We all know that Nikon and Canon are fueling up for a big battle for the mirrorless wars, with Nikon firing the first salvo in the form of the Z6 and Z7. But it just does not interest me.
After using every camera system and switching back and forth from Canon to Nikon several times and even shooting Phase One digital medium format, I’ve settled with the Sony a7R III as my favorite camera.
It took me longer than most to jump on board the mirrorless train, with a few things scaring me such as being so small that it might look and feel like a toy. Then I had concerns about the electronic viewfinder in general and if I’d like it; after all I hated the live view on Nikon.
Once I used the Sony, I knew instantly this was it and I was done switching for a very long time. The Sony has already offered everything a Canon or Nikon can do in terms of great focus, image quality, and dynamic range. But then the Sony offers something that is not so easy on the Canon or Nikon. The EVF allows me to use my old vintage lenses like my Helios or vintage Jupiter lenses with perfect focus easily and consistently. Also gone are the days of dealing with the microfocus adjustments since the focusing is done via the sensor.
Bottom line is, Sony has already given us everything that Nikon or Canon are trying to produce.
Critics of the Sony system had once complained about adapters to use Nikon or Canon glass, stating they didn't trust adapters, but now those same folks embrace the idea of adapters if it’s a Nikon mirrorless to use their existing F-mount lenses. Most humans are resistant to change, hence the comfort factor of the name Nikon or Canon. However, since the mirrorless is a new platform even for these brands, it is in fact a change and Sony is already established.
Nikon and Canon are trying to reinvent the wheel since they are so late to the party, and who loses in this scenario? The consumer. Think about it, there’s going to be a mad rush of brand fanboys all clamoring to get the first Nikon or Canon mirrorless when it’s released, and the price will be high and availability will be difficult. Then there’s the obvious growing pains that come with any new system. Sony had it early on, and now we are past those hiccups and I can’t see a reason to start over and go through those growing pains with the others. Had they realized how big the mirrorless technology was, perhaps they could have been in on the ground floor and enjoyed the success.
At this point, I think Nikon and Canon have already lost. Sony already has the market. Now they are just embarrassingly trying to play catch-up much in the same way GoPro tried to do after they realized (again, too late) that DJI had beaten them.
The specs from Nikon seem to be a pretty obvious straight copy of the Sony, except for one huge blunder in only including one card slot. Will it work? Likely yes, but we don't know how many bugs it will have being a new system. Are you getting anything new for your effort and money? Seems like that answer is no.
Time will tell if Canon can make a better attempt at entry into this market than this sad effort that Nikon has made.
What do you think? If adapters are required to use your existing lenses with Nikon or Canon mirrorless, then what advantage does it have over Sony? Just the name you are comfortable with.
Is that really worth the expense, wait, and growing pains of working through the inevitable bugs?
Lead image by Irina Kostenich via Pexels.
I think the author should remember that in being a photographer, you should concentrate more on the imgage than the gear. This author I believe concentrates more on gear than his profession: ". . .after using every camera system and switching back and forth from Canon to Nikon several times and even shooting Phase One digital medium format. . ." This to me sounds like someone who, with very much money, nervously jumps around trying to find the toy which suits him best. And yes indeed this is his biggest worry also about the mirrorless gear: "..It took me longer than most to jump on board the mirrorless train, with a few things scaring me such as being so small that it might look and feel like a toy". A camera is not a toy but a piece of working equipment. If one hadn´t the choice, you would get used to every quipment if you really were interesting in getting the shot. I think that people who feel unhappy with their own result tend to blame the equipment for that. One that then has to be quickly gotten rid off -- just like going to Wall Mart and buying a new toy. There is no perfection in equipment, and some migth be better suited for one person than the other - but cameras in this range never "suck". Most of the things people babble about aren´t really any problems - even the thing about only one card slot being the biggest mistake. Well, for one thing, even in the past you could loose a roll of film during a wedding. The lab might make a mistake. And even if that happens, and it happens really very rarely, it wouldn´t be the end of your career. It has happened the last 50 years and it will keep on happening in the futurue, so don´t concentrate on all the double and triple backing up crazyness.
I remember when digital was in its infancy Canon saw the potential and started to come out with the first DSLR cameras . In the mean time Nikon stood still . Some time afterwards Nikon started to come out with some digital cameras but Canon already had a significant part of the market if not most of it and their cameras were acepted as better then the Nikon counterpart .
