Nikon Z7 II Hands-on Review 

Darell help me here a little bit since you said you have both cameras. I preordered the Z7ii the minute it was announced but I’m still waiting for it. For some reason I got it for 2696$ instead of 2999$. However I was able to find an open box Z6ii for 1600$. Now I’m not sure if I should cancel my Z7ii or keep both when Z7ii arrives. I’m only a hobbyist and money is not an issue. What am I missing besides the megapixels from the Z7ii that Z6ii doesn’t have or viceversa ?? Would it be sharper the Z7ii?Would it be faster focusing ? Help me decide what should i do. I shoot everything. Not in a particular niche.

THE fotog mike from the rona chronicles with the soy boys?!

@@Zakna I have no idea of what you are referring to.

i upgraded from D7200

A lot of what you said, I 100 percent agree with. Ever since the first Z6/7, once I held them, I just loved them. I sold them and briefly had every other system under the sun at least once. One reason, is I wanted mirrorless, and a 70-200, but Nikon was holding out. So I got the Canon R, and then R5. Sold the R. The R5 is great but the problem for me isn’t the overheating since I don’t shoot video with it. But more so the freezing. After several firmware updates, it still likes to freeze, more noticeable in ES at 20fps AF tracking. Really annoying. The issue I believe is they crammed it so tight on the inside, it barely has room to breathe, so it likes to freeze from time to time, even with fast cf express cards and the new battery. Maybe it will work better with 2 batteries in a grip idk. Then I got to thinking how it may not be reliable if I go somewhere in the heat and the Nikon seemed more rugged. So I got the Z6ii recently (as I loved the lenses and the 85 1.8 s) with the 85 1.8s as well as the long awaited 70-200 s. Even though its bigger than the Canon, it allows you use the teleconverters. I feel like the Z will be best for travel as they have a lot of good light weight 1.8 primes. Just ordered the 20 1.8 s. I need a second body, so I’m awaiting a Z7ii which I sold my RF 70-200 for. I’m not sure any more firmware can fix the R5 issues that much so more than likely, its possible I might end up going all in Z when the Z9 comes out.

What was the problem with the Z7 I? After they patched the AF system, that thing was on par with the D850. It was just the missing the second card slot, what was a real bummer.

That is great to hear that you are loving the Z50. It is nice that you can slowly transition to the mirrorless system with the FTZ adapter. Thanks for sharing your experience.

@@Benjamin_Jehne There wasn't anything "wrong" per se. But it was lacking. It was NOT on par with the D850. The system was new, so there wasn't enough lenses to go natively with it yet. When it first came out, I remember it being more expensive than the D850. I am an enthusiast photographer who is interested in photography first and foremost, and video features come second to me. And for photography, I wanted one camera to do it all. I do landscapes and birds photography. Two very opposite genres in terms of requirements from a camera. For birds, you want the fastest, most accurate auto-focus system you could possibly have. And for that the Z7 was no match to the D850. And at those early stages of introducing the new system, we had no idea what Nikon is going to do with firmware updates. So I just needed to see this system mature before taking the plunge. Add to that a few other things, like the much better battery life of the D850 and the compatibility with a full-functioning grip, and those things combined influenced my decision. There are people - mostly professionals who make money from their photography - who can afford being early adopters and grow with the system. I am not one of those people, so I had to wait.

@@ahmedawad563 I too am in the same boat. I have the 850 and love it of course. I too am an enthusiast that loves landscapes and wildlife. I was holding off on the Z system as well. I was actually thinking of switching over to Canon, but began really looking at the Z7 ii. Mainly because of the no alias filter, low base of 64, and now a great trifecta of Z lenses. Question i have Ahmed, is do you miss or still use your 850?

