Nikon Z6 III Pros, Cons, and Who is This Mirrorless Camera for!

[@clintwarkentin2062]

Thanks, Scott, really appreciate your content and the work you put into it (sorry to hear about the technical issues on this one that made it a giant time sink). As someone who is considering a backup (and "spousal second") to the Z8, I found this video very helpful.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Glad to hear it was helpful.

[@migueleng7634]

One of the best and truly honest review about this camera, with a real on-field experience!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks!

[@Vemovemo1]

Great content and very clear review of pros and cons. I'm between this and the z8 for my next camera.

My backup is still a DSLR. If I had the money I would go Z6iii with no hesitation. Actually, it would probably become my primary camera for different applications due to its smaller size and less weight. For now, I’m focusing on lenses though. Thank you for your videos and thought.

[@LOVECATO1]

Thank you for the review. Just purchased the Nikon Z6iii as a backup for my Nikon D850. I use it for concert photography where my ISO is often above 800. It will be fun to test it out.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Good luck!

[@glennn.3464]

Great honest review of the Nikon Z6 III. One thing you said though was that it does 6K - 60fps which is more than what most others offer in this price range but then you are listing not having 8K as a negative. How is that a negative? Also, it’s not even an option to get 8K from a 24MP sensor so it really can’t be considered a con. It would be if it were missing from a higher MP sensor camera but not from the Z6 III. Other than that I think you gave a great overall pro and con for the this camera’s feature set and capabilities.

[@steves1015]

I read your comment before I saw that part of the video. Honestly, I think he seemed a little reticent to even call it a con and agreed with your points. However, too many people think they need 8k video capability, so it has to be mentioned, even though I would suspect many of those people do not have the other hardware to be able to actually handle and edit 8k videos...

[@keithmacdonald4805]

Great review Scott, I have been waiting for your review. I shoot with a Z9 right now with a Z6ii as my backup. After what you have had to say I think the Z6iii with be my backup now. Thanks for all your efforts, I really appreciate all your reviews because you actually use the products before you post the pros and cons and also because you aren't attached to the manufacturer.

[@WildlifeInspired]

I appreciate the kind words. It's always good to be unbiased.

[@steves1015]

What a great video! I'm surprised you have so few viewers. Your review is clear, seems very balanced, and I like how you have a more nuanced approach, rather than "omg it doesn't have 256MP therefore it is crap!!" attitude which I have seem with some reviews. I am currently torn between this, the lumix GH7, and the Fuji XH2S, mostly for video. I wanted the FX-30 or a6700 but the lack of 6k is what puts me of, and I haven't yet taken the plunge because this would be the most I've ever spent on a camera and scared to have buyer's remorse! Lol. I would say that this review has helped a lot though! Thank you.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thanks so much. Glad I could help!

[@gregboyce360]

Thanks for your persistence on this one. It was very informative.

[@WildlifeInspired]

I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@MrKeith57]

That was the best review to date on this camera. I have been on the fence about this this camera for a while. Should I save my pennies for the Z8 or just get it. I have loved my Z6ii and it, with the 24-70 2.8 have produced the best images of my career. Thanks

[@AlexMcDougallPhotography]

Thank you for an excellent review. Looking at getting one of these and the 180-600 for my Wildlife photography channel.

[@kerrygrim7934]

I appreciated your reviews with your honest comments. Great job as usual!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Thank you! Glad you like it.

[@johnplanck3036]

No knocks on my D750 as a "backup" to my z8. But I think this will be my new "backup" camera. Exactly what I was looking for review-wise. I do H.S. seniors, events, weddings, and some local bands. This may even be better for those low light venues with bands. Thank you! And, I can finally get rid of my F glass for the d750 (which sentimentally makes me a bit sad, but z mount is so good!)

[@WildlifeInspired]

I still have my 300 2.8 f mount i cant part with it lol

[@jameshogg7842]

Thanks Scott a really good review. You didn't mention the lack of bird eye subject recognition. You have to fall back on animal eye recognition. I feel that's a significant point

[@WildlifeInspired]

I mention that in an upcoming video! Stay tuned

[@Sebas-sg1kj]

@@WildlifeInspired Do you think that this will be added later on firmware? I think z50ii has it.

