subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 25 May 2019 41
down to the fact that nearly all my
best photographic moments have
happened with a Nikon in my hand.
That is not to say that I am a
blinkered zealot, however, and one
of the best things about my job is
being able to try out other makes
(if you are reading this, Leica and
Zeiss, I’d love to do a supermarket
sweep of your current line-up...).
Anyway, like a lot of Nikon fans, I
was intrigued when the full-frame
Nikon Z series was announced,
even more so when Andy and
Michael, my rigorously objective
and fastidious colleagues on the
testing team, gave the Z 6 and Z 7
models a big, Paul McCartney-
style, thumbs up. The Nikon Z 6
then hoovered-up the Enthusiast
Camera of the Year and Product
of the Year camera gongs at the
recent AP awards, so I was itching
to spend some quality time with
the camera. The chance came
earlier this year, when I got to visit
Japan twice – once to cover the
CP+ camera show in Yokohama,
and then again in March, when I
returned to this hugely photogenic
country on a longer and more
adventurous personal trip.Fashionably late
As a Nikon full-frame DSLR user,
the somewhat compromisedNikon 1 models didn’t appeal to
me much as a personal camera,
and like a lot of industry watchers,
I assumed they’d left it rather late
to be joining the mirrorless party.
It was clear the Z series was
something altogether more
exciting though, and a few phone
calls soon sorted me out with a
review sample of the Z 6 and
the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S and
50mm f/1.8 S prime lenses (my
glass weapons of choice, being a
bit old fashioned). Getting used to
the Z 6 after using a Nikon D750
took just a few minutes, as the
cameras have very similar
ergonomics, right down to a
relatively large viewfinder unit. This
is a big attraction for DSLR users
worried about making the switch
to mirrorless. Yes, there is a PASM
dial and a mob of buttons, but the
Z 6 layout still feels cleaner and
more intuitive, as you’d expect of
a camera that has been designed
from the ground up, rather than
inheriting a lot of the DNA of
earlier DSLRs. It is lighter than the
D750, too – 675g body only with
battery, as opposed to 840g.
There is a smaller choice of lenses
for the Z series (see page 42), but
the 35mm and 50mm felt
comparatively light too,
despite their fast maximumSilent mode is another big bonus,
enabling discreet candid shots in a
range of environments
Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S, 1/80sec at f/4.5, ISO 110The 35mm and 50mm
Z-series lenses I took to
Japan were sharp, versatile
and not too bulky
Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S,
1/1600sec at f/3.5, ISO 125