Then Nikon came out with some good DSLR cameras as the D200 and D300 and the D80 and D90 for the entusiast not mentioning a body for the promarket . All of a sudden things started to change market wise till Nikon not only catched up to Canon but exceeded it in some specs as dynamic range .
Of course all this cost Nikon as in the mean time while Nikon was playing catchup Canon was selling very good DSLR and building up their riches . I can see the same thing happenning again . Sony right now is on the top of the mirrorless cameras market but the war has started and we the consumer will benefit the most as the camera manufacturer go to war and start to make their offerings better and better trying to stay on top . By the way , did Nikon rush this product because as I see it its not a reasonable contender to detrone Sony . 1 card slot ? Only 300 and something photos per charge . No eye detection ? Or either Nikon rushed the product in order to come out on the market before Canon did or they did it in order to have some space to upgrade next time around .In any event in order to know the why we have to wait for the expert reviews come out . Maybe the Nikon has a significant advantage over the sony image wise that might smooth things over in Nikons direction . We will just have to wait .
S line lenses have big potential, better ergonomics for a ML FF, better EVF. Downside is no eye AF and one card slot, how much that matters is up to the consumer
I don’t think the issue of adapters is more nuanced than it’s being portrayed.
It’s one thing to have Sony use a metabones adapter for a Nikkor or Canon L lens, you have three different companies trying to make a process work.
But to have Nikon make an adapter for their own lenses for their camera is a whole different animal. The integration should be seamless.
Sigma did the smart thing and created their own adapter for EF lenses. Now you only have to deal with them and Canon if an issue arises.
The new Z mount size probably has more to do with adapting existing Nikkor lens than anything else.
This reads like a fanboy post. Sony doesn't own the market. Sony doesn't own anyone that still shoots Nikon DSLRs or still owns Nikon F-mount lenses. And, of course, the Nikon F-mount lenses are going to perform better on Nikon mirrorless using a Nikon adapter than on Sony using a reverse-engineered third-party product that is being wedded to a non-Nikon OS.
Nikon missed a bit with this round - but if I were Sony I’d be worried! Nikon has routinely created superior images- often with Sony’s own sensors. The installed base of Nikon and Canon pros are waiting for a seamless path to mirrorless with their lenses. I’m fine with my D850 for now- but I bet the second set of mirrorless releases will be very tempting.
Another pointless Nikon-bashing article. No one expects Sony fanboys to embrace the new Nikon, even if it cures cancer, but these assertions, my goodness:
1. Comparing a Nikon-to-Nikon adapter to third-party adaptation is absurd. It's the SAME manufacturer. People who have used it have already affirmed the obvious, there is no decrease in performance.
2. Benefits of EVF ... blah, blah, blah. Don't you think the Nikon mirrorless has the same benefits?
3. Quoting sales figures for one 6-month period in which they had a new product and their rival didn't as evidence that they have somehow "won" the market.
4. They are using their own sensor, their own overall design, their own brand new mount that is is largest in the game and somehow they are "copying specs from Sony"???
5. The idea that Nikon is not bringing anything new. If usability matters then that is obviously not true. Having shot with the A9 over an extended weekend, I can tell you I hate the way if feels in my hand. To some of us, the way we interact with the too matters. The Sony menu system is an utter disaster.
Feel free to justify your purchase, but these bashing articles are not contributing anything.
Great post and points, David.
The point is that it's a solid first entry into mirrorless. It might not be as good as the 3rd gen Sony's but it's far better than Sony's 1st gen. Also, there is no need for Nikon shooters to switch over to Sony. The D850 is, arguably, better than an A7R3.
For many photographers, the D500/D5/D850 cams along with a huge stable of native lenses that Sony can't touch (telephoto, PCE, macro) means they can bide their time and wait for gen 2 of Nikon's offering. They lose nothing to Sony today. Sure, in some scenarios the Sony has better performance, in others the Nikon. Both brands are doing well but Nikon still has many more customers than Sony and as long as they iterate a decent update then this is far from the 'nail in the coffin' some seem to think it is.
Same goes for Canon. They will enter mirrorless but they also have great DSLR models with a vast lens collection. I don't see Nikon or Sony knocking them from the #1 spot any time soon.
I'm seeing lots of reviews on the focusing saying it's bad, and the 120p frame rate at 1080 crops the sensor which changes your perceived focal length... all bad things... https://youtu.be/iUii9dTwPkw?t=335
- clearly a wedding photographer could never consider this camera with the single card of course that's a huge gamble. Plus you'd need to carry a stack of batteries.
