Nikon Z7 Review

Overview

Nikon Z7 Overview

by Mike Tomkins

Things have been looking up for Nikon lately. As the company rounded out its year-long celebration of its hundredth anniversary last year, its impressive D850 DSLR ruled the roost as winner not just in the DSLR category of our 2017 Camera of the Year awards, but also the overall victor. But while it has clearly managed something really special with the D850 DSLR, Nikon obviously couldn't neglect the burgeoning mirrorless market, which has continued to gain in popularity globally at the expense of DSLR sales. The potential of mirrorless has been made most obvious by the speed with which rival Sony's Alpha mirrorless camera line has gained in popularity and sales, even as Nikon has had to pull back from its own mirrorless offerings of days gone by due to lackluster sales.

Looking back at the 1-series and decade one of the mirrorless revolution

By coincidence, mirrorless cameras themselves were also celebrating an anniversary last year. It was a full decade since Olympus and Panasonic made waves in mid-2008 by announcing their Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera standard. Nikon responded some three years later in mid-2011, launching its own Nikon 1 mirrorless lineup. The 1-series cameras were groundbreaking in some respects, with the world's first hybrid autofocus system in an ILC thanks to on-chip phase detection pixels, and capable of almost legendary burst-shooting and video-capture performance. They also took good advantage of the size and weight advantages possible with mirrorless designs, being far sleeker and more compact than their DSLR brethren.

Where the Nikon 1-series stumbled, though, was in the very place which allowed most of these other advantages: The sensor used in Nikon's early mirrorless models, while still huge in comparison to the compact cameras which were then just reaching their sales peak, was nevertheless relatively tiny when compared even to the APS-C sensors typically used in DSLRs at the time. While that sensor size allowed the small cameras and lenses for which the 1-series was known, as well as their incredible performance and autofocus, it also translated to a noticeable reduction in image quality versus larger-sensored rivals. Nikon put its heart and soul into the 1-series, but it still faded into the history books, underappreciated and unloved by most.

The impressive Z7 and Z6 mark the start of Nikon's brand-new mirrorless strategy

Nikon has since gone back to the drawing board and reinvented its mirrorless strategy from the ground up. With the simultaneously-launched Nikon Z6 and Z7, the company aims to achieve the same success within the compact system camera market that it's managing in the DSLR market with cameras like the D850. In doing so, it has switched to a full-frame sensor size much like that used in many of Sony's popular Alpha-series mirrorless cameras, setting up a head-to-head battle with the electronics giant, as well as with Canon, who less than two weeks later also announced their first full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R.

[Ed. Note: For the sake of accuracy, we should note that the official naming for these new cameras is actually "Nikon Z 6" and "Nikon Z 7". However, we'll be referring to them as the Z6 and Z7 throughout this article, as the extra space makes things harder to read, but we can't really abbreviate to just 'Z' or '6'/'7' either.]

Key features of the Nikon Z7

We'll get down to all of the finer details in a moment, but right now we're sure you're itching to learn what the Nikon Z7 has to bring to the party. Let's quickly hit the high points:

• Nikon's familiar DSLR ergonomics in a mirrorless form factor

• Comprehensively dust/weather-sealed body (D850 class of protection)

• 45.7-megapixel, full-frame Nikon FX-format BSI CMOS image sensor with on-chip focus pixels

• ISO 64 - 25,600, expandable to ISO 32 - 102,400

• Up to nine fps full-res burst capture with continuous autofocus

• Nikkor Z lens mount supports three S-Line lenses at launch and over a dozen by end of 2020

• Supports Nikon F-mount lenses with Mount Adapter FTZ

• Roomy and extremely high-res 3,690k-dot OLED electronic viewfinder with Nikkor optics

• Generous 3.2-inch, 2,100k-dot tilting LCD touch-screen

• Top-deck status OLED display

• 493-point autofocus system specified to work as low as -4 EV (ISO 100, f/2.0 lens, AF-S mode)

• Five-stop, five-axis in-camera vibration reduction for both Z-mount and all adapted F-mount lenses. Lens-based VR also supported.

• Shutter speeds from 1/8,000 to 30 plus bulb; x-sync at 1/200

• Full-width 4Kp30 and 1080p120 movie capture, timecode, 10-bit HDMI and Log color profile

• Also shoots 8K timelapse movies in-camera

• Built-in SnapBridge Bluetooth/Wi-Fi communications

• SuperSpeed USB Type-C connector and Type-C Mini HDMI connector, plus accessory terminal and 3.5mm mic/headphone jacks

• Supports existing DSLR accessories like Advanced Wireless Lighting, WT-7 series wireless transmitters and EN-EL15 series batteries. New EN-EL15b can recharge in-camera.

• Dedicated, weather-sealed multi-power battery pack is in development

• Available late September 2018 for US$3,400 body-only or US$4,000 with 24-70 f/4 lens

The Nikon Z6 and Z7 compared

And now that we've got the basics covered, let's see what differs between the Nikon Z7 and its simultaneously-announced, more-affordable sibling:

• The Nikon Z7 has a 45.7-megapixel sensor; the Z6 is 24.5-megapixel. (Total pixel counts are 46.89 mpix for Z7, and 25.28 mpix for Z6.)

• The Z7's sensor lacks an optical low-pass filter, while the lower-resolution Z6 has one.

• The Z7 supports ISO 64 - 25,600 by default; the Z6 is ISO 100 - 51,200.

• The Z7 can be expanded to ISO 32 - 102,400; the Z6 expands to 50 - 204,800.

• The Z7 has 493 focus points; the Z6 has 273.

• The Z7 shoots at 9 fps full-res; the Z6 can manage 12 fps. If you enable 14-bit raw, the Z7 falls to 8 fps, while the Z6 can still manage 9 fps. Both drop to 5.5 fps with full continuous AE/AF functionality when shooting 12-bit raw, but the Z7 drops to 5 fps with 14-bit raw. (Note that firmware v2.00 adds continuous AE support to the fastest burst mode, as well as eye-detection AF.)

• The Z6 features a deeper buffer for longer bursts (35 versus 23 for 12-bit lossless NEFs).

• The Z7 meters down to -3 EV and focuses down to -1 EV ordinarily (-2 EV with firmware v2.00), while the Z6 can meter to -4 EV and focus to -2 EV. (However, in Low-light AF mode, both cameras can focus down to -4 EV.)

• While both models capture full-width 4K video at up to 30p, the Z6 features full-pixel readout, for better video quality. The Z7 subsamples.

• The Z7 offers a 5:4 aspect ratio mode for stills, the Z6 does not.

• The Z7 features slightly better battery life with the same battery pack, CIPA-rated at 330 shots per charge with the EVF or 400 shot with the LCD. The Z6 is rated at 310 or 380 shots respectively.

• Curiously, the Z6 has more powerful Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios than does the Z7. (7.4 vs 7.0 dBm for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, 12.2/9.2 vs. 12.1/9.1 dBm for 5GHz Wi-Fi, 1.9 vs 1.5 dBm for Bluetooth and 0.4 vs 0 dBm for Bluetooth LE.)

• The Z7 costs US$3,400 body-only at launch; the Z6 is US$2,000.

• The Z7 comes bundled with the EH-7P charging AC adapter to charge batteries in-camera; the Z6 doesn't include this accessory in the standard package.

Let's roll up our sleeves and talk details

But enough of the bullet points. As the Z6 and Z7 are new cameras, we've a lot more to discuss here than usual. Now that you have a sense for where the Z7 sits compared to its sibling, let's get right down to the specifics and see what you can expect from Nikon's flagship full-frame mirrorless camera.

The first thing you're going to notice on picking up the Z7 is that it's very obviously a high-end Nikon camera. For one thing, it's no shelf queen: the Z7's body is designed to the same level of strength, durability and dust / drip resistance as the D850. And although the number and placement of controls does of necessity vary a fair bit to accommodate a smaller mirrorless form factor, a lot of the individual controls will be immediately familiar to a photographer shooting that same camera.

A brand-new body that nevertheless feels like an old friend

The cluster of controls around the shutter button, for example, is identical to the D850 almost right down to the individual button placements. You'll also find twin control dials front and rear, plus on the rear, a joystick control and an eight-way directional pad with central OK button. And nearby, you'll also find AF-ON and 'i' buttons. Delete and Play buttons can be found top left of the rear deck where you'd expect, and they're even separated by a little ridge as in the D850.

Really, the biggest UI differences are that four of the buttons which would have lined the left of the LCD on the D850 have instead jumped to the bottom right of the rear deck, and there's a traditional Mode dial with central lock button on the top deck in place of the wedding cake-style release mode dial topped by buttons on the D850. Getting familiarized with the Z7's controls should not take Nikonians long at all.

A brand-new, very high-res sensor and EXPEED 6 processor

Let's return to the image sensor, next of all. As we said at the outset, it's a full-frame (or in Nikon parlance, FX-format) backside-illuminated CMOS chip with an effective resolution of 45.7 megapixels from a total count of 46.89 megapixels and it does not include an optical low-pass filter. The chip has dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9mm, and maximum image dimensions are 8,256 x 5,504 pixels. If using an APS-C sensor crop for a DX-format lens, the maximum image dimensions fall to 5,408 x 3,600 pixels, for an effective resolution of 19.5 megapixels.

As well as the ability to shoot a Dust Off reference photo to remove dust from your images using Nikon's Capture NX-D software, an image sensor cleaning function is included. (We don't have details on the specific dust reduction system being used, however.)

The sensor is paired to a latest-generation version of Nikon's in-house image processor, dubbed EXPEED 6 in this incarnation. Nikon says that this latest variant of EXPEED allows for crisper rendering of subjects and lower noise levels than did past versions. To help you make the most of the Z7's detail-gathering capabilities, EXPEED 6 also brings with it a new mid-range sharpening function that can be used alongside of the existing sharpening and clarity functions seen in other recent Nikon cameras.

A sensitivity range that's unusually generous at the bottom end, too

Together, the Nikon Z7's sensor and processor pairing allow a sensitivity range of ISO 64 to 25,600 equivalents, expandable to encompass everything from ISO 32 to 102,400 equivalents. That's a pretty broad range, and while we've certainly seen higher at the top end of the scale, it's at the bottom end where the Nikon Z7 really impresses. Not counting the D810 and D850, it's not often we see a camera which allows anything below ISO 100 by default.

And the top burst capture rate of nine frames per second with continuous autofocus at full resolution is pretty swift, too, especially when you bear in mind the Z7's high resolution of 45.7 megapixels. Do note that's with exposure locked from the first frame, however. Also, enabling 14-bit raw capture will strip a frame off the maximum rate, dropping it to 8 fps max. If you want exposure adjustments between frames, the maximum capture rate plunges to a more modest 5.5 frames per second at full resolution, or 5 fps with 14-bit raw capture. And if you need a lower burst rate, options from 1 to 5 fps are also available. (Note that firmware v2.00 adds continuous AE support to the fastest burst mode.)

A brand-new lens mount brings big opportunities

The newly-developed, four-flanged Nikon Z lens bayonet mount absolutely dominates the front of the Z7 body. It's notable not just for the generous diameter of the mount, which has an inner diameter of some 2.2 inches (55 mm), but also for its minimal flange back distance of just 0.63 inches (16mm). That's actually a millimeter less than the much smaller Nikon 1-mount, two millimeters less than Sony's E-mount, and 3.25mm less than Olympus and Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds standard.

Nikon tells us that the combination of the generously-sized mount and shallow flange back will give it greater possibilities when it comes to lens development. And it's pretty clear that lens development is a key focus here. The official Nikkor Z Lens Roadmap at release shows the lineup started with just three optics (two primes and a zoom) in 2018, but six more are slated to follow in 2019, and another six the year after. Looking out to 2021 or perhaps later, there are a further eight optics scheduled.

All of Nikon's Nikkor Z S-Line lenses are said to have been designed to provide maximum sharpness when shooting wide open. They're also all equipped with weather-sealing, and to be conducive to use not just for stills, but also for video capture. We don't yet have specifics on what many of these lenses will be, however. Let's take a bit of a closer look at what we know thus far of what's to come.

Two primes and a zoom available at launch

Available alongside the Nikon Z7 at launch (or for the 50mm, a short month thereafter) are two primes and a zoom. The Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S and Z 50mm f/1.8 S primes both feature a pair of ED glass lens elements. The 50mm pairs these with two aspheric elements, while the 35mm prime has three aspherics. Both lenses also use Nikon's Nano Crystal Coat coating to suppress flare and ghosting. The 50mm uses an STM stepping motor for quiet autofocus, while the 35mm prime has an unusual AF drive mechanism pairing two distinct AF drive units for performance and accuracy.

The Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S is the only zoom available at launch. It pairs Nikon's ghost- and flare-resistant Nano Crystal Coat coating with a fluorine coating on the front element to resist smudges and smears. Inside, it has one standard ED element, one aspherical ED element and three standard aspherics. It will focus to as close as 0.3 meters.

Nine more lenses announced in some form for 2019 and 2020

Of the remaining known lenses, there are five primes and four zooms. The ultra-wide Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S has just recently been announced and will be available in the spring of 2019. It's quite compact and light for its class, and Nikon says it's the world's first full-frame 14mm lens that can accept screw-in filters. Click on the link for full info.

We only have details beyond the name for one other optic, currently in development and also slated to arrive in 2019. This is the Nikkor Z 58mm f/0.95 S Noct, a manual focus-only optic which is planned as the fastest lens ever made by Nikon.

Positioned as the flagship S-Line lens, its name hearkens back to 1977's AI Noct-NIKKOR 58mm f/1.2 prime. The "Noct" moniker in both names is, according to Nikon, an abbreviation of "Nocturne", a musical piece intended for night or evening use. Staying true to that name, the original Noct lens was designed specifically with the intent of rendering sharp point light sources crisply against a dark background, such as you might want for night or astronomical photography. And it seems the goal is much the same for this new lens, with Nikon promising "superior detail and sharpness", "outstanding point-image reproduction capabilities" and "beautiful blur characteristics".

