Z 7

The Z7 is an excellent camera in almost every way. It is much lighter than my D800e, more compact, and more comfortable to hold. At this point I have used it only with my FX lenses and everything works perfectly. If you do not already have a DSLR and have not decided on whether to purchase a traditional DSLR or the mirrorless versions I would suggest purchasing one of the mirrorless models as this is obviously where photography will be going.

In terms of the future I would ask that Nikon incorporate an on camera flash in later models. I have a speedlight but I don´t always have it with me so having a built-in light source is a nice feature. Also, an eyepiece curtain would also be very nice to have. My D800e has a simple switch that covers the eyepiece when I am taking long exposures at night. This prevents extraneous light from reaching the sensor and affecting the exposure. It is a simple feature that would make the Z7 a more professional camera.

I am still learning about this camera so I am certain there are still pros and cons with which I will need to familiarize myself. As of now I am very happy to have invested in this excellent addition to the Nikon line of cameras.

I traded my D850 for the Z-7 and the D850 took great pictures. This camera is lighter and quieter than the D850. I have shot some pictures of animals and they do not hear the shutter as they were alarmed before. Although the D850 took great pictures, this one has a little more detail and color and is a little more of the natural look, which I like in a photo. I have not used the movie shooting yet, but I rarely do, for I like stills. looking for a camera as natural as the eye can see. This is the one.

I bought the Z7 thinking that it would be a nice second to my D850, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that in many ways they are the same camera, just two different form factors. Given the ´´what you see is what you get´´ factor of the OLED, I find myself fully capable of using manual mode at all times. To match the Z7 body are a great set of S line lenses.

I recently bought two Nikon cameras, the Z 50 and two days later a Z 7. Due to getting to know both of these new bodies I don´t know the Z 7 well enough to give much of a review. I can tell you that as of Oct 2018 I had a Nikon D5500 and D750 with a number of lenses. I wanted to go mirrorless and headed in to buy a Z 7 or 6. They did not have either at my local camera shop and bought a Sony A7iii on the spot. Reason being I had heard good things about it, had owned a number of Sony compact bodies going back to the Sony Mavica, and most importantly has 6 AF Minolta lenses I liked that I knew would adapt easily to the A7iii. I also bought the native Sony 55mm f1.8 Zeiss and later added the 35mm 2.8 Zeiss and 24-105 Sony G.

To make a long story short, I never really liked the A7iii. It did not fit my reasonably large hand nearly as well as the D5500 and D750. I also found the Sony menu difficult to use and obscurely worded so it was extremely hard or impossible to understand without googling things. No touch screen. Most lenses put the weight of the camera and lens way in front of the camera and to me quite unbalanced in my hand compared to the Nikons or several of my film cameras. After a week I wanted to sell the Sony. But I made my self keep it for a year as so many people raved about this camera. To be fair the A7iii was made well, was reliable, and gave good files. I just did not enjoy the experience of using it. This was compared to the D5500 which I loved and a D750 which I was quite happy with.

I rented a Nikon Z 7 about December 2018 about two months after getting the Sony. I took it to Balboa Park and without reading any operators manual was able to get good results easily. I decided then that after the year was up unless I really had a change of heart I would switch back to Nikon. I became much better at using the A7iii but never really liked the camera. So when the Z 50 came out it seemed like the upgrade to the D5500 I loved so much. I went down to George´s camera in San Diego and bought one with the two lenses on the first day they were available. I liked the Z 50 so much that I went and bought the Z 7 I had planned to buy.

So where I am at now is I jumped into the Z 50 first and really like that camera a lot. Both stills and video. I like the Z 7 too but am just getting to know it. I went out yesterday and shot some street shots with the 24-70 f4 lens to check color against similar shots I took with a film camera and Ektachrome. I am very happy with the results so far and will add more information to this review after I use the Z 7 more hours. I can say immediately that the feel and balance of the body is great. Far better for my hand than the A7iii. Also the 50mm f1.8 gives beautiful results. Every bit as good as the Sony with the Zeiss 55mm that I liked so much.

The Z 50 might be the best family social multi use camera /video capture device I have every used. It adds terrific video to the D5500´s stills. I just need to use the Z 7 some more to add more to these comments.

I like that it is very light, the LED screen is touchable and is responsive, the pictures come out fantastic, and it has auto mode for when I´m in a mad rush to get a picture taken. The QXD card is pricey, but very fast, so I can live with that.

I tried many cameras before deciding on the Z7 and I´m glad I did because I better appreciate the menu system, the touch screen, the size and control layout, the customization options, the unbelievable image quality and color science. None of the other systems I tried were as good. I love the Z7!

The most difficult part of owning the 7 is ´´do I call it the ZEE Seven or the ZED Seven? That question aside, this camera is my first venture into the mirrorless world and I am loving every minute with the camera. I have found the ´´kit´´ lens, the 24-70 f4, is a perfect one to keep on the camera all the time. My next purchase will probably be one of the 2020 proposed lenses, most likely the 20mm or the 14-24. I have found the Z7 easy to use, and packed with enough features and customizable features to make it easy to use, and at the same time detailed for the most advanced photography levels. The FTZ adapter makes it even more versatile and enables me to use much of my existing Nikon lenses. My former Nikon cameras included the D810 and some older models. The D810 is sad that I have moved to a new camera, but will take it with me because it is still one of the best full frame cameras I have ever owned.

Purchased my first mirrorless camera and I´m in love with it. I like the quality that Nikon provides. The reason I didn´t give the 5 stars is because I think they waited too long to come out with the mirrorless system giving Sony the advantage of having more lenses. The adapter works very good with my older lenses but it takes away from having a more simplified system. I do recommend the Nikon Z7 and I´m sure Nikon is working on getting their eye focusing system as good as Sony.

The Z7 along with the 14-30mm and 24-70mm lenses are a welcome lightweight combination for landscape photography. The Z7´s high-points are the image stabilization and the electronic EVF. I can take sharp, hand-held images at ridiculously low shutter speeds. Because the menus and body designs are so similar between the D850 and Z7, switching from one camera to the other is easy. I do wish the camera body was as robust as the D850 and that the lcd screen articulated as much as the D850. If the Z7 camera body was more robust (“Pro-level”), I would rate this camera higher than 3 stars. Maybe even a 5!