@@robroyig-robroyphotography9225 Honestly Rob, I find myself enjoying the Z50 more and I take it with me everywhere! even though the D850 is on another league, but there are advantages to mirrorless that you wont appreciate unless you try it out. I never thought much of the idea of seeing your exposure before pressing the shutter, but it's a fantastic invention. The eye-detection AF is also something that made photographing my little kids at home so very much easier. The focus points that go from edge-to-edge. The silent shooting is another one. For my landscape photography, 90% of the time now I use the completely silent electronic shutter on the Z50. Everyone talks about how sharp the Z lenses are, but I did not think that the 16-50mm kit lens that came with the Z50 will be sharper than my Tamron 24-70 G2! I was shocked! One more thing that always annoyed me with my Tamron is that it had back/front focusing issues with the D850 and it needed calibration. I tried the Tamron on my Z50 using the FTZ adaptor and the images are consistently tack sharp with no work needed. A huge advantage here with mirrorless is you don't need to calibrate lenses - especially third-party - anymore, since the sensor is doing both the focusing and the imaging, so there's no calibrating or microadjusting or fine-tuning needed. All of the above advantages are in mirrorless only. And all of those advantages are present in a sub $1k dollar camera compared to the $3k D850. So in my opinion, the Z7II will be a better camera than the D850 , since it has everything the D850 has, and it gives me all the advantages that I've experienced with the Z50. The only disadvantage for me is battery life. Way better in DSLRs. But from what I'm hearing the Z7II battery should be very good. I bought the Z50 specifically to help me with my decision, and I wanted to spend a few months with it to be confident. Right now, I am confident that once I get the Z7II, I'll turn the page on the D850 with no regrets.

I want direct to disc recording!

LMAO that's "your" opinion. For starters, they may never all be equal in AF. When Nikon catches up to where Canon and Sony are now, they might have pulled ahead again. Where is Nikon's high burst rate mirrorless camera and will the AF be good enough for that camera (for those who need it)? I love the Nikon cameras. The build quality, image quality, video quality etc. They really do need to catch up with the leaders in AF and burst modes though or they'll always be the cameras trailing the pack.

​@@cooloox "For those who need it", for those who need it they are still on DSLR for lag free shooting. Even the a9 struggles with this. That was a silly argument route to go. I can tell you've never used the Z series as the AF is already 90% there. After switching from the RIV there is not one instance where I was like man I miss the sony AF. Nikon dominated DSLR AF for the last decade. They will be fine with AF "LMAO"

The nikon z s lenses are incredible. The cameras are meh other than the amazing color science but the lenses!!!! That's what's important.

@@bananapie2198 exactly. The S lenses. The bodies will get there. But as everyone knows. You invest in lenses. Body come and go. The IQ of the S lenses is unmatched.

@@robbie154 ‘For those who need it are still on DSLR for lag free shooting’. Perhaps you would like to present your evidence for this or is you’re just spouting yet more bias option, ‘cause that’s all you’ve done so far. There are loads of professional photographers such as wildlife photographers, using mirrorless cameras who need ‘lag free shooting’. If you’d bothered researching that you would have known, so therefore your blanket statement is clearly untrue. If you had said ‘many’, then that would have been closer to being true.

The D500 is amazing, no doubt, but it's not full frame and it can't adapt Z glass, so it's for a different market. I'm actually considering to get the D500 in 2021 as well as the Z6 II. I want best of both worlds.

I left after you said same sensor on mark II, geez are they following sony A7RIII

As much as they have lost this past year, they're too big a company to back out of the market

@@MrSilesrafael What's wrong with the sensor? Sensors can't get much better until a new technology emerges. I think in the case of Nikon, better AF, and AF tracking in particular, is far more needed than a better sensor. The image quality is already terrific.

They'll be profitable again in about a year, barring any other global pandemics or catastrophes.

@Photo Bunny Actually if you see some of Matt Irwin’s videos you can clearly see the Fuji GFX Sensor fits into a Z mount so it is possible. That is a cropped Medium format. Not a full medium format like on a Phase One. But it is possible at least in theory.

Yes its nice to see her back. Evelyn puts the B back in babe.