As for the other lenses, we can only tell you their focal lengths and apertures so far, as not even the full names are yet finalized. In order from widest to most telephoto, they are:

• 14-24mm f/2.8 S

• 20mm f/1.8 S

• 24mm f/1.8 S

• 24-70mm f/2.8 S

• 50mm f/1.2 S

• 70-200mm f/2.8 S

• 85mm f/1.8 S

Note that in Nikon's latest S lens roadmap, the planned release of the 24mm f/1.8 has been moved up to 2019 while the 20mm f/1.8 has been moved out to 2020 compared to the original roadmap.

Of course, you can mount F-mount lenses via an adapter, too

As you'd doubtless expect of a brand-new system with few first-party optics at launch (and likely a while before any third-party optics become available, too), the ability to mount existing glass is an important feature for the Nikon Z-series cameras. And they can do so very nicely indeed, courtesy of the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ.

The name, pretty obviously, hints at the fact that this accessory will adapt F-mount lenses to a Z-mount bayonet, and no less than 90 of Nikon's existing lenses will work with the adapter without limitations. (Full AF/AE is supported when using FX or DX AF-S Type G/D/E, AF-P type G/E, AF-I type D lenses and AF-S/AF-I teleconverters.) About another 250 optics (AI type and later) will also be usable with some functional limitations.

Five-axis, five-stop Vibration Reduction (and even adapted lenses get three-axis correction)

As well as providing support for focus and aperture control, the Mount Adapter FTZ also supports the built-in vibration reduction of lenses supporting this feature. If your lens doesn't natively offer VR, the camera's own built-in VR system will still provide three-axis VR. And the in-body stabilization system will work alongside that in your lens, if such a system is available, adding support not just for pitch and yaw correction, but also for side-to-side roll correction.

As for dedicated Z-mount lenses, these will provide for five-axis correction, adding horizontal and vertical translational motion to the list of corrections on offer. The system is said to operate with a five-stop corrective strength in this scenario.

Fast, point-dense autofocus with 90% frame coverage

Autofocus was clearly a priority for Nikon in designing the Z7, and the result is a camera which can manage swift AF corrections between frames even when shooting at the maximum rate of nine frames per second. This is doubly impressive when one considers that the Z7 has a very generous 493 autofocus points on offer, covering a whopping 90% of the image frame both horizontally and vertically.

The system is a hybrid one, as has become increasingly common over the last few years, but with an interesting twist. Typically, hybrid AF systems use on-chip phase detect focus pixels to approximate the distance and direction required to achieve a focus lock. Then, on making that adjustment, they fine-tune the result with a little contrast-detection "hunting" to determine the exact point of focus. While we're told that Nikon's hybrid AF system can function in this manner, we understand that it's not actually a requirement. The Nikon Z7 instead can (and sometimes, will) lock focus exclusively using the phase-detection information, with no need to perform a contrast-detection AF cycle at the end. (Note that firmware v2.00 adds eye-detection AF.)

A superbly detailed and roomy electronic viewfinder will help you forget your DSLR

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the mirrorless experience for new shooters transitioning from a DSLR is the viewfinder. SLR shooters looking for a camera in this class are used to seeing a large, bright, razor-sharp and lag-free rendition of the real world in all of its glory, projected straight through the lens and into their eyes. These aren't areas in which electronic viewfinders have traditionally had the best reputation, but technology has come a long way in recent years, and we're starting to see some electronic viewfinders appearing which really challenge the perceptions of days gone by.

The electronic viewfinder used in the Nikon Z7 is a beautiful example of this in action, and it gives just the right feeling when raised to your eye. Based around a 0.5-inch (1.27 cm) Organic LED panel and boasting 0.8x magnification, it's very roomy indeed. It also has an extremely high Quad VGA resolution, not to be confused with the much lower-res QVGA. It's equivalent in resolution to four VGA screens stacked in a two-by-two array, offering up a total of 1,280 x 960 pixels, for a total dot count of around 3,690k-dots.

The Z7's viewfinder has an eyepoint of 21mm from the eyepiece lens, which is about enough even for eyeglass wearers to be able to discern the entire frame without needing to move their eye around the viewfinder. Coverage is manufacturer-rated at 100% both horizontally and vertically. There's a built-in diopter adjustment control which will allow a -4 to +2 m^-1 diopters of adjustment, should you prefer. And regardless of whether or not you're bespectacled, you'll find that the Z7 can automatically enable or disable the viewfinder to help save power or to let you switch back and forth between viewfinder and LCD monitor with a minimum of fuss.

The viewfinder provides an 11-step manual or automatic brightness control, and a color adjustment function is also available to fine-tune it to your tastes.

An unusually crisp, high-res tilting touch-screen LCD monitor, as well

Speaking of the LCD monitor, that on the Nikon Z7 is also an unusually nice one. It has a slightly more generous than average 3.2-inch diagonal, and an extremely high resolution of 2,100k-dots. Again, Nikon manufacturer-rates coverage at 100%, and the company also specifies an extremely wide 170-degree viewing angle, both horizontally and vertically. Touch functionality is similar to the D850's, including touch AF and touch shutter support.

Just as for the viewfinder, the LCD monitor provides an 11-step brightness control and a color adjustment function. There's no auto brightness control for the LCD, however. And if you want to shoot from the hip or over your head, you'll find the Z7's LCD tilting mechanism useful so long as you don't need to shoot in portrait format. (We don't have a precise figure for its articulation range, but it won't flip all the way forward for selfie shooting, although that's hardly a common use case for a camera in this price group.)

Oh, and you'll also find a handy little OLED info panel on the Z7's top deck, as you can see below.

All the exposure and creative options you'd expect

The Nikon Z7 is clearly a camera aimed at experienced photographers, be they pros or deep-pocketed enthusiasts, and all the creative options you'd expect to find are on offer here. The Z7 meters exposures using its main imaging sensor, and offers a choice of matrix, center-weighted, spot or highlight-weighted metering modes. The metering system has an unusually generous operating range of -3 to 17 EV, allowing metering even for starlit scenes, and +/-5 EV of exposure compensation is available in 1/3 or 1/2 EV steps, plus an exposure lock function.

Program modes on offer include the typical selection of Programmed Auto, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority or fully Manual modes, plus a fully Automatic mode. The Program mode includes a flexible program function that allows you to coax the aperture or shutter speed in your desired direction while still leaving overall control in the hands of the camera itself. Shutter speeds range from as little as 1/8,000 second to a maximum of 30 seconds under automatic control, while bulb and time exposure options are also available.

Oh, and there's a silent shooting mode which will let you go stealth and avoid distracting your subject or annoying bystanders by using the electronic shutter, an electronic front-curtain option, as well as an 8K interval time-lapse function, although the latter will require third-party software to process the results into a movie. The electronic shutter doesn't provide a higher shutter speed than 1/8,000, though, and the electronic front-curtain option limits top shutter speed to 1/2,000 as well as top ISO to 25,600.

Throw a little more light on your subject with an external strobe

Unsurprisingly for a camera in this class, there's no built-in flash strobe. Pros and enthusiasts alike tend to see these as an annoyance rather than a convenience, increasing the likelihood of a failure for little upside beyond the ability to drown your subject in harsh light for an unflattering, ghostly look.

External flash is where it's at for pros, and here the Nikon Z7 satisfies with an ISO 518 hot shoe with sync and data contacts plus a safety lock. Nikon's iTTL flash metering system is supported, and you'll be able to use the same Creative Lighting System accessories as for your other Nikon gear. Flash exposure compensation is available in a range of -3 to +1 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV increments, and both first and second-curtain sync is possible, with or without redeye reduction. Flash x-sync is available at 1/200 second or slower, and auto FP high-speed sync flash is also supported.

The Nikon Z7 isn't just a still shooter; it's designed for videos, too

Of course, even still cameras these days shoot video, and the Nikon Z7 is no slouch in this area. It can shoot full-width ultra high-def 4K footage at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second, and high-def 1080p footage at 120, 100, 60, 50, 30, 25 or 24 frames per second. And a 4-5x slow-motion effect is also possible by recording at 120 fps and then outputting at either 30, 25 or 24 fps.

The maximum clip length is 29 minutes and 59 seconds, an artificial limit we all know and "love" which is common in the industry thanks to European regulations, even for cameras sold outside the European market. Videos are recorded in MOV or MP4 formats using H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC compression with linear PCM AAC audio from either a built-in stereo mic or an external mic with attenuator option. Microphone sensitivity is adjustable in 20 steps, or automatic.

As well as recording in-camera, the Z7 provides a 10-bit HDMI output amenable to external recorders. There's also a Nikon Log (N-Log) setting which tries to better hold onto highlight and shadow detail for better color grading potential, as well as support for timecode. Further, you can smoothly adjust aperture and exposure compensation during capture using the control ring found on each Z-mount lens. And while pros are likely to shun this last feature, enthusiasts may also find the availability of electronic vibration in addition to the mechanical body / lens VR to be a handy feature, too.

Wired and wireless connectivity options aplenty

The Z7 includes plenty of up-to-date wired connectivity options, more so than most cameras at the moment. To start off with, there's a standard USB Type C connector which is compliant with the USB SuperSpeed (aka USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB 3.0) standard, catering to your data transfer needs. There's also a Type C Mini HDMI connector for high-def video output, a pair of 3.5mm jacks catering to headphones and microphones, and an accessory port compatible with the likes of Nikon's MC-DC2 remote release cord. Plus, of course, the aforementioned flash hot shoe.

As well as its wired connectivity options, the Z7 also helps you to get your images onto your smartphone or tablet -- and from there, to the world -- with its built-in wireless communications setup. Dubbed SnapBridge, this pairs both Bluetooth / Bluetooth LE and 2.4 / 5GHz Wi-Fi connections to provide an always-on connection and quick pairing, but the ability to also transfer data at high speed and over longer distances as needed. Nikon rates the system for a working range of 32 feet (10 m) in line of sight. Obstacles between camera and smart device will obviously reduce this range.

Storage

The Nikon Z7 stores images and movies on XQD memory cards in a single slot. Far less well-known than the more common SD card format, while they typically cost a little bit more than an SD card of similar capacity, the fastest-performing XQD cards offer speeds well in excess of those available from even UHS-II SD cards can provide.

Images can be stored in either 12-bit or 14-bit .NEF raw formats, as RGB TIFFs, or as JPEG compressed images. Raw files can be lossily or losslessly compressed or stored without compression. You can also save lower-res medium or small raw files, although these have a fixed 12-bit depth and require lossless compression.

Power

The Z7 draws its power from an EN-EL15b lithium ion rechargeable battery. It can also accept the earlier EN-EL15 and EN-EL15a types, but cannot charge these in-camera as it can with the newest packs, and may also yield lesser battery life. The Z7 is CIPA-rated for only 330 shots on a charge when using the EVF or 400 shots when using the LCD monitor, however hands-on experience out in the field indicates real-world battery life far exceeds these CIPA figures.

Nikon has also developed the MB-N10 Multi-Power Battery Pack, which holds two EN-EL15b batteries, effectively increasing the number of shots possible and/or movie recording time by approximately 1.8 times, and the dual battery slot design allows hot swapping of batteries while the camera is in use, eliminating downtime. It provides the same level of weather resistance as the Z7/Z6, and supports USB charging using the EH-7P Charging AC Adapter. Sadly, it has no controls for improved portrait-oriented shooting. Pricing for the MB-N10 is set at around US$200, with availability from November 2019.

Nikon Z7 price and availability

Available in the US market since 27 September 2018, the Nikon Z7 is priced at US$3,400 or thereabouts, body only. A kit version including the Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 S lens is priced in the vicinity of US$4,000.

In the Box

The retail Nikon Z7 24-70mm f/4 kit contains the following items:

• Nikon Z7 camera body
• Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens
• LC-7B 72mm front lens cap
• LF-N1 rear lens cap
• HB-85 lens hood
• CL-C1 lens case
• EN-EL15b lithium-ion battery
• MH-25A battery charger
• EH-7P AC adapter
• BF-N1 body cap
• DK-29 finder eyepiece
• BS-S1 accessory shoe cover
• UC-E24 USB cable
• HDMI/USB cable clip
• AN-DC19 camera strap
• Warranty cards

Optics

Viewfinder Test Results

Coverage
Excellent coverage accuracy from the EVF and LCD monitor in record mode.

The Z7's OLED electronic viewfinder and LCD monitor both provided about 100% coverage in record mode, which is excellent.

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Nikon Z7 Photo Gallery .

Exposure

Color

Saturation & Hue Accuracy
Vibrant colors with slightly below average hue accuracy.

ISO Sensitivity
32	64	100	200
400	800	1600	3200
6400	12800	25600	51200
102400
In the diagram above, the squares show the original color, and the circles show the color that the camera captured. More saturated colors are located toward the periphery of the graph. Hue changes as you travel around the center. Thus, hue-accurate, highly saturated colors appear as lines radiating from the center. Mouse over the links above to compare ISOs, and click to load a larger version.

Saturation. The Nikon Z7 pumps dark blues a lot, dark greens and reds are moderately pushed while most other colors slightly boosted, but it undersaturates yellow and cyan tones slightly when using default settings. Overall, mean saturation is a little higher than average at 112.5% or 12.5% oversaturated at base ISO versus a more typical 10%. The Z7's mean saturation is stable up to ISO 6400, but gradually falls at higher ISOs to a minimum of 105.8% at the maximum extended ISO of 102,400. That's still pretty good, though, as many cameras dial back saturation more significantly at higher ISOs to help manage chroma noise. Most consumer digital cameras produce color that's more highly saturated (more intense) than found in the original subjects. This is simply because most people like their color a bit brighter than life.

Skin tones. The Nikon Z7's rendering of Caucasian skin tones in "sunlit" outdoor lighting when using default Auto white balance was slightly on the warm, yellow side. Manual white balance on the other hand produced much more pinkish and healthy-looking skin tones. Where oversaturation is most problematic is on Caucasian skin tones, as it's very easy for these "memory colors" to be seen as too bright, too pink, too yellow, etc.

