Nikon Z6 Comparison Review

The Nikon Z6 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in August 2018 and is equipped with a full frame sensor. It offers a resolution of 24.3 megapixel.

Is the Nikon Z6 a good camera? The Z6 has a Camera Elo of 2725. This rating puts the Z6 among the top 40 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (full frame cameras), the Z6 also ranks among the top 40 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 3.5-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Nikon Z6 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon Z6 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Nikon Z6	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	310	Y	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
2.		Nikon Zf	144 mm	103 mm	49 mm	710 g	380	Y	Sep 2023	1,999	amazon.com
3.		Nikon Z5	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	470	Y	Jul 2020	1,399	amazon.com
4.		Nikon Z6 II	134 mm	101 mm	70 mm	705 g	410	Y	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
5.		Nikon Z7	134 mm	101 mm	67 mm	675 g	330	Y	Aug 2018	3,399	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D750	141 mm	113 mm	78 mm	750 g	1230	Y	Sep 2014	2,299	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic S5	133 mm	98 mm	82 mm	714 g	440	Y	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
8.		Sony A9 II	129 mm	96 mm	76 mm	678 g	690	Y	Oct 2019	4,499	amazon.com
9.		Sony A7 III	127 mm	96 mm	74 mm	650 g	610	Y	Feb 2018	1,999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A9	127 mm	96 mm	63 mm	673 g	650	Y	Apr 2017	4,499	ebay.com
11.		Sony A7 II	127 mm	96 mm	60 mm	599 g	350	Y	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon Z6 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,999. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check Z6 offers at
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Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Nikon Z6 features a full frame sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon Z6 among the large-sensor cameras that aim for top notch image quality.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar cameras.

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 Z5	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	4K/30p	25.3	14.3	2929	95
4.		Nikon Z6 II	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.0	14.4	3303	94
5.		Nikon Z7	Full Frame	45.4	8256	5504	4K/30p	26.3	14.6	2668	99
6.		Nikon D750	Full Frame	24.2	6016	4016	1080/60p	24.8	14.5	2956	93
7.		Panasonic S5	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/60p	25.1	14.5	2697	94
8.		Sony A9 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.0	3434	93
9.		Sony A7 III	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.0	14.7	3730	96
10.		Sony A9	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.9	13.3	3517	92
11.		Sony A7 II	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.9	13.6	2449	90
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The Z6 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the Z6 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the Z6 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 3690k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.80x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Nikon Z6 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon Z6	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
2.		Nikon Zf	3690	n	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
3.		Nikon Z5	3690	n	3.2 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/8000s	4.5/s	n	Y
4.		Nikon Z6 II	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
5.		Nikon Z7	3690	Y	3.2 / 2100	tilting	Y	1/8000s	9.0/s	n	Y
6.		Nikon D750	optical	Y	3.2 / 1229	tilting	n	1/4000s	6.0/s	Y	n
7.		Panasonic S5	2360	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	7.0/s	n	Y
8.		Sony A9 II	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
9.		Sony A7 III	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
10.		Sony A9	3686	n	3.0 / 1440	tilting	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
11.		Sony A7 II	2400	n	3.0 / 1230	tilting	n	1/8000s	5.0/s	n	Y
Notes: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Nikon Z6 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One useful feature of the Z6 is a presence of a top-level LCD. While being, of course, smaller than the rear screen, the control panel conveys some of the essential shooting information and can be convenient for quick and easy settings verification.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon Z6 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon Z6	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
2.		Nikon Zf	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Nikon Z5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
4.		Nikon Z6 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
5.		Nikon Z7	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
6.		Nikon D750	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Panasonic S5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Sony A9 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
9.		Sony A7 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	Y	Y
10.		Sony A9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y
11.		Sony A7 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

It is notable that the Z6 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the Z6 can be found in the free online Nikon Z6 Manual or on the Nikon support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the Z6. User reviews that are available, for instance, at amazon can sometimes shed light on these issues, but such feedback is all too often partial, inconsistent, and inaccurate. This is why expert reviews are important. The table below summarizes the assessments of some of the best known camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)	Street Price
1.		Nikon Z6	5/5	..	5/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2018	1,999	ebay.com
2.		Nikon Zf	..	..	..	..	..	..	Sep 2023	1,999	amazon.com
3.		Nikon Z5	4/5	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jul 2020	1,399	amazon.com
4.		Nikon Z6 II	4.5/5	..	4/5	89/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2020	1,999	amazon.com
5.		Nikon Z7	5/5	+	4.8/5	89/100	4.5/5	5/5	Aug 2018	3,399	ebay.com
6.		Nikon D750	5/5	+ +	4/5	90/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2014	2,299	ebay.com
7.		Panasonic S5	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	88/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2020	1,999	amazon.com
8.		Sony A9 II	..	..	5/5	90/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2019	4,499	amazon.com
9.		Sony A7 III	..	+ +	4.5/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2018	1,999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A9	5/5	+ +	4.8/5	89/100	5/5	5/5	Apr 2017	4,499	ebay.com
11.		Sony A7 II	5/5	+	4/5	82/100	4.5/5	5/5	Nov 2014	1,999	ebay.com
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. Hence, a score should always be seen in the context of the camera's market launch date and its price, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

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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