First Impressions Nikon Z6 III review

The Nikon Z6 III does a lot to bridge the gap between the mid-range and premium with a new partially stacked sensor format, 6K RAW video and a standout viewfinder.

Introduction

Nikon recently unveiled its latest mid-range full-frame camera, the Nikon Z6 III. 

Successor to the Z6 II, the Z6 III is a hybrid camera designed to offer flagship-level performance and 6K internal video for a fraction of the price of the Z9 and even the Z8. Major upgrades this time include a partially stacked CMOS sensor, the same Expeed 7 processor found in the Z8 and Z9, and a ridiculously bright EVF. 

The Z6 III will be available this July with prices starting at £2699/€3099 for the body-only. 

I was given the chance to try the camera first-hand on a basketball court ahead of the launch. Here’s how I found it.

Design

• The Z6 III is smaller and lighter than the Z8 and Z9 
• The 5670k-dot EVF is brighter than ever 
• The body is fully weather-sealed and includes two card slots 

The Nikon Z6 III hasn’t strayed far from the Z6 II in terms of design. 

The camera is ever so slightly larger than its predecessor and some of the controls have moved around – for example, the media playback button has moved from the upper left corner to the bottom right – but otherwise, the two cameras are very similar-looking. The Z6 III is also noticeably smaller than the Z8 when placed side-by-side, while the Z9 dwarves the new camera in comparison. 

The Z6 III is also lighter than the Z8 and Z9 at 750g. 

The standout design feature of the Z6 III is the electronic viewfinder. The 5670k-dot 60fps EVF has a peak brightness of 4000 nits making it the brightest in its class, while the Z6 III’s viewfinder is the first to support a wide DCI-P3 colour gamut for lifelike colours. The EVF is even brighter than that of the Z8 and Z9 and I found it to be fantastic in sunlight, revealing colour and detail that wasn’t as apparent on the larger 2.1K flip-out screen. 

The camera body is weather-sealed to the same standard as the flagship Z9 and Z8 and can operate in temperatures as low as -10°C. 

The camera includes two memory card slots – one CFexpress Type B and XQD slot and another for UHS-II SD cards. 

The camera also supports Nikon’s new Power Battery Pack MB-N14. This is an optional vertical battery grip (sold separately) that extends the battery life of the camera and makes it easier to balance larger telephoto lenses. 

Features 

• The Z6 III can now detect a variety of subjects 
• The camera can capture up to 120fps JPEGs 
• There’s a 120-minute recording time for video 

The Z6 III has also received several feature updates, including 3D tracking and subject tracking for the first time. 

The camera is now capable of detecting and tracking people, animals, and vehicles. There’s no dedicated bird detection mode as found on the Z9, but I was reassured that the animal setting will detect birds the same. I only managed to test the people mode on the basketball court but found the AF to be impressively fast, latching onto faces the moment they entered the frame and following them around the court with ease. 

On top of this, the Z6 III takes advantage of Nikon’s lowest-ever sensitivity in low-light autofocus, putting the camera on par with Z8 and Z9 in this respect. 

Moving on to continuous shooting, Nikon has lined this launch up with the summer of sport for a reason. The Z6 III is capable of shooting 10-megapixel DX-format JPEGs at up to 120fps with full AF and AE capabilities, as well as 24-megapixel full-frame JPEGs at up to 60fps. I found the electronic shutter to be very quick and capable, ensuring I didn’t miss a moment of action on the court. 

There’s also up to 8 stops of 5-axis in-body image stabilisation to keep the camera steady when shooting handheld, as well as Focus Point VR which works to stabilise the area around the focus point as opposed to the image as a whole. 

If 24.5-megapixel full-frame stills aren’t enough for you, the Z6 III is also able to capture 96-megapixel shots using the pixel shift feature. This is the same resolution as the Nikon ZF. 

Finally, there is a range of video features that make the Z6 III a very capable hybrid camera. These include 12-bit RAW recording and 10-bit Log recording, along with Nikon’s Hi-Res Zoom for zero loss in resolution when zooming in on your subject – even without a zoom lens. 

The camera supports a range of video codecs including N-RAW, ProRes RAW HQ, ProRes 422 HQ, HEVC, and AVC. Other features include line-in audio support, Timecode Sync, and Atomos AirGlu support. 

Finally, the Nikon Z6 III is capable of delivering the same 120-minute recording time as the Z8 and the Z9 (or longer using the USB-C for mains power). 

Image quality  

• The Nikion Z6 III is powered by the first partially stacked CMOS sensor 
• The camera has a 3.5x faster readout speed than the Z6 II 
• There’s support for 6K/60p RAW video internally 

The Nikon Z6 III is powered by Nikon’s latest Expeed 7 processor paired with a brand-new first-of-its-kind 24.5-megapixel partially stacked CMOS sensor. 

The partially stacked sensor takes the technology of a stacked image sensor, making it significantly quicker than a non-stacked sensor such as the one in the Z6 II and resulting in a 3.5x faster readout speed. However, the partially stacked format still isn’t quite as speedy as the fully stacked type found in the Z8 and Z9. This makes the sensor cheaper to produce and puts the performance somewhere in between its predecessor and Nikon’s pricier flagship cameras. 

I found the camera to be more than fast enough to handle a game of basketball, though I’d be interested to see how it fares in a wider range of settings. Images are sharp too, with plenty of detail and no unwanted blur on arms or legs as the players’ legs as they move around the court.

As far as video goes, the Nikon Z6 III is capable of capturing 6K RAW video internally at up to 60p, or 4K/60p oversampled. The camera also supports up to 10x slow motion shooting at a 240fps frame rate, something that isn’t available in the Z8 or Z9.

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