Hue. The Nikon Z7 produces a few color shifts relative to the accurate translation of colors in its images, as do almost all cameras. Cyan has a pronounced shift toward blue (we think it's a deliberate choice by camera engineers to produce better-looking sky colors), reds are shifted slightly toward orange while dark orange and yellow are slightly shifted toward red. Mean "delta-C" color error at base ISO was 6.23 after correction for saturation, which is a bit higher than average (lower numbers are better), but it remained below 7.0 across the ISO range which is good. Note that the above results were obtained with custom white balance in simulated daylight. See the "Indoors, incandescent lighting" section below for how the Z7 performed in tungsten lighting. Hue is "what color" the color is.

Sensor

Exposure and White Balance

Indoors, incandescent lighting
The Z7 struggled a bit to produce a neutral color balance under incandescent lighting using presets or manual (custom) white balance. No exposure compensation required.

Indoors, in typical incandescent lighting, color balance with the default Auto "Keep overall atmosphere" option was warm but not too bad (we've seen a lot warmer, and some users may prefer this look as being more representative of the actual lighting). The "Keep white" Auto white balance setting was pretty good but a bit cool and magenta, while the "Keep warm" option was very warm and orange as expected. The Incandescent setting was also quite warm but with more of a yellow/green tint. The 2,600 Kelvin setting which should match our lighting was fairly neutral, but with a slight green bias. Oddly, the Manual (Custom) white balance setting was almost as warm as the default Auto white balance, despite attempting to obtain better results several times. However, you can always tweak the color temperature or use the WB fine-tuning feature to better match your lighting. The Z7 required no exposure compensation for this shot while most cameras need about +0.3 EV, though the resulting image is a bit dim (however +0.3 EV was too bright and we don't adjust our lights for this shot). Our test lighting for this shot is a mixture of 60 and 100 watt household incandescent bulbs, a pretty yellow light source, but a very common one in typical home settings here in the U.S.

Outdoors, daylight
Vibrant color with good exposure outdoors, but high default contrast.

The Nikon Z7 generally handled tough outdoor lighting under harsh sunlight well in terms of color and exposure. We found skin tones a touch yellow in our "Sunlit" Portrait shot with auto white balance, though, so we preferred the more pinkish skin tones produced when using manual (custom) WB. Default contrast is quite high, so some highlights were clipped in the mannequin's shirt, some of the flowers and even in her nose, though deep shadows contain excellent detail and are relatively clean here at base ISO. The Z7 required +0.7 EV exposure compensation to keep the face and eyes reasonably bright, which is about average for this shot.

Resolution
>4,000 lines of strong detail.

Our laboratory resolution chart reveals sharp, distinct line patterns all the way up to the 4,000 lines per picture height limit from both in-camera JPEG and ACR converted RAW files in both directions. The in-camera JPEG shows more obvious aliasing in the form of strong luminance moiré patterns starting at about 3,100 lines, though, however color moiré is well-controlled. The ACR conversion shows less obvious luminance moiré than the in-camera JPEGs, but color moiré patterns are quite evident, even at lower resolutions. Use these numbers to compare with other cameras of similar resolution, or use them to see just what higher resolution can mean in terms of potential detail.

Sharpness & Detail
Very sharp images with exceptional detail, though with minor sharpening halos and aliasing artifacts. Minimal noise suppression artifacts at base ISO.

Sharpness. The Nikon Z7 produces incredibly sharp, exceptionally detailed images at default settings, though edge enhancement artifacts are visible around high-contrast subjects, such as the fairly minor sharpening halos around the lines and lettering in the crop above left. Default sharpening is similar to the D850 which is to say a little strong but still quite pleasing, and you can always turn it down or tweak other settings such as mid-range sharpening and clarity to taste. Edge enhancement creates the illusion of sharpness by enhancing color and tonal differences right at the edge of a rapid transition in color or tone.

Detail. The crop above right shows only minimal detail loss due to noise suppression, as the darker areas of the mannequin's hair show a lot of detail. Individual strands are still distinguishable even in the lighter shadows, though some begin to merge as shadows deepen, and in places where the tone and color of adjacent strands is very close. The hair is also virtually free from chroma noise, but some strands do show signs of the "jaggies" and other aliasing artifacts. Still, an excellent performance here. Noise-suppression systems in digital cameras tend to flatten-out detail in areas of subtle contrast. The effects can often be seen in shots of human hair, where the individual strands are lost and an almost "watercolor" look appears.

Shutter Shock. The Nikon Z7's shutter mode defaults to fully mechanical, and this is unfortunate because like other mirrorless cameras we've tested in mechanical shutter mode (such as the Sony A7R III, Canon EOS R and various APS-C and Micro Four Thirds cameras), the Z7's mechanical first curtain shutter can cause some blurring due to "shutter shock". (Mirrorless cameras tend to suffer from shutter shock more than DSLRs, because their mechanical shutters need to close before opening again for the exposure, while DSLRs start with a closed shutter (unless in live view mode), so they only need to open them at the start of the exposure which theoretically doesn't generate as much vibrations as closing the shutter and then immediately opening it again). Most other manufacturers default to Electronic Front Curtain Shutter (EFCS) these days to avoid blurring from shutter vibrations, however the Z7's EFCS mode limits the top shutter speed to 1/2000s and the top ISO to 25,600 so the Z7 defaults to mechanical shutter so as not to limit exposure settings.

Mechanical shutter shock
Shutter Mode:	Mechanical	EFCS

Above, you can compare the difference in sharpness between mechanical shutter and EFCS modes at 1/80s and ISO 800 with an adapted Nikkor 60mm f/2.8G at f/8 by mousing over the blue text. (Fully electronic shutter mode was practically identical to EFCS.) The blurring is pretty obvious here, but the amount varies with shutter speed, lens used, whether the FTZ adapter is used, how the camera is mounted (on a study tripod here), etc. The example above was about the worse we've seen from the Z7, and using the native 50mm f/1.8 S lens produced much less blurring under the same conditions.

Since this was no real surprise we haven't fully characterized the Z7's mechanical shutter shock in terms of the range of affected shutter speeds, impact of lens used, IBIS modes, etc., but we did notice it at shutter speeds as low as about 1/10s and as high as about 1/400s in our initial investigation (though it was very subtle at those extremes) before we switched over to EFCS for all our lab shots when possible.

What the Z-series needs is an Auto Shutter mode that defaults to EFCS but switches over to mechanical shutter speeds automatically to access shutter speeds higher than 1/2000s or ISOs above 25,600 where EFCS is not supported and shutter shock is not an issue. Here's hoping a future firmware update will implement that kind of feature.

Update 07/12/2019: On May 16, 2019 Nikon released firmware v2.00 for the Z7 (and Z6), which among other improvements adds an Auto Shutter mode! As hoped, this new feature is designed to avoid shutter shock by switching between EFCS and fully mechanical shutter automatically as needed. We've briefly tested it, and have determined at shutter speeds of 1/250s and below Auto Shutter mode uses EFCS while higher shutter speeds use the fully mechanical shutter. While we did not investigate if the switch-over shutter speed varies with the lens used or when IBIS is enabled, etc., the new feature appears to work as intended. So be sure to upgrade and use Auto Shutter mode if you want to "set and forget" to avoid shutter shock and still access the camera's full range of shutter speeds and ISO sensitivity.

RAW vs In-Camera JPEGs
As noted above, the Nikon Z7 does a great job at producing crisp images with tons of fine detail in its JPEGs. Let's see how a RAW conversion using our standard converter (Adobe Camera Raw) at base ISO compares:

Base ISO (64)
Camera JPEG, defaults	RAW via Adobe Camera Raw

In the table above, we compare an in-camera JPEG taken at base ISO using default noise reduction and sharpening (on the left) to the matching RAW file converted with Adobe Camera Raw 9.1 via DNG Converter 11.1 using the default camera profile and noise reduction with some moderate unsharp mask sharpening applied in Photoshop (250%, radius of 0.3 pixels, and a threshold of 0).

Here, we can see that Adobe Camera Raw combined with moderate sharpening in Photoshop delivers slightly finer detail than the camera JPEG, with fewer sharpening halos around high-contrast edges. (The Z7's lack of an anti-aliasing filter means it's more prone to aliasing artifacts such as moiré patterns, as seen in the red-leaf fabric above.) Noise is slightly more visible in the ACR conversion (default NR used), but is still very low. Contrast is higher from the in-camera JPEG and colors are warmer and more saturated compared to the Adobe Standard profile used, though plenty of camera profiles are available in ACR including Vivid, Standard, Neutral, Portrait, Landscape and Flat.

Bottom line: The Nikon Z7's default JPEG processing produces excellent detail and crispness at base ISO and default settings, though contrast and saturation are on the high side. As is usually the case, you can extract additional detail with lower sharpening artifacts when carefully processing RAW files.

ISO & Noise Performance
Very good high ISO performance.

Noise Reduction = Default
ISO 32	ISO 64	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 400	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 3200	ISO 6400
ISO 12,800	ISO 25,600	ISO 51,200
ISO 102,400

Nikon Z7 images are very crisp and clean at ISOs 32 through 800, with almost no chrominance noise and just a touch of luminance noise becoming more visible in the shadows as ISO increases. ISO 1600 shows a bit more luminance noise than lower ISOs, but is still quite clean and detailed. ISO 3200 is probably the first sensitivity where there is noticeable luma noise and blurring due to noise reduction when viewed at 100% magnification, though noise is still very fine-grained and chroma noise is still very low. ISO 6400 shows stronger smudging with more visible luma noise and noise reduction artifacts, but fine detail is still pretty good and chroma noise is still well controlled. ISO 12,800 still offers good detail versus noise for such a high ISO, however luminance noise starts to look a little artificial. Image quality drops off rapidly at ISO 25,600 and above, with high luma noise, strong blurring and other noise reduction artifacts, as well as progressively stronger chroma noise in the form of yellow and purple blotching.

Still, high ISO performance is very good for a full-frame camera, especially considering the very high resolution. Of course, the impact of noise and detail loss are highly dependent on the size the photos are printed at, and pixel-peeping on-screen has surprisingly little relationship to how the images look when printed: See the Print Quality section below for recommended maximum print sizes at each ISO.

Extremes: Sunlit, dynamic range and low light tests
High default contrast led to some blown highlights in default JPEGs. RAW files show excellent dynamic range, but banding is sometimes visible in deep shadows. Excellent low-light performance, capable of focusing in near darkness.

Sunlight. Surprisingly, the Nikon Z7 struggled a little with the deliberately harsh lighting in the above test, because of its somewhat high default contrast. We felt that the default and +0.3 EV exposures were too dim, while +1.0 EV blew too many highlights. The best overall exposure was +0.7 EV but it still led to some blown highlights in her shirt, flowers and even her nose. There are also some dark shadows at +0.7 EV, but detail in them is excellent and shadow noise is relatively low for the resolution. Note that these shots were captured with the Nikon Z7's Active D-Lighting control set to its default of "Off", and enabling it would have likely preserved all highlights even at +0.7 EV. See below for how Active D-Lighting helps with hot highlights and dark shadows.

Because digital cameras are more like slide film than negative film (in that they tend to have a more limited tonal range), we test them in the harshest situations to see how they handle scenes with bright highlights and dark shadows, as well as what kind of sensitivity they have in low light. The shot above is designed to mimic the very harsh, contrasty effect of direct noonday sunlight, a very tough challenge for most digital cameras. (You can read details of this test here. In actual shooting conditions, be sure to use fill flash in situations like the one shown here; it's better to shoot in open shade whenever possible.)

PDAF banding in shadows. Faint bands or stripes that are darker than the surrounding area are sometimes visible in dark shadows (vertical in the crop here taken in portrait mode; they would obviously be horizontal in landscape mode), especially in NEF files after exposure is lifted significantly, an artifact related to the Z7 sensor's integrated PDAF pixels. The crop to the right was taken from the default exposure "Sunlit" Portrait (Z7OUTBAP0) NEF file converted in ACR with +3.0 EV exposure compensation applied. As you can see, there are faint vertical bands which will limit usable dynamic range in shadows to a degree. We think it's a fairly minor issue, though, and perhaps Nikon will reduce or eliminate them in a future firmware update (some raw converters such as Raw Therapee already have a PDAF lines filter as this is not unique to the Nikon Z series). But it's really up to you to decide whether it is a significant enough issue to be concerned about.

Active D-Lighting
Active D-Lighting attempts to preserve detail in both highlights and shadows in high-contrast situations, while maintaining moderate levels of contrast. The series of shots below show the effect of the various Active D-Lighting settings (Off (default), Low, Normal, High, Extra High and Auto) available on the Nikon Z7 on our high-contrast "Sunlit" Portrait scene.

Note that Active D-Lighting is different from the Retouch menu's D-Lighting, as it is performed during image capture instead of after. (It does affect only JPEG images, though, Nikon very properly doesn't apply tonal adjustments like this to RAW file data. NEF files are however tagged so that Nikon software can automatically apply the effect when converted.)

"Sunlit" Portrait Active D-Lighting (0 EV)
	ADL Settings: Off (Default) Auto Low Normal High Extra High

Mouse over the links to see how the various levels of Active D-Lighting affects our "Sunlit" Portrait shot at default exposure, and click on any link to get to the full-res image. (Active D-Lighting's effect can be a little subtle in shots like those above, so we decided to use a mouse-over with matching histograms to better show how each setting compares.)

As you can see from the thumbnail images and histograms above, Active D-Lighting boosted shadows and deeper midtones while highlights were maintained and even reduced at higher settings. As mentioned previously, the default ADL setting for the Z7 is Off, while in more consumer-oriented Nikons the default is Auto.

HDR Mode
Like more recent Nikon DSLRs, the Z7 offers an in-camera high-dynamic-range imaging function. When enabled, the Z7 captures two images with one push of the shutter button -- one underexposed and one overexposed -- and combines them in-camera to produce a high-dynamic-range JPEG. (RAW format is not supported.) There are three exposure differentials available: 1, 2 and 3 EV, as well as an Auto option, and there are three Smoothing options: Low, Normal and High. You can also elect to do a series of HDR shots without having to re-enable the mode each time, or select a Single Photo option.

