Initial Reviews for Nikon Mirrorless Are Not Good

When Nikon first started with their teasers, there was a lot of excitement. Many people were intrigued about the larger lens mount and the potential for super-wide-aperture lenses. The excitement now seems to be fading and the reality of Nikon's mirrorless system is starting to set in.   

It wasn't very long ago that Nikon and Canon shooters were mockingly pointing at Sony cameras: terrible battery life, the single card slot, and an ineffective focus system. It would seem like Nikon has inherited these flaws. In their latest video, Tony and Chelsea Northrup describe their first impressions using the Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless cameras. Although the cameras they tested were pre-production models, the initial impressions are not great. Nikon really needed a home run with this camera, and so far, we're not seeing that. The Z6 and Z7 were supposed to be mirrorless versions of the Nikon D850 and the D750; instead, they seem like the less professional, more expensive option. The issue I'm seeing is that I can't seem to think of any reason why someone would want to buy the Z7 over the D850 and adapt F-mount lenses. Sure, you can shoot with native, but the price point makes things relatively difficult. In any case, the advice from Tony and Chelsea is that you may want to wait a little before ordering yours. 

Check out the full video to see how these cameras perform. 

Usman Dawood's picture

Usman Dawood is a professional architectural photographer based in the UK.

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174 Comments
Previous comments

Holy comments batman. Things I've learned
1) People dislike the Northrups for some reason
2) Holy moly people really want this camera to be good

The main reason people don't like the Northrups is Tall Poppy Syndrome. I'm willing to bet that most of these commenters aren't particularly successful in what they do so to make themselves feel ok about that they will tear down those that are.

A camera just comes out on the market by a mayor player , just a few days and without any full review they ditch the product because two persons didn't like the product . Not only that but preproduction models .Wow .

It is too premature to jump to conclusions . Lets just be patient and wait for a consensus to be form . That I understand is the right thing to do.

Where Sony went right is slowly building a client base over time and refining their products. If you buy a Nikon or (soon to be realeased) canon mirrorless you are essentially switching systems from their DSLR counterparts. The lenses need to be adapted so who cares they are not native. I’m not sure how this is all going to evolve but the only lenses I care about right now are my manual focus canon 17mm TSE and 24mm tse, every other manufacturer has lenses I can use so I am essentially done with Canon soon.

Don't buy a camera at all! Do you need a sensor instead of film? Not when you're a good photographer. Do you need autofocus at all? Not when you're a good photographer. Do you even need a lens or wouldn't be a paint brush enough? Photography is for amateurs, real men use caves.

I don’t have an issue with the Northrup review. It comes across as sincere. It was their experience with focusing. It will be interesting if it’s replicated because it’s sort of obvious. The article is sloppy . It’s says reviews whereas it’s focussed on one review. It might have shown some effort if he had compared and contrasted a few articles. So very much in the click bait basket for me. Looked a “write something” article to me. No insight but plenty of sharp responses to keep the comments going. Very touchy.

Forget mirrorless. This is the only camera you should want in your hands if you're a stills photographer.

Just wait a couple of months, they'll say its an awesome camera, just like they did with 6d mark ii.

I hope so.

Lots of talk about battery life. It's not THAT bad or is everyone still referring to the WRONG number from Nikons typo?

I'm no Fro fan but he stated in the comments to his video the following: After setting up the camera, shooting ~20 minutes of 4K footage and taking ~500 images they had 44% left on the battery.

The (now corrected) CIPA number states 85 minutes of 4K recording on a battery. For a mirrorless with such a high resolution screen (yes it matters) I don't think that is terrible.

I think we will have to wait 2 or 3 generations of Mirrorless Nikon before they can compare to Sony... Sony didn't get it perfect on their first mirrorless either. Its still cool and I think within 5 years nikon canon and sony will all have similar mirrorless camera's

I watched an some Nikon Ambassadors do review of a real model, they were saying perfect....maybe your model was a really bad preproduction model....thank however, I hope you get a real Z, I trust your reports....do another review when you get a brand new one....thanks

I'm scratching my head on some folks saying "this is just a pre-production camera." Although we expect some issues with a pre-production camera, but when it comes to the basic functionality such as the reported tiny buffer that stops shooting at or around 15 shots, it is hard to dismiss these reports as being "pre-production." Though I agree that we should reserve final judgment when the production units come rolling out, you have to wonder how different the production models will be over the pre-production samples provided. I'm a Sony user for the past 2 years and was with Canon for nearly 22 years. I want Nikon's mirrorless to succeed. Competition is what keeps our favorite camera manufacturers honest and on the cutting edge. Case in point: Nikon entering the mirrorless market.

I agree with the author of this post that I can't see why anybody shooting professionally with Nikon cameras will want to migrate to their mirrorless system. Its more expensive, doesn't have the same bells and whistles, and I'm not sure if the lens adapter will provide the same results on the mirrorless body. Time will tell!

If you want honest, unbiased reviews...I suggest watching Chris Nichols (DPreview), Steve Perry (Back Country Gallery), and Gordon Laing (Camera Labs).

i had an economics instructor that said, "... never buy the first version of anything, ever, or for that matter anything with the word 'die' in it..." he pronounced hyundai as hun-die, and told us a story about his car purchase. hyundai was crap back then, but they got better. :)

"i had an economics instructor that said, "... never buy the first version of anything, ever,"

Smart guy your economics instructor.

I think the expression is "Initial Review" as I'm pretty sure that there isn't a plural there if the sole basis for this article is one video. I'm not interested in the camera, not what I'm looking for, but frankly I think this article is premature at best, especially given the thin explanations in body.

As I mentioned before...forget mirrorless. If you're a stills shooter, this is the only camera you should have in your hands. And if you're more interested in videos, you can't beat Canon's dual pixel AF.

Usman Dawood loves the Canon R and does this hit piece on Nikon Z. Hm. "Nikon has the poorest lens lineup by a long shot: overpriced". Two of the launch lenses of the Canon R cost as much as the body itself. Fake news. Just like T&C.

I don't love the Canon EOS R camera I even said quite clearly in the article that I won't be buying it. I love the lenses and the adapters.

Launch lenses cost money but I'm guessing both of them are still going to be cheaper than Nikons not soon to be launched 58mm f/0.95.

Fake news would be your comment because you're misrepresenting what I'm saying to serve your narrative.