[@rodspov1915]

My old z7 has an ev range of 14.6 stops and a native iso of 64, that produces amazing detailed images. I do a lot of landscapes so I will keep it for that reason only. I have done still birds with the z7 but I want a better focus system. Not sure if I get this or a cheap used d500. Thanks for the honest review.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Z7 seems ideal for landscape. I'd hold off and see if they offer a z90 early 2025

[@andrewfoster4599]

I like my Z6 III for the price and high-speed. I go to reenactments across Florida to capture cannon and rifle fire, not a problem. As for the batteries, if you go to a higher Ah (EN-EL15) of 2500 or 2600, big difference in longevity.

[@WildlifeInspired]

good point

[@EliasSix-p3z]

Hi Scott I just found your channel and love the content! I'm looking to upgrade from my Z6ii and am torn between the Z6iii and Z8 (for wildlife photography). I'm aware of the key differences, but it seems the Z8’s advantages come with a few trade-offs: - Resolution: The Z8's higher resolution allows for more cropping flexibility, but the larger file sizes put more pressure on workflow. - Sensor: The Z6iii appears to deliver less noisy images, though the Z8 does offer slightly better dynamic range. - Size: The Z6iii is more compact, making it easier to add a battery grip without becoming as bulky as the Z8 + grip. Plus, the Z6iii already has better battery life. Would love to hear your thoughts! My Z6ii has served me well and I've been happy with the results, but now I'm struggling with the Z8's downsides, even though I know it's considered the superior camera. It just seems as if the Z6iii has a couple of "quality of life" features that make it a better option for my wildlife photography (which consist of a lot of international travel)...

[@MattMurddock]

I was recently stuck between choosing Z6iii and Z8 too. I ultimately went Z8 and glad I did. The pros far outweighed cons (biggest for me probably being weight). I do landscapes and wildlife and I found the little things like sensor shield, button illumination and other features are valuable. Recently shot in DVNP and these features came in handy. Noise has not been an issue with how good apps are these days with removal/minimization. Yes, the file sizes are big but like you mentioned, the freedom to crop is brilliant. Additionally, I don't come home from a trip with 500+ photos. I've become pretty selective with my shots over the years so it works. Whatever you choose, hope you enjoy it!

[@WildlifeInspired]

I think is spot on. Depends on your primary use. The Z6iii is a great HYBRID, its very good at most of what it does, but does not outperform the more expensive z8. The Z6iii is quite capable at most things but macro, wildlife and landscape, the Z8 will shine. and yes that sensor shield is such a nice feature!

[@lesgregory4469]

Hi Scott. Great review. I been shooting Nikon for many years. My other two cameras I have besides the Z 6iii are the Z 7ii and the D850. You are correct about the resolution and I am kinda on the fence on this myself. I do sometimes miss the resolution but then again the smaller files can be refreshing at times. All toll I do like this camera, but do wish they would they would give it a dedicated bird option through a firmware update

[@WildlifeInspired]

That seems to be a potential fix, also with they had that shutter guard option like the z9

[@lesgregory4469]

@@WildlifeInspired definitely,,,I think Nikon cut some corners on this one but actually I think there is a whole lot of camera at this price point. Sometimes ,well I speak for myself,,sometimes we expect more without realizing what we get for a certain amount of money, in comparison for basically 33% cost of the Z9 it has a lot more than 33% of the goods..lol

[@LightTheShadows]

I am an early investor in the Z-System. I bought the original Z6 and Z7 and still have them. When the Z9 came out I preordered it immediately and because it was such a great step forward I also bought a Z8 as a backup. Wanted to sell my Z6 and Z7 after that but the used gear market is terrible for sellers at the moment. At least over here in Europe. So I held on to my four cameras and have no need at all for the Z6iii. Since I do quite a lot of outdoor portraiture with flash I wait for a camera that vastly improve on sync speed (Global Shutter maybe) but keeps the dynamic range and Color depth at a high level. I even looked for a Hasselblad X2D but don’t want to invest in a second system. So I am waiting for things to come from Nikon in the future…

[@WildlifeInspired]

You have the gamut covered with the exception of that sync speed. I know the Z6iii and Z9 (pretty sure) offer high speed sync, is that now what you are looking for?