"Sunlit" Portrait HDR (0 EV)
	HDR Settings: Off Auto 1 EV 2 EV 3 EV

Mouse over the links to see how the Auto, 1 EV, 2 EV and 3 EV levels of HDR with default Normal Smoothing compare. Click on a link to get to the full-res image.

As you can see, Auto produced an effect somewhere between 1 and 2 EV with this scene, but all four settings worked as expected without producing ugly "HDR halos" using the default smoothing setting. Obviously moving subjects should be avoided, as you can run into ghosting of objects in HDR shots. We think Nikon Z7's HDR feature is one of the better in-camera implementations, however you can most certainly do better by bracketing more exposures and combining the images yourself.

Dynamic Range (RAW mode)
While we once performed our own dynamic range measurements based on in-camera JPEGs as well as converted RAW images (when the camera was supported by Adobe Camera Raw), we've switched to using DxO Labs' results from their DxOMark website. As technology advanced, the dynamic range of modern high-end cameras in some cases exceeded the range of the Stouffer T4110 density scale that we used for our own measurements. DxO's approach based on RAW data before demosaicing is also more revealing, because it measures the fundamental dynamic range of the sensor, irrespective of whatever processing is applied to JPEGs, or to RAW data by off-the-shelf conversion software.

In the following, we use DxO's "Print" dynamic range results, which are scaled based on camera resolution. As the name suggests, this scaling corresponds to the situation in which you print at a given size, regardless of how many megapixels the camera might have. (In other words, if you've decided to make a 13x19 inch print, that's the size you're printing, whether the camera's resolution is 16 or 300 megapixels.) Also note that DxO Labs uses a signal-to-noise (SNR) threshold of 1 when defining the lower boundary of acceptable luminance noise in their dynamic range measurements, which corresponds to the "Low Quality" threshold of the Imatest software we used to use for this measurement.

Here, we compare the Nikon Z7's dynamic range test results to its close DSLR sibling's, the D850, and to the Sony A7R Mark III's.

As you can see, the Z7's dynamic range (in orange above) is similar to that of the D850 (yellow), which isn't a surprise given they share very similar though not identical sensors. Peak dynamic range at the lowest ISO is nearly identical at 14.6 versus 14.8 EV for the D850, despite the very faint banding present in very dark shadows due to PDAF pixels. Interestingly, the Z7's dynamic range isn't as high as the D850's between ISO 100 and 400, trailing it by almost 3/4 EV at the ISO 200 setting. But from ISO 400 to 25,600, dynamic range is practically identical, however the Z7 falls behind the D850 again at the very high ISOs of 51,200 and 102,400.

The Sony A7R III's dynamic range tested higher than the Z7's across the ISO range except at ISO 400, where they are practically identical. Peak dynamic range from the Sony was about 14.7 EV vs 14.6 which is a negligible difference and partially due to the Z7's lower ISO 32 setting. However, between ISO 100 and 200 the Sony tested up to about 0.7 EV higher, and at ISO 800 through 25,600, the A7R III tested up to about 2/3 EV higher, while at very high ISOs the Sony pulled ahead by up to almost 1.7 EV.

Bottom line: Excellent dynamic range for a full-frame camera, though not quite as good as the class-leading D850 at low ISOs, nor as good as the Sony A7R III at most ISOs. Click here to visit the DxOMark page for the Nikon Z7 for more of their test results and additional comparisons.

Low-Light AF: In the lab, the Z7's hybrid autofocus system was able to focus on our legacy low-contrast AF target reliably down to only about -2.0 EV unassisted with an f/2.8 lens, but it was able to focus on our newer high-contrast target down to -6.4 EV which is very good. Using the Z7's Low-light AF mode improved those results dramatically, though, down to about -8.0 EV with our low-contrast target and to below -8.0 EV (the lower limit of our light meter) using the high-contrast target. Excellent results here. Note that unlike the D850, the Z7 does have a built-in AF illuminator which will allow it to focus in complete darkness as long as the subject is within range and has sufficient contrast.

Update 07/12/2019: On May 16, 2019 Nikon released firmware v2.00 for the Z7 (and Z6), which among other things improves low-light AF performance. We've now retested the Z7's low-light AF limits with v2.00 firmware and found it did improve low-light autofocus in our lab tests, so the above figures have been updated to reflect better results with v2.00 firmware.

NOTE: This low light test is conducted with a stationary subject, and the camera mounted on a sturdy tripod. Most digital cameras will fail miserably when faced with a moving subject in dim lighting. (For example, a child's ballet recital or a holiday pageant in a gymnasium.) Mirrorless cameras like the Nikon Z7 do much better than point & shoots, but you still shouldn't expect a quick autofocus lock with moving subjects.

Output Quality

Print Quality
Excellent 30 x 40 inch prints at ISO 32-800; a nice 24 x 36 at ISO 3200; a good 11 x 14 at ISO 12,800.

ISO 32/64/100/200/400 produces excellent prints at 30 x 40 inches and higher, as large as you like until you run out of resolution! There is incredible detail present, wonderful three-dimensionality and rich color representation abounding. Simply stunning prints at base and the lower ISOs from the Z7.

ISO 800 also yields an exceptional 30 x 40 inch print, almost as good in quality as the lower ISOs. Even the 36 x 48 inch prints here are fine for wall display purposes, as this camera doesn't produce common, ordinary ISO 800 prints!

ISO 1600 prints are also quite good at 30 x 40 inches, which is really pushing the bounds for most full-frame cameras. The Z7 handles it with aplomb, as there is a wealth of fine detail at this size with virtually no noise evident in the print, and very little softening as yet occurring in the red channel.

ISO 3200 delivers a 30 x 40 inch print that amazingly almost passes our good seal, and that would have been a first for a full-frame camera! They certainly will work for less critical applications or casual wall display purposes, but for more critical printing we can safely give our seal of approval to the 24 x 36 inch prints here, which are quite good in most respects.

ISO 6400 produces a 16 x 20 inch print that is quite good for such a relatively lofty ISO. This is where the benefit of a quality full-frame camera really begins to shine, as most crop-sensor (APS-C/MFT) cameras can't come close at ISO 6400. There is mild noise in flatter areas of our test target, and some mild softening present in the red channel, but still a very nice print overall at this size. And for your ultra-critical printing purposes, the 13 x 19's tighten up even more.

ISO 12,800 yields a 13 x 19 inch print that almost passes our good grade, and that would be yet another first for a full-frame camera at this sensitivity. The 11 x 14 inch prints here are quite good, with only typical minor issues associated with such a high ISO and mild traces of noise in a few areas, but noise is still well-controlled.

ISO 25,600 allows you to almost shoot in the dark and still deliver a good 8 x 10 inch print, and that is really saying something. There is still good color representation and plenty of fine detail, and that's simply not something we're accustomed to seeing at ISO 25,600!

ISO 51,200 tends to bring even the best of full-frame cameras down to mere mortal status, and the Z7 is no exception. The 5 x 7 inch prints here just barely pass our good seal, but there is some minor scorching going on with the colors, and mild traces of noise. For the most part, the camera is meant to be used at ISO 25,600 and below, unless a 5 x 7 inch print is all you'll need.

ISO 102,400 comes oh-so-close to producing a usable 4 x 6 inch print, but it just barely misses the mark. It's not a bad print for casual use, but there's just not enough fine detail nor full colors to make our good seal.

Well done, Nikon Z7! Your printing prowess is superb and your walls will love you for it. From extended low ISOs all the way to ISO 6400 the prints are outstanding, and even at the lofty ISOs of 12,800 and 25,600 you can achieve good prints at reasonable sizes. Indeed, these prints are a shining example of why we named the Nikon Z7 our 2018 Professional Camera of the Year!

The images above were taken from our standardized test shots. For a collection of more pictorial photos, see our Nikon Z7 Photo Gallery .

Not sure which camera to buy? Let your eyes be the ultimate judge! Visit our Comparometer(tm) to compare images from the Nikon Z7 with those from other cameras you may be considering. The proof is in the pictures, so let your own eyes decide which you like best!

Performance

Image Quality

Below are 100% crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Nikon Z7's JPEG image quality to its DSLR sibling's, the Nikon D850, which uses a similar sensor of the same resolution. We also compare the Z7 to Canon's new full-frame mirrorless camera, the EOS R and also to the 5DS R, Canon's highest resolution DSLR. To round out the comparisons, we've included the new Fuji GFX 50R medium format mirrorless, and arguably the Z7's closest competitor, the Sony A7R III. Remember, you can always use our Comparometer to compare the Z7 to any camera we've tested.

NOTE: These images are from best quality JPEGs straight out of the camera, at default settings including noise reduction and using the camera's actual base ISO (not extended ISO settings). All cameras in this comparison were shot with our very sharp reference lenses. Clicking any crop will take you to a carrier page where you can click once again to access the full resolution image as delivered straight from the camera. For those interested in working with the RAW files involved: click these links to visit each camera's respective sample image thumbnail page: Nikon Z7, Nikon D850, Canon EOS R, Canon 5DS R, Fuji 50R and Sony A7R III -- links to the RAW files appear beneath those for the JPEG images, wherever we have them. And remember, you can always go to our world-renowned Comparometer to compare the Nikon Z7 to any camera we've ever tested!

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D850 at Base ISO

Nikon Z7 at ISO 64	Nikon D850 at ISO 64
Here we compare base ISO of the Z7 to its DSLR sibling, the D850. As expected, resolving power appears identical given the same pixel count, but the Z7 image has higher contrast, darker blacks and more saturated reds. Overall color balance is slightly warmer and more reddish from the Z7 here as well. The Z7 appears a bit sharper than the D850, however that's due to the different lenses used (the Z 50mm f/1.8 S vs AF-S 60mm f/2.8G Macro). The D850 yielded better contrast in our tricky red-leaf swatch, though that pattern has likely faded just a bit since the D850 was shot. Overall, the two siblings display very similar image quality at base ISO, though with some tweaks to contrast, saturation and color.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon EOS R at Base ISO

Nikon Z7 at ISO 64	Canon EOS R at ISO 100
Here we compare the Z7 to the EOS R, Canon's only full-frame mirrorless camera as of this writing. It's easy to see the 45-megapixel Z7 easily out-resolves the 30-megapixel EOS R, as expected. Not only is the resolution higher and thus the image larger and more detailed, but the Z7 doesn't have an anti-aliasing filter like the EOS R has (which introduces some very slight blurring in an attempt to reduce moiré and other aliasing artifacts). The lack of an AA filter coupled with more aggressive processing yields a sharper, crisper image from the Z7, though ironically we can still see aliasing artifacts in the fabrics and elsewhere from both cameras. The Z7's image is also more contrasty and vibrant, giving it more "pop" than the EOS R's, while colors are warmer if less technically accurate. Noise levels are very low from both cameras here at base ISO, but luminance noise does appear a little higher from the Z7 in flatter areas, so it'll be interesting to see how they compare at higher ISOs.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon 5DS R at Base ISO

Nikon Z7 at ISO 64	Canon 5DS R at ISO 100
The 50-megapixel 5DS R is a DSLR and doesn't really compete with the Nikon on performance or size, but it does on price and resolving power. The main reason we decided to include it is as a comparison between Nikon and Canon's highest resolution ILCs. As you can see, this time it's the Canon that out-resolves the Nikon with its higher resolution and AA-filterless sensor, but not by much. Both images are very sharp, but the Nikon's is more contrasty and vibrant, however the Canon's colors are more true to life. Noise levels are roughly similar except in the deep shadows where the Canon is a bit noisier. Again, it'll be interesting to see how these compare at higher ISOs.

Nikon Z7 vs Fujifilm GFX 50R at Base ISO

Nikon Z7 at ISO 64	Fujifilm GFX 50R at ISO 100
Here's another somewhat unusual comparison, this time against the "medium format" 51-megapixel GFX Fuji 50R. The 50R is about $1000 less expensive than the 50S, but is still about $1000 more than the Z7. Still, we thought it would be interesting to compare to. Above, we can see the 50R easily out resolves the Z7, but because we frame this shot vertically and the 50R has a 4:3 aspect ratio versus the Z7's 3:2 ratio, the 50R has an "unfair" advantage. Both cameras capture 8256 pixels horizontally, however the 50R's vertical resolution is 6192 versus the Z7's 5504 pixels, spread over roughly the same "height" in the scene. This gives the 50R a larger resolution advantage than relative total pixel counts would imply if framed with the same diagonal field of view. Still, we think it's a useful reference, showing some fine detail that the Z7 did not capture.

Nikon Z7 vs Sony A7R III at Base ISO

Nikon Z7 at ISO 64	Sony A7R III at ISO 100
The 45-megapixel Nikon Z7 and 42-megapixel Sony A7R III rivals battle it out at base ISO here. Although the Z7 has slightly higher resolution on paper, both produce very detailed, crisp images, however the Sony image appears to retain slightly finer detail while displaying fewer sharpening halos due to its more sophisticated processing. Both cameras lack an AA filter and show moiré patterns in our tricky red-leaf swatch, but contrast in the fabric is noticeably higher from the Sony. Both produce good color, however the Nikon image is warmer with more saturated reds and blues.

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D850 at ISO 1600

Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600	Nikon D850 at ISO 1600
As expected, pretty similar results here at ISO 1600 between the two Nikon siblings, however the Z7 continues to push reds a little more while the D850 does noticeably better in the red-leaf swatch. Interestingly, while noise levels look very similar, the Z7's noise "grain" appears a little coarser and more uneven than the D850's in flatter areas.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon EOS R at ISO 1600

Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600	Canon EOS R at ISO 1600
Here at ISO 1600, the Z7 continues to produce a crisper, more detailed image with brighter, warmer colors and higher contrast. Luminance noise is however higher from the Nikon, though that's no surprise given the smaller photosites coupled with more aggressive sharpening. The Canon again does better with contrast in the red-leaf swatch, while the leaf pattern in the Nikon image is more broken up by individual thread segment remnants. Interestingly, moiré patterns continue to be more obvious from the Canon here, but that would change depending on the subject and distance.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon 5DS R at ISO 1600

Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600	Canon 5DS R at ISO 1600
The 5DS R continues to capture more detail than the Z7 here at ISO 1600, however noise in flatter areas is higher. The Nikon image continues to be more vibrant and contrasty overall, even though the Canon does noticeably better with contrast in the red-leaf swatch.

