While the Nikon Z6 III has gone on to become one of the most popular mirrorless cameras for video production in Nikon’s Z series, the Z6 II has quietly enjoyed a long and storied career itself. Now five years old, the Nikon Z6 II has just received a pretty significant price drop that puts it in a very desirable price bracket of under $1,500.
Let’s take a new, retrospective look at the Nikon Z6 II and explore how its 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor and UHD 4K video recording stack up today against the competition—and with this $500 price point in mind.
A Retro Review of the Nikon Z6 II
As an improvement to the original Nikon Z6 camera, the Z6 II model promised more speed, more versatility, and more performance than its predecessor. And on those fronts it absolutely delivered. The Nikon Z6 II has proven to be a nice all-rounder mirrorless camera that works well for high-end photo and video applications.
The Z6 II features a 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor that can be used for all-around shooting, impressive low-light quality, and fast readout speeds to benefit continuous shooting, movies, and time-lapse recording.
The Z6 II has a nice back-illuminated design of the sensor that offers noticeably clean high-sensitivity output for reduced noise when working at high ISO values (up to a native ISO 51200), as well as vivid and smooth quality at sensitivities as low as ISO 100.
UHD 4K Video Recording
The biggest calling card today for the Nikon Z6 II though might simply be that it is still capable of UHD 4K video recording with full pixel readout up to 30p and Full HD 1080p video recording at up to 120p for slow motion playback. Video files can still be saved to the in-camera memory cards or as an uncompressed file to an optional external recorder via HDMI out.
There are also some helpful advanced video functionalities like N-Log gamma for capturing flat-looking footage that maximizes dynamic range and HLG (HDR) for recording HDR-ready footage. Shooters also have the ability to output high-quality 10-bit data over HDMI and an Electronic VR function for smooth handheld shooting.
Plus, with the Firmware update version 1.10, the Nikon Z6 II has been able to further unlock UHD 4K recording at 60p and 50p frame rates enabling raw video output to Blackmagic Design Video Assist external recorders, and also improves eye-detection performance Auto-Area AF and Wide-Area AF modes.
Price and Availability
Overall, the Nikon Z6 II is still a very capable mirrorless camera option that could be a nice option for someone interested in the higher-end specs of the Nikon Z6 III, but looking for a discounted price that is now $500 cheaper than before.
If you’re curious about the Nikon Z6 II yourself, here are the full specs and purchase options.
- 24.5MP FX-Format BSI CMOS Sensor
- Dual EXPEED 6 Image Processors
- UHD 4K30 Video; N-Log & 10-Bit HDMI Out
- 14 fps Cont. Shooting, ISO 100-51200
- 273-Point Phase-Detect AF System
- 3.6m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
- 3.2″ 2.1m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
- 5-Axis In-Body Vibration Reduction
- Dual Memory Card Slots
Nikon Z6 II Mirrorless Camera
More speed, more versatility, more performance, the Nikon Z6 II is an updated take on the all-rounder mirrorless camera designed for high-end photo and video applications.
Author: Jourdan Aldredge
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
