The wait is over, I can finally get my hands on a Nikon full frame mirrorless camera, it took a while for Nikon to reach here but the day has finally come.
Nikon has announced that it will launch its first Full Frame mirrorless camera, first the high end Z7 on September 27, 2018 and then the all-rounder Z6 on November 30, 2018. Nikon’s mirrorless cameras are based on the D850 body however thinner due to the absence of a mirror system or the pentaprism that channels light from the lens to the optical view finder. Instead of an optical view finder mirrorless cameras use an Electronic View Finder (EVF).
When I ventured into photography I had to choose between Canon and Nikon the two stalwarts of professional photography equipment. I had a budget to work with and wanted to buy the best DSLR system I could afford to buy.
I finally had to choose between Nikon D750, Canon 6D Mark ii and if I stretch my budget it would be either Nikon D850 or Canon 5D Mark iii. It was a difficult choice to make considering that this would be the system that would build the foundation of my profession, as professional photographers we need to learn about photography and we also need to know the ins and outs of all our equipment. We need to know, work with and utilize our assets to the best possible extent and generate maximum return on our investment.
I finally decided to go with Nikon D750, the rationale behind this move was as follows:
- Nikon D750 was available at that time with the best all round kit, the body and FX AFS 24-120mm VR Lens at a price that I could afford plus some spare cash available to buy additional lenses like the 1.8 f 50mm lens.
- I knew I would also need to invest on a secondary camera, although I own a Canon APS-C sensor DSLR and use that as my backup, I had to upgrade to a Full Frame secondary camera.
- Being aware that Nikon was in works of creating a full frame mirror less camera I decided that my next purchase would be it.
- Knowing that Sony Mirrorless cameras were selling like hot cakes and Sony would soon become a market leader in DSLR Cameras, I had the intuition that Nikon and Camera are in a hurry to catch up and regain their market share from Sony.
- I love the optical view DSLR however always wanted to own a mirrorless one as they are lighter and have some distinct advantages over their bulkier counterparts.
- Mirrorless cameras would be great to work with while doing street photography or when you would need to hold a camera for long photoshoots.
- For a year I was tempted to buy a Sony A7 ii as my secondary camera, but realized it would turn out more expensive in the long run to build and maintain 2 separate systems.
- So I decided to buy the Nikon D750 at a lower cost and wait for Nikon to launch their full frame mirror less camera, that way I could kill two birds with one stone, have both an Optical View and a mirrorless DSLR share the same lenses, work on the same output files and no need for me to learn any new interface.
I was right that’s what Nikon Z series is, I am so glad I can use my extra Nikon EN EL15 batteries on the Nikon Z series, use my SpeedLite flash, all my FX Lenses and other accessories I invested in over the years.
The Nikon Z series is compatible with all FX lenses using the FTZ Mount Adapter. So I can finally own and shoot with both camera types, this saves money and is a win-win for professional photographers like me.
I am sure this will make most Nikon photographers put a hold on their plans of switching over to Sony Mirrorless cameras. The Nikon Z series cameras pack a punch and I’m sure they are all set to take on Sony. As a professional photographer I am pleased with Nikon’s announcement and will surely invest in the Z series, I know Nikon has taken time to come up with this new series and they can’t go wrong with it.
