Nikon Z6iii Review For Wildlife And Bird Photographers (First Look Review!) 

3:44, that action roll is awesome, those birds never had a chance!!!!

that roll and shoot absolutly killed me!

This level of photography on a pre-production unit, with only 24 hours of use. You sir are a master of your art.

You had the camera for less than 24 hours and still were able to produce a wide-range of stellar shots as examples of its capabilities. A professional among professionals. Bravo sir!

Steve Perry is the gold standard for honest & useful wildlife photography camera reviews.

Love the dip and roll, Steve 😅

Amazing specs!!! This blows away the competition! Nikon is back baby!

this Z6iii review is much better than all the others that are out there. well done !

Don't shoot Nikon but boy are they killing it Great Job

I'm from Indonesia 🇮🇩. currently still using a Nikon D7200 camera and 80-200 afd lens to photograph sports. Hopefully one day I can buy a Nikon Z6II camera

Wahhaaaa. The drop and roll scene was so, so funny. Not in the market for this camera, but still loved the review as I can listen to you talk photography forever. Thanks, Steve.

One of my favorite cameras of all time was the Nikon D750. I captured some really great (to me) wildlife photos even though it was "only" 24MP. Its low light performance was fantastic so I'm sure the new Z6III will be excellent as well. Solid review, Steve. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts after you've had some longterm use of the Z6III.

Your instructive videos and all honest reviews help me a lot to master my wildlife photography skills. Happy to own Z6iii, really eager to shoot wildlife with it.

Great quick pre-production review! I am sure there will be more to come looking forward to it. Many Thanks!

Did you know that if you use your smart phone to connect to your z camera via the free Nikon app /snap bridge you don’t need to twist your back screen about . Big plus i found was with my z8 the app informed me of a firmware upgrade. I clicked on the ok and it down loaded it . Then when the 180 600 z lens had a firmware update . I got a attachment for the phone to fit it on flash mount and I get to use the screen to set the setting of the camera . F or landscape it’s a great it did that too. Great channel you have I learn a lot

Welcome to Florida! I shoot birds with a Zf and a 500mm PF lens. I am thinking about getting a Z8 for Christmas but was interested in knowing more about the new Z6iii. Thanks for the review.

Born and bred Nikon shooter here, I want this camera 😁

Great summary. As I already have a Z9 and a Z8, I won't purchase it but it looks like a great camera.

As I sit here at my desk, I still have one of the books you said we should have "Mastering the Nikon D750" Steve, as it's still what I'm shooting, and still working as well today, as it did 10 years ago when I first bought it! I'm somewhat thinking perhaps of upgrading, so this may be a worthy choice. I do some bird shots, but I've never been big on taking a lot of shots, where I take a single or up to 3 shots, and if I didn't get the shot...so be it. My interest lies in Landscape photography for the most part, and what perked my interest was the 'in body stabilization' as I have a tremor in my right hand, thus taking single shots without my tripod is problematic, so stabilization is important to me. Will certainly be watching for future video's you might have on this, or even the Z7iii when it comes out. Great job, on the limited time you had this camera!

Thanks again Steve, Valuable video in every way. I was gunning for a Z8 and using the lenses from my D850,so I can now look at a Z6iii and lens for the same price.Cheers!

Very nice camera! Very nice video Steve!!! Cheers from Greece!

Priceless the action roll at 3:42 😄🙌🏻. - As always the best review available.

Great first review. Looks like a lot of camera for the money. And great job with the tumble-roll. You nailed it.

Your reviews are always great! This camera would be perfect for my lowlight dance photography in the theater, providing that the mechanical shutter isn't too loud (electronic shutters can create banding with certain LED lights, even with a stacked sensor). I sold my Z6II to help finance my Z8. The the high iso image quality with 45 megapixel cameras starts to get pretty noisy past iso 3200. My Z6II had no problem with iso 6400, but the auto focus needed and upgrade (thus the Z6III). The Z6II's mechanical shutter was quiet enough in most situations, but during quiet movements I had to use caution not to disturb the audience. Do find much difference in the shutter sound between the Z6II and the Z6III? Thanks!

