Nikon announces full-frame mirrorless camera

Laterna Magica said:
I've used Sony, Fuji, Olympus mirroless cameras in the past a lot.
But unfortunately with all of them I've got headaches and eye strain when I've used them more intensively / for longer periods.
That was one of the reasons why I stopped using mirrorless and came back to SLRs.
I wondered whether it was just a personal problem of me. Therefore I've asked my eye doctor. He is a very passionate photographer for decades, too. And he explained to me that EVFs in general have disadvantages concerning the eyes. He explained it to me in an extremely detailed way but as I am "an analphabete in medcine" I don't understand all.
But he was very clear in his results and recommendations:
1. From a health point of view OVFs are much much better than EVFs.
2. EVF can indeed cause headaches and eye strain.
3. With intensive use there is the risk of getting short sigthed and getting macular degeneration.
4. For professionals and enthusiast amateurs which use their cameras a lot he recommends OVFs to avoid eye problems.
5. The eye degeneration problems by the short viewing distance of smartphones are meanwhile very well documented.
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Still wanna know why? Be it refresh rate, brightness, or eye point?

Someone will have to work something out on this regard.
 
pixelvandal said:
Speaking of huge lenses. And specifically, that 58mm noct lens. Has anyone mentioned that it is actually a manual focus lens? One that's so heavy it requires a tripod foot? I don't see that being much fun to use...
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This was the only thing about the whole announcement that caught my eye. Oddly, a camera that boasts of the best autofocus of its entirely lineup has as its most interesting lens one that can't take advantage of it.

I can see it, on its own, being a lot of fun with portraiture, filmmaking/video, and theatre/stage...regardless of being MF (that's what focus peaking is for, I guess) or weight.

But I still don't see a compelling reason to go to mirrorless, other than "it's new and sparkly!"
 
Pentax! Oh . . . never mind. ;)

Seriously though, I like the idea of more camera makers trying to solve the mirrorless problem. For instance, I had been thinking about Sony in a vague way. Now, not only will Sony have to compete with Nikon for this price point, but USED Sony will have to compete with Nikon at this price point. It is all good from my position as a bottom feeder in this technological space. Heck, I was physched when Nikon D3's dipped down below a $ kilobuck as that 12 MP sensor is really a sweet spot for me in so many ways.

To return to Pentax in a non-joking way. I am currently playing around with a Pentax K-1 and find even that camera's RAW file sizes unwieldy. It amounts to not truly enjoying those massive files for most of the pictures I take. I wind up discarding most of the data as I scale down the images to something that I and my clients can actually use.

To bring it back to Nikon, I feel like the file sizes from these chips are going to be almost like LF plates next to the files I am used to handling. Sigh. Life is change, I suppose.

Now where is my Leica adapter for the Z7 and can I use my 21/3.4 Super Elmar without unsightly vignetting? (yeah, right).
 
Ken Ford said:
I’m cautiously optimistic, and will get a chance to handle a Z7 Tuesday. I’ll report back.

I can see ending up with four serious systems after the dust settles - Leica M for film, Nikon for SLR and DSLR, Nikon Z for mirrorless and Fuji for direct view digital. Sell off the rest that isn’t just here for collecting purposes.
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I just found preliminary info that may kill the Z6 for me. Due to an old hand injury I rely very heavily on the vertical format controls on accessory battery grips - using cameras without them can be excruciating. The comments from two different Nikon sources that the battery grip under development may not have controls is concerning me. I’m planning on grilling the Nikon rep tomorrow night, but I doubt he’ll know anything.
 
Colin Corneau said:
This was the only thing about the whole announcement that caught my eye. Oddly, a camera that boasts of the best autofocus of its entirely lineup has as its most interesting lens one that can't take advantage of it.

I can see it, on its own, being a lot of fun with portraiture, filmmaking/video, and theatre/stage...regardless of being MF (that's what focus peaking is for, I guess) or weight.

But I still don't see a compelling reason to go to mirrorless, other than "it's new and sparkly!"
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maybe you're getting old and unable to carry a lot of weight. How's that for a reason? ;)
 
Both B&H and Adorama had the Z7 on display, today, to handle.

I really enjoyed the ergonomics.. Felt great in the hand.. Button layout, etc. thumb rest, grip all feel right.

Unfortunately, these were pre production models... A bit sluggish. VF blackout noticeable.

Hoping that a firmware update , before the camera ships, will rectify some of the issues.

Jeff
 
Disappointed to see that Nikon kept to the SLR form factor just as Sony did with the A7. Why do camera makers place the VF in line with the lens mount on cameras without a mirror box - the mirror box being the only practical reason to have a viewfinder in that position? Is there an ergonomic reason behind it that I don't see? Is it just to keep a familiar look? I just find it awkward to use compared to placing it on the side of the camera as with most rangefinders. I had a Nex-6 before moving up to the A7 I use now, and I liked the ergonomics of that camera a heck of a lot more than the A7.
 