Nikon Z7 vs Fujifilm GFX 50R at ISO 1600

Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600	Fujifilm GFX 50R at ISO 1600
Again, like we saw at base ISO, there really no contest here with the medium format 4:3 50R capturing significantly more detail with lower noise levels than the Z7.

Nikon Z7 vs Sony A7R III at ISO 1600

Nikon Z7 at ISO 1600	Sony A7R III at ISO 1600
The Z7 image is a little softer than the A7R III's with fine detail that appears slightly smeared in comparison, yet it contains more obvious sharpening halos around high-contrast edges. Luma noise appears a little lower from the Sony in flatter areas, but the Nikon's noise pattern looks a little more natural, chroma noise in the shadows is lower, and there's no black "peppered" effect in the red-leaf fabric. Colors continue to be warmer and more vibrant from the Nikon. Still, the Sony holds onto more detail in the mosaic and red-leaf swatch, making it the overall victor here.

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D850 at ISO 3200

Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200	Nikon D850 at ISO 3200
Once again, very similar image quality here between the two Nikon siblings, however again contrast is a little higher, red is more pumped, and luminance noise grain is a little coarser from the Z7. And again, the D850 did a little better with contrast in our red-leaf swatch, though both cameras struggled to hang onto fine detail there.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon EOS R at ISO 3200

Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200	Canon EOS R at ISO 3200
The Z7 continues to produce a crisper, more detailed and more vibrant image here at ISO 3200 than the EOS R, however luminance noise appears to be stronger with a less consistent grain pattern in flatter areas. The EOS R however shows fewer noise reduction artifacts overall, and manages to eke out a better representation of our troublesome red-leaf swatch.

Nikon Z7 vs Canon 5DS R at ISO 3200

Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200	Canon 5DS R at ISO 3200
Here at ISO 3200, the 5DS R really begins to struggle with high luminance noise levels, which combined with strong noise reduction interferes with fine detail and takes away much of its resolution advantage. While the Canon's luma noise is quite high, its "grain" pattern is much more consistent and film-like than the Nikon's.

Nikon Z7 vs Fujifilm GFX 50R at ISO 3200

Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200	Fujifilm GFX 50R at ISO 3200
As expected, there's really no contest here at ISO 3200 either, with the 50R easily besting the Z7 with much more detail, lower noise and fewer noise reduction artifacts.

Nikon Z7 vs Sony A7R III at ISO 3200

Nikon Z7 at ISO 3200	Sony A7R III at ISO 3200
The Z7 image is again a little softer and less detailed here at ISO 3200, but like we saw at ISO 1600, the Nikon's luma noise "grain" looks a little more random and natural, chroma noise is lower and colors are more punchy than from the Sony. Overall, though, we'd say the A7R III still comes out ahead here again.

Nikon Z7 vs. Nikon D850, Canon EOS R, Canon 5DS R, Fujifilm GFX 50R, Sony A7R III

Nikon Z7 ISO 64 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Nikon D850 ISO 64 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Canon EOS R ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Canon 5DS R ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Fujifilm GFX 50R ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400	Sony A7R III ISO 100 ISO 3200 ISO 6400
Detail comparison. High-contrast detail is also important, pushing the camera in different ways, so we like to look at it too. Here, we can see the Z7's deeper blacks and also its red push compared to the D850, but otherwise performance is very similar. Contrast from the Z7 appears to be the highest of the group. The Sony A7R III produced slightly lower contrast, but as mentioned previously, its more advanced sharpening leaves less obvious halos. The two Canons trail the pack in terms of contrast, however detail is obviously better from the higher resolution 5DS R, while worse from the lower resolution EOS R, as expected.

Excellent 30 x 40 inch prints at ISO 32-800; a nice 24 x 36 at ISO 3200; a good 11 x 14 at ISO 12,800.

ISO 32/64/100/200/400 produces excellent prints at 30 x 40 inches and higher, as large as you like until you run out of resolution! There is incredible detail present, wonderful three-dimensionality and rich color representation abounding. Simply stunning prints at base and the lower ISOs from the Z7.

ISO 800 also yields an exceptional 30 x 40 inch print, almost as good in quality as the lower ISOs. Even the 36 x 48 inch prints here are fine for wall display purposes, as this camera doesn't produce common, ordinary ISO 800 prints!

ISO 1600 prints are also quite good at 30 x 40 inches, which is really pushing the bounds for most full-frame cameras. The Z7 handles it with aplomb, as there is a wealth of fine detail at this size with virtually no noise evident in the print, and very little softening as yet occurring in the red channel.

ISO 3200 delivers a 30 x 40 inch print that amazingly almost passes our good seal, and that would have been a first for a full-frame camera! They certainly will work for less critical applications or casual wall display purposes, but for more critical printing we can safely give our seal of approval to the 24 x 36 inch prints here, which are quite good in most respects.

ISO 6400 produces a 16 x 20 inch print that is quite good for such a relatively lofty ISO. This is where the benefit of a quality full-frame camera really begins to shine, as most crop-sensor (APS-C/MFT) cameras can't come close at ISO 6400. There is mild noise in flatter areas of our test target, and some mild softening present in the red channel, but still a very nice print overall at this size. And for your ultra-critical printing purposes, the 13 x 19's tighten up even more.

ISO 12,800 yields a 13 x 19 inch print that almost passes our good grade, and that would be yet another first for a full-frame camera at this sensitivity. The 11 x 14 inch prints here are quite good, with only typical minor issues associated with such a high ISO and mild traces of noise in a few areas, but noise is still well-controlled.

ISO 25,600 allows you to almost shoot in the dark and still deliver a good 8 x 10 inch print, and that is really saying something. There is still good color representation and plenty of fine detail, and that's simply not something we're accustomed to seeing at ISO 25,600!

ISO 51,200 tends to bring even the best of full-frame cameras down to mere mortal status, and the Z7 is no exception. The 5 x 7 inch prints here just barely pass our good seal, but there is some minor scorching going on with the colors, and mild traces of noise. For the most part, the camera is meant to be used at ISO 25,600 and below, unless a 5 x 7 inch print is all you'll need.

ISO 102,400 comes oh-so-close to producing a usable 4 x 6 inch print, but it just barely misses the mark. It's not a bad print for casual use, but there's just not enough fine detail nor full colors to make our good seal.

Well done, Nikon Z7! Your printing prowess is superb and your walls will love you for it. From extended low ISOs all the way to ISO 6400 the prints are outstanding, and even at the lofty ISOs of 12,800 and 25,600 you can achieve good prints at reasonable sizes. Indeed, these prints are a shining example of why we named the Nikon Z7 our 2018 Professional Camera of the Year!

Field Test Part I

Field Test Part II

Nikon steps into the full-frame mirrorless fray with what might be its most important camera ever

By Jeremy Gray · 10/16/2018

Nikon is at a crossroads. Hot off the heels of their centennial celebration, the Japanese camera giant has been facing increasing pressure from not only its competition in the photo industry, but also from their own customers, to produce a full-frame mirrorless camera system. DSLR cameras have long reigned supreme in every market segment, from beginner and enthusiast photographers all the way up to full-time professionals. However, in recent years, more and more photographers have opted for mirrorless cameras as the technology has improved and the more compact cameras have become more capable, efficient and full-featured. DSLR sales have, relatively speaking, weakened. People are certainly still buying DSLR cameras, but Nikon can no longer ignore high-end mirrorless cameras because they're certainly the future of photography.

Enter the Nikon Z7. Nikon has pulled out all the stops with this camera. It features a 45.7-megapixel sensor, like the excellent Nikon D850 DSLR camera, nearly 500 phase-detect autofocus points, fast continuous shooting, 4K/30p video recording and much more. In nearly every measure, it's a professional-grade camera. Let's look at how the Nikon Z7 performs in the field and see if Nikon has started its new full-frame camera system off on the right foot.

Key Features and Specifications

• Compact and lightweight camera body
• 45.7-megapixel image sensor
• 493 on-sensor phase-detect autofocus points
• Up to 9 frames per second continuous shooting
• 0.5-inch OLED electronic viewfinder with 0.8x magnification
• 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen
• 330-shot battery life
• Single XQD card slot
• 4K/30p video recording
• Built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• $3,400 USD for body only

Camera Body, Design and Handling

When you think of mirrorless cameras, one of the first things that comes to mind is "compact," followed closely by "lightweight." While there are many other aspects of a mirrorless camera beyond its size and weight worth considering, which I will discuss throughout this Field Test, the most immediately obvious advantage is the size of the camera. The Z7 is small by full-frame Nikon standards. It is a bit bigger than a Sony A7-series camera, but it is significantly smaller than a Nikon D850.

Looking closer at the size difference between the Z7 and the D850, the Z7 is not much narrower (around half an inch, or 12 millimeters), but the Z7 is shorter by nearly an inch (23mm) and is thinner by around 0.4 inches (11mm). Plus, the Z7 weighs about 12 ounces less (340 grams). When you take all this together, it's a considerable difference.

From left to right: Nikon D850, Nikon Z7 and Sony A7R III. This lineup shows off how the size of the Nikon Z7 compares to its DSLR sibling, the Nikon D850, and its full-frame mirrorless competition, the Sony A7R III. We can see that the Z7 is dramatically smaller than the D850, particularly with respect to its height. The Z7 is a bit bigger than the A7R III.

There are times when having a more compact camera comes at the cost of usability. However, with the Z7, it genuinely feels similar to a high-end Nikon DSLR camera. With a smaller body, there have been compromises. The buttons that run vertically down the left-hand side of the D850 have been removed or relocated and remaining buttons are smaller. There's no drive mode dial, it is now a button instead. But the key components remain and are as easy to use as ever. For example, there is still an autofocus point joystick, which feels and works the same as it does on the D850, and there are ISO and exposure compensation buttons on the top right near the shutter release. Speaking of the shutter release, I don't love the location, as I feel like it's a bit too high up on the camera, but others may disagree. The travel distance of the shutter release is excellent, though, which is ultimately the most important aspect of a shutter release.

When holding the camera, there is a bit less grip space on the back and the front grip is smaller, but it doesn't necessarily feel smaller in the hand. There's plenty of space to get a good, strong grip on the camera.

Further, the Z7 has an excellent top display that, while smaller than the one found on the D850, features sharper text that's easier to read. The OLED display is neat for another reason, its brightness changes depending on the situation. If you are shooting in very low light, the text gets darker and therefore helps preserve night vision. If it's bright shooting, the display is brighter and easy to read, even in direct sunlight.

The Z7's command dials feel great, even though they do feel a bit different than I'm used to on Nikon's high-end DSLR cameras. They had to be moved a bit to compensate for the smaller body, but their usability and feel remains excellent. The amount of distance between each "click" is a bit less, which takes a little getting used to, but they work very well for quick and precise adjustments.

Looking at the top of the Nikon Z7, there are many similarities with a Nikon DSLR, including the arrangement of the buttons around the shutter release and a top deck display. Granted, the top deck display is OLED now instead of LCD, which is a nice improvement in terms of clarity and readability.

The rear display is very good as well. It is a 3.2-inch touchscreen with 2.1 million dots of resolution. It can tilt upward and downward, although I do wish it was a full tilt-swivel display. There were numerous occasions when I was working in portrait orientation on a tripod and wanted to be able to tilt the display to make it easier to see. With that said, the display is sharp and vibrant and works well even in bright lighting conditions. The touchscreen, itself, also works well. Unfortunately, the touchscreen cannot be used as an autofocus touchpad, which means you cannot use it to move the autofocus point while looking through the viewfinder as you can on some other cameras. I hope Nikon adds this feature down the road via firmware or at least includes it in future cameras because it is very useful. The dedicated AF joystick is fine and works well, but I think a touchpad could be faster in some situations.

Nikon's optical viewfinders on their DSLR cameras have long been excellent. They are very good, clear and work great when tracking fast subjects. On the other hand, generally speaking, electronic viewfinders have not always been great. They have, however, improved over the last few years within the industry and Nikon's new EVF for the Z7 is superb. It's big, bright and sharp. The EVF has 3.6 million dots and a 35mm-equivalent magnification of 0.8x. It includes Nikkor optics as well, which results in an excellent experience. It's one of the best EVFs out there right now.

Another nice aspect of the Z7 is that it offers dust and weather resistance, which Nikon states is the same degree of weather sealing as in a Nikon D850. It has a magnesium-alloy chassis and weather sealing throughout the body. It may be small, but that does not mean it isn't rugged and tough.

Overall, the Nikon Z7 looks and feels like a high-end Nikon camera and simply put, it's incredibly well-designed in general, and especially for a first-generation product. The touchscreen could be better utilized, and it'd be nice if the Z7 had dual card slots -- more on that later -- but it's a very good camera to use. It may be downsized, but its comfort and usability remain as high as ever.

Image Sensor and Image Quality

Technically, the Nikon Z7 uses a new sensor because it has 493 phase-detect autofocus points across its surface, something the 45.7-megapixel sensor in the D850 lacks. However, in practical terms, we are looking at basically the same imaging sensor as the D850. In this case, repetition is far from a bad thing as the D850 delivered excellent resolving power and image quality across a wide range of ISO sensitivities. The Z7 does not have an anti-aliasing filter, which helps the camera deliver images with excellent fine detail, but it also means that it can occasionally produce photos with odd artifacts and moiré. It's not really an issue with the type of photography I do, but for architectural photographers or those who photograph people -- at least ones wearing clothes with close repeating patterns, such as certain fabrics -- it could be an issue. Personally, I'll take the trade-offs of an AA-less sensor every time.

In Field Test Part II, I will be taking a closer look at image quality, specifically with respect to processing raw files, dynamic range and file flexibility during editing. For this first Field Test, I will take a look at different types of images and see how the Z7 does producing images straight from the camera. Specifically, I want to take a look at image quality at different ISO settings using real-world images. I've shot a lot with a Nikon D850 and have owned a D800E since it was released, so I'm very familiar with Nikon's recent high-megapixel offerings.

