I’ve just bought an ‘as new’ ftz. My 70-200/f4 has worked faultlessly on my D7100, D7500 and D610. Not so on the Z5. Autofocus is unenthusiastic and it has completely overexposed images. My 24-200 has worked fine on the Z5 (although I haven’t had it long) so I assume this is the ftz.
Vitalis Vasylius
April 23, 2021 12:29 pm
The review states that using an FTZ adapter does not degrade quality. That’s what Nikon writes. In fact, with all wide-angle lenses (14-24mm), the image quality at the edges deteriorates, and with the aperture open, it is completely unsuitable for use. I did a lot of testing comparing shots with the Z6 and D750, to f2.8. I tested the lenses Nikkor 14-24mm, Sigma 14mm 1.8, Sigma 14-24mm, Sigma 28mm 1.4. They all show poor quality at the edges using the Z6 + FTZ. I wrote about this many times to Nikon, bringing the camera to a Nikon service center, but half a year later, Nikon admitted that there was such a problem and wide-angle lenses were not compatible with the FTZ. However, it did not correct the information on its website. Since I’m doing astrophotography and shooting with f2-2.8, I had to sell all of the aforementioned F lenses because they work poorly with FTZ.
However the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S is superior to the 14-24 f/G. See reviews on this site. The new Z-lens is as perfect as i could ever wish on my Z 7 II (only the corners at 24mm could be slightly improved, still now perfect when printed at 19x22in).
I have no doubt that the Z lens is better, but I say that they don’t write about it in the photograph life test. Many people have wide-angle lenses and cannot be used with FTZ.
Alex. Gubariu
January 19, 2021 6:40 am
Hi! For which lens families does the FTZ adapter save the lens metadata for postprocessing lens distortions corrections?
Rainer Kulartz
October 7, 2020 6:33 am
Most users of the Nikon Z7 do not see any banding in the photos they take. After two years I know why. When Active D-Lighting is off, there is very seldom banding. But I’ve been using Active D-Lighting for many years with the Extra High setting (in earlier years on the D850 or the D750). Then it happens again and again with the Nikon Z7 (and probably most other mirrorless ones) that the unsightly stripes appear in large dark areas. This happens particularly quickly with high contrasts in the image. The sky in the backlight, the black hull of a ship in the foreground – and there is a lot of banding in the black. So in the future I use Active D-Lighting more in an automatic series of exposures with the levels off and extra high. Then more beneficial image material should be available.
Bart
August 27, 2020 7:18 am
Hello Mr Nasim. Is it still interesting to buy the Z7 in 2020? Do you think i should wait? Is the AF much better then when the cam “debuted”? Greetings!
George
August 26, 2020 3:12 pm
I agree with Nigel that the single card slot is not an acceptable risk if you are a professional. I am speaking as someone who owns and uses both a D850 and and a Z7 and have used both extensively since the Z7 came out. On the upside, if you are not depending on your camera for income, I would consider the Z7 nearly on par with, or better than the D850 for most shooting. Yes, that includes moving objects where all the naysayers think they are scoring points. Nikon has continued to update the Z since it was released and the latest firmware update produced a camera very similar to the Sony A9 I have used. Nigel’s comments below also mention quality and design. I would contend that the Sony cameras are junky feeling and less durable than Nikon. Their lenses are amazing for sure. In summary, the Nikon Z camera(s) are very close in capability to the D850 on moving objects, are better for landscape and video, and are better built than Sony. On the downside, the single card slot and limited Z native lenses available are negatives. I also hope the Z8 includes 2 card slots. This simple move, along with some time will result in a camera that is better than most others. I encourage anyone who is considering the Z cameras to find someone who has actually used both cameras more than for a quick evaluation shoot. Many of the reviewers are simply wrong about these cameras. Just saying.
Rainer Kulartz
May 24, 2020 1:08 am
The banding on the Nikon Z 7 is a problem when taking close-up pictures with a very blurred background. Banding is very common in the semi-dark and very dark areas. – The only disadvantage, but i will never go back to a DSLR.
GS
April 1, 2020 9:15 am
Getting a good deal on Z7 – $1700; it’s a grey market set from a reliable dealer; is Z7 worth at that price range? Any views / thoughts are welcome.
GS
April 1, 2020 9:14 am
Getting a good deal on Z7 – $1700; it’s a grey market set from a reliable dealer; is Z7 worth at that price range? Any views.
Lary
March 31, 2020 1:20 am
Thanks for being here and sharing your opinion, which as a professional shooter carries more weight than most other folk.
I wanted to like the Nikon mirrorless, but alas, not at this juncture. All the above comments applying to the D850’s responsive, 2nd nature, reliable and rugged handling are mirrored, if you will by mine own experience. When I shoot for money, which seems to be to often of late, it is for serious sums. And such serious sums are awarded by serious clients. Very.
That is were my second issue with the Z series comes in. My experience with image quality was echoed by others above. I prefer the D850 image quality. The more I shoot with the Z cameras, the greater the advantage the D850 seems to have. I have not noticed in practice and sharpness or resolution differences in general. But overall on many occasions the D850 seems sharper. But in this arena for now I digress.
My primary issue with the Z cameras is one of color, vibrancy, richness, depth and saturation.
To my eyes, initially, and amplified over time, the Z serious lacks noticeably in comparison to the D850 in all the aforementioned areas. Seems more “digital” if you well. Generally pale by comparison and lacking in life. The overall look to me of the Z series is one of desaturation and lack of color depth. In fact, over time, it has come to be a deal breaker for me.
I cannot charge someone $2,000 and hour and deliver images that just don’t jump to life and jump off the page technically, as well as artistically. That kind of impact is why I still break out the old Leicas for special occasions. Some things they do are unrivalled.
