What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon Z6?

The Nikon Z6 provides 24.3 megapixels from a full frame sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.94µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Nikon Z6 measures 35.9mm in width and 23.9mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 858 mm². Moreover, the Z6 has 6 048 horizontal pixels and 4 024 vertical pixels, for a total of 24.3 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (858 mm²) to the MP count (24 337 152).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Nikon Z6 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

#		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon Z6	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	3299	95
2.		Nikon Zf	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.4	14.7	3243	96
3.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
4.		Nikon Z7	Full Frame	45.4	8256	5504	4K/30p	26.3	14.6	2668	99
5.		Nikon D750	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/60p	24.8	14.5	2956	93
6.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
7.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
8.		Sony A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96
9.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
10.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
11.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon Z6 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the Z6 was initially launched in August 2018 at a price of $1,999.

Check Z6 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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