Battery problem? Nooo! More than 5,500 pictures.
I have read in several places that the battery only allows 300 pictures. This is a complete lie. With a single battery, I am able to shoot more than 5,500 photographs without recharging. All were shot in RAW. I also had activated the stabilizer in normal and sport. The camera was in airplane mode. I do not know if this affects a lot.
I think that only using the electronic viewfinder, you could easily shoot 7000 or 8000 photographs. In addition, I must note that I used a 2-year-old battery that I used to use for my old Nikon d750 for the test.
Nikon Z6 at ISO 5,000
Wonderful electronic viewfinder
The electronic viewfinder is wonderful. It looks perfect and makes it impossible to fail exposure, ISO or white balance. Also, you can see the real bokeh. The viewfinder gives you the ability to see how the final photo will truly turn out.
I have always wanted to avoid attracting attention at weddings and use small and light equipment so that nobody thinks that I am the official photographer and that I come from another country to photograph the wedding.
This makes the guests nervous and I want naturalness and spontaneity. That’s why I used the d750. Wonderful camera; small, light and very efficient in focusing with low light, backlight and aperture 1.8, my specialty.
I used all of the Nikon lenses, beginning with the 1.4 and the classic lenses. But for years I have used the magnificent 85 1.8 and the 28 1.8. They are wonderfully small and light lenses. I don’t miss the 1.4, and my fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders and back appreciate it.
Weight and size and focus
The Nikon z6 is not as small and light as one may dream, but it is better. The problem is the adapter and the absence of small native Z lenses for my taste and circumstances.
The approach is better than the D750, and, in my opinion, better than the D850. When I speak of focus I don’t mean shooting f/4 with sunlight towards am immobile subject. I like to photograph weddings. People are moving fast, backlit, and without light, at f1.8.
Focus in low light is exceptional. What the human eye does not see, the z6 does. It also focuses. Many cameras now have a great ISO performance but it does not help if they don’t focus when you need it to while shooting at a high ISO, such as 5,000 or 12,800.
Spectacular ISO
I do not understand how the battery, focus or ISO tests were done by some sites. The least important thing for a professional wedding photographer is that a lens has a bit of a chromatic aberration, sharpness in the corners or better definition. We look to capture the magic. Many of my best photos are at ISO 12.800 with the d750 and my clients love them. And they have some noise; it’s not the same sharpness as ISO 100. Most of my clients are professional photographers.
The automatic predictive approach of the z6 is wonderful. I had never used it professionally because it did not work well in other cameras, Sony being the exception. Maybe start using it with the z6.
On my Instagram, hundreds of people ask me if the battery and the XQD card are a problem. That is the most complicated issue. Nikon says that the XQD card is unbreakable, but a professional wedding photographer is more relaxed finishing the wedding and having two copies of the pictures. A wedding photographer’s work not only consists of his art but in his professionalism when it comes to ensuring a unique and unrepeatable moment. Many professionals fail here.
It is what I miss most in the z6, along with the adapter and the problem of its weight and size. Of course, it focuses just like the Z native objectives without losing luminosity.
This is the real lighting that the human eye saw. It is evident that nobody is going to have to make a photo like this.
This is ISO 51.200. 85 1.8 to 1 / 160s
If you manage a bit with black noise reducer, the results are fascinating. Truly amazing. It can even be read.
Megapixels? Z6 or z7?
Another thing that I really liked about the z6 is the ability to shoot in RAW L, M and S. The 24 megapixels of the D750 was too much for me. If I use the z6 I shoot RAW M, which is 13 megapixels.
I am not one of those people who are obsessed with a brand, but I want to do my job as well as possible. I have tried other brands and for now, the Nikon z6 is wonderful. Obviously, I do not need the z7 and I have megapixels on the z6. I do not even need that much of a frame rate per second. I never shoot bursts. With a photo per second, I have plenty.
Each user must test the equipment thoroughly. Many pages just copy and paste information, and sometimes that information is not real. Each user has their own circumstances. Do your research and help yourself to pages like this to know the opinions of others. Thanks for your time.
About the Author
Fran Russo is a Spanish photographer who works primarily in Spain and USA. You can find more of his work on his Instagram or his website. This article was originally published here (in Spanish) and shared with permission.
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