The Nikon Z 6 was one of the company’s first attempts in the full-frame mirrorless camera market. How does it fare with wildlife photography and its unique challenges?
Two months ago, wildlife photographer Michael Aagaard left his trusty Nikon D850 behind to begin using the Nikon Z 6 for his work. In this video, he reviews the strengths and weaknesses of the Z 6 that he experienced in the field and compares the newer mirrorless camera to his D850. Aagaard notes that he has only used the Z 6 with firmware version 3.0 released earlier this year which improved autofocus performance and even added Animal Detection AF.
In the pros column of the Z 6, Aagaard praises its low light capabilities, reliability for video, the EVF advantage over optical viewfinders, its silent shutter mode, and its compact size for travel. Over on the cons side, he mentions the size again as it can also be uncomfortable to hold without the optional MB-N10 Multi-Battery Power Pack, its poor battery life, the autofocus for fast moving subjects, and its lower resolution when compared against the D850.
Check out the full video above for a deep dive into all Aagaard’s thoughts between the Nikon Z 6 and D850.
I call BS about any pluses in the EVF side of things for wildlife.
um no thanks; ill keep my d500; otherwise may switch to the new canon in the future if nikon doesnt catch up
It's videos and articles like this which make me appreciate the old professionals who didn't have the luxury of our new, do-everything cameras a hell of a lot more than I did before. It was all manual. Insert film, set ASA, set f stop, set shutter speed, etc, etc. And also take proper meter readings on moving subjects in different terrains. I did it myself as well. I was VERY happy when I was able to shoot in A mode (I do quite a bit of it). That would have been enough for me, but now there is so much more. Listening to someone speak about weaknesses of a camera is something I gave no thought to 50 years ago. We had to work around the problems which presented themselves to us. Like I said, SO much appreciation to those professional wildlife photographers from decades ago. Thank you for the wake up call.