Django

Well they've copied how Canon's DPAF operates & works, but certainly not on the patented root level.. As for Tony & Chelsea, concerning video AF they say at 4:00 "almost Canon level of smooth & usable". As for stills AF they disclaim "we can't be certain our results were exact because the lighting & environment we were in - not good" "we had the camera for an hour and couldn't go outside". like is said in the other thread, Z7 has -1EV AF detection and you have to enable "Low light AF" to reach -4EV which they probably did not do. So in other words, i wouldn't call their report conclusive..

Now that wouldn't be very wise now.. no I mean the overall settings and operability, it's literally just lifted off the 5DIV:

Looks like Nikon have done their homework and thoroughly copied Canon's dual pixel AF for video implementation: The Z 7 newly offers AF-C as a movie focus mode. By pressing the AF-ON button during movie recording, you can flexibly control when AF starts and stops. Used in combination with AF speed and AF tracking sensitivity options, this mode also makes it possible to use “focus pull” techniques, to make scenes more impressive. AF-C allows you to take full advantage of the shallow depth-of- field and beautiful bokeh effects that an FX-format sensor and NIKKOR Z lenses offer. Focusing speed and the smoothness of focus transitions when switching between subjects can make a huge difference in movies. The Z 7 lets you customize the speed* and tracking sensitivity of AF when filming videos. AF speed is adjustable in 11 steps, between “Slow” (-5) and “Fast” (+5). At lower levels, focus is achieved slowly, making scenes look more cinematic. AF tracking sensitivity can be adjusted in 7 steps, from “High” (1) to “Low” (7). Select a higher sensitivity if you want to switch focus quickly to the next subject, and a lower sensitivity for maintaining focus on the current subject for longer. Smart of them to copy top features from various industry leaders. Love the on/off AF toggle in Canon DPAF units. speed & sensitivity settings should also allow diverse & smooth video AF response.. When “On” is selected for “Auto-area AF face detection,” the camera automatically detects faces, and users can choose which face to focus on if there is more than one. Thanks to a newly developed face-detection and subject-tracking algorithm, the AF can keep tracking a subject’s face if they turn their head or briefly look away. This should prevent the AF system going haywire when multiple faces are in field, and from the looks of it, it actually works:

Their main gripe seems indeed about the low-light AF performance.. after spending an hour with a pre-production camera.. in a dim lit environment. It should be pointed out that the Z7 has -1EV AF detection (Z6 has -2EV) unless you enable the "low light AF" feature which brings it down to -4EV. My guess is they were shooting default AF setting. That said for all I know the AF does struggle in low-light (most MILCs do imo), I'd just wait until more thorough reviews before passing judgment..

If pro photography is your main gig.. then this is definitely not going to top a D850 (or even D750) especially with adapted lens. But for hybrid/video shooting, i think Z6 is going to be the bees knees! @Mark Romero 2 1080p 120fps only in DX crop mode??? that's on Z7. Z6 won't crop.

..yet technically speaking: Faster processor (Expeed 6) Faster card support (soon CFexpress compatible) Bigger battery (EN-EL 15B) More AF points (493 vs 153) Bigger AF coverage & Hybrid PDAF Bigger mount Better video specs IBIS ..as for the lenses they are being marketed as optically superior to their G counterparts and optimized for video.. (but of course only 3 available atm) all that being said Nikon are pretty clever and have deliberately left open space for Z8/Z9 and have been careful enough to not cannibalize it's DSLR counterparts by leaving out second card slots and slower legacy lens performance etc.. i'm still GASing hard for a Z6, but in no way do these 2 models make a D850/D5 obsolete, for photography. These aren't killing the DSLR just yet.

@noone most likely a typo, Nikon japan site rates the battery life for video at 85mn: http://www.nikon-image.com/products/mirrorless/lineup/z_6/spec.html there is also a battery saving feature and of course it all depends how you use the camera, but jareds report should indicate real world field use is much superior to the CIPA rating.. DJI isn't just a drone company anymore, they purchased hasselblad and mavic 2 embarks a hasselblad branded camera, hence the more pro specs (on paper, really i suspect it's more marketing). it has a 1" sensor though, making 10-bit relatively easy to achieve processing wise. this is how panasonic and now fuji are achieving 10-bit internally without heat issues. it's another story for full frame mirrorless. regardless, nikon are the first to push 10-bit external on a sensor and body this size..

Pretty sweet 10-bit 4:2:2 colors demonstrated here. Slow-mo seems pretty sharp / alias free & AF face tracking does good job on the gimbal (ibis?) shot. My Fuji system might be getting the axe soon..

The proof is in the pudding. Sony claims 14 stops on A73 and that's an 8-bit codec . So yeah why get the BM P4K? we all know some companies fudge these claims, others are more conservative.Nikon is probably the later, they gave a CIPA rating of 10-15mn video battery life, yet Fro dude says " The battery read 44% at the end of our shooting which included 500 or so photos, setting up the menus as well as filming for close to 20 minutes in full frame 4k."

"One thing I did not mention is battery life. The battery read 44% at the end of our shooting which included 500 or so photos, setting up the menus as well as filming for close to 20 minutes in full frame 4k. Not sure if that is good or bad just yet but a grip is something I will def be using with two batteries." That is a massive improvement over the US Nikon site ratings info. Looks like the Japanese site rating (85 minutes of video) is more accurate. That is quite excellent news as battery life was a massive blow in the announced specs..