I bet you read none of those praising its AF capabilities in video like the following
https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z7-first-impressions-review/6
Tony and Chelsea are they ONLY ones who have actually touched the camera that are hating on it. Ironically they are also NOT professional photographers.
Further proof that Sony shooters live in a fishbowl
Bill, I've owned a Sony A7R3 with 2 native lenses for the last 2 months. Also, I've owned two A6000's (one for IR) for 4+ years. I love them. They are the right size body wit the right size mount for the APS-C format. I own a few lenses on the slow side in order to keep size and weight small. Perfect combo for me. However, after using my A7 with the 35/1.4 and 85/1.8 I found it awkward to hold and use. It is my perhaps too early and totally inconclusive personal opinion that the Nikon Z line is the right body size-right mount size for FF mirrorless camera, not the Alpha. BTW, your work is amazing!!!
Thanks Eduardo Cervantes :) - I can understand that, if you simply like the way it fits your hands better.. makes great sense!
I want to go to mirror-less, I want to also use my Nikon DX format lenses as well as my older Nikon lenses however if Nikon is going to convince me to be loyal they are going to need to provide a dual card slot on the mirror-less Camera at the minimum. If Nikon can't provide that I'm thinking 2019 will see me buying the Sony A7R II Alpha or the Sony A7R iii and various lenses. I'll probably still keep and use my Nikon DSLR cameras and lenses but will probably only use them as 'backups' while I get used to the Sony systems then they'll probably go to my nieces and Grand Nephew.
Bill Larkin...stop criticizing a brand of camera you've probably neither held in your hands nor tested. Stop trying to analyze a system before it even hits the market. I suspect in a couple of years or so, the Nikon and Canon mirrorless cameras (once they reach maturity) will blow Sony out of the water. And before you call me a "fanboy," I happen to own the D500, D850, G9, RX10 IV, and SL1. I love all of those cameras and I use them for different situations and scenarios, too.
Tim Cray if you read through above... I have used every brand many times, Nikon, Canon, Phase One, Mamiya, Sony, Fuji etc. - I'm well aware of all that.
If you love your Nikon cameras, that's great. But the bottom line is, this Z line can't even barely compete with Son'y last generation. That was the original point.
Yes, I did read the entire article. And if you had read my entire comment, I don't own just Nikon, but several other manufacturer's cameras. My point is...the idiotic title of your article is asinine and totally without merit. Especially, since you're basing your comments on "pre-production" specifications and not an actual production copy of the camera. Nikon will no doubt polish the firmware before they ship these cameras. It ticks me off when I read these types of articles that are based solely on conjecture and NOT fact. Until you actually use one of these Z cameras and personally see how it does in real life situations, I think you should refrain from posting such useless articles in the future.
It's bizarre how everyone is praising Nikon for the adapter and saying that it took a long time for adapters on the Sony E mount... I'm like WTF did everyone forget that Sony made an A Mount adapter so you could use all your old Minolta and Sony glass - even one with a screw drive motor??
They don't know about the sony adapters because they refuse to even try the system. The only argument in this entire thread is the A7Riii vs the D850 and that's Mirrorless vs DSLR.
Sony vs Nikon in Mirrorless only comparisons has a clear winner. I wouldn't switch anything for this outrageous price when Nikon has the D850 that is an amazing camera. WTF makes a Nikon user sell his D850 for either one of these...NOTHING
That is the bottom line. If this was as groundbreaking as the ad on the bottom of this page states, there would be reason to switch but there isn't... unless you're objectively looking at what Nikon brought to the table.
You sound so negative about something you haven't tried. No camera will have everything on your checklist. Buy the camera that works for you. Then go out and shoot. I'm sure it will be a great camera, and as with all companies starting a new path, the next iteration will be even better. Not only that, but professionals are not the whole camera market so what they want isn't necessarily what everyone needs or what will generate good sales to keep a company thriving ... so they can spend more on R&D for their next model.
My writings are based on the specs Nikon released, which I feel, really suck. They are starting already behind Sony's last generation. They could have at lease made an attempt to compete with a current generation camera. I mean battery alone, has a company like Nikon not learned after how many years that battery matters... Would it have been so difficult to fix that problem... they can't claim its impossible, Sony already did it. That was the original point, not that you can't take one of these and go make good pics, because of course you can. The point was that they could have done a lot better for a first run. A whole lot better, without much effort.
