Our lab tests measure resolution, dynamic range and signal to noise ratio. We test mirrorless and DSLR cameras both in real-world shooting scenarios and in carefully controlled lab conditions. However, if you’re looking to shoot video as well as stills, and your subjects are often people or animals, the Z6 II is the better choice.
If your primary interest is stills photography the Z6 is still a great option that offers a significant cost saving over the Z6 II. Again, these improvements are underpinned by the extra processing power. While the performance of the Eye-detection AF for video was okay rather than great at launch, successive firmware upgrades have improved the Z6 II’s performance in this regard. The key improvement this enables is the extension of Eye-detection AF to video mode. Nikon Z6 vs Z6 II: conclusionsĪside from the additional card slot and the change in the battery, all the upgrades that the Z6 II makes over the Z6 are brought by the additional processing power. It makes the grip feel very, very slightly chunkier, but the Z6 II is still a remarkably compact camera for a full-frame model with such a large lens mount. This small expansion was necessary to accommodate the additional memory card slot and processing engine.
SizeĪlthough they are almost indistinguishable from each other if their names are covered, the Z6 II is actually 2mm deeper than the Z6. In both cases, that’s up 30 shots on the Z6 with the EN-EL15b battery.īoth the EN-EL15b and EN-EL15c can be charged via a power delivery (PD) USB-C connection to the Z6 or Z6II. VideoĪlthough the Z6 II can accept any existing EN-EL15 battery variant, it comes with the EN-EL15c battery. Under CIPA testing, the EN-EL15c lasts for 340 shots (without Energy saving mode) when the Z6 II’s viewfinder is used and 410 when the screen is used. If you want 14-bit files, the maximum rate is 10fps. The Z6 II beats the Z6’s 12fps maximum rate with a 14fps maximum rate, provided that you can accept shooting 12-bit raw files rather than 14-bit. Nevertheless, it’s a terrific pace that enables split-second moments and fleeting expressions to be captured. Maximum continuous shooting rateĪ few years ago we could only dream of shooting images at 12fps, but now there are cameras that make that seem quite pedestrian. Conveniently, the various human and animal Eye-detection AF modes available on the Z6 II are listed as options in the ‘i’ menu to speed their selection. The Z6 can only use Eye-detection AF in ‘Auto-area AF’ mode.
In addition, Eye-detection AF can be used in ‘Wide-area AF’ as well as ‘Auto-area AF’ on the Z6 II, which means you can reduce the size of the target area of the image for eye detection. Perhaps the most significant change introduced for the Z6 II’s AF system, however, is that the Eye-detection AF for humans or animals operates in video mode as well as stills, the Z6 can only use it during stills shooting.
However, both cameras have a Low-light AF mode which extends their sensitivity range to -6 to +19EV at the expense of longer acquisition times. In its default settings, the Z6 II’s autofocus system is 1EV more sensitive in low light than the original Z6, which gives it an advantage in dim or variable conditions. This is is resolved with the Z6 II as it has two cards slots, one that’s compatible with XQD and CFexpress cards and the other for UHS-I or UHS-II complaint SD/SD/HC/SDXC cards. Nikon’s explanation was that XQD and CFexpress cards are fast and more robust than SD-type media – however, they’re also more expensive and less readily available. Some were also disappointed that Nikon had plumped for an XQD card slot (later made able to also accept CFexpress cards via a firmware update) rather than the more common SD-type. The biggest concern that some photographers had with the original Z6 was its single memory card slot.