Love the Captain Kirk judo roll

As someone who has followed you for years, and has all of the relative to me books, i always look forward to your videos. This one is your best so far. The amount of content and sound advice, especially the break ins to explain something you had just said, was so good.. The speed of delivery is always fast, and this was very fast, but it's still completely consumable. It's clear, and fully understandable. This is the best video delivery i have ever see from photo videographers.

As always, great video Steve and thanks for all the information. Very impressive little camera...almost as impressive as your combat roll (I never knew you were that agile Steve! 😂)

12:22 the continuous shooting capability is nice, but since it only produces 24MP pics are half the size of the Z8/9 picture , and we know most of todays CFe-s can handle 14~16 pics of that 45MP photos. And today's top CFe-s can handle the Z8/9 burst for monites. Same goes to the overheat, I would be surprised if it had any issues regarding that with that modest data sizes.

Very good and comprehensive "review" Steve. The way you did the presentation in defined pieces was great. I'm watching this on the Saturday after the announcement, please don't hate me. But your points confirm my choice to preorder this at 6:25AM MDT last Monday. Sold my Z6II on Wed. You key on wildlife here but same upgrades applies to Train and Airplane photography. And to have this be similar set up as my Z8 is great. Thanks for doing this. - Tim

No raw precapture!? Biggest disappointment for me. Olympus has had this for years , 2020 press release for the em-1 mark iii: "Pro Capture starts shooting the moment the shutter release button is pressed down halfway, with a buffer that can be set to capture up to 35 frames in RAW / full resolution."

Had a chance to preorder it this past Saturday at a dealer’s special event. Looks like a great package.

Great review, for now I think I'll buy the Z8

Not that there was any doubt before, but with the Z6III the lead Nikon has over Sony in the wildlife/sports action game is enormous and become insurmountable. As for the buffer, it is likely the Z6III has the Z8/Z9 memory bus which is incredible at this price. By the numbers, I would not doubt the Z6III could actually do 25fps LC RAW FX unlimited and rather it is limited by something other than the memory bus. Dual card write is a different story, and the SD UHS-II is the nerf. If I had to make a guess, I would say the Z6III is probably limited to 10fps give or take in dual card write LC RAW FX. The Z8 is lower than that because larger file sizes. The Z9 is 10fps in dual card write thanks to dual CFB.

As usual Steve, you are the very best at this!!!

This camera is amazing ! Nikon is catering for wildlife and sports photographers who can't afford the flagships. All I can do is wish the next Sony midrange has a partially stacked sensor 😊

For the birders: You only make heavy crops out of your photos if you don't have enough focal length with your lens. Otherwise the statements that 24 MP is not enough are not very substantial. And the difference between 33 MP and 24 MP is only 9 MP. That's not enough to get any noticeable improvement.

Shades of Garth Marenghi 3:43 Further, I agree 100% in regards to the performance of the outgoing Z6ii; mine was completely capable of shooting birds in flight but it did take some practice and setup. 24MP provides plenty of resolution. My 10-page feature was just published in the June 2024 issue of Birding magazine and most of those were shot with my Z6ii.

I can’t wait to get mine. I’m giving it a few months. I’m waiting for the holidays.

I get great birds in flight with my regular z6 now for years.

Thanks Steve. Your first look preview of the Z6III is the best one I've seen. The photos you brought back really show the strengths of this camera. I'd love to get one. This is a possible camera for me in the future, unlike a Z8 or Z9! No bird mode though! Do you think Nikon will offer software updates? That roll was awesome. Pretty spry! Also curious, do you think this camera work well with a 500 f/4 vr g lens. I'd like to keep and use that lens......