Funny how you can tell when someone is giving constructive criticism or just plain salty hate. Had my max salt intake for the day thanks to Bill, official Sony fanboy.
dslr is enough for "photography", d850 is best.
Great points, Jan. Larkin is probably sponsored by Sony.
Fake News Bill Larkin
Strange that it is so many "photographers" that need to defend their own reasons for changing systems, and in that prosess need to talk shit about other systems...
I love how he says it sucks and he hasnt even tried one in depth. It’s a great option for Nikon users who don’t want to sell years of lens’s to go to another brand simply for mirrorless camera type phones with a lens mount. Keep current gear and slowly expand into morrorless if you so choose.
Drivel.
Here's some crappy footage from this massive fail of a camera release... how dare Nikon!?! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVG4PBqEZhg
What's so "crappy" about the video. Oh! I know. You're another one of those Sony "fanboys." It's painfully obvious you're just another one of those people that have absolutely nothing constructive to add to the conversation. Why don't you sit down over there in the corner and be real still.
Hmmm, what kind of article is it? A Sony fanboy writing against fanboys?
However - I can't see why so many people complain about the lack of a 2nd slot?
The first thing that would be interesting for me is, how many of you guys ever had a severe failure on a XQD card?
What I want to say is - XQD is not CF (with its fragile contact pins inside the camera) and it's not a cheap No-Name-SD-card from a bargain shop.
Next thing is that, although it is currently far from being a perfectly working app, Snapbridge allows to backup pictures as .jpg-files on an external device.
Yes, that's not a 2nd card slot, but an alternative.
And a similar thing is how I use the two cards in my D500 and D850 bodies for instance - XQD for the raw files and the SD for JPGs - just as a backup.
I wouldn't say that neither Nikon nor Canon already lost the game - Sony was much more innovative, but the two other brands have a worlwide network for professionals - that's something that you can't bring in place just in a few months or even years, but it probably has much more weight than a 2nd card slot.
By the way, Sony did present their first FF mirrorless with a 2nd card slot just a few months ago, didn't they?
Why should I now get rid of all of my Nikon lenses and jump on the Sony train, as Nikon seems to keep up? And I expect the same from Canon in the near future...
Every system has its flaws...
Lol, take it easy would you. The same people who made fun of Sony when they put a full frame sensor in the A900 and then made an A7 are the same people writing this off now. Till you pick it up and use it you cant go judging the system. Nikon is a very smart company, this is the first two cameras which have been done pretty well to be honest and the fact that they have full frame sensors as opposed to crop frame shows there intentions. Just enjoy the competition and realise that there is another camera avenue opening up in the future.
as sony shooter myself: please bill, stop being a fanboy and try to look at this unbiased. u forgot to mention the HUGE and super high res EVF aswell as the fact that with the 2k usd z6 u get a full frame 4:2:2 10bit 4k stabilzed image out of the cams hdmi - something sony (or any other manufacturer) still has to deliver.
Nonsense article.
Camon Bill, Canon has the market of mirrorless even without a FF.
All fanboy bashing fanboy aside, the z-mount is a big part of this story here and it looks great. Heck, adapters for Z could even be made for Sony E mount and Canon glass.
But Nikon's lens production will have its hands full trying to balance F-mount development vs Z mount. (note: I'm sure the Nikon adapter will work better than 3rd party but it still won't focus "D" - screw drive - lenses which are still in the Nikon catalog). So when Nikon finally gets around to upgrading the beloved 135 F2 DC , will the new version be F or Z mount? I don't know the answer, but I think as new lenses are announced it will indicate how seriously Nikon had jumped on the ML train or , to the contrary, how much they are hedging their bets.
Hedging isn't a bad thing, per se, as it will likely keep the faithful in their camp. On the sport-shooter side, will Nikon release a D6 or a Z8 (A9 like specs)? That will also tell how fully Nikon is engaged in ML.
Sony has a lot of ways to improve (I shoot Sony now but am happy to point out their faults) and I would hope Sony takes a lesson from Nikon ergonomics-wise and perhaps make a slightly (not much, just slightly) larger body with dual XQD or CF Fast (just my personal preference). Their firmware upgrade process sucks (especially on macOS) and I also wouldn't' mind Sony taking a lesson from Fuji as I love their external controls, but that's just me. Point is, It's easy to forget how, regardless of brand, these "image capturing devices" are pretty freakin' amazing vs only 5 or 6 years ago and we should perhaps think twice before complaining. If your images suck, don't blame the equipment.