[@LightTheShadows]

@@WildlifeInspired not exactly - HSS is a power consuming workaround and stresses the flashes whilst limiting the flash power output. ND filters are my choice as long as the sync speed is limited. I am sure it’s only a matter of time until we get there.

[@danruizmd]

Thank you, outstanding and helpful review!

[@WildlifeInspired]

I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@soumakbinduwildlife]

Very in-depth explanation

[@WildlifeInspired]

Appreciate the feedback!

[@billhallsongs]

Thanks Scott! That is such a wonderful reivew, especially appreciating the dual gain sensor dynamic range explanaton. I assume the "precapture" feature pm the Z8 and Z9 works in raw as opposed to the Z6lll only in Jpeg..That said. still a great feature.

[@thebeatles1548]

JPEG only for the Z8 and Z9 too, unfortunately.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Yes on all bodies for Nikon atm.

[@billhallsongs]

Thanks Scott.

[@danaswan843]

I have the Z9, Z8 and now the Z6iii. I was one who recommended you get the Z8 instead. As primarily a bird photographer, I find that the Z6iii sometimes struggles to find the bird or loses focus more often than the Z9 or Z8. It doesn’t have a dedicated bird detect which I consider a con. Hopefully Nikon will add it with a firmware update, but I’m not holding my breath. But it is a good second camera to take on photo trips if you take the Z8. That’s a good combination because they take the same batteries. What is your thought on lack of dedicated bird detection. Could that be why it is not as good as the Z9? I find the Z8 is as good as the Z9.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Using the same engines I think they will add it at some point. Remember the original Z9 didn't have it. Now that we know bird tracking exists and all 3 units have the same processing power, it makes sense that a future firmware will add this. Sometimes I think they throttles the capabilities based on price point

[@richardpontius8210]

Not a big deal and maybe I"m showing my ignorance but what you called the battery door was for memory card access. The battery access door is on the bottom of the camera. I do agree that the door for memory card access is pretty awkward and could use some improvement. Nice review of the Z6iii. Not on my list at the moment but maybe some day.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Never even caught that I said this. Not sure ever saw my video on my stroke last year. But since then, I swear I mix up words so much more !

[@paulfarrant108]

Still waiting for a viable mirrorless D500. This has some good features and the Z8 has the ones that are missing but I can't justify the cost. I know from my D500 experience that I often need to crop so the wider field of view of full frame will make that even more necessary and then the resolution being low will become an issue

[@WildlifeInspired]

I'm guessing z80 early next year

[@StrangeTu]

Thinking about trading in my d850 for this one and adding some cost ofc. Love my d850, but mostly take wildlife shots and often in poor light as well, so it's very tempting with many tech updates. Not sure though.

[@WildlifeInspired]

That 850 is a gem. The Silent shutter is a big deal and video on the Z6III is great, but if you don't need those features, the 850 is probably better for stills

[@StrangeTu]

@@WildlifeInspired Thank you for the response and the great work overall.

[@nashtentv4838]

Thinking about buying Z6iii, but concerned if there's possibly focus breathing, and if dynamic range is worse than Z6ii or other cameras in this range. I record videos of singers, sometimes in low light, so it needs to stay in focus. Trying to decide between this and Canon R6ii. What do you think and can I email you for more info and opinions? Thanks for great review!

[@WildlifeInspired]

Honestly, I would find a friend and ask to borrow it to try in low light concerts.

[@nashtentv4838]

@WildlifeInspired Thanks, I'm leaning towards the Z6iii.

[@prios61]

For those like me that was waiting for switch from DSLR to Z mirrorless it was a peaty that the Z6III didn' has a bigger MP sensor... The Z8 it's fine but the price is to hight . Let's see what Nikon do in the next few mounthes.

[@rdphoto2]

Hey Scott, do you know what the Z8 dual gain is?

[@WildlifeInspired]

ISO 500 I think same as the Z9.

[@vzshadow1]

I'll tell you who this camera is for, the advanced amateur photographer. Expensive, but doesn't break the bank, access to Z lenses, does everything well, jack-of-all trades.

