Let’s talk about this!
Well, finally, Nikon got into the mirrorless game!!!! Before I start let me share that this is not review, the only cameras out there right now are Pre-Production with “not finished firmware” so until anyone gets a “real” camera it is going to be hard to get super specific, we can, however, talk about this development! First a hardy congratulations is in order! Ir certainly appears that Nikon got a lot of things right!
First, the new Z camera sports a new larger mount with a short flange distance, (like Fujifilm’s), that makes them able to use a ton of lenses that can be mated to the camera after mounts are made and lots of mounts will be made. For Nikon owner the great news is all their older Nikkor lenses, millions of them, will work with almost all the new features including 5 Axis image stabilization!!! This is a brilliant move as Nikon has a lot of great lenses and this leaves no one out in the cold even though the mount has been updated! Way to go Nikon!
While smaller, lighter and thinner than Nikon’s DSLR line, it is still has a grip and ergonomics that should fit great for Nikon shooters.
My First Impressions: It is long overdue for Nikon to enter the mirrorless race, but it looks like that they have a nice contender with the Z series. Two things stand out as a little odd, the one card slot taking only a QXD cards, and the limited number of shots per battery charge, around 350. The battery issue is already something Fujifilm owners have had to live with so that, for many, will not be so hard to deal with, after all, it is mirrorless and our cameras eat batteries like candy!!! Honestly it appears Nikon has checked almost all the boxes, now the real question is can it compete with the Sony A 7RIII. Canon still seems to rule the roost for Sports Shooters, but there are not enough of them to keep any camera company alive! Nikon has a good base of dedicated users and I think this camera will be just what they have been waiting for!
Will it lure away Canon or Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic or Olympus shooters? Only time will tell. My guess, and it’s only a guess, is that it will do very well with already Nikon folks, and get a few converts, but Sony already has a 6 year head start and is producing some pretty remarkable products, that is tough mountain to climb for a brand new system. Making things even harder are rumors that Canon is hot on their heals with their own new pro grade mirrorless camera coming soon, should be fun to watch!!!
How does any of this affect me, in case you wondered? Not a bit, I love the Fujifilm system, their glass is stellar, their size and weight perfect for me, their not approached color and monochroime performance. I’m heavily invested with them, four bodies and lots and lots of lenses, I will be staying where I am, but hey, if you’re a Nikon shooter, this looks like the next great thing from them!!!! I truly wish them a lot of success! I have a lot of friends still there!!!
Blessings,
the pilgrim
This entry was posted on Monday, August 27th, 2018 at 3:09 pm
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Bill,
Thanks for commenting on Nikon gear. One of the nice things about XQD, both on my D850 and the Z7 I have on pre-order; it only requires a firmware upgrade to be compatible with CFexpress. I’ve been using XQD since D4 days and never had a card failure. Nikon says they decided on the body size first, then figured out what to fit inside. So given physical limitations I’d rather have one XQD/future CFexpress card than two SD slots, though admittedly I sorta wished they’d squeezed in a SD 2nd slot.
I have no expectation any mirrorless will replace my D850, it’s an amazing camera. But like you said a while back, it will be nice to have a lighter gear setup in the future. I lugged the D850 with 4 lens and a D810 backup to Africa and back, that stuff gets heavy fast 🙂
Good info, thanks, I think for Nikon guys and gals this is going to be a real hit!!!!
Bill,
Good comments. I agree Nikon is behind on this system, when compared to Fujifilm and Sony. I, like you have invested in the Fujifilm system and am quite happy with it. Unlike you, I still own Nikon equipment and us it almost as often as my Fujifilm product. With the release of the New Z7, I went ahead and ordered a D850 to upgrade my D810. I don’t think the Nikon Z7 is enough to make me switch back to a full Nikon system (DSLR and Mirrorless). I love the fujifilm glass and the ability to use the Nikon glass on that system as well. I keep the Nikon because I have a long history (love affair?) with owning Nikon since I was a kid and could afford it. As a landscape and sometimes wildlife photographer, I own enough equipment to tackle anything I want to shoot. No need to Add another system to my arsenal. But time will tell, we will have to see what Nikon releases over the next few years.
I also forgot to add that with the Fujifilm X-T3 around the corner (at half the price of the Nikon), I will be purchasing that as well.
All good points, if I had not sold all my old Nikon manual lenses a few years back, I might would have liked to play with one of the bodies, but as I said, I’m plenty happy where I am with gear!
Fair and balanced comments! Agree Nikon got a lot right here but also screwed the pooch on mirrorless as well. The Nikon 1 had limitations but was ahead of its time in some ways. Damn good AF, for example. Nikon is putting its wad into full-frame and forgetting the APS-C market. I expect Canon will meet Nikon tit-for-tat but both seem to be poised to try to keep existing Nikon or Canon shooters within the fold by extending mirrorless to existing glass — a smart (and overdue) move. Sony is all over the boards — someone recently wrote that the product is good but more like using a computer than photography — and Fuji, IMHO, is doing the right thing by trying to have something for everyone (maybe too much so) including medium format users. Fuji still needs to get video right. Canon has been ahead of lots of competitors in the video market. I see no reason to jump the Fuji ship and think the latest moves by Canon and Nikon will serve more to provide growth for their existing DSLR users. (Now if only I could get my 500 f/4L to work like a champ on a Fuji body!)
Agree on all points!