Regarding the theory that lower resolution sensors exhibit less noise, I am not convinced. If you don’t need the pixels, then what you’re looking at is effectively downsampled, which reduces noise to about the same level as if you shot it with a lower res body anyway. But if you do need the pixels, and have enough light such that noise isn’t too bad, the Z6 III won’t provide them. I also want to say this: a shorter lens is smaller, lighter and easier to carry. A 100-400 is the size of a 70-200/2.8. Something many bags are designed for. I realize I’m compromising, but that can be my choice, if I want to shoot with such a lens and a high-mp body or a DX body (which comes down to the same thing). I’m currently shooting with a D750 and Tamron 100-400, and I’m considering either going to a D850 or adding a D7500. edit: Though, and this is also important, when I was in Costa Rica with my D750 and 100-400, shooting in national parks (jungle), the effective resolution was perhaps more limited by the noise than the number of megapixels. And if the Z6 III has less noise, that may be worth considering as well.

i think this will be the point where i shift to mirrorless. with my old D600, i had the problem with the bad focus sensor in low light situation and i am not a great manual focus performer either. a video of a fire juggler on the beach at night with an 85mm f/1.4 was more or less impossible. now with the advanced focus system and high dynamic range on a Z6-III, a 6K video with maximum color depth of nikon n-log must deliver an insane performance of details in low light areas but also great details in high light areas like the fire. and serves as a good raw version for an edited color graded 4K video.

Also, the lower resolution sensor on full-frame means you can have a lower diffusion limited aperture. The Z9 is f/7.1 for its DLA. That means the DLA for the Z6iii should be below f/8... maybe closer to f/11.

Great comments and support for Steve in here, from the Community!

Thanks, great review

Will the manual come with drop and roll instructions… cos dayumm that was fantastic. Ima gonna get a z6iii simply based on the roll my friend 🤩 but seriously… this is the camera I’ve been waiting for to partner the love of my life .. my Z9. Bloody awesome review 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

Thanks as usual Steve! Very helpful!

Great review and it seems like a fantastic camera for the money , thanks Steve. 👍

Hang on just a minute I want to Know if someone has a ,D7500D500 and Nikon 200-500 and we have a Z6III with a 180-600 or 200-500 who will get a better quality picture of a bird in relatively low light.because a few weeks back I noticed I was getting better pics from my DSLR than my friend on his Z6II with the above combos I guess APSC crop is a huge factor

Thanks for the detailed review as always! I have a 1st gen Z6 and Z9, and I've been on the fence about getting a Z8 as a backup camera as the old Z6 feels very slow compared to the Z9... This new camera is very tempting indeed for that role. I need to keep some money in the bank though as I wonder how long it will be until there's a Z9 refresh with this new EVF and other hardware improvements...?

Thx! Just ordered! Great review and pics! Altho you could stick your 600/4.0 onto a pinhole camera and get great shots!!

Hi Steve, I have really enjoyed your videos as they’ve been very helpful for me. I am currently using a micro four thirds system. I previously had a Nikon d7200. Currently using micro four thirds. It is smaller lens wise but I preferred the images from the old Nikon. I like mirrorless. I am curious of your opinion on going to a full frame mirrorless like the Z6ii or iii. What do you think I’ll notice (both pros and cons)? Thanks for your time.

One more reason for a "low" megapixel camera. I was able to buy a mint condition 600mm F4 G (not e) for a song and while it has some image quality trouble in the corners with my high pixel Z8 and Z9 - it could resolve a 24MP camera beautifully. I bought and hated the Z6II to go with the lens. I chucked it pretty quickly - but looks like the Z6III is very promising. If you are shooting with an F6.3 zoom or prime at 600mm you may want to consider this camera as a way to extend the life of what is still some great old (and now relatively inexpensive) glass. Even used e mount glass has dropped in price. Yes - it can be a bit slow to focus - but I know I have learned to tune my Z8 and Z9 to make it more than usable with a slight crop. Seems like from this review it will be possible with the Z6III as well. I won't get myself on the backorder list for one - and I sure wish it didn't have a flip screen - but if they pan out like the review I will definitely buy one when they start being available at a sale price. Seems like Nikon is learning and trying to at least keep up with the competition.