If there are no deal breakers with z7 I would get it and put the money towards a native lens or save for the z7 iii in few years. Glass does not go out of date in a few years. Opinion based on youtube reviews on the cameras.

Thanks, Richard. If you don't need the redundancy of the 2nd card slot, the original Z7 is still a great option. As @zupperm mentioned, investing in glass will always go further than getting the best/newest body. The new Z lenses are fantastic too. I think you will enjoy going to mirrorless. :)

But, I seriously feel, this dual-processor got the potential to improve in a drastic way. When they have the mirrorless version of D6, we may see similar AF performance with this system too. I hope they will continuously improve those aspects via firmware updates. So, I would recommend Z7ii over the initial Z7.

@me bravo Not the quality.. But the overall performance of the body, better AF, better low light performance etc.

Which did you end up going with? I upgraded from the d750 to the Z 7ii and now cannot figure out what lens would be best for portrait photography. The lenses for the d750 don’t fit the Z 7ii and I wasn’t aware of that when I bought it!

@@bbymoth FTZ adapter

Thanks for your feedback. :)

It seems to be slightly improved. There is still a bit of blackout. But, it is not too distracting. We shot this on our Panasonic GH5 and a bit of the coverage *in the wilderness* on the Canon R6.

@TheCameraStoreTVoffocialpage I went to the CameraStore page but don't see how to message you.

Thanks for your comments and feedback about what cameras and brands you'd like to see the Z7 II compared to. I don't think that this camera is only designed and marketed for slow and still objects. It is also quite capable of capturing wildlife and action accurately. It is evident that they are aiming for a diverse audience since they have increased the speed with the dual processors. It has a deeper buffer, a higher maximum frame rate, and improved AF performance. It is currently not industry-leading in terms of AF-C performance and tracking abilities at high frame rates. But, I like that there are lots of options for photographers to control how they want the camera's AF system to perform. As I mentioned at 5:04 this camera could be a better option if you want that type of experience. - Evelyn

@@TheCameraStoreTV Most people shoot still objects. Look around and observe street photographers, landscape photographers, hobbyists. Yes, you might have kids or dogs running around, but nobody needs 10 fps for that. It's a nice to have feature for a special occasion, but you reviewers talk about this as if this is the only AF in the camera. I use Single Servo AF 99% of the time, and I shoot 1 FPS 99% of the time, and I do travel, landscape, city and family gatherings with kids. I never missed Eye AF on my D810, nor do I need continuous tracking. I have good enough skills to nail AF without all these AF features. These reviews are totally missing the point of cameras these days, it's all about electronic specs instead of the camera's usability. I actually want to use the camera myself manually, not let the Auto modes do what they want. You say with the Nikon you need to change various AF modes for various situations as if that was a BAD thing. No, that's a good thing! I want to decide what the camera does, duh! That's why I'm spending so much money for it. Otherwise I can just use the iPhone.

​@@TaipeiGeek It is not necessarily a "bad thing" to swap between the various AF modes on the Nikon Z cameras, rather than purely relying on continuous tracking AF. It's just a different experience compared to using Canon and Sony. For example, the Sony A7R IV and Canon EOS R5 both are high-resolution cameras, that also have excellent tracking and fast burst shooting which is an asset if and when you need it. The Wide-Area AF mode on the Z7 II provides more control for the photographer is a great addition to the system and was enjoyable to use. As you said, what it comes down to is what type of experience you are looking for and what type of subject matter you are capturing. In your case, the Nikon system sounds ideal.

@Taipei Geek I didn’t see anything wrong with their review. They’re basically stating that Nikon cameras are not at the same level as Canon and Sony when it comes to auto tracking and auto focus. Also, the sad part is Nikon are trying to compete against them. Maybe you don’t need great auto tracking or auto eye but some do. For them it makes no point to invest in sub optimal gear. I shoot commercial products and fitness athletes in fast action. I need their eyes in focus coupled with high resolution images. My vision is also not the greatest anymore and I don’t want to take 10 pics to get one right. This is why when I select my next system I want to choose the one that will make my life easier. I’ve been holding off and hoping Nikon would deliver but they disappointed again.