Don't underestimate Nikon's flat profile. Mattias Burling had estimated 2014's D750 Flat profile DR at +13 stops: These 2018 Z series BSI sensors should push out the same if not better DR internally..

Apparently Atomos actually helped Nikon develop the 10-bit N-Log..

The single card slot is a little baffling but at least it's XQD which are a lot more reliable and faster than SDs.. it's also future proof with CFexpress compatibility via firmware. CFexpress has been speculated as an ideal candidate for ProRes Raw support in 'mid upper-level camcorders' ( http://www.studiodaily.com/2018/04/nab-2018-1400-mbsec-cfexpress-card-future-prores-raw-recording/ ) which i find kinda interesting

In other related news: "The Nikon Z6 is the World’s first mirrorless camera that can output a 4K full frame image in 10-bit 4:2:2 externally and Atomos has just announced that their Ninja V will support the Nikon Z cameras from launch with N-Log support. Nikon is already showing the Ninja V together with the Nikon Z6 & Z7 at the launch events." newsshooter.com "You can connect external recording devices with HDMI cable and record 4K UHD uncompressed files at the same time. HDMI output with 10 bit * with deep color depth of about 1,073,746 thousand colors is also possible. It supports ATOMOS Open Protocol, and even when shooting with 4K UHD, you can start / stop recording of the same Protocol compatible HDMI recorder with the movie shooting button on the camera." nikon.co.jp

it's right there in the specs dude: Movie Maximum Recording Time 29 minutes 59 seconds https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-6.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-TechSpecs

sorry just had to ?

Full AF/AE supported when using FX or DX AF-S Type G/D/E, AF-P type G/E, AF-I type D and AF-S/AF-I Teleconverter https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/lens-mount-adapter/mount-adapter-ftz.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview

interesting note about battery life: As we touched on earlier, battery life is often a disadvantage of a mirrorless camera compared to a DSLR and that remains the case here. The CIPA standard battery life rating for the Z6 is only about 310 shots per charge when using the EVF (no word yet on an LCD monitor figure), but Nikon noted that early hands-on reports from pros using pre-release cameras out in the field indicate real-world battery life far exceeds the CIPA figure. To help maintain good battery life out in the field, you can press a button on the side of the viewfinder which kills all LCD functions and the EVF will only turn on when you bring it up to your eye. The LCD will light up when you press buttons but will otherwise remain off. It's a neat power-saving feature and we are curious to see how it works in the field and how it affects battery life. https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/nikon-z6/nikon-z6A.HTM

@MdB you sound visibly skeptical & upset. not here to argue with you, just bringing on facts as they appear. Some more tidbits: Capture cinematic 16:9 4K UHD/30p video in full-frame using the total width and resolution of the Z 6’s backside-illuminated sensor. Full-pixel readout for sharper 4K footage with rich information equivalent to 6K. Clean output at high ISO. Zero crop factor with full-frame NIKKOR Z and F-Mount NIKKOR lenses. Focus Peaking in both 4K and 1080p recording. Simultaneous 8MP stills*. Wire-free to a Mac or PC. Connect to a Mac or PC over Wi-Fi and wirelessly transfer RAW, JPEG and movie files. Two modes available: Camera Access Point mode, for connecting directly to a PC, and Station (STA) mode, for connecting over a router.

Lol.. funny how this announcement has got all the Sony/Canon fanboys panties in a brunch.. grasping at straws & desperately trying to find flaws.. FYI : Take an ultra-high resolution QUAD VGA display, add Nikon optics for magnification, including Aspherical lens elements and Fluorine coating, and you’ve got an EVF experience unlike any before it. Minimal lag and blackout, 100% frame coverage (approx.), corner-to-corner clarity and sharp magnification. It has the feel of an optical viewfinder, and you can use it for both stills and videos. Pretty sure Nikon's plan is for you to upgrade to a D850.. and maybe add a Z6/7 on the side for weekends

Internal codec is your typical 8-bit H264. No info on bitrate but assume similar to D850 so around 150mbps in 4K. As for battery life, grip will be manditory for video shooting imo (unless you don't mind swapping batteries): The MB-N10 Multi-Power Battery Pack that is currently in development will hold two EN-EL15b, effectively increasing the number of shots possible and/or movie recording time by approximately 1.8×. It will provide the same level of dust and drip resistance as the Z 7 and Z 6, and will support USB charging using the EH-7P Charging AC Adapter. Information regarding the release of this product will be announced at a later date.

At $1999 i find the Z6 extremely compelling.. however at $3400 i find they could have added at the very least an extra card slot to the Z7. Something tells me an Z8/9 will probably be the 'pro' models in a year or two time. As annoying as it is, they've clearly left some parts out like mode dial, AF switch, lock image, dual card slots etc to segment their DSLRs from MILCs. Nikon may not have a cine cam line to protect but they do have a DSLR one.. As to comparison with Sony A7 line.. well the weather sealing, LCD/EVF resolution, top OLED display, 2 front function buttons, dedicated iso button, grip, touchscreen menus, right-hand menu button etc.. do set it apart ergonomically and build wise. Add to that 10-bit 4:2:2 out, Nikon color science & potentially superior IBIS and it's a slam-dunk to me. Canon are going to have to go all out if they plan on taking lead now..

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-7.html#tab-ProductDetail-ProductTabs-Overview scroll down to body & sealing tabs. same brake mechanism & shutter blade as D850 too.

Agreed looks good and keep in mind that is from the pixel-binned FX / full readout DX Z7. The Z6 will have even better IQ with oversampled 4K..