Nikon announced the follow-ups to its first two full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Z6 and Z7. Naturally, the successors are called the Z6 II and Z7 II.
Nikon Z6 II and Z7 II support 4K 60p video
Both of the cameras retain the same sensors and bodies as their previous counterparts. The Z6 II houses a 24-megapixel sensor, while the Z7 II sports a 5.6-megapixel sensor. While the new models retain a lot of features and specs, they do improve on the originals. Specifically, both cameras now are capable of shooting 4K videos at 60 frames per second—fps. Previously, they were capped at 30 fps. However, the Z6’s 4K 60 fps video is cropped to an APS-C size and oversampled video 4K 30p uses the camera’s entire sensor width. As for the Z7 II, it has a 1.08 times crop on 4K 60p video and uses the full sensor width for 4K at 30 fps. Additionally, both models output 10-bit N-Log or HDR (HLG) footage with ProRes RAW and Blackmagic RAW supported. Those features are coming in February 2021.
Shooting speeds
Now, the Z6 II is capable of 14 fps for 12-bit RAWs and continuous AF with a single point. That’s a huge improvement over the original Z6. It could only handle 5.5 fps with continuous autofocus. Also, it seems the Z6 II is culpable of shooting 12 fps with subject tracking on. The Z7 II can shoot 10 fps, though it’s just with a single autofocus point. That means you can’t turn on subject tracking.
Autofocus
Nikon made improvements to both cameras’ autofocus—AF—capabilities. Now fitted with the faster Expeed 6 processors, the camera’s face and eye-detect autofocus now work in wide-area AF mode. Previously, they worked in auto-area AF. So now you can select a general focus area. Also, the AF systems are more sensitive. They’re capable of working in 4.5 EV light.
Bodies
Initial impressions tell us that the Z6 II and Z7 II’s bodies haven’t changed all that much from the original models. However, both now feature dual card slots. One is for SD UHS-II cards. The other is for XQD or CFexpress cards. The 3.69 million dots electronic viewfinder and the overall body design hasn’t been changed.
Pricing and availability
The Nikon Z6 will be released next month for $2,000 (body only). The Z7 II will be out in December for $3,000 (body only).
Image courtesy: Nikon