I think by continuous AF, you mean just eye autofocus. It may not be as fast tracking the eye, but the pictures still comes out very sharp.

For others that would be a reason, to not buy it :) . I think Nikon is more photo oriented, so this decision makes some sense.

@@Benjamin_Jehne this narrative that photographers stills mainly don’t want a full flip screen needs to stop. It’s useful for stills too.

@@lobodk Why it has to stop? The normal flip screen is very stealthy way to shoot. It also does not block cabels when you shoot from the tripod into the pc, while the screen is turned up. There are a lot of pros and cons. I don’t want it, even if I would like to have it for vertical photos near the ground. I don’t want an off axis screen and I’m not a japanese tourist with his camcorder.

@@Benjamin_Jehne that’s the narrative.

I would rather not pay for the flippy screen,, for that matter, I would give up the extra card slot if it would drop the price as well. But the extra step to get into tracking has got to go and they have to beat the viewfinder lag.

G'day Geek, see you on Matt's site and like (and agree mostly with )your comments, I've had my 7II for a few days now and coming from a D810 the difference between the two is very noticeable. It'll get a good run over the Xmas break but after only a few shots I'm super impressed. I'm not prepared to just rush in and start shooting away, I'm looking at a few videos re set-up (Hudson Henry, Steve Perry mainly) and taking my time simply getting used to it. Right now, no regrets, despite the more than Aust $5000+ price tag.

💯My old d600 has one of the best sensors by today’s standards and came out in 2012. Bargain you can find for $400.

@@grantking4681 It should be a noticeable difference, since it has the D850 sensor which was much better than the D810. People forget how great these sensors were and still are.

Sensor technology isn't changing much anymore. I too wondered why he was pointing it out.

@@manilamartin1001 He pointed it out because he's clueless. He also doesn't specify what exactly he wants from a new sensor.

It's slightly improved compared to the Z7. But, it's hard to put a specific measurement on it.

Is the blackout on a mirrorless camera worse than a dslr?

@@tc6912 the problem is that the experience of all cameras varies a lot. My Z6 is different than my D850, but worse? I don't know.

Same here

Same here check me out at @demitirhernandez

I already have it, AF is still a bit disappointing for me, I feel that it is worse than on my Z6, more hunting with the same lens ...

@@amiroa99 I suggest you send your camera in for repair. My Z 6 has great AF. The Eye-AF may not be as good as Sony or Canon, but that's fine because the items I take pictures of most don't have eyes. I expect the Z II's will be even better.

​@@cactustweeter2890 I have had the Z7II for only two weeks and taken about 1,500 pictures, I also have a Z6 for two years, maybe it's because the Z7 has lower performance in low light. But it's my subjective feeling. Of course the R5 has AF on reference level at this time (I took about 1000 photos with it, its great camera). But Nikon is working hard to improve AF algorithms to get the full potential of dual processing. I believe that an important update will be released in the spring

I would say that with the Z cameras you have a chance to use the new S line lenses. That’s the biggest improvement for me anyway. But that will cost you an arm and a leg though, unfortunately.

a sony? Hahaha

Any mode with AF-C engaged slows the camera down from its maximum fps rate. I'd say it is about half the max frame rate depending on how fast-moving your subject is.

@@TheCameraStoreTV thank you so much. That would make my bird photography hard.

Does the z6ii also slow down in AF-C mode?

I too just bought a used Z6 at KEF buy prices from a friend. You and I are smart trying out mirrorless at a bargain risk free transaction! These cameras are expensive and buying new is just too risky.

@@gosman949 Yes, I agree. If you need to resell it, you lose less money.But for now I am quite happy. I am using it with 200 -500.

