It's over, at last: Nikon's worst kept secret is finally seeing the light of day in an official capacity. Today, the company revealed its long-rumored, highly anticipated mirrorless cameras, the Z6 and Z7. But here, we're going to focus on the flagship model, the Z7. This new shooter features a full-frame 45.7-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor with an Expeed 6 image processor, an ISO range of 64-25,000, a 493-point autofocus system, 9fps continuous shooting and 4K UHD video. That's basically everything you'd want out of a top-of-the-line camera in general, not just the mirrorless kind.
In addition to that, the Z7 comes with 5 axis vibration reduction built in, which will help keep shots stabilized during photo and video shoots. There's also a one million dot tilting, 3.2-inch touchscreen (it doesn't tilt though, unfortunately for vloggers), a top LCD OLED panel for displaying basic information, and a 3.69 million dot high-res OLED electronic viewfinder which Nikon says covers approximately 100 percent of the frame.
As expected, the Z7 is part of a fresh breed for Nikon, so you'll find a completely new body system dubbed "Z-mount." The same goes for the lower-end Z6. But the good news is, Nikon is making an F-mount adapter available from day one for Z7 (and Z6) owners, which is going to offer them support for all existing Nikkor lenses -- all 90 of them. That said, Nikon is launching three native Z-mount lenses with the Z7: a 24-70mm f.4.0, 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8. It's also developing an insane 50mm f/0.9 lens for its Z-mount camera. If there's an area where Sony's mirrorless cameras lack, it's the glass department, and Nikon sees that as an opportunity for the Z7 and Z6.
You'll need an XQD memory card for the Z7, though we're told CFexpress Type B card support will be coming via a future firmware update. In terms of connectivity, there's of course Bluetooth and WiFi via Nikon's SnapBridge, and there's a "PC Ready" feature that'll let you transfer images wirelessly to a desktop or laptop. The body, meanwhile, is weather-resistant made out of magnesium alloy, giving it that premium feel you've come to expect from high-end Nikon cameras.
Unfortunately, we didn't get to shoot any sample images with the Z7, but what I can tell you is that it's much lighter than it looks -- and that substantial grip makes for a comfortable feel. We'll have a chance to test it out later today at Nikon event in New York City. For now, if you like what you see, get your money ready because the Z7 will be available at the end of September at $3,400 for the body-only configuration (£3,399), or $4,000 (£3,399) as a kit with the new Nikkor Z 24-70 f/4 S lens.
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