I wont be buying it. My photography is fine with my D750 and Im looking at a D4s to further my sports photography. The horse eventers buying my photos could care less what I took the photo with so as its in focus, sharp and looks good.
You sound defensive.
Already sucks? Granted, there are decisions that have been made with the Z6/Z7 that were bad calls (one card slot being the most egregious), but come on. There's still a lot that Nikon got right that Sony still hasn't gotten right in their 3 major iterations on the A7. First is actual body ruggedness and feel. Second is weather sealing. Third is software. Sony's software is crap. The menus are illogically laid out, and there's still no intervalometer built in to the camera.
The only deficiency that Nikon has in these cameras that can't be fixed with a firmware update is the single card slot. I don't agree with that decision, but I understand why they made it. They still have the D850 on sale, and they want Pros to keep buying it, at least for the next year or so until the Z7 MK II (or whatever it is called) is released. It's a move that's solely intended to protect their flagship. It's a dumb move if you ask me, but still understandable.
There was no way Nikon could have launched with a full compliment of new glass on the improved mount, so a multi-year plan is what they are going for.
Nikon shooters with lots of glass and a preference for Nikon's build, ergonomics and ruggedness will likely wait until Z7 gen 2 before ditching their D800/D810/D850. At that point there will be several more native lenses available, and the move to the mirrorless upgrades might make sense.
Haha, just like your “Art”, you must be the biggest click-whore I have ever seen. There were some things on Fstoppers that I liked over the years, but I think there are enough quality sites out there to never visit this cesspool again.
The only specific thing you say you don't like is that is has one card slot. This is why you really say the Nikon already sucks? Really from the the article you sound like someone who doesn't want to be convinced that his favorite toy has a possible rival. I personally don't plan on switching to mirrorless, Sony or other. If I was, this article would be useless to me in making a decision.
I saved for years to get a great full frame camera and last Fall I pre-ordered and purchased a D850, Nikon 24-70 2.8, and Nikon 70-200 2.8, dropping a lot of money to get what I subjectively consider two of the top camera and pro lenses on the market. I'm very disappointed right now at the thought of needing to buy new lenses.
I would rather have had a "bulky" lightweight mirrorless camera (same form factor as D850, D750, or D600 form factor) with tons of features that fit my larger hands and that fit the $4500 worth of F-mount lenses I just purchased less than a year ago.
I said it before and I'll say it again... If I have to buy an adaptor and new lenses, I'm going to seriously consider Sony.
Thank you Nikon for the new mirrorless non-F mount camera. Did you even ask us consumers what we wanted? or you just knew we'd be okay buying another set of lenses...
You do realize that there was no way Nikon was going to make their new mirrorless use the F-mount as a native mount right? That mount dates back to the 50's, and wasn't designed with high megapixels and low f-stops in mind. Canon, even though they launched the EF mount in the 80s, will have the same dilema facing t hem when they bring out their new full frame mirrorless offering.
You don't NEED to buy another set of lenses. The beauty of the adapter is that your Nikon glass will work fine. If you have G designation lenses, the adapter will handle exposure and autofocus just fine. If you have older lenses, you may lose autofocus or exposure metering, but the lenses will still work otherwise.
Relax. You D850 and lenses work just as fine today, tomorrow and a year from now as they did a week ago. And you will be able to use them on current and future Z cameras with the adapter just fine.
Why are all of these manufacturers assuming that their sole target audience are "hybrid shooters"? Why not have a dedicated line for photo and another for photo/video? I shoot stills in a studio and occasionally on the go, so I couldn't care less about anything related to video. Oh, and the same goes for the precious eye-AF. Why should I have to pay for tech that I don't want, use or care about?
Just looked at another video from a major camera store with someone who got to test the z7. I just wish these videos were not so predictable as reviews with the amazon type disclaimer "I received this product for free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review".
Ambassadors and major camera review stores: GLOWING REVIEWS!!! Not one problem. There is nothing wrong with the AF because you didn't use it for a week. Amazing best lenses. Best video. Spectacular image quality and "I used to shoot film, walk 23 miles to school, and don't wear seatbelts and I'm still alive so buy the Z7"
That face when you wanted to submit an article to Buzzfeed but the FStoppers editors accepted it anyway.