I did the same, AF is still a bit disappointing for me, subjectively it seems worse than on my Z6, more hunting with the same lens ... The advantage is only higher resolution without antialiasing filter, the rest is the same or not better than on the Z6, if you do not need high resolution Z6II is currently the best camera. I can't judge the video mode, I don't used it...

@@amiroa99 you bought Z7ii?

@@gfxmaniac yes, I've done about 1400 pictures with him

Congratulations on retiring! What kind of photography do you want to do with it when you get one?

@@TheCameraStoreTV Wild Life in Southern Africa(Not fast moving) , Real Estate, Milky way, Landscape, Long Exposure Seascapes, Grand Children growing up > Using S Lenses> 14-30 f4 , 20 f1.8 , 24-70 f2.8 and 70-200 f2.8 and 1.4 x convertor

No Nikon. Just my observations

Still waiting on a reply to the above from the authors of the video. I don't think what they state about the AF is true.

Hi Patrick, Face Detect, Tracking and Zone focus will slow dow the drive in Continuous High, but you can get 10 FPS in Manual Focus, Single-AF or Single Point C-AF. Sorry for the confusion and delay.

@@TheCameraStoreTV So that was an ambiguous statement that implied there is no AF at all during continuous high as opposed to it just causing it to slow down.

Good question. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

Hi, thanks for watching. The Nikon D5 is a very good camera and lends itself to sports and action. You need to weigh in factors like size of the camera, resolution, frame rate, ect. for particular needs. The Z9 would be more in line with what I would like to step into after shooting the D5.

I wanted this camera however since it lacks 4k 60 fps while recording in Atomos Ninja V, I didn’t order this camera 😩

They will release it with planned Feb 2021 Firmware update, its there on Nikon Website

@@everydayfitness6605 I believe you might be referring to the Z6 II www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-6ii.html I can’t seem to find it on the Z7 II website, but I would love to be wrong www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-7ii.html

I just tested that, it will prioritize the person closest to you within the box.

@@TheCameraStoreTV it's better :D

Americans pronounce 'Z' as zee. Many other countries (Canada and Australia as examples) pronounce 'Z' as zed.

@@mitchallen55 so what?

@@savagefrieze4675 I replied to the wrong response. My bad. Someone had asked about why people say 'zed.'

@@mitchallen55 comment did seem out of place. Truthfully I don’t pay attention to the difference anymore. I just like excellent cameras and images.

I hope you have a powerful computer with a lot of storage space for that? A new M1+ iMac maybe?

Completely agree. The Canon R5 finally has a comparable sensor to what the D850 had 5 years ago and Canon gets praised for it. There's never any critique based on the fact that they were for years selling sub par sensors as compared to competition. But the Nikon AF and flippy screen criticism is a neverending moan in every review.

@@TaipeiGeek I have unsubscribed from many of these click bait channels.

Agreed. These really aren’t photography channels anymore, they are tech review channels. Same reason I unsubscribed from Jared Polin and the Northrups. They don’t seem to actually know anything about photography.

@@onthemoverealestatephotogr9655 I did the same with those two channels a long time ago, it's all click bait "money for them" garbage.

It's a review. It is logical to talk about the camera's specs, and how they compare to the competition. Did they say it wasn't capable?

Sadly the Z7 does not have cuteness-detect autofocus

I am also confused about this...I’ve never had an issue getting eyes in focus.

I think it is more about tracking the eye in video mode than it is in stills. People want to park the camera and get in front of it.

There is something stopping you from making the switch. Many of us have it. Holding a Nikon and the actual shooting experience is a pleasure that we don't want to give up, at least not for a few fps. But they do need to show that they want to stay in the game. There is more to photography than the spec sheet.

Every camera will last for years to come if you’ll allow it. If you are a spec warrior you’ll be switching out cameras every two years regardless of brand.

@@lilnape2604 I think that Sony will be the standard for years to come. Its Impressive

Not an upgrade. Just. Different.