Like the D850, the Z7 has a native ISO range of 64 to 25,600. At ISO 64, the Z7 does a nice job of producing clean images with a lot of sharpness through the tonal range. The Z7, thanks to its new image processor, also has improved mid-range sharpening and you can see the effect of that in the image below. Notice that from the darker area on the left edge to the medium-bright areas and then finally the brightest sticks, there's a lot of detail to be found throughout. What impresses me the most about this particular example is not so much that there's a lot of fine detail, but that the edges of objects in the frame, particularly the diagonal ones, are smooth and clean. The image does not look over-processed to me. The sensor is being allowed to speak for itself and the internal processing, while powerful, is evenly and intelligently applied.

At higher ISOs, the situation remains pleasing. Consider the image below, which was captured with the good although not spectacularly sharp Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E F-mount lens. The image was shot at ISO 5600, which is a pretty high ISO for a 45.7-megapixel camera. There is a fair bit of noise throughout the image, but it's handled quite well by the camera and the overall quality of the image remains intact. There is nice color and contrast as well.

Let's look at another image. In this case, we are looking at a very detailed scene captured with the impressive new native 24-70mm f/4 S lens. Below, I have included the full scene at ISO 64 and then 100 percent crops from straight-from-the-camera JPEG files shot at ISO 64 and ISO 25,600. At ISO 64, we see the scene in its best-possible form considering the equipment used. There is a lot of fine detail.

There are three specific areas of the crop I want to address. First, the bright barnacles on the right edge of the frame. At ISO 64, nearly all of the highlight data is retained. At ISO 25,600, while some of the finer detail is obviously lost, the overall detail retention of the highlights are pretty similar.

Next, look at the snail near the middle of the frame. At ISO 64, you can distinguish many of the individual spirals and lines in its shell. You can practically count them. At ISO 25,600, not so much, in fact, you cannot tell that there are lines on the shell at all. The same story applies to the barnacles, where you can see many defined edges and lines in the ISO 64 file, you cannot see them nearly as well at a high ISO.

Finally, look at the top left corner, the dark seaweed in particular. Something interesting happens here. At ISO 64, there's not a lot of definition because the material is pretty smooth. The deep brownish green is captured very well, but there's only small patches of detail. Oddly enough, at ISO 25,600, we get a bit of false detail. The camera smooths out the noise, which is both color and luminance noise, and then tries to bring detail back. In this case, the detail was never really there to begin with, so we get a sort of rough texture in the high ISO file that should not be there.

Overall, I am very impressed with the high ISO capabilities of the Nikon Z7. If you look at the ISO 25,600 image in a smallish print, like 8 x 10, it doesn't look that different from the base ISO image of the same scene. Yes, there are absolutely qualitative differences, but they don't jump out at you until you really study the image. Even when you do look closely, the Z7 stands up nicely. I would have no qualms whatsoever shooting the Z7 at nearly any ISO speed if that's what the situation demanded. For highly-critical work, I might want to cap the ISO at 6400, which is how I have Auto ISO set up, but you can still capture nice images at faster ISO speeds.

Before finishing up the image quality discussion, I want to briefly touch on colors. There's a lot of subjectivity involved in discussing colors. Our lab testing does a fantastic job of determining how much a camera saturates certain colors and how accurately colors are represented, but if you talk about colors with fellow photographers, people usually speak passionately about how a certain camera handles specific colors.

Personally, I mostly care about how a camera renders naturally-occurring colors. In this respect, I think that the Z7 does well. In the two images below, I am impressed by the Z7's rendition of reds, greens and blues. The reds are rich without being overly bright. The tone and brightness of the red is excellent and precisely how I saw the scene. The greens are dark and in control, although they might tend to be a bit yellower than I'd like. Blues are nice too, although perhaps tending a bit heavily toward cyan.

Overall, when viewing JPEG images from the Z7, the camera does a fantastic job in many respects. It produces sharp images at and near base ISO, it produces clean files at high ISO with good color and contrast and finally, it handles colors well, producing bright but controlled colors and tones.

Shooting Experience

Autofocus

With a new mirrorless camera system comes a new autofocus system. In the case of the Nikon Z7, we find a 493-point hybrid phase-detect/contrast-detect autofocus system. This is a considerable increase in autofocus points over the D850 but even more noticeable in real-world use is that the autofocus points cover around 90 percent of the image area both horizontally and vertically. This means that you can easily focus on a subject that is well away from the center portion of the frame, which means that focusing and recomposing is rarely necessary when shooting with the Z7. For me, this is a big deal. I regularly focus near the edge of the frame when shooting landscape images and focusing and recomposing is annoying, especially if I wanted to capture images for focus stacking, so the Z7 is a much more flexible tool than a DSLR camera like the D850 in that respect.

Nikon has said that users should expect very similar autofocus speed and overall performance when using the Z7 as they get from the D850. It's definitely close in terms of speed, and I think that the Z7 is a very good focus performer. I'm not sure it's quite as fast in lower light as the D850, however, but the Z7 remains good in difficult focusing conditions.

Regarding autofocus accuracy, I found that the Z7 did a phenomenal job in most situations, particularly with its native lenses. With the Nikon D850, I had to perform autofocus fine tuning with nearly every lens I used. This is not an issue with the mirrorless Z7, which is a welcome change of pace. There's a lot of value in being able to attach a lens and not worry about tinkering with settings to get precise focus and very sharp images.

As I mentioned earlier, the camera offers touch autofocus via the rear display, but you cannot use the screen as an AF touchpad while using the EVF. The dedicated focus selector joystick works well, but it can be a bit slow to move through the Z7's many focus points. Further, there's no eye-detect autofocus, which will be a disappointment to portrait photographers.

These few negatives aside, the Z7's autofocus performance is excellent overall. To me, it performs as if Nikon has been making full-frame mirrorless cameras for a long time with how reliable and refined the focusing performance is on the Z7. There's still room for improvement and growth, as there always is, but the Z7 certainly meets my autofocus expectations in most situations. Reviewer's Note: I will discuss autofocus with the FTZ adapter in my next Field Test.

Performance

The Z7 includes a brand-new processor, the EXPEED 6. This is the latest generation of Nikon's in-house image processor, and it allows for a bit better sharpness, particularly in the mid-range, and lower noise levels. The EXPEED 6 allows the Z7 to capture full-resolution files at up to 9 frames per second. As it happens, this applies to 12-bit RAW files rather than 14-bit RAW files, which can be captured at a slightly slower 8 fps, which is still quick. Buffer depths hover around 20 frames in most cases, and the buffer clears in between 4.6 and 5.9 seconds per our lab tests. If you'd like the full details and numbers on the Z7's performance, click here.

Regarding shooting in the field, I found the Z7 to be plenty quick. Its continuous shooting speeds were ample for photographing wildlife, but the buffer depths do leave something to be desired, especially if you want to photograph a long bit of action. For example, if you are shooting at 9 frames per second, which allows for continuous autofocus but locks exposure at the first frame, that's under three seconds of continuous shooting. The buffer clears quickly, but the shallow buffer nonetheless means that the Z7 is not necessarily a great action camera for everyone.

One of the most talked about aspects of the Z7 has been that it has only a single XQD card slot. This has been lambasted for a few reasons. Without a second card slot, there's no redundancy in a workflow. If your card fails, that's it, you might have lost everything. For a working pro shooting a wedding, for example, this could be catastrophic. Further, XQD cards aren't that common and are expensive. Not many photographers, unless they owned a recent high-end Nikon DSLR, will have an assortment of XQD cards to use. XQD cards do offer great performance, at least, so they definitely have that going for them over SD cards.

Personally, I find the single card slot issue to be a bit overblown. That is not to say it's not a concern, because it is, but a lot of the discussion about this issue feels overly dramatic. I've recorded a lot of images over the years to a variety of memory card types and brands and have never once had any type of failure. Perhaps I'm just lucky. With that said, I do understand the value of a second card slot, the security would be nice. If I were a wedding photographer or if I worked other events, I can see myself being a bit worried about the lack of a second card slot. I wish Nikon could've found a way to fit an SD card slot into the Z7 in addition to the XQD slot, but they didn't, and I don't think that should be a deal-breaker for most photographers.

Generally, the Z7 offers solid performance. It's fast, it can shoot action and it feels responsive in use. The battery life is rated for a somewhat low 330 shots when using the EVF -- 400 when using the rear display -- but I think that it has been significantly undersold by the rather rigorous CIPA testing standards. Everyone's mileage will vary, but in my workflow, the Z7's battery has performed surprisingly well and offered considerably more shots than the rating and better duration than I expected.

Metering

The Nikon Z7 offers matrix, center-weighted and spot metering options, with the lattermost metering mode being tied to the active autofocus point. The camera also offers highlight-weighted metering. In my experience, the matrix metering worked well in most situations and seemed comparable to the Nikon D850's metering performance. The Z7 might not underexpose as frequently as the D850, although I did still often utilize + 0.3 and +0.7 exposure compensation. Exposure compensation is easily accessed via a dedicated button near the shutter release, which is handy. White balance metering proved good as well. My preferred white balance with the Z7 is natural light auto because I most often am shooting outdoors, but the default WB Auto mode is good as well. The Z7 does not have a built-in flash, and its max flash sync is 1/200s, which will likely prove serviceable, although something a bit faster would certainly have been nice.

Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S at 70mm, f/11, 1/8s, ISO 64. I performed a simple clone to remove debris from the frame. Other than that, it's a straight from the camera file. Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.

Nikon Z7 Field Test Part I Summary

A very positive first impression of Nikon's new full-frame mirrorless camera

What I like so far:

• Excellent design
• Very good electronic viewfinder
• Superb image quality
• Fast and accurate autofocus

Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S at 70mm, f/8, 1/25s, ISO 64. I performed a simple clone to remove debris from the frame. Other than that, it's a straight from the camera file. Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.

What I don't like so far:

• Touchscreen works well but seems underutilized
• Buffer depths are good, but not great
• The Z7 has only a single XQD card slot

There is a lot more to discuss about the Nikon Z7 in my next Field Test, but my first impressions of the camera are very positive overall. While much smaller than the Nikon D850, the Nikon Z7 is versatile and enjoyable to use. I had some concerns about how much shrinking the body might negatively impact usability and the quality of the physical controls, but these worries have nearly all been put to rest after extended time with the Nikon Z7. The grip feels great, the buttons are well-placed, the joystick works well and the electronic viewfinder is excellent. I think that the touchscreen remains underutilized and a tilt/swivel display would've been a welcome addition, but overall, it feels like a pro-level Nikon camera and it's a joy to use.

Regarding image quality and performance, there's a lot to like about the Z7. The 45.7-megapixel sensor delivers very good images with excellent detail and impressive dynamic range. The 493-point autofocus system is fast and decisive. Further, the EXPEED 6-powered camera can shoot at impressive speeds. That said, the buffer depths leave something to be desired, and the battery life, while better than the ratings in my usage, is still not as good as what you achieve with a Nikon DSLR.

In my next Field Test, I will look at the Z7's wireless functionality, image stabilization, video features and performance, the new lens system and 24-70mm kit lens plus I'll take a closer look at image quality.

Field Test Part III

A flexible and versatile full-frame mirrorless camera with few flaws

By Jeremy Gray · 11/01/2018

Recap of Field Test Part I

In my first Nikon Z7 Field Test, I evaluated the camera's design and handling, JPEG image quality and discussed autofocus and performance. In this Field Test, I will be looking closer at the camera's features, discuss video quality and look closer at the Z7's raw files before giving my last word on the Nikon Z7.

Image stabilization

The Nikon Z7 features 5-axis in-body image stabilization. Nikon states that the system delivers up to 5 stops of vibration reduction. Nothing about my experience contradicts Nikon's claims. In my own use, the system seemed capable of not only delivering sharper handheld images, but also -- and perhaps even more importantly -- it did an excellent job of stabilizing the live view image in the viewfinder and on the display. Overall, the IBIS system works well and is an excellent inclusion.

Shooting with the Nikon FTZ adapter

While the native glass is good so far and Nikon's roadmap looks promising, existing Nikon shooters will want to know how to use their F-mount lenses on the Z7. Fortunately, it's easy. All you need is the Nikon Mount Adapter FTZ, which costs $249 USD. There is not a lot to the adapter; it is essentially a weather-sealed, magnesium alloy tube that acts as intermediary between an F-mount lens and the new Z Mount while allowing full electronic communication, including full AF and AE on over 90 Nikkor lenses. There are no optics inside the adapter. Further, there is an integrated tripod mount, which is nice, especially when using long lenses because it reduces stress on the Z7's lens mount. However, the tripod mount can get in the way of a tripod plate attached to the bottom of the Z7. This was the case with my plate as I needed to remove the tripod plate and attach it to the FTZ adapter.

The bottom of the FTZ adapter protrudes below the body of the Z7. That combined with the Z7's more forward-placed tripod socket makes it difficult to use the adapter while keeping a tripod plate attached to the camera. However, this experience might vary depending on the style and size of your tripod plate.

Thanks to the Z7's built-in image stabilization, you can now shoot stabilized with many different Nikon F-mount lenses that do not have built-in VR, including lenses like the Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8, 20mm f/1.8 and 105mm f/1.4E. If the adapted lens has VR, the Z7 adds roll axis stabilization in addition to the lens' own stabilization.

Optical performance of adapted lenses is perfectly good on the Z7. My Nikkor F lenses performed precisely how I expected them to with respect to sharpness across the frame, vignette and everything else. Autofocus performance, however, was a bit of a mixed bag. Some lenses, like the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G, worked well and focused quickly and accurately. Other lenses, such as the Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E, focused well in some situations and not as well in others. I found that performance varied a fair bit on which autofocus point I was using. The further away from the center I got with my autofocus point, the less precise and fast the focusing performance was. As you can see below, my landscape-orientation images were sharp and in focus whereas the same settings and scene shot in portrait orientation delivered less-impressive results. However, in other situations, the lens focused well in both orientations.

Adapted Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E at 400mm, f/6.3, 1/400s, ISO 64. 100 percent crop of the above image. Simply rotating the camera and focusing on the bird's head in portrait orientation really threw the Z7's focus accuracy off. This was the case across a hundred shots, landscape shots were in focus and portrait images with similar or identical settings were out of focus. Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.