Peter Jennings said:
Is there an ergonomic reason behind it that I don't see?.
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None that I can see but for putting a screen on the top right and a PSAM dial on the top left to make it look "professional".
A FF mirrorless could very well look like the Fuji XE-3 indeed.
Those Nikon Z bodies and lenses look just ugly.
 
I'm wondering if when Nikon cut back on employees if they didn't go too far into the design area.

They should know better than to not have a shutter release and perhaps a few programmable control buttons on the pack when you hold it vertical.

I have to agree the SLR design is, well, so 1970's. Perhaps they were worried about building their own M5.......

B2 (;->
 
I mauled a production Z7 last night at a local event - it was Firmware 1.00.

I am very, very impressed. The EVF is the best I’ve experienced, the camera was smooth and responsive with no stutters or blackouts. The two lenses were impressive, and I tried the FTZ with two of my MF Nikkors - a 50/1.2 AI-s and 35/2.8 PC. They had a few AF-S lenses to try, too - they were seamless in use.

Only two things disappoint me right now:

1) The all but confirmed reports that the battery grip won’t have vertical controls for the reasons I described in an earlier post. This is a real miss in my opinion.

2) That they didn’t develop or announce a small 70-200/4 to go with the 24-70. I see the Z as being a killer generalist camera, and with Nikon’s stated intent to achieve maximum performance wide open this would seem to be a no-brainer. I don’t want to have to lug big f/2.8 zooms around on a day to day basis, and I don’t think I’m alone.

All in all, I didn’t see or learn anything that is turning me off to the Z, and actually learned a few things that are making me even more enthusiastic - for example, the planned upgrade to use CF Express media will completely change the buffer clearance rates.

Fun times. Now, to start selling unused gear to fund this...
 
Peter Jennings said:
Disappointed to see that Nikon kept to the SLR form factor just as Sony did with the A7. Why do camera makers place the VF in line with the lens mount on cameras without a mirror box - the mirror box being the only practical reason to have a viewfinder in that position? Is there an ergonomic reason behind it that I don't see? Is it just to keep a familiar look? I just find it awkward to use compared to placing it on the side of the camera as with most rangefinders. I had a Nex-6 before moving up to the A7 I use now, and I liked the ergonomics of that camera a heck of a lot more than the A7.
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Put me in the camp of the people that would have liked a RF-type form factor.
 
Ken Ford said:
Put me in the camp of the people that would have liked a RF-type form factor.
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Me too. The new rumor says Canon will announce one of their FF mirrorless cameras on 9/5. I look forward to seeing their design.

I suspect the loser in this war will be Fuji.

John
 
Ken Ford said:
I just found preliminary info that may kill the Z6 for me. Due to an old hand injury I rely very heavily on the vertical format controls on accessory battery grips - using cameras without them can be excruciating. The comments from two different Nikon sources that the battery grip under development may not have controls is concerning me. I’m planning on grilling the Nikon rep tomorrow night, but I doubt he’ll know anything.
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I agree about the notion of this but hang in there on that one.

In development and what hits the shelves can be two different things and when one considers using lenses like the 105 1.4, 70-200 2.8 and even the new 58 .95, using a grip will be almost essential on a camera body as small as this one.

There is always the possibility third party if Nikon drops the ball on this one.
 
Overall the new Z's don't seem to be getting a good reception by the large majority of reviewers.

I'm disappointed Nikon did not hit this one out of the park.
 
CameraQuest said:
Overall the new Z's don't seem to be getting a good reception by the large majority of reviewers. I'm disappointed Nikon did not hit this one out of the park.
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If you discount the vociferous "it only has one card slot" group, and a few complaining about the AF based on 15 minutes of use, the reviews I have read have been quite positive. Of course, I haven't read them all, so my universe of reviews may not be representative. I think a lot of people are glad to now have an alternative to Sony. There is no perfect camera.
 
ptpdprinter said:
If you discount the vociferous "it only has one card slot" group, and a few complaining about the AF based on 15 minutes of use, the reviews I have read have been quite positive. Of course, I haven't read them all, so my universe of reviews may not be representative. I think a lot of people are glad to now have an alternative to Sony. There is no perfect camera.
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+1, I don't put any stock in the Web Star Review brigade, none of these cameras are production models, still short of final firmware in terms of deliverables.

If I hear anything that compares to the IR cut off / purple black clothing debacle of the Leica M8 in the coming months, I will certainly hold off on my pre-order but other than that, I want to use the Z6 in my specific application in order to make the final call.
 
Peter Jennings said:
Disappointed to see that Nikon kept to the SLR form factor just as Sony did with the A7. Why do camera makers place the VF in line with the lens mount on cameras without a mirror box - the mirror box being the only practical reason to have a viewfinder in that position? Is there an ergonomic reason behind it that I don't see? Is it just to keep a familiar look?
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It's because most of the people using it will be used to using Nikon DSLRs, and they need to make the experience not a jarring one, so that their customers don't abandon it based on the shock of the new.
 
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