Nikon has been manufacturing in Thailand for decades, the D850 was manufactured in Thailand. The product will be held to the same standard no matter where it is made, this is a fools argument. I don't see too many people complaining about where OLED panels are manufactured. LG supplies Sony, Panasonic, Toshiba and several other manufacturers with panels made in China and Korea. I'm sure the same people that find fault with Nikon for moving manufacturing out of Japan have no issue buying other high end goods manufactured in China, Korea, Thailand... looking at you Ken Rockwell.

LOL

And “Niccon” rather than “Nycon” for us ex-British Southern Hemisphere colonists...

That how the rest of the English speaking world pronounces it.

We're Canadian, eh.

I think in Canada, Nikon should just rename to the Nikon YYZ 7ii (RUSH fans will get this 😎👍)

They did set the standard alright, but Canon has definitely caught up! Try the R6 and R5! It’s great having a few good companies battling it out as they make better products for consumers!

Sony owned 100% of the full frame mirrorless market and now own roughly 40%, 2 years after Canon and Nikon joined the party. That percentage will shrink in no time because the majority of Nikon and Canon dslr users will be loyal to their brand when eventually moving to mirrorless. By the end of 2021 Canon & Nikon will have a more complete native lens selection, with new flagship bodies fitted with improved specs as well. Sony is the autofocus King but that gap is narrowing very fast so when it's its a relatively level playing field in that department I don't see how Sony can maintain its top position. Weather sealing, colors and ergonomics are Canon & Nikon all the way.

Canon R6 R5 best mirrorless autofocus right now. Nikon Z cameras best colors and ergonomics right now. Nikon D5 D6 best sports autofocus right now. Sony playing catch-up right now.

Extremely biased, R5 & R6 are exceptional, get them with RF glass and you will see. Ugly and chunky? You clearly haven’t used them for any length of time! All Nikon, Canon and Sony’s are excellent at this stage people need to stop being so brand biased! Top cameras 20 years ago didn’t have near the level of features any of these cameras have yet there were fantastic photographs taken then.

​@@KevinJRegan Did you read the post, or you just want to spread some hate!? Did I say, that I used them? Did I have to use them to say they're chunky and ugly? I shot with Canon till 2014, than I switched to Sony. I never sold the gear because I knew that there will be a day, that they will keep up with the others in terms of sensor tech again. Do you want to tell me, that their cameras where on par with Sony and Nikon for the last years? I don't think so. Did you used Z bodies? They where so underhyped as it could be, but they're god - really good. Not compareable to an EOS R or RP. The R6 and R5 are the first cameras, that bring Canon back on track, but they are not better, they're not the holy grail, as some youtubers promote them. If you like it big and chunky, go for the Canons, I like it smaller. It was one reason for my switch. But I consider a R6 for my old glass, even when I think, this thing is as ugly as a camera could be. Thats what I think, you can love the design and everyone will be fine with that. So calm down and next time think twice, before you spread your fanboy accusations to others.

@@Benjamin_Jehne what are you talking about, spread hate, reread what I said. I never once said anything negative. I shoot Nikon too. Fan boy accusations? Calm down? Nothing wrong with me mate, who am I suppose to be a fanboy for I said Nikon, Canon and Sony are all excellent! You are obviously reading the post in a wrong context, I ain’t no keyboard warrior, happy shooting & enjoy the Xmas 📷

@Photo Bunny I’ve never heard anyone anywhere refer to Nikon giving up, they are just after releasing a new Z mount in the last few years why does anyone think they are just giving up. It would not be good at all to only have a 2 horse race the more competitors the better the outcome for consumers. Of course Nikon are working hard in R&D to bring new and better cameras to the market like everyone else. Nikon have made great camera equipment for years! Camera manufacturers always over jump each other for a short time until something new and better comes out. They are all great cameras at this stage and if someone can’t take fantastic photos with any recent camera it’s the person taking the photograph.

@Photo Bunny I wouldn’t mind them, some of them spend more time talking about gear than actually getting out shooting 📷 enjoy Xmas 👍🏻