7 proved to be quite good, with up to 9fps shooting (with C-AF) with 12-bit raw files. Burst rates do, however, slow down depending on file quality settings, whether you want continues auto-exposure between frames or if you use the mechanical or electronic shutter. Buffer depths were nothing to write home about, ranging from 19 to 23 frames at different raw file quality settings in our tests, and buffer clearing times ranged from around 4 to just under 8 seconds with a fast XQD card.

Overall, the Z7 offers generally good performance, but it's not as high-performing as the D850. In real-world experience, the Z7 proved to be quick and agile in many situations. However, for a photographer shooting sports or other extended action, its somewhat small buffer could pose a problem at times.

Video: One of Nikon's best video performers to date

The Nikon D850 made many important strides forward for video users, but the Z7 takes things even further. Like the D850, the Z7 can record 4K UHD video at up to 30 frames per second and Full HD video at up to 120 fps, but the Z7's new hybrid AF improves both single-shot and continuous autofocus during video recording. However, autofocus can still struggle with overcorrection and mis-focus at times, especially in low light.

The Z7's built-in image stabilization not only works well and stabilizes all lenses, but it can correct for roll, something optical image stabilization can't do. Being able to use the gorgeous EVF while recording video is also a bonus compared to DSLRs.

Regarding video quality itself, 4K video can be recorded using the full width of the sensor like on the D850, which is great (no crop!), though it's not full-pixel readout like the Z6 so the quality isn't as good. Still, the video is sharp and contains good detail across a wide range of ISO settings (but stay tuned for a full Video page!). Dynamic range appears to be good too, although it can be made better by recording in the new N-Log format.

Overall, the Z7 is one of Nikon's best cameras for video alongside the new Z6, and is a notable step-up in many ways from the company's most recent DSLR cameras.

Body and Handling: A familiar feeling

Upon first glance, there are obvious similarities between the Nikon Z7 and recent Nikon DSLR cameras, such as the Nikon D850. This was, of course, by design. Nikon's design and engineering teams wanted the Z7 to feel like a Nikon camera, which means that buttons are in familiar locations, the shutter release has a similar feel and the grip has a similar surface and shape.

While similar, the Z7 is certainly smaller and lighter than Nikon's full-frame DSLR cameras. Some of the buttons are smaller and the grip is smaller. For some users, the Z7 may feel a bit small. For us, it felt like a very good balance of size and usability.

Over the years, EVFs have evolved dramatically and the Z7's electronic viewfinder is one of the best we have ever used. It is a 0.5-inch OLED EVF with 0.8x magnification and 3,690k dots. This is a lot of resolution and magnification and the end result is a natural-feeling shooting experience. EVFs may have been frowned upon in the past, but there's a lot to like about shooting with the EVF on the Z7.

The camera has other nice features, including a very good rear LCD. The 3.2-inch screen is quite large for the compact camera body and has a high resolution of 2,100k dots. The display is crisp, has an impressive viewing angle and can tilt up and down. It's a touchscreen to boot, although Nikon could still improve its touch-based user interface in a few areas. The camera offers touch AF and touch shutter, which works well, but you are unable to use the rear display as an AF touchpad, meaning you can't be using the EVF to shoot while simultaneously moving the AF point with the rear display. You can, however, use the dedicated AF joystick to move the point, which works really well.

That's the general theme of the Z7's camera body and design, it "works really well." This is a new chapter for Nikon that builds upon the company's extensive legacy of great design, and the Z7 feels immediately familiar despite being quite different technically. The new features are excellent and the most important aspects of prior advancements are retained.

Summary

In nearly every way in both lab and real-world testing, the Nikon Z7 was competent or excelled, performing incredibly well in a wide variety of situations. The camera's body and design are familiar yet improved in meaningful ways, while offering a much lighter and more compact body than Nikon's full-frame DSLR cameras. The image quality is excellent, the new hybrid autofocus system is generally quick and accurate, and it's about time IBIS was offered in a Nikon. For users demanding high-quality video, the Z7 offers that as well, plus many videographer-friendly features. However, for those wanting better video features, as well as a bit more oomph in the performance department, the Nikon Z6 is perhaps a better choice if you're willing to drop down to 24MP stills.

The new Z-mount lenses released so far are also quite impressive, especially the 35mm f/1.8 S and 50mm f/1.8 S primes which are both very sharp lenses. The small 24-70mm f/4 S zoom lens is a great travel lens that's sharp and lightweight, however the lens relies a bit heavily on software corrections (likely a compromise to get size and weight down). And the just-announced 14-30mm f/4 S lens look to be an excellent optic for landscape and architectural photographers. Overall, the Z Mount has a lot of potential, and we're excited to see what the future holds.

Is the Z7 perfect? Of course not, no camera is, especially not one which is the first of a brand-new system. There are still a few kinks to be ironed out and some areas to be refined, and you can tell that some of the other players have been making mirrorless cameras longer than Nikon. Hopefully most of the foibles will be addressed with firmware updates. In fact, at this year's CES, Nikon announced firmware updates that will add new features, such as Eye AF, to both the Z7 and Z6 cameras, so there are already updates in the works.

Overall though, when taking image quality, performance, features, build quality, ergonomics and size all into account, it's clear the Nikon Z7 is one heck of a camera, so much so that we've awarded it Best Pro Camera of 2018, and it's absolutely a Dave's Pick.