Perhaps I am doing something wrong, and have only shot the Z7 for a few months, rather than with my other Nikons, Leicas and German Contax’s which I have used for decades.
If anyone has thoughts on this, I would welcome a consult.
I’ve just bought an ‘as new’ ftz. My 70-200/f4 has worked faultlessly on my D7100, D7500 and D610. Not so on the Z5. Autofocus is unenthusiastic and it has completely overexposed images. My 24-200 has worked fine on the Z5 (although I haven’t had it long) so I assume this is the ftz.
The review states that using an FTZ adapter does not degrade quality. That’s what Nikon writes. In fact, with all wide-angle lenses (14-24mm), the image quality at the edges deteriorates, and with the aperture open, it is completely unsuitable for use. I did a lot of testing comparing shots with the Z6 and D750, to f2.8. I tested the lenses Nikkor 14-24mm, Sigma 14mm 1.8, Sigma 14-24mm, Sigma 28mm 1.4. They all show poor quality at the edges using the Z6 + FTZ. I wrote about this many times to Nikon, bringing the camera to a Nikon service center, but half a year later, Nikon admitted that there was such a problem and wide-angle lenses were not compatible with the FTZ. However, it did not correct the information on its website. Since I’m doing astrophotography and shooting with f2-2.8, I had to sell all of the aforementioned F lenses because they work poorly with FTZ.
However the Z 14-24 f/2.8 S is superior to the 14-24 f/G. See reviews on this site.
The new Z-lens is as perfect as i could ever wish on my Z 7 II (only the corners at 24mm could be slightly improved, still now perfect when printed at 19x22in).
I have no doubt that the Z lens is better, but I say that they don’t write about it in the photograph life test. Many people have wide-angle lenses and cannot be used with FTZ.
Hi! For which lens families does the FTZ adapter save the lens metadata for postprocessing lens distortions corrections?
Most users of the Nikon Z7 do not see any banding in the photos they take. After two years I know why. When Active D-Lighting is off, there is very seldom banding. But I’ve been using Active D-Lighting for many years with the Extra High setting (in earlier years on the D850 or the D750). Then it happens again and again with the Nikon Z7 (and probably most other mirrorless ones) that the unsightly stripes appear in large dark areas. This happens particularly quickly with high contrasts in the image. The sky in the backlight, the black hull of a ship in the foreground – and there is a lot of banding in the black. So in the future I use Active D-Lighting more in an automatic series of exposures with the levels off and extra high. Then more beneficial image material should be available.
Hello Mr Nasim.
Is it still interesting to buy the Z7 in 2020? Do you think i should wait?
Is the AF much better then when the cam “debuted”?
Greetings!
I agree with Nigel that the single card slot is not an acceptable risk if you are a professional. I am speaking as someone who owns and uses both a D850 and and a Z7 and have used both extensively since the Z7 came out.
On the upside, if you are not depending on your camera for income, I would consider the Z7 nearly on par with, or better than the D850 for most shooting. Yes, that includes moving objects where all the naysayers think they are scoring points. Nikon has continued to update the Z since it was released and the latest firmware update produced a camera very similar to the Sony A9 I have used.
Nigel’s comments below also mention quality and design. I would contend that the Sony cameras are junky feeling and less durable than Nikon. Their lenses are amazing for sure.
In summary, the Nikon Z camera(s) are very close in capability to the D850 on moving objects, are better for landscape and video, and are better built than Sony. On the downside, the single card slot and limited Z native lenses available are negatives.
I also hope the Z8 includes 2 card slots. This simple move, along with some time will result in a camera that is better than most others.
I encourage anyone who is considering the Z cameras to find someone who has actually used both cameras more than for a quick evaluation shoot. Many of the reviewers are simply wrong about these cameras. Just saying.
The banding on the Nikon Z 7 is a problem when taking close-up pictures with a very blurred background. Banding is very common in the semi-dark and very dark areas. – The only disadvantage, but i will never go back to a DSLR.
Getting a good deal on Z7 – $1700; it’s a grey market set from a reliable dealer; is Z7 worth at that price range?
Any views / thoughts are welcome.
Getting a good deal on Z7 – $1700; it’s a grey market set from a reliable dealer; is Z7 worth at that price range?
Any views.
Thanks for being here and sharing your opinion, which as a professional shooter carries more weight than most other folk.
I wanted to like the Nikon mirrorless, but alas, not at this juncture. All the above comments applying to the D850’s responsive, 2nd nature, reliable and rugged handling are mirrored, if you will by mine own experience. When I shoot for money, which seems to be to often of late, it is for serious sums. And such serious sums are awarded by serious clients. Very.
That is were my second issue with the Z series comes in. My experience with image quality was echoed by others above. I prefer the D850 image quality. The more I shoot with the Z cameras, the greater the advantage the D850 seems to have. I have not noticed in practice and sharpness or resolution differences in general. But overall on many occasions the D850 seems sharper. But in this arena for now I digress.
My primary issue with the Z cameras is one of color, vibrancy, richness, depth and saturation.
To my eyes, initially, and amplified over time, the Z serious lacks noticeably in comparison to the D850 in all the aforementioned areas. Seems more “digital” if you well. Generally pale by comparison and lacking in life. The overall look to me of the Z series is one of desaturation and lack of color depth. In fact, over time, it has come to be a deal breaker for me.
I cannot charge someone $2,000 and hour and deliver images that just don’t jump to life and jump off the page technically, as well as artistically. That kind of impact is why I still break out the old Leicas for special occasions. Some things they do are unrivalled.
Perhaps I am doing something wrong, and have only shot the Z7 for a few months, rather than with my other Nikons, Leicas and German Contax’s which I have used for decades.
If anyone has thoughts on this, I would welcome a consult.