What can the latest camera from Nikon do? Our editor has made the Z6III her faithful companion for a while and put it through its paces – i.e. in terms of aperture and shutter. And now she tells you whether it’s worth the investment.
Putting forward theses is one of my hobbies alongside photography. I am convinced that there are exactly two types of photographers. The one type gets excited about technical details. They collect gadgets like others shoes or lipsticks and storm stores and online shops as soon as a new device appears. For others, the camera is of secondary importance and overly complicated technology is intimidating. For them, it’s more about the act of photography itself and the result, which, with enough talent, can be coaxed out of any camera. I tend to be one of the latter, as I prefer to run away from too many technical functions instead of reading hundreds of pages of instruction manuals. Nevertheless, there are one or two camera models that will end up in my collection at some point. And in any case, I prefer a camera to a smartphone. So my arguments are not entirely valid after all.
When the camera is smarter than you
The Nikon Z6III, which was unleashed on photography enthusiasts in the summer, has now been put to the test. Or was I put to the test? I was initially skeptical about this marvel: Too many functions, too big, too heavy – prejudices that I quickly discarded. At first, the Nikon Z6III actually impresses with numerous tricks that will set the pulse racing in a positive sense, especially for the technology junkies among the camera nerds. The key data can be summarized as follows: The Nikon Z6III is a full-frame mirrorless camera with 24.5 megapixels, 6k RAW video, up to 120 frames per second, an ISO sensitivity of 100 to 64,000 and a high-resolution electronic viewfinder with extra wide color gamut. And it has a 3D face recognition function that also recognizes animals, cars and other objects. The camera therefore knows who or what is scurrying past the lens faster than you do and focuses on the desired object even when there is a lot of movement. If the numbers from before don’t mean anything to you, the following translation will suffice: this camera can do a lot. And it doesn’t care what the lighting conditions are – it captures everything clearly and impressively sharp. So if you like taking photos, you won’t want to put it down – even if it is no lightweight. It weighs a little more than its predecessor, but it is no heavier than a bag packed for everyday use.
City, country, portrait
You can talk shop about technical details for as long as you like – you can only find out what the camera and photographer are capable of by trying them out. Where better to test the camera than in a big city that is permanently populated by tourists, so that it is not even noticeable if you are mainly looking at the hustle and bustle through the viewfinder? Since street photography is still one of my favorite photographic genres, the first thing I wanted to find out was how well the Z6III would let me capture the beautiful everyday banality of Zurich and Paris. Short answer: great. With the 24 – 70mm lens you can get close to situations and have a lot of leeway when it comes to composition. If you like to experiment, you can really let off steam with aperture and shutter speed. The hustle and bustle of a crowded pedestrian zone is ideal for longer exposures. A good day of photography not only requires a good camera, but ideally also plenty of sunlight. Then shadow shapes emerge, which you can use to create visual doodles. Again, the city is the ideal playground as buildings, people and public transport provide endless subjects. My personal highlight is the range of ISO sensitivity. Together with the aperture and shutter speed mentioned above, you can get creative in any lighting conditions. From long exposure and full motion to razor-sharp and dark, you can adjust the camera down to the last detail to create the exact image you have in mind. The Z6III is also suitable for portraits and nature shots. Whether flower, mountain or face – the sharpness, fast autofocus and authentic coloring triumph in a wide variety of situations, making the camera a real all-rounder. Speaking of versatility: For all the photography, we must not forget that the Z6III is also a really good video camera. So fans of moving images will also get their money’s worth.
Test: passed with top marks
If I had to award stars, points or grades, the Z6III would get top marks. Anyone interested in photography will blossom with this all-rounder. For beginners, the many settings may be overwhelming at first. And the camera itself is a little too heavy and bulky. But with a little discipline and a lot of trial and error, photo fans of all abilities should be able to get something out of the Z6III. A load of bonus points are awarded for the SnapBridge app, with which the photos land on the smartphone in no time at all. Important: If you press the shutter button as often as I do, be sure to switch off automatic synchronization, otherwise your phone will burst at the seams. The app acts as the perfect link between the fast-paced world of social media and the good old art of photography. Your carefully collected snapshots end up on Instagram and co. within minutes. If you’ve been toying with the idea of getting a professional camera for a long time, I can recommend the Z6III with a clear conscience.
So much text, but a camera is all about the visual. Here you will find a colorful selection of different artists who create amazing things with a camera.
Convinced? You can find the Z6III, all other Nikon cameras and all the accessories you want here.
Photos: ©Josefine Zürcher
