Nikon Believes Mirrorless Will Catch Up With DSLRs But The Issue Is EVF Lag

Nikon Z 6
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In an interview with DPReview, Nikon execs share their thoughts about the company’s Z 6 and Z 7 cameras and about the state of the mirrorless nation.

As far as I know Nikon is the first company clearly and directly addressing the fact that EVFs (Electronic View Finder) still suck compared to an optical viewfinder.

From the interview (emphasis mine):

Question: How do you think the market for full frame mirrorless will evolve?

Answer: In terms of hardware, it is likely that mirrorless will catch up with DSLR. But one thing that is a challenge is the time lag of electronic viewfinders. Even though we have a great mirrorless [solution], we cannot beat the optical viewfinder.

For really high-level professional photographers at sports events and so on, I believe that the DSLR will survive. I think there will be a synergy between DSLR and mirrorless, so we can expand the market moving forward.

[…] we’re really trying to be the best and provide the ultimate performance of the viewfinder. The view through the viewfinder should be as natural as possible. To achieve that goal we did two things – we focused on the optics, and also on image processing.

Read the interview at DPReview…

Nikon Z mirrorless system:

America: B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon USA, Amazon Canada, Canon Canada, Canon USA
Europe & UK: Amazon DE, Amazon UK, Amazon IT, Canon IT, WEX Photographic, Canon FR, Canon UK, Canon DE

Nikon To Add Eye AF, Raw video and CFexpress To Z 6 and Z 7 Mirrorless Cameras

Nikon Z 6
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Nikon is set to add some pretty col features to the company’s Z 6 and Z 7 mirrorless cameras:

These features will be added via firmware update.

  • CFexpress – Coming soon to the Z 6 and Z 7 cameras is support for CFexpress, which is compatible with the XQD memory card form-factor.
  • Eye AF – Under development is an Eye AF function, which will automatically detect the subject’s eyes to make attaining critical focus on the eyes easier. It will allow users to capture photos in which focus has been clearly acquired on the subject’s eye, which is useful for portrait, event and street photography scenarios.
  • RAW Video Support – Nikon is currently developing a feature that works with the ATOMOS Ninja V to output video in RAW format, using the ProRes RAW codec.

A firmware update for the Canon EOS R is rumoured, let’s hope Canon follows Nikon’s example.

Nikon press release:

Nikon Delivers Imaging Innovation, Inspires Creators at CES 2019

New Products Including NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S Lens and Nikon Z 6 Filmmaker’s Kit Will be Showcased; Attendees Invited to Booth to See Amazing Speakers, Fun & Sharable Displays as Well as Future Z System Updates

LAS VEGAS –CES BOOTH #14006 – Today, Nikon Inc. announced details surrounding their activities and new products at CES 2019. This year, Nikon will livestream a myriad of exciting and inspiring presentations from renowned Nikon Ambassadors and photographers directly from the show floor, while also offering instantly shareable and interactive experiences for show attendees. Additionally, Nikon will be showing the latest digital imaging innovations available now and in the near future with a Z Series exhibition featuring the new NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens, the Nikon Z 6 Filmmaker’s Kit and a display of upgrades currently in development for the Z Series that will add new features and enhance usability.

Click here to open the rest of the article

Canon EOS R vs Nikon Z7 vs Sony A7 III Mirrorless Camera Comparison

Canon EOS R
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The Slanted Lens compares the Canon EOS R with the Nikon Z7 with the Sony a7 III.

Dynamic range, tonality, sharpness and detail, high ISO, auto focus, and video in 4K and 1080p modes, they’re all put under scrutiny. There is one camera that apparently fails on a lot of categories. Guess which?

Nikon Z7 Teardown, Best Build Mirrorless FF Camera Ever Seen Says Lens Rentals

Nikon Z7
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All images © lensrentals.com, used with permission.

Roger Cicala of Lens Rentals tore down a Nikon Z7, and was very impressed with the build quality.

Impressing Mr. Cicala doesn’t seem to be an easy task. He was impressed with the overall build quality, and praises the weather sealing of the Nikon Z7. From the the conclusion:

This is not marketing department weather resistance. This is engineering department weather resistance. Anything that can be sealed has been sealed. I’m impressed, and I will say for future cut-and-paste blurbs: this is as robustly weather sealed a camera as we’ve ever disassembled.

[…]

I’m impressed by the very solid construction of the chassis and IBIS unit. I’m impressed with the neat, modern engineering of the electrical connections. Yes, I’m aware that soldered wires carry electricity just fine, but to me, there’s something reassuring about seeing neat, well thought out, 2018 level engineering.

I’m not here to tell you which camera is best to use or has the best performance. I’m just here to say this is a damn well-built camera, the best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart. (For the record, I haven’t torn down a Leica SL.)

Roger Cicala’s teardown is documented step by step with pictures and descriptions.

The teardown of the Canon EOS R is featured here. Another EOS R teardown is here. Nothing to argue here, the Nikon Z7 is the better buld camera. As Mr Cicala points out, the Nikon Z7 is the flagship camera in Nikon’s Z system. When Canon will release their flagship mirrorless full frame camera, we’ll see if the build quality holds up with the Z7.

Nikon Z7: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon

Nikon Z7 Review (Photography Blog)

Nikon Z7
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Nikon Z7 specifications at a glance:

  • 45.7MP FX-Format BSI CMOS Sensor
  • EXPEED 6 Image Processing Engine
  • UHD 4K30 Video; N-Log & 10-Bit HDMI Out
  • 493-Point Phase-Detect AF System
  • Built-In 5-Axis Vibration Reduction
  • 0.80x 3.6m-Dot EVF with NIKKOR Optics
  • 3.2″ 2.1m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
  • 9 fps Continuous Shooting; ISO 64-25600
  • Top-Panel Dot-Matrix OLED; XQD Card Slot
  • 8K Time-Lapse Mode; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

Photography Blog posted their exhaustive review of the new Nikon Z7.

From the conclusion:

The Nikon Z7 feels like a camera which can be picked up by existing Nikon DSLR users without hesitation about how it works or what certain things do. While some things will be slightly different and may take some to get used to, all in all, it’s very much like using a smaller and lighter Nikon DSLR.

[…]

That said, the Nikon Z7 is probably not the perfect model for everybody. If you shoot a lot of sports or action, there are certainly better tracking focus and burst speeds on the market – both inside and outside the mirrorless realm. There’s also the issue of the single card slot – it seems likely that many will either learn to live with the risk of one of the cards corrupting, or wait even longer to see what Nikon produces next. Read the review…

Nikon Z7: B&H Photo | Adorama | Amazon