Further testing is required and adapted lenses typically worked well, but I thought that it was nonetheless worth mentioning that I did encounter some focusing issues. With that said, overall, the mount adapter works as advertised and being able to shoot with VR on non-VR lenses is excellent. Further, you can adapt any FX or DX lens that is G, D or E-type with full AF/AE, which is impressive. You can adapt many non-CPU lenses to have VR as well, provided that you register the focal length into the camera's menus. The adapter is a must-have accessory for anyone with existing Nikon glass.

In the Field

Landscapes

My favorite type of photography is landscape photography, so it's something I do a lot of with every camera I review. There are multiple aspects of a camera that can make it better or worse for landscape photography, and the Nikon Z7 does lot of things correctly in my book.

Firstly, build quality. The Z7 is a robust camera with good physical controls. Importantly, the controls work well when wearing lightweight gloves even though the buttons are smaller than those on the D850 and the control dials have a less pronounced surface. I do miss the illuminated buttons of the D850, but the Z7 is still easy to use in most situations. The camera is made easier to use because of the display's tilting functionality. Without the ability to swivel, the two-axis tilt mechanism is not useful when shooting in portrait orientation, but it does well in landscape orientation, particularly when working at an odd angle. Finally, weather sealing is really important to me as a landscape photographer, and the Z7 has the same level of weather resistance as the D850, so that's excellent, too.

Size and weight are important as well, especially when I have to hike to a location. I will carry heavier gear if it means getting a better image, but in the case of the Z7, you get great full-frame image quality in a smaller and lighter package than the Nikon D850. Granted, if you are adapting lenses, some of that advantage is lost because you will need to carry an adapter and the relatively larger F-mount glass, but if you are using Nikkor Z lenses (the ones released so far, anyway), then you end up with a much smaller and lighter setup than a Nikon D850 or other full-frame Nikon DSLR camera.

Regarding image quality, the Nikon Z7 is very similar to the D850 in terms of sharpness and base ISO dynamic range. For landscape photography, I usually shoot at base ISO as to maximize dynamic range, so the fact that the Z7 delivers great raw files at ISO 64 is hugely important to me. Further, the camera is easy to use with manual focus, so that's nice as well. Regarding manual focus, the Z7 offers focus peaking in multiple sensitivities and you can zoom in to 100 percent by clicking the magnification button on the back of the camera once.

Overall, I very much enjoyed shooting landscape images with the Nikon Z7.

Wildlife

For wildlife, the Z7 is not obviously a better choice than the D850. Granted, a Nikon D5 or D500 are also fantastic wildlife cameras. The Z7 does have some nice things going for it as a wildlife camera, however, such as a smaller size and a silent shooting option. There's also its expanded autofocus point coverage across the frame, but I don't think its overall focusing performance is quite as good as the D850. While the D850 doesn't have a hybrid autofocus system covering 90 percent of the image area in horizontal and vertical directions, I think it bests the Z7 with respect to low-light autofocus and continuous autofocus. The D850 has better 3D autofocus capabilities and just generally feels more reliable.

Further, the Z7 has more shutter lag than the D850 and slightly slower 14-bit RAW recording speeds than a gripped D850 (8 frames per second versus 9 fps). If you shoot 14-bit RAW files at 7 fps, which is the speed without a grip on a D850, the buffer is 200 frames deep and it clears in just under 2 seconds. The Z7, on the other hand, shoots around 1 fps faster but has a 19-frame buffer that clears in just under 5 seconds. While both cameras are impressive, the D850 is better all-around with respect to continuous shooting thanks to its deeper buffer. The D850 also has a very good optical viewfinder and while the Z7's EVF is fantastic, an optical viewfinder is still generally a bit better for tracking a subject during fast shooting.This latter point is somewhat subjective, but buffer depths aren't, and the more action you can capture, the better.

With that said, I still enjoyed photographing wildlife with the Z7 and wouldn't hesitate to adapt a long lens to the Z7 and head out into the field for some wildlife photography. It's a good wildlife camera, just not quite as good as the D850.

Video

While the Nikon D850 made some really nice strides with respect to shooting video, the Z7 advances to another level and is Nikon's most capable full-frame video camera. While a full video field test is forthcoming, I wanted to give a general overview of the Z7's video features and briefly discuss its performance.

Looking at features, the Z7 can shoot 3,840 x 2,160 (4K UHD) video at up to 30 frames per second and 1,920 x 1,080 (Full HD) video at up to 120 fps. As has been the case with other Nikon cameras, you do need to rotate the shooting switch on the back of the camera from stills to video before recording video. Recording video is otherwise a simple and enjoyable experience on the Z7. The mode dial works as you'd expect, there's a dedicated movie mode, which allows you to import your settings from photo mode. The touchscreen works well for moving focus and adjusting settings in a quiet and convenient way. The Z7 also includes mic and headphone jacks, which is great.

Looking at the 4K video quality, it's worth noting that you can record using the full width of the sensor, which is excellent. The video itself is sharp and detailed, especially at lower ISOs. Color rendition and dynamic range is good as well. You can record in a new N-Log format, which offers a view assist to make it easier to see as log video can look very flat, and there's focus peaking even when recording in 4K, something prior Nikon cameras have not offered. Further, there's 4:2:2 10-bit HDMI output, which should please video-heavy users.

When considering higher ISOs, the camera continues to produce nice video. At ISO 1600, the video quality is very good. At ISO 3200, you start to lose coarser details and at ISO 6400, the loss of detail continues and there is a fair bit of grain and visible noise. At ISO 12,800, the quality degrades further and finally, at ISO 25,600, the quality is poor and not worth using.

As far as video autofocus performance is concerned, it's never been a strong point for Nikon DSLR cameras and it's not exactly a strong point for the Z7 either, although I do think it's better than we've seen from previous Nikon cameras. While continuous autofocus can still struggle a bit and the camera does make some overcorrections and clunky focus adjustments during video recording, the Z7 is more decisive than the D850 was during recording and definitely displays less wobbling, especially when using Nikkor Z lenses. You can tweak focus settings to make transitions in focus a bit smoother as well, but for the purpose of this review, the two videos below were captured with default settings. In the first video, the backlit scene proved challenging for the Z7 although it was able to generally acquire and maintain focus. In the second video, I walked in a zig-zag pattern and the Z7 with the 35mm f/1.8 S lens attached was able to stay on me pretty well with subject tracking enabled. In separate testing, it also proved capable of reacquiring focus if the subject, in this case, me walking, left the frame and then reentered a few seconds later.

The Z7 has good stabilization as well. In the videos below, I was shooting handheld with my Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6E adapted to the Z7. The lens does have its own VR, but the Z7 adds a third axis of vibration reduction when VR lenses are attached, and it worked surprisingly well given that I was at a long focal length for the two clips. In the first clip, notice how the Z7 caught the leaves in front of the heron before shifting focus back to the heron.

Stay tuned to Imaging Resource for our full review of the Z7's video features and performance. So far, there's a lot to like with respect to video, although to me, the Z7 still feels like a camera primarily aimed at still photographers.

Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S Kit Lens

Alongside the Z7, Nikon has also released a new native 24-70mm zoom lens, which is available as part of a kit or separately for $999 USD. This standard zoom, officially known as the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, is a really nice lens which pairs very well with the Z7 due to its compact size and lightweight design. Specifically, the lens is 3.48 inches long at its minimum length (88.5 millimeters) and weighs a mere 1.1 pounds (500 grams). To utilize the lens, you must rotate the zoom ring slightly to "unlock" it and actually reach 24mm, which does add to its length in-use. As far as carrying it around or packing it in a bag is concerned, it is pretty small.

Optically, the 24-70mm f/4 S seems good in my real-world testing. There is a bit of falloff in terms of sharpness when looking at the corners, but it's a generally sharp lens. Part of this has to do with the design of the new Nikkor Z mount itself, which Nikon has made larger in diameter and with a considerably shorter flange distance than the Nikon F mount. This change in the design of the mount allows lenses to be made smaller while delivering better optical quality, specifically when shooting at their maximum apertures.

Looking closer at sharpness when wide open, in the image below, we see the full scene and then a 100 percent crop from a straight-from-the-camera JPEG image. You can click the link beneath the image to download the raw file. There's a lot of nice detail here considering the lens was shot at its maximum aperture and I'm definitely impressed by the center sharpness of the 24-70mm f/4 S zoom lens.

Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S at 58mm, f/4, 1/4s, ISO 64. 100 percent crop near the center of the frame. There's a lot of nice detail here, especially considering it was shot at f/4. Click for full-size image. Click here for RAW image.

Corners are a slightly different story. At f/7.1 and a 65mm focal length, I would expect pretty sharp corners. However, as we can see in the image below and accompanying crops, there's significant softening as you move to the extreme corners of the image.

While not a lens designed around heavily out of focus backgrounds, I'm pretty pleased with the bokeh of the 24-70mm f/4 S. In the shot below, the distant background is rendered in a pleasing way. It's not thrown out of focus in the same way it would be if the lens was an f/2.8 lens, of course, but the bokeh is nonetheless nice.

Overall, the Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S lens is a good companion to the Z7 due to its compact size and lightweight design. The lens feels solid in the hands, the zoom ring has nice resistance and the focus ring works well. The lens is well-built and delivers good image quality, particularly in the center of the frame. I was impressed by its focusing speeds and its excellent center sharpness at f/4. If you don't have a 24-70mm lens you'd like to adapt to the Z7, it's hard to go wrong with buying the Z7 kit.

Picking up the pieces: A closer look at image quality and raw files

When I was writing my first Field Test, Z7 raw files were not yet supported by Adobe software. However, Adobe Camera Raw and Lightroom have since been updated so I have been able to process my raw files.

Having worked with the Nikon D850, I had a pretty good idea about what to expect from the Z7. Raw files are very flexible and you can make a lot of adjustments without noticeably harming the overall image quality. We have already seen that the Z7 produces sharp JPEG files, but it's nearly always the case that a processed raw file can get you even more detail. In the shot below, I performed some fairly basic edits and sharpening. As you can see in the accompanying 100 percent crops, which were taken from the processed raw file within Adobe Photoshop, there's a lot of fine detail, which will make for nice, large prints.

Regarding recoverability of shadows and highlights, the Z7 again does quite well. In Adobe Camera Raw, I was able to bring back a good amount of shadow and highlight detail while maintaining good file integrity. There's not a lot of additional noise introduced in the shadow areas after increasing the brightness.

In this next photo, I am certainly impressed by how well the Z7 handled the scene, as it's a very challenging one given the bright cloud in the top right corner and the foreground being in shade. The sensor has a lot of dynamic range and nearly the same amount as the Nikon D850. If we look at the data compiled by Photons to Photos, we find that the D850 and Z7's dynamic range results overlap or nearly overlap throughout the entire ISO range. My personal experience corroborates these dynamic range results. Despite how well the Z7 performs, I still wanted to bring back some additional highlight and shadow detail during raw processing of the photo below, and the Z7's raw file handled the task brilliantly.

Overall, the Nikon Z7 is a very flexible camera because its raw files not only contain a lot of great detail, they also have a lot of usable data for shadow and highlight recovery. You can make a lot of adjustments to raw files, including extensive localized or global brightening, without ruining the file and introducing excessive visual noise.

Who is the Nikon Z7 best for?

There's a lot to like about the Nikon Z7 from many different perspectives. Based on my time with the camera, and having shot a lot with other Nikon DSLR cameras over the years, I think that the Z7 is one of Nikon's best cameras to date. However, no camera is perfect and the Z7 does have some weaknesses that might make it a less than ideal choice for certain types of photographers.

For a landscape shooter, I think that the Z7 is an excellent choice in large part because the Z7 is quite a bit smaller than a full-frame DSLR. The removed physical controls aren't a big deal for landscape shooters because it's not often the case that going into a menu will mean missing a shot.

For travel photographers, the story is similar, and the smaller size of the Z7 and its Nikkor Z lenses may make it an even better relative choice when compared to a Nikon full-frame DSLR. Although, the somewhat underwhelming battery life means you'll want a spare battery.

If you are photographing people, the lack of eye-detect AF, a feature well-implemented in recent Sony mirrorless cameras, might disappoint, but the Z7 has a large autofocus area and the focusing system works well, particularly with the dedicated autofocus point selector joystick.

With that said, the autofocus system is not quite as refined, particularly with respect to subject tracking, as the system found in the Nikon D850. The Z7 can shoot quickly, especially considering its megapixel count, but the buffer is a bit shallow and this limits its usability for wildlife and sports photography, although adapting existing Nikkor F-mount lenses to the Z7 works well, so long lenses are completely usable on the Z7.

Wedding and event photographers may very well lament the lack of a second card slot. For me, I'm fine with the single card slot, but I can understand why it may be a deal-breaker for some photographers. I think that the autofocus, shooting speeds and overall image quality make the Z7 suitable for wedding photography, but it may not be as good of a choice as a D850 or another Nikon DSLR.

Overall, the Nikon Z7 is a very good camera, and I think it's a great choice for many different types of photography.

The Nikon Z7 is great for:

• Landscape photography
• Travel photography
• Portraiture
• Photographers with existing full-frame Nikon lenses

The Nikon Z7 is not an ideal choice for:

• Photographing a lot of continuous action
• Photographers who need a second card slot

Nikon Z7 Field Test Part II Summary

A fantastic first step into the future for Nikon

What I like:

• Raw file flexibility
• Good in-body image stabilization
• A lot of versatility with the FTZ adapter
• Good 4K UHD video quality

What I don't like:

• No 4K/60p video
• Autofocus in video, particularly in low light, is lacking
• Not great continuous autofocus or subject tracking
• 24-70mm f/4 S kit lens struggles a bit in the corners

Wrapping up

With the Z7, Nikon has made an excellent step into full-frame mirrorless photography. In many ways, the Z7 is Nikon's best high resolution camera to date. It is likely their best video camera thanks to advanced features and good quality. However, it's not perfect. The buffer depths are not particularly impressive, the battery life is subpar and the continuous autofocus does not seem as good as the Nikon D850.

