Is it just me - or is there little enthusiasm for the Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless range released last year?
I now find myself in somewhat of a quandary over these cameras, and I would greatly appreciate some advice.
I use digital (85%) and film (15%) to shoot a reasonable range of subjects, mostly colonial architecture. Not only old buildings (also new buildings), but also landscapes, some street work, people (candid portraits), local events, whatever I find in my travels or my local rambles. On the whole, my subjects tend not to move too fast.
I retired in 2012 and have used two D700s with a good set of excellent AF D lenses. These cameras (like their owner) are getting long in the tooth, and my even older D90 (our at-home P&S) is now so old and obsolete that it isn't even a game player in my photography (hough it continues to make excellent images).
Last December I turned 71, and my dear partner, having just received a long-overdue family inheritance, has offered me a delayed retirement gift of my choice - a new Nikon Z6 with adapter or a Nikon Df, also new. I will likely buy a camera without lens although I'm interested in the (as yet untested by me) 24-70 Z.
I've shot with the Df. I like it, and I have a good selection of ancient Nikkors I could use with it, but on the whole it left me rather underwhelmed. Too little on offer for too much money, was my summing up. I do like its look and ergonomically it's pleasant to work with. Results are OK, quite close to what I'm now getting with my aging D700s.
The Z6 is a fine machine but total overkill for me. I don't need all that zip. The Z6 would suit me so much better. I've handled one and the sales person (in Melbourne) kindly let me try it for a few images with in the shop.Again, I thought, just OK, but then the situation was somewhat limited. Not out in the field, no old colonial mansions calling out for a portrait...
I like how it handles and the ergonomics are OK (the Df's were better, I believe). One question I didn't ask was, how will it cope with my collection of AF D lenses? Using the adaptor, of course. Does this gizmo limit the lens functions in any way or impact on the image quality?
I have 10 D lenses in the 20-180 range and a few zooms and a dozen old Nikkors, F, AI and AIS. Mostly F as I bought them in the' 70s and '80s to use with my Nikkormats, which I still have and use. Dinosaur glass, but very fine image-makers.
I've searched the web for some intelligent technical and user Z6 and Df reviews, largey to no avail. Found one (in a photo web site) from Z6 users who were, on the whole, underwhelmed for various reasons, some applied to me, others didn't.
I know camera reviews are basically meant to sell cameras, so the usual disclaimers apply. What I find perplexing is that, for the most part, other than the usual marketing-sale hyperbole which all go along the lines of "Gee whiz! It's Nikon, it's new, and it's wonderful!" there wasn't much I could relate to in terms of how the camera works in the field,how shooters felt about actually using it, and how it compares to other current Nikon Ds.
Would anyone with a Z6 care to comment? There will be sales coming up in Australia in March for the Z6 and I would like to buy then if I decide to go that way. Df prices on the whole are somewhat too high for my budget in Melbourne (I could buy a Z6 kit including the 24-70 on special for a few hundred more than I would have to pay for a new Df) and I have to admit I am at a complete loss to decide which way to go.
So, in two words, Please Help. Many thanks in advance.
I now find myself in somewhat of a quandary over these cameras, and I would greatly appreciate some advice.
I use digital (85%) and film (15%) to shoot a reasonable range of subjects, mostly colonial architecture. Not only old buildings (also new buildings), but also landscapes, some street work, people (candid portraits), local events, whatever I find in my travels or my local rambles. On the whole, my subjects tend not to move too fast.
I retired in 2012 and have used two D700s with a good set of excellent AF D lenses. These cameras (like their owner) are getting long in the tooth, and my even older D90 (our at-home P&S) is now so old and obsolete that it isn't even a game player in my photography (hough it continues to make excellent images).
Last December I turned 71, and my dear partner, having just received a long-overdue family inheritance, has offered me a delayed retirement gift of my choice - a new Nikon Z6 with adapter or a Nikon Df, also new. I will likely buy a camera without lens although I'm interested in the (as yet untested by me) 24-70 Z.
I've shot with the Df. I like it, and I have a good selection of ancient Nikkors I could use with it, but on the whole it left me rather underwhelmed. Too little on offer for too much money, was my summing up. I do like its look and ergonomically it's pleasant to work with. Results are OK, quite close to what I'm now getting with my aging D700s.
The Z6 is a fine machine but total overkill for me. I don't need all that zip. The Z6 would suit me so much better. I've handled one and the sales person (in Melbourne) kindly let me try it for a few images with in the shop.Again, I thought, just OK, but then the situation was somewhat limited. Not out in the field, no old colonial mansions calling out for a portrait...
I like how it handles and the ergonomics are OK (the Df's were better, I believe). One question I didn't ask was, how will it cope with my collection of AF D lenses? Using the adaptor, of course. Does this gizmo limit the lens functions in any way or impact on the image quality?
I have 10 D lenses in the 20-180 range and a few zooms and a dozen old Nikkors, F, AI and AIS. Mostly F as I bought them in the' 70s and '80s to use with my Nikkormats, which I still have and use. Dinosaur glass, but very fine image-makers.
I've searched the web for some intelligent technical and user Z6 and Df reviews, largey to no avail. Found one (in a photo web site) from Z6 users who were, on the whole, underwhelmed for various reasons, some applied to me, others didn't.
I know camera reviews are basically meant to sell cameras, so the usual disclaimers apply. What I find perplexing is that, for the most part, other than the usual marketing-sale hyperbole which all go along the lines of "Gee whiz! It's Nikon, it's new, and it's wonderful!" there wasn't much I could relate to in terms of how the camera works in the field,how shooters felt about actually using it, and how it compares to other current Nikon Ds.
Would anyone with a Z6 care to comment? There will be sales coming up in Australia in March for the Z6 and I would like to buy then if I decide to go that way. Df prices on the whole are somewhat too high for my budget in Melbourne (I could buy a Z6 kit including the 24-70 on special for a few hundred more than I would have to pay for a new Df) and I have to admit I am at a complete loss to decide which way to go.
So, in two words, Please Help. Many thanks in advance.
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