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 p.2 #16 · Message to Nikon about the Z7 Series | |
urbanwild wrote:
The problem with this proposal from my perspective:
- The Z7 and Z7ii already meet the marks in terms of size, weight and 45MP
- A faster processor for what purpose? If you want fast autofocus for sports or moving wildlife, the Z8 is the camera (or the Z6iii or the Zf).
- Creating a new line (Z7iii) for just the EVF would not be profitable
So if not sports / moving wildlife, what do you need improvements for? Landscapes, cityscapes and portraits are all great with the original Z7. You would not be able to tell the difference between my Z7 and Z8 images for those applications. For portraits, the Z7 is still quite good for stills, but if you are wanting better AF for moving portraits or low-light, a Z6iii or Zf fit the mark (and do you really need 45MP for these?).
This isn't to say your criteria wouldn't be good for you, but it's to say that it's a tough sell to the masses which is what Lance stated so well above. To be honest, I think the Z7 series have hit the end of the runway and they've moved on. Some have suggested in the past that a Z7iii could come out as a 60MP sensor and perhaps that could still happen (with a Z9ii sharing the same sensor?). I personally wouldn't see much benefit for this over the Z8/9 (and even Z7 for landscapes) though....Show more →
I've previously owned the Z6 II and now have the Zf (in addition to the Z8). I can say that for my purposes, most of the AF benefits of the new generation of cameras are already realized in the Zf, and the Z8 is mainly useful for high fps and its silent operation (and high resolution as well, of course). Using the Z6 II I had frequent difficulties focusing in basic documentary photography of people and animals who were not moving fast. The camera's two processors simply were not fast enough to deal with the large amount of data that the sensor produces, to analyze the image and phase detection data and focus based on it. The Zf is fast enough for 90% of situations in my experience, and I have very little difficulty using it. The EVF of the Z6 II was also annoyingly delayed and could not be used to time single shots reliably, while the EVF of the Zf is fast enough and I don't have any problems with it. The processor seems to make most of the difference basically. The Z8 has faster sensor read time which helps in further reducing viewfinder delay (parallel data stream helps as well) but this is mainly something benefiting fast action situations. But the difference between the sluggish Z6 II and Expeed 7 featuring Zf is being able to make shots that look like you saw in the viewfinder, and the AF being fast enough to cover most situations documenting people without problems with focus results. I also need the Zf for situations where the Z8 fails to capture images not ruined by banding (due to artificial light), and it has saved the day on some occasions. If a Z7 III existed with the mentioned specifications (Z6 III EVF, Expeed 7) I would purchase it for sure. I feel the Z8 limits the quality of landscape photography due to its slightly noisier sensor at base ISO and when working with third-party flashes, not all high shutter speed functionality works correctly using the electronic shutter only Z8, so I have been using the D850 for those situations. IMO the market exists for such a camera and it would be fairly simple for Nikon to make it, combining what they have developed for the Z6 III with the existing sensor in the Z7 II.
As it is, I use the Zf a lot, and continue using the D850 as well, although I own the Z8. There seems to be a lot of people online who complain about those who point out the Z8's deficiencies, but they are real and one doesn't really need to be super picky to run into them. The Z7 II uses older generation processors and this limits the usability of the camera and I do not want to purchase it for the reason I would be frustrated with its AF performance even in basic portrait or slowly-moving human subject photography. I was very annoyed by the Z6 II EVF lag which meant I sold it as soon as a better alternative was available. I simply cannot tolerate a camera which does not capture the moment which I see in the viewfinder just before I press the shutter. With the Z7 and Z6 II, portraits captured in documentary contexts were different from what I saw in the viewfinder and if that was all that was available I would never use mirrorless cameras again as it would undo all the skills I had acquired through decades of people photography practice. Fortunately Nikon was able to minimize the viewfinder lag and most of that seems to have been through the use of a faster processor.
Although the Z8 image quality is acceptable in most contexts it is not as good as it could be, if we remove the requirement for ultra fast fps rates and use a slower read time sensor. There is a way to balance sensor read time, image quality, AF and EVF performance in a way that gives a better balance for a lot of photography that does not involve very fast action (but has some movement). Sony does not seem to have difficulty finding the market for their two 61 MP cameras, if there was a question of whether there are enough buyers then for sure they would not have made two latest-generation models using this sensor.
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