Great photos, great review!

I'll have you know 3:44 was the moment I gave your video a thumbs-up 😝

Forget the camera, I want that lens: 600mm 1.4 TC. Thanks for the review by the way.

Thanks for the review Steve. Interesting camera, but I really dislike the tilt screen. But it doesn't matter since I couldn't afford it anyway 😁 and I have no desire for it at all. I went from the original Nikon Z6 to Sony a7III and by doing that I abandoned Nikon for good. I just wasn't happy with Nikon Z6's AF, and Z6II wasn't much better either. I was still enjoying Your review of the long awaited Nikon Z6III.

16:28 incredible moment of time and light captured..

Such an exquisite camera!!!

With the z8 line I don’t expect a z7iii. It was made to compete with the r5/a7r line which the z8 now does.

Great review of this camera.

is just a zf with some tweaks

Looks like Nikon added Bird detect after all according to the release promo

Great quick review Steve. Was that at Viera Wetlands?

❤👍👍👍👏👏👏 very good reviews, thank you so much!

Can't decide between this or Canon's R6ii.

great first look Steve. thanks.

Looks like a low light monster. The focus point stabilization may lower the effective shutter speed needed for action, as oppose to full image standard ibis.

Great pre-release review.

Hello Steve, I'm using D500 mainly bird photography and looking to replace it, but I found the Z8 a bit expensive for my budget. Rumors about Z90 that would be replacing the D500. Between Z6III and possible Z90 should I wait for more confirmation from Nikon before making switch. Thank you Daniel

Steve, does that (impressive, btw) ground roll suggest that some kind military basic training is required to use this camera?? 🤣 Thank you for the overview of this. Your no nonsense opinion on these things is very much valued. I know you don't bother much with the video part of these cameras, but I also like that the Z6iii has added NRAW in camera.

Looks like an awesome upgrade for my z6i, problem is the price in Germany is 1k higher than all it's competitors and make paying that much for it hard to justify. Heck, in Germany it's almost on the price bracket of the z8. Not sure what nikon is thinking.

Stunning photos!

Nice preview video. Thanks to Nikon for not increasing the Megapixels

This is the best preview yet ! Kudos for putting so much effort ❤

I am a general hobbiest photographer who has always used Nikon and followed you for years. All the wiz-bang automation is interesting but not important to me. What is important is low light performance. I currently use a Nikon Z6II and have been very happy with its performance in any light. I note the new ZIII offers a "base" ISO of up to 64,000 as opposed to the ZII offering 51,200. Of course, the ZII offers .3 higher than 51,000, as well. So my question is will we see a meaningful improvement in low light with the new range on the ZIII. How would that work? Thanks for your reviews. I don't particularly shoot wildlife outside of our zoo, but I do love animals and natural habitats.

Thanks Steve - Fairly good review - as always! At 13.10 … at 90 degrees … or … rather Fahrenheit ?

Great review as always. TFS. Please can you comment on video capability. I currently shoot with Z9. And wanted to get a second body. And now on safari, I use one camera as for still images and another for videos. Hence the question.

Excellent review.

Hi Steve, would like to know the Tamron 150-600 and 70-200 f2.8 g2 lense are compatible with z6iii. Proposing to upgrade to the Z mount

Appreciate your views as always. Curious as to the start-up and wake-up times compared to Z6II and Z8?

Whats your recommendation? a 600 f4,0 tc or a 800mm f6,3? I might get a z8 and one of these tele lenses, the 600 f 4 tc is more flexible but about 1,5 pound heavier and a lot more expensive, the 800 mm 6,3 much lighter and cheaper. I am going to northern lapland for wildlife and birdphoto, particularly small birds. I have canon r5 and a 600mm f4 mk2 witch is 3,9 kg and 10 year old, high image quality but really heavy.

When you do your full review of the production camera, would you test it with the FTZ adapter? I have a 500PF. I'm curious if it is worth upgrading from a D850 without a native lens.

