Nikon Z6 III Camera Review

[SECTION]INTRODUCTION[/SECTION]

The 5.76M dot EVF is amazing, with a brightness of 4000 nits meaning that its visibility in bright light is not unduly impaired. It also boasts a wide DCI-P3 gamut for realistic colour rendition. The 3.2″ Vari-angle monitor is also very respectable with its 2.1MP dots. It delivers crsip images, albeit it not in the same class as the EVF.

The 24.5MP Full Frame CMOS sensor is described as Partially Stacked, less expensive to manufacture than a fully stacked sensor and yet almost as fast. It delivers stunning quality for both stills and video.

The EN-EL14c battery is housed in the baseplate. The EN-EL14b and EN-EL14a can also be used. The b version can charge in camera, the a version needs a separate charger, but both have reduced capacity compared to the current battery. The door on the right of the camera reveals the two card slots, one for CF Express Type B/XQD and the other for SD up to UHS-II. On the left side of the camera are the connectors, under two rubber flaps. It might have been good to have proper doors in terms of longevity. Connectors are USB-C, suitable for changing the camera, USB Type A and Ultrasynch Blue. Under a separate flap are the headphone jack and the external mike stereo jack.

A key feature is the low light capablilyty of the AF, down to -10EV, the same also being true of the subject tracking, now virtually at the same level as the Z8. At the other extreme, at high ISO values the quality is maintained to an extraordinary degree. Pre-release capture and 3D tracking are also provided.

Keeping things on an even keel is the 5-axis 8 stop VR, built into the body. IBIS also applies to video shooting and certainly the image in the viewfinder looks stable enough. The resulting videos are smooth and easy on the eye, no wavering about that can be fatiguing for an audience.

There are plenty of external buttons to access some useful and often used features directly, such as drive options, exposure compensation and ISO; there are various options for programming buttons to suit the individual. Some time spent setting up preferences will be well invested.

A unique first for the Z6 III is the new option of using Nikon Imaging Cloud. Once connected, this offers direct to camera firmware updates during charging. This can be automatic or selected manually as desired. When switched on, the camera can be automatically connected to the web service and any number of images uploaded for free for 30 days storage. Also offered are image recipes from Nikon and from other users. Once downloaded these will appear as new Picture Control profiles. There is no charge for NIC.

Nikon Z6 III Key Features

• Partially Stacked 24.5MP Full Frame CMOS sensor
• Exspeed 7 Processor
• Pre-release capture
• Mechanical shutter 30s – 1/8000s
• 14fps mechanical shutter 
• Electronic shutter 30s – 1/16000s
• 20fps electronic shutter
• 5 axis VR 8 stops with focus point stabilisation
• Pixel Shift 96MP stills
• AF and subject detection to -10EV
• Metering from -4EV to +17EV
• ISO range 50-204800 (Extended)
• ISO range 100-64000 (Standard)
• SD UHS-II Card slot
• CF Express Type B/XQD Card slot
• Vari-angle 3.2” LCD Touch screen 2.1M dots
• EVF 1.27cm (0.5″) UXGA OLED 5.76M dots/4000 nits DCI-P3 wide colour gamut
• EVF 100% view, 0.8x magnification
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• Nikon Imaging Cloud
• USB-C, Type A HDMI and timecode Ultrasynch Blue 
• 138.5mm x 101.5mm x 74mm
• 750g with battery and SD card
• EN-EL 15c battery
• Premium weather sealing
• Operation down to -10C
• Optional vertical battery grip MB-N14

Nikon Z6 III Handling

There is little to complain about with Nikon cameras. They are robust, beautifully engineered and operate as slickly as their high end status demands. The initial menu settings can be a bit convoluted, and it still rankles slightly that instant image review has to be switched on, but of course once it’s done, it’s done, but I have seen it fox some new users.

Control placement falls to the right fingers and grips and the controls are resposive and smooth. There is plenty of customisation available, so whatever the photographer’s needs there will be a way to set things up as desired.

Ergonomically the design is well thought out, and for those who prefer a bigger camera there is always the new vertical battery grip.

In terms of video, the start/stop is smoother than many. To be kind to the audience a tripod will of course solve most problems, unless the video style pursued is the camera roaming free of constraints. The basic video setup delivers well, with some interesting effects from rotating car wheels and no doubt aircraft propellors as well.

All in all though, handling the Z6 II is a real pleasure, a fine camera well designed and well made and giving exceptional results.

[SECTION]PERFORMANCE[/SECTION]

Nikon Z6 III Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
 

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Nikon Z6 III Sample Photos

Lens Performance – The solidly built Z6 III balances very well with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8S lens provided for this review. The lens is a beauty and was duly awarded an Editor’s Choice in the ePHOTOzine review. The lens is a superb match for the Z6 III body.

Nikon Z6 III ISO test images

ISO Performance – At ISO values up to ISO 400 there is virtually no noise and an impressive amount of textural detail. The actual detail does slowly tail off, but we remain noise free up to ISO 1600. A trace of noise creeps in, and this is only a trace, at ISO 3200 and ISO 6400, but it is not until ISO 12800 that it becomes more obvious. At ISO 25600, the edges of the test target boxes show signs of feathering and this is more pronounced at ISO 51200. The plot is lost at ISO 102400, but in very low light conditions where any image is a bonus this does still produce a viable image. ISO 204800 reveals a noise pattern of unpleasant worm like structure and is a setting of last resort. Overall, the performance is very, very impressive and the versatility enabled by this should not be underestimated.

Nikon Z6 III White-balance test images

White Balance – There are various white balance presets available, these being Auto, Natural Light Auto, Direct Sunlight, Cloudy, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Flash, Choose Colour Temperature and Preset Manual. These options can all be fine tuned to taste. Most of the review samples were shot using Natural Light Auto, which serves well for general shooting with a slight emphasis towards a warmer image.

Nikon Z6 III Digital filters

Digital Filters – Digital Filters apply all sorts of styles and special effects to JPEG images and are well worth exploring in detail. We have Picture Controls: Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Flat Monochrome, Deep Tone Monochrome, Portrait, Rich Tone Portrait, Landscape and Flat. Then there are the 20 digital filters: 01 Dream, 02 Morning, 03 Pop, 04 Sunday, 05 Somber, 06 Dramatic, 07 Silence, 08 Bleached, 09 Melancholic, 10 Pure, 11 Denim, 12 Toy, 13 Sepia, 14 Blue, 15 Red, 16 Pink, 17 Charcoal, 18 Graphite, 19 Binary and 20 Carbon.

Probably any given photographer will look at some of these options and wonder why they would be there, but then another will latch on to the same and use it creatively. If we find just a few that appeal to us creatively then they are doing their job.

Source: Photography News
Nikon Z6 III Camera Review
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