I´ve owned the Nikon D300, D90, D7000, D7200, D700, D800, D750, D850, and now the Z7. While the Z7 isn´t perfect, it´s close. I´m hopeful the AF system can be upgraded to be on par with the D850; we shall see. So far I only have the Nikkor 24-70mm S lens but it is a gem. Over time I´ll replace the assortment of lenses I have from using the D850, but some may never be replaced like the 8-15mm f/3.5 fisheye. As I´m getting older my ability to carry big lens bags has gone so I chose what I take carefully. For landscape photography I can pack light and use what I have to ease the pain. Shooting long lens action like BIF and air shows, require using the D850 with the Nikkor 200-500 f/5.6 or hopefully the 500mm f/5.6 in the near future. I hope the Z7 continues to improve or we´ll get what we need in the inevitable Z8!

The Z7 is a complete camera, delivering on the very high expectations that I had for a full-frame mirrorless camera from Nikon. It has the feel and ergonomics of a professional Nikon body while delivering a new standard in image quality with the new S-line lenses. And the system´s backward compatibility with hundreds of F-mount lenses - without compromising the features or image quality of those lenses - is the best of all possible worlds. My only complaints are the lowered AF performance (vs. D850) and lack of flash AF illumination assist with SB flash units. As a result, low light AF can be challenging despite the Z7 sensor´s ability to superbly handle low light, high ISO image capture.

The new Z7 is an amazing camera. Being mirrorless, the first thing you will notice is the compact design and lighter weight compared to its DSLR equivalent. This is both an advantage and in some minor ways a disadvantage. Obviously it´s much lighter to carry and shoot during long sessions but when coupled with larger lenses can be a little off balance which is really just a minor annoyance. The low light performance of this camera is excellent and the noise induced from using higher ISO settings seems to be less than its competition from my experience. The real reason you should buy this camera though is the native S series lens designed for this body. The new lenses are amazing both in build quality and performance. Even the basic kit lens (24-70mm f/4) performs better than others “professional line” lenses in my experience. The sharpness from center all the way to the edge is unparalleled. For those of you who do video, there is absolutely no lens breathing at all. I´ve purchased the 50mm prime S lens for my portraits and it performs extremely well. I also shoot an F mount 14-24mm Sigma for landscapes and it performs better on the Z cameras than it did on my old Nikons (850, 5600) . As others have stated, it´s comparable to the 850. In my opinion it performs just as well in most areas. The only area I give the 850 an advantage is in auto focusing. Some of my peers have complained that for a professional grade camera they don´t like only having one card slot but my counter to that point is 2 fold; 1 being that XQD cards are extremely reliable and the fast access speeds are what you need for a camera with these specs and 2; if you are truly concerned about backups there is a wireless solution to have your images saved to a wireless backup as they are shot so it really isn´t a big deal. If you are looking for a professional camera that is the next step in camera evolution and has amazing lens quality then this is the camera for you. If you aren´t quite ready to learn the intracicies of shooting with a mirrorless vs your trusty DSLR then maybe stick with an 850. I love my Z7 so much so that I´ve gotten rid of the D850 and shoot with the Z7 only now.

While I use photography in the process of publications I´m an editor for I do not consider myself a ´´Pro´´ by any means. I have used Nikon cameras since the 70´s and my previous camera was a D5100. While people were very pleased with the images from my D5100 I always wanted better results. With my first pics at a meeting, I could see the difference. My publisher saw the difference as well! I shot video at my granddaughter´s dance recital and was amazed at how clear the video came out - it was so lifelike. The ability to take jpeg still shots while filming was exciting and though the images are smaller sized, they are rewarding.
I´ve found using the adapter for my existing Nikor lenses to be easy to use and with great results.
I know there is so much more to learn about the Z7 but, I´m always excited to open the manual and learn what else this fantastic camera can do!
I look forward to the release of more Z7 lenses.

I spend a lot of time hiking into locations to take nature photos. I´d been eyeing mirrorless systems for some time envious of their light weight but was loathe to abandon my Nikon roots. The wait paid off with the introduction of the Z7. The reduced weight is appreciated on long hikes and the performance of the camera is unbelievable. I couldn´t imagine a better camera for my purposes.

As a travel and landscape photographer, the reduced weight and excellent sensor fit my photography needs perfectly.