Hi Steve What order would you rank these cameras for birds in flight? - Based on likelihood to successfully capture an in-focus image, all other things being equal? Z50, D7200, Z6 ii, D810, D850, D500, D7500 You said it is has been hard to recommend a mid-priced Z camera for birds in flight, up until now. I prefer to buy second hand when the price drops significantly, so it may be a couple of years before I consider buying the Z6iii. I have owned a Z50 for some time and it has been great, until I caught the BIF bug. Very recently bought a D7200 to carry a 2nd body. In my first real session with it (around sunset) I already feel like the D7200 is locking on more quickly and consistently than the Z50. That's exciting! It's making me think that a DSLR such as used D500 or D810 may be a better budget/value option for BIF than a used Z6ii? Especially with your comment during this video which implies the Z6ii and Z7ii aren't up to standard of the better DSLR's. I have also been researching the Olympus cameras ... I'm using a Nikon 300mm f4 IF ED and just added a TC1.4II 😊 I think there is value in learning the skills and craft to take good pictures with older gear meaning, one day, if I choose to stick at it, I'll enjoy the better cameras even more. BTW, Watched alot of your videos and have two of your ebooks. Thanks!

Great review Steve... Now that Z6iii is released, Nikon loyalists expect same body fitted with 33MP APSc sensor and identical functions but in Crop sensor DX body.... to replace the Legendary D500 body... The sooner they release this body, all in the Nikon will enjoy their year end Christmas holidays laughing all the way to their bank with bonus 😂😂😂With Z6iii on the shelves at $2500.00 the proposed Nikon Z90 should be priced at $1499.95 to see them disappear from the shelves without much difficulty....

I knew something was missing in my technique when I saw that tactical roll.

Steve, why do camera manufacturers still have mixture of mechanical and electrical shutters? It would be nice camera can automatically select shutter type according to the shooting setting. I really enjoy your reviews which cover all features in a logical order. Thank you so much for sharing. ❤

You are right-handed, you hold your lens with your left hand, you focus and you trigger with your right hand: what do you do if on the fly you have to modify your settings or call up a pre-recorded configuration (I often do this by video and sports and animal photography) if your dial is on the left? Will we be able to assign to certain buttons the possibility of switching configurations with the right hand with the Nikon Z6III? Only 24 MPX, this remains a big disappointment overall.

Would you tell me if D850 better than Z6III in terms of photos?

Hi Steve! Does z6iii has the x2.3 crop mode in video like z9 and z8?

I have a Nikon D7500 and I plan to get a mirrorless Nikon camera, and it is looking more and more it will be the Nikon Z6iii. I have a number of lenses I would like to use on the Nikon mirrorless camera, and the question I have is this. How well does the adapter work on the Nikon Z6iii? I realize it was pre-production and you had the camera for a short time, but did this subject come up?

Damn! You had me with the body roll. Finally a camera and lens combination that will allow me to tuck and roll. Hahahaha! LOL! 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I am not sure, at 63 years of age, that I am sufficiently fit to use that capability.

Isn't the custom dial on the left side? Why would Nikon do that on a camera that is supposed to be for fast shooters? Not ideal.

Thoughts on getting this to replace my D500 paired with 500mm PF?

Hi, what about Z8 wild life photography set up Thank you

Nice video Steve. If i have Z8 and Z9 would you recommend to get it? I am personally hoped for Z7-3 with 60mp

20mp a no go for me Great camera

I’m shooting with D7200 and all my Favorite glass. Would quality be good using the adapter for dslr lenses until I can get one or two z lenses?

Steve, respect your work and look forward to your videos but this one felt like a lot of the other RU-vidr videos that are simply trying to be “first!” when a new camera is released. Everything is *pre-production and lots of assumptions have to be made. Things like ISO evaluations are made on JPEGs rather than RAWs. I personally hope you don’t fall into the rat race of chasing early reviews and instead continue to give us your experienced reviews based on more time with the camera. Also, don’t get too cozy with those Nikon reps! These are the things we appreciate about you.