As is often the case with Nikon cameras, the user experience is excellent. The Z7 may be the company's first full-frame mirrorless camera, but it generally feels a lot like their recent DSLR cameras, and I think that's the right direction for the new mirrorless camera system. The electronic viewfinder and rear display are very good, and the body, while compact, feels robust and rugged.

When I was out in the field with the Nikon Z7, I enjoyed nearly every aspect of the camera. I didn't miss some of the dedicated buttons that had to be removed due to space constraints. I wasn't bothered much by occasionally spotty low-light autofocus or the lack of some of Nikon's 3D-tracking focus features found on their high-end DSLR cameras. However, given time to think about the camera and the context in which it exists, I'm a bit conflicted.

On the one hand, there are many things that the Z7 does very well. But on the other hand, I wish that Nikon had entered the mirrorless game in a serious way earlier because Sony has been building an impressive lineup of cameras and lenses for several years. For someone who already has Nikon lenses, the Z7 makes perfect sense. It's smaller and lighter than DSLR cameras and performs really well. You can get an adapter to use your existing lenses, even adding image stabilization to the ones which lack VR functionality.

Overall, the Nikon Z7 is a fantastic full-frame mirrorless camera. For Nikonians, the Z7 is likely the mirrorless camera you were hoping and waiting for.

Weather Testing

Very well-sealed, weather-resistant full-frame mirrorless cameras

by Dave Etchells | Posted: 05/04/2019

Imaging Resource's weather-testing approach

This is one of an ongoing series of weather-resistance tests of camera systems. Manufacturer claims about weather resistance are all over the map, in part because there's no established standard that's relevant to how photographers actually use cameras. Our aim is to establish a consistent basis for comparing weather resistance between cameras in a way that makes sense for photographers. If you're interested in the details behind the tests, you can read the loooong article I wrote about the rationale behind our camera weather-testing approach.

Camera tested: The Nikon Z7

The Nikon Z7 was announced in late August 2018, along with the Z6, as Nikon's first entries in the full-frame mirrorless market. The Z7 is their current flagship mirrorless model, but the Z6 shares the same physical design, so our results here should apply equally to that model as well. Nikon represents both cameras as being "weather resistant", even calling attention to that feature in their marketing.

We performed our tests with the Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens attached. All Z-mount lenses have a gasket around their flange that seals against the camera's flange, to prevent any water from getting inside via that route. We're told that Z-mount lenses themselves also have internal sealing of a similar level to that in the camera bodies.

Visible weather seals on the Z7

We don't currently disassemble the cameras we test, so we can only comment on the weather seals that are visible when you open the various compartments and peel back the port covers.

Lens flange
This is more a function of the lens in use than of the camera itself, but in the case of the Nikon Z system, all the lenses have similar sealing, namely a thin gasket made of fairly stiff plastic that surrounds the lens flange and seals against a flat part of the camera flange itself.

This shot shows the mount end of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8S after a 35 minute water test. The water you see on the mount was almost certainly dragged in as we removed the lens from the body, as opposed to having leaked there during the test itself. This was one of the earlier tests we did; we've learned since then to remove lenses very slowly, to avoid creating a suction as the lens separates from the body.

(A note for all of you: A surprising amount of water can wick into the crevice between the body and the lens barrel, even when there's an effective gasket blocking the water from leaking into the camera when the lens is attached. When you remove the lens, though, all that water that's wicked into the crevice can get pulled into the body. If you've been shooting in the rain, it's a good idea to (a) use a soft cloth or paper towel to get as much water out of the lens/body gap as possible, and (b) once you've twisted the lens loose, separate it from the body very slowly. This avoids creating suction that can pull water into the body.)

Battery compartment
The Z7's battery compartment seems to be quite well sealed, with a continuous seal around the perimeter of the lid, made of what seems to be an impermeable, soft silicone rubber compound. The seal dips down a bit where the latch mechanism is, but it seems to be a continuous surround, made of a pretty impermeable material. (This as compared to the open-cell foam that's more common in camera seals, and that the Z7 itself uses around the memory card compartment door.)

Memory card compartment
The Z7's memory card compartment has foam gasket material around the edges of the door opening. It's an interesting design, with a U-shaped gasket around the front and up the two sides, and then a strip at the rear. Closing the door is a two-step process, first folding it down snug against the body, and then pressing to snap it inward. We can't see the full extent of the U-shaped seal without removing the door itself, but it seems likely that it runs all the way back. When the door is closed, a thin rim or lip on the door presses against the U-shaped seal, and when the door is snapped back into the fully-closed position, the rear of the door flap presses against the foam seal at the back. This seems like a pretty solid gasket design, provided that the U-shaped seal's rear legs mate tightly with the rear seal.

The Z7's port flaps seal quite tightly against the ports themselves. Each port has a little raised lip around it that the plastic of the flap fits around. The small traces of water you see here probably wicked in as we pulled the flaps back after our test, but in any case, there's no sign of water anywhere within the little "moats" around each port.

Port covers
The port covers on the Z7 are two flaps that fit pretty tightly over the ports themselves. Each port has a raised ridge around it on the camera body, and the stiff-but-flexible plastic flaps press firmly over them, creating tight seals around each port opening. It seems like a very secure seal design.

We've sometimes seen problems with hot shoes that have a lot of electrical contacts in them to connect to accessories, as rainwater can be conductive enough to fool the camera into thinking there's an unknown accessory attached. The Nikon Z7 had no such problem. The protective cover doesn't do much to keep water off the few contacts that are present, but we had no problems with it while the camera was being drenched. (Note that we didn't test with a flash attached.)

Hot shoe/other
The Z7's flash hot shoe has only the relatively large electrical contacts that connect to the bottom of the flash's foot, and don't seem prone to being fooled by the slight conductivity of rainwater. The hot shoe is covered by a hard plastic protective cover that will guard against getting general schmutz on the contacts, but which doesn't provide any sealing against water getting on them. As noted, though, this doesn't seem to matter, as the shoe connection doesn't have the sort of fine accessory contacts that we've seen cause problems for some cameras that use them.

Water exposure tests performed on the Z7

Our baseline weather testing protocol currently involves exposing cameras to simulated rainfall at a rate of 1 cm/hour (or just a smidgen under 0.4 in/hour) for 35 minutes, while actuating the camera controls according to a set script. (Our thought being that seals around moving components are more likely to leak when the parts they're sealing are moving relative to each other.) For cameras that successfully pass this test, we give them a double-dose of 70 minutes the following day, to see if they can withstand what most people would consider very heavy exposure.

(For reference, meteorologists refer to rainfall rates greater than 0.75 cm/hour (0.3 in/hour) as "heavy rain". So our test at 1 cm/hour represents a significant level of rainfall, although it's far from what you'd see in the tropics or a thunderstorm. I suspect that few amateur photographers would probably stand out in a rainstorm like this for more than 30 minutes at a time, so it seems like a good test for cameras that claim weather resistance, and in fact does seem a good level for separating levels of resistance in higher-end camera models. We plan to extend our tests to cover lower-end cameras at lower precipitation rates in a system using custom-designed dripper nozzles, but that's some ways off in the future yet.)

In the case of the Z7, we exposed it to the 35-minute protocol, and found that it did quite well. We put it in our drybox overnight, and then gave it an additional 70-minute exposure the next day.

Functional observations

As noted, the Z7 did very well in our testing, with little evidence of problems during the tests themselves. We found the following, in both the 35-minute and subsequent 70-minute tests. (No difference in behavior was observed between the two.)

• Touch-screen was unreliable/unusable
  This is extremely common; the touch-screens on all cameras we've tested to date having the feature become either unresponsive or very unreliable when wet. This is likely because the water greatly changes the capacitance of your fingertip, so the electronics have a hard time telling where you're pressing, if they're able to detect a touch at all. You need to set your camera up in such a way that you're not relying on the touch-screen to operate it, if you expect it to get wet while shooting.

As with pretty much every other camera with an eye sensor to automatically switch between the rear LCD and viewfinder displays, the Z7 was confused by drops of water covering the sensor. It would automatically switch to the EVF if we didn't have that feature disabled, but the problem cleared itself immediately when the camera was held upright again.

• Viewfinder eye-detect sensor triggered falsely in face-down position
  This is also very common. Many cameras use a small infrared sensor next to the viewfinder eyepiece to automatically switch between the rear LCD and electronic viewfinder when you hold the camera to your eye. A drop of water on the surface can reflect light back into the sensor, fooling it into thinking that you're looking through the eyepiece. Different cameras are more or less sensitive to this, and the Z7 seemed less so than many, with the eye sensor only triggering falsely when the camera was in the face-down position as if slung from a neckstrap. The problem cleared itself when the camera was returned to a normal vertical orientation, allowing the water to drain off. If you're going to be shooting where drops of water can strike the eye sensor, we recommend disabling automatic viewfinder-switching, using a manual control to do so instead.
  

And that's pretty much it, in terms of any functional issues. All the controls worked as intended, and we were able to operate the camera with complete confidence, even through the second double-dose of rainfall. In total, the camera saw 105 minutes of "heavy rainfall" across two days, and other than the largely-unavoidable problems mentioned above, it performed flawlessly.

Post-Test Analysis

As noted above, the Z7 performed flawlessly during the water exposure itself. Opening it up, we didn't find any overt water -- that is, visible drops of water -- anywhere, but did find a small amount of condensation on the inside of the battery compartment door. Here's a rundown of the post-exposure findings:

Lens flange and shutter/sensor box
As noted earlier, we're learning to remove lenses verrry slooowly after a weather test, to minimize water trapped in the crevice between the lens and body getting pulled further onto the flange due to the slight suction that happens as the lens is pulled off. We also try to remove as much of the wicked water as possible before opening, by pressing a paper towel or microfiber cloth tightly into the lens barrel/body gap.

We weren't quite slow enough in opening the Z7 body on the cycle these shots were taken from, so there's some water on both the lens mount and the body flange themselves. We're 100% certain, though, that this was strictly caused by the water caught in the lens barrel/body crevice being sucked in when we removed the lens.

When we were inspecting the Z7 body after our test, we noticed areas inside the body next to the bottom of the lens flange that looked wet, being darker-toned than the body parts around them. Fortunately, it appears that these are just places where some adhesive seeped down during the camera's assembly.

Inspecting the body closely, we were initially concerned by what looked like a few wet areas just inside the lower rim of the flange. When we looked closely, though, it became clear that what were seeing was just some adhesive that had spread into that area during the camera's assembly. This was confirmed by the fact that the darker areas we saw didn't go away over time, as the camera dried out, and they didn't smudge when we gently wiped at them with a Kimwipe. (The fact that they didn't smudge at all meant it was almost certainly a fully-set adhesive, rather than oil or some other substance.)

Memory card slot
No signs of water anywhere inside the compartment, or on the memory card itself when removed.

Port flaps and covers
As noted in the photo caption above, there was a small amount of water on the camera body itself, but outside the area protected by the lips around each I/O port. (And even there, the little bit of water that was present was likely just wicked in as we pried the flaps open after the test.)

Battery compartment
I saved this for last, as there was a bit more to discuss. As mentioned earlier, the sealing around the battery compartment door itself seems very good; it's a closed-cell, soft, rubbery sort of material, so won't be prone to absorbing moisture or allowing it to pass through in the course of longer water exposure.

We found no sign of water inside the battery compartment or on the battery itself. The battery compartment is where we often find water in cameras that are less well-sealed than the Z7. The top-right control cluster on most cameras is where the most-used controls are located, including the shutter button, various quick-access buttons for things like exposure compensation, sensitivity or other frequently-used functions, and typically front/top and rear control dials for setting things like aperture and shutter speed, or scrolling through menu entries. There are a lot of interfaces between things that have to move and the camera body, so a lot of seals are needed, and ones that can handle motion between the surfaces they're sealing against. When water gets in through one of those routes, it often ends up in the battery compartment.

After its second dousing in a long, 70-minute session the day after the first 35-minute test, we found these tiny, almost microscopic amounts of condensation on the metal shield on the inside of the battery compartment door. This suggests that at least some water made its way inside the body, but given the flawless behaviour during the test, we aren't too worried about it. We'd be comfortable using a Z6 or Z7 in heavy rain for a couple of hours, but as with any camera that's gotten wet, we'd want to let it air out in our drybox for a few days afterwards.

While we saw no "overt" water in the battery compartment, after our long 70-minute test (which as noted above came the next day after the camera had already seen our standard 35-minute test), we did find some small amounts of condensation on the metal shield attached to the inside of the compartment door. We also saw this with the Canon EOS R, and it suggests that some amount of water got somewhere inside the body, and the warmer environment in that area caused it to evaporate and eventually condense on the metal door shield.

It's hard to say just how much water might have ended up inside, but the amount condensed on the battery door was a really small amount, certainly a fraction of a milligram.

Given that the camera showed absolutely no signs of malfunction during even the very prolonged water exposure, we have to say that the amount of water represented by this condensation is insignificant. We'd have no concern using the Z7 in even heavy rain for a couple of hours at a time. (It may well be able to withstand even longer water exposure, but our current protocol is not to go beyond the 35 + 70 minutes of testing with any cameras.)

Summary: How weather-resistant is the Nikon Z7?

Overall, the Nikon Z7's weather sealing is at the very top of the class among full-frame mirrorless cameras we've tested to date. In our tests, it handled heavy rain for a total of 105 minutes. (Which was the natural end of the test cycle; we didn't stop because of any problem with the camera.) After that very heavy water exposure, we found only tiny, secondary indications of any water incursion at all, and the camera exhibited no operational problems during the water exposure other than the unavoidable ones with touch-screens and viewfinder eye sensors that are simply the result of how such components operate.

Bottom line, the Z7 is the best-sealed full-frame mirrorless camera we've tested to date, withstanding heavy simulated rainfall for almost two hours. It may well be able to hold up even longer than that, and should be able to withstand more moderate amounts of precipitation for significantly longer periods.

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.

From left to right: Nikon D850, Nikon Z7 and Sony A7R III. As we can see, the Z7 is quite a bit smaller than the Nikon D850, although still a little bit bigger than its fellow mirrorless camera, the Sony A7R III.

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.