Since graduating from college back in the last century (okay, it was 1980), there have only been two announcements about new cameras coming to the market that have really grabbed my attention. The first was the Leica M8, the German company´s first digital rangefinder released in 2007; and the Nikon Z series of mirrorless cameras recently released. And while I´m not always comfortable being a first-adopter of new technology, I purchased both of these cameras as soon as they were available.
I wanted the M8 in order to use my Leica lenses on a digital body. For much of the work I was doing at the time, which included global travel as an editor at AutoWeek magazine, a Leica was perfect. The camera and manual focus prime lenses are small – easy for travel – extremely sharp and much of the work I was doing for the magazine was wide-angle--another strength of Leica lenses. But the move to digital photography had relegated my film bodies – and their lenses – to the bench, which is why the allure of a digital M was so attractive.
In the spring of 2007 I was in Germany to take European delivery of an Audi S6 for the magazine and “had” to spend a week in Germany putting the break-in miles on the car. Picking up the S6 at Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt in southeast Germany, I eventually made my way north to stop at the Leica factory in Solms where I picked up an M8 and 28mm Elmarit lens. Even though the M8 was not everything I wanted it to be, it did accomplish a couple of the goals I had for the camera: it was small - just a slightly bigger than my Leica film bodies - and it allowed me to use my Leica lenses and produce digital files. Its crop sensor was my biggest dislike and the files were not all that good in low-light situations. But I used the camera for several years, published hundreds of images from it both in print and online and if that M8 was eligible for frequent flier miles it would have racked up dozens of free tickets. It was my constant travel companion to international auto shows, Formula One races, new-car launches and even a World Rally Championship race in Wales.
While I have been a Leica user since college, I´ve also been a Nikon user. In the pre-autofocus days during my newspaper career I liked working with one Nikon body – usually an F3 with a 180mm lens and a Leica with a 35mm lens.
Fast-forward more than a decade and another “mirrorless” camera gets on my radar. I was looking for a small autofocus camera, good in low-light situations that would be able to use all the Nikkor glass I have purchased through the years. Enter the Z7.
Sony and Fuji have been converting a lot of DSLR users to their mirrorless systems and you didn´t have be much of a watcher of the industry to see that both Nikon and Canon would eventually have to follow suit to stay competitive in the market. The Nikon Z7 is the first salvo launched by Nikon and after using it for just a few months now, much like the M8, it accomplishes much of what I want the camera to be.
One of the great benefits of being a Nikon Professional Services member is the Priority Purchase plan. I´ve used it several times and it works like a charm. I used the program through Roberts in Indianapolis, which has been my go-to retailer for purchases like this and they are always great to work with.
I purchased the Z7 body with the Nikkor Z 35 f/1.8 lens and the FTZ adapter. I didn´t want the 24-70 f/4.0 kit lens as I already own a 24-70 f/2.8 F mount and I don´t have a 35 prime. So the lens decision was an easy one for me.
So I´ve had the Z7 about for three months now and I´ve used it for a variety of different assignments to get familiar with it and to see what the camera can do. I used it to shoot night aerials of the football stadium and some football game action. I used it for women´s basketball team photos and some general shots on campus as well a day-long meeting with numerous speakers and panels. And I´ve even had the chance to use it for the real reason I purchased it – as a travel companion - on a recent family trip.
One of the biggest complaints I heard about the Z7 before I had even received my camera is that it has only one XQD card slot. Camera pundits from around the world have complained that no professional camera can have just one card slot. For me, it´s not an issue. I started shooting in the film days, with just one roll of 36 exposures in the camera. During my career that spans analog to digital technology I have lost more photos due to film processing errors than to corrupt cards. In fact, in the digital age, I have lost more files due to my own poor workflow practices than to corrupt cards. Sure, corrupt cards will happen – as will shutters that break and batteries that go dead. We work with electronic and mechanical tools and the one certainty is that things will break. Good habits when working with cards – format in the camera, make sure the camera is off when changing cards - will help reduce the issues you may have. I´ve been able to use XQD cards now in three different cameras – D4s, D5 and D850, and I´ve found them to be extremely stable, lightning fast and quite durable. Would I like two slots? Sure, but it´s not a deal-breaker.
None of the digital Leica cameras I´ve owned have a second card slot and I like Nikon´s choice of XQD over SD or CF for the Z7. This fits perfectly with my other two Nikon bodies – a D5 and D850, and with the 45.7 megapixel files you need big, fast memory cards. So the complaint by others is something I´m willing to live with.
The ergonomics of the camera are terrific…it feels good in your hands. And as a longtime Nikon user, the menus and controls are very familiar. You will not have a big learning curve to get the camera set up to your liking. There are fewer buttons on the back of the camera due to the smaller real estate available, and that forced me to change one work habit. I use the tagging feature on the D5 (and D850) but that button is missing on the Z7…so you need to go into the menu and assign one of the other buttons to that function.
The electronic viewfinder is simply amazing. I´ve not used a lot of cameras with an EVF but the one in the Z7 is bright, crisp, and you can customize it to include any of the shooting info you may want, or none at all. I like being able to see the image through the EVF without taking your eye away from the viewfinder and looking at the back screen. The camera takes just a second to come to life, and that has taken a bit of getting used to, but the files coming out of the camera are stunning, with great dynamic range and outstanding color and resolution. And the silent shutter feature is great…during that day-long meeting mentioned earlier I used it extensively.
My biggest fault of the camera is the autofocus. In continuous AF it falls short of what I get with my D5 or D850. The single-point AF is good, even in low light situations and being able to use focus points at the very edge of the viewfinder is another big plus. Having in-camera image stabilization is great. In shooting the aforementioned aerials from a helicopter I shot some with the 35 Z, but also put on the FTZ adapter and my 14-24. While I would like to always be above 1/1000 of a second while shooting from a helicopter, I got nice crisp images at 1/640 and even down to 1/500th.
Also, Nikon says its Snapbridge app – which allows transfer of images from camera to phone – is improved. After several attempts I was finally able to get the Z7 and iPhone to communicate. I´ve had similar issues using Snapbridge with my D850. So far, this has been my biggest frustration with the Z7.
So, three months into ownership and I´d say I´m a fan. Just for the silent shutter mode alone I can see adding some bodies to the Michigan Photography pool of equipment.
I´ve only played a bit with the video aspect of the camera so I can´t really give it much of a review other than to say the one video I shot with it was okay…nothing I got excited about.
I would have liked the Z series to be a bit smaller overall package – the Z 35 lens is a much larger lens than I thought it would be - but overall I think the camera (and the one new lens I have) is terrific. It checks a lot of the boxes that I was looking for in a lightweight travel camera. Being able to use all my F-mount Nikkor glass is a huge plus, as are the magnificent files coming out of the camera. My overall joy in using the Z7 negates any complaints and it´s another great tool in the case alongside the D5 and D850.

I have been shooting Nikon Products in excess of 30 years. My main uses are Family, Friends and pets, travel, Landscape, wildlife. I usually do not use the vidio function however I have decided to start. I am really quite pleased with my Z 7. It is so much lighter and smaller than the miror cameras. Plus I believe the picture qualioty to be better.

I´ve been shooting Nikon SLR/DSLR since 1990, and I haven´t been as excited for a new model since the D1X came out (my first pro digital camera). I purchased both Z7 and Z6, and am pleased with both. To begin with I used both the Z7 and my D750, and found myself enjoying shooting with the Z7 far more than the D750. The learning curve isn´t bad but my goal as a working pro is to have the camera be an extension of my hands, so time and working with it is what it took.

I would recommend to anyone purchasing this camera to read articles about the customization´s that others have done to their Z cameras. The ability of this camera to flex and customize to the individual user/purpose is simply unmatched. The camera is very usable out of the box, but it can force you to examine how you shoot, what functions you use most and allow you to set it up the way you want.
I purchased FTZ converters with both of my cameras, and they work seamlessly with my current lenses. That includes my Nikkor 55 micro that I bought in 1989 at a flea market that I still use in the studio.

I´ve worked with the cameras in low-light, studio conditions, tethered, street shooting, architecture and portraiture, with great results. I´ve also worked in video with 4K and HD at 120fps, with spectacular results.

Lastly, I´ve experienced some of the same focus misses as others have, but I´m getting used to anticipating them. I love the weight of the cameras, the new 24-70 lens is great too. I just rented the 35 1.8 and I´d definitely recommend that lens too. My only gripe about that lens is that it´s about the same size as the 24-70 and I have to wonder why it had to be?