[@WildlifeInspired]

same thoughts

[@mattricci2981]

Not true at all you can be a professional with this camera editing is a powerful tool

[@vzshadow1]

@@mattricci2981 Never said you couldn't be a pro with it, you certainly can. However that is not their intended target audience.

[@steveh4564]

Any hesitation in recommending this camera to a hobbyist bird / sports photographer who probably doesn't need a Z9? Currently on the venerable D500. Thanks!

[@WildlifeInspired]

There is rumor of a z80/90. That could be your next camera. Would be more cost than this. I'll wait and see

[@steveh4564]

@ excellent thank you so much!

[@prasanthsasikumar]

Hi, anyone here used Sony A7m4 , just checking which is better in autofocus and low light performance. Specially for photographing big predators like tiger or leopard in winter conditions

[@jaucoin546]

Do you have a similar video for the Nikon ZF like the Z3Iii

[@WildlifeInspired]

I don't see that as Wildlife body so I haven't had an interest to use it.

[@jaucoin546]

@ thanks

[@DanielWray-z7m]

Is pre-capture able to take RAW photos?

[@WildlifeInspired]

Not at this time

[@bryonmahler3806]

Some reviewers have stated that they like the low light performance for still images. Did your review influence my decision? No, my budget is the biggest influencer of my decisions. Right now, it's telling me a used D750 is my best hope for an upgrade.

[@WildlifeInspired]

That's a good sensor on the 750 but I think frame rate/ buffer is a little slower for wildlife

[@MGriff-q1i]

It is about resetting the Z line up. The original Z cameras didn’t cover the action/birding/video areas thoroughly enough. I like my Z6ii but also have the Z9 so the Z6ii shortcomings are irrelevant to me. I don’t have ANY interest in updating the Z6ii at all. The Z6iii is a good camera and I would be delighted if I won one in a raffle.

[@LouisaLee63]

Hope your weekend is better than today’s recording session!

[@alwinbenjamin]

👑

[@KungPowEnterFist]

The Z6III is basically half the Z8 for 2/3's the price. There is some good to the Z6III, but there is also some bad as mentioned in this video. IMHO, this is the first Z successor camera that is not a slam dunk over the previous iteration.

[@WildlifeInspired]

Having. Both a 6ii and 6iii I think the iii is a really big jump. The processing speed and autofocus is much better. I agree the z8 is a a better camera as a primary body but the z6iii is a nice all around body and a great backup option for me. My Z6ii has been a webcam for 2 years. I didn't even use it to try to shoot birds anymore.

[@KungPowEnterFist]

@@WildlifeInspired I have the Z6, Z6II, Z6III, Z8 and Z9. The AF is much better than the Z6III specifically for sports action/wildlife use case. Else, its not much of an improvement in AF. I find that not being able to adjust the FPS in H or H* quite annoying. I don't remember the exact numbers, but in electronic shutter RAW its something like 1-7, 16, or 20. They should have at least made H adjustable between 8-15 fps. I am finding some...oddities...in DX vs FX in N-RAW N-Log where the DX clips are 4-5 stops worse noise performance than FX. It is difficult to repeat the problem, so I am chalking that one up to user error for now. The flippy screen is perhaps the biggest fail on this camera.

[@WildlifeInspired]

I can't imagine that you think the Z6iii isnt much better at autofocus for wildife than the z6ii. No not as good as z8/9 but to me it's so much better than the z6ii which is slower and less flexible.

[@KungPowEnterFist]

@@WildlifeInspired Let me clarify about AF, because I did fail to specify which camera(s) I meant were much better AF than the Z6III in my last comment. The Z8/Z9 has much better sports action/wildlife AF than the Z6III, and the Z6III has much better sports action/wildlife AF than the Z6II. I perceive the sports action/wildlife AF canyon to be equally wide between the Z8/Z9 and Z6III as it is to the Z6III and Z6II. Sports action/wildlife AF aside, the Z6III AF is not better over the Z6II AF. I find the Z6II AF and Z6III AF to be basically on par for everything else. I don't see any improvement in Eye AF, or for landscapes, or general portraits, or macro, or any other use case I have tried so far. In the Z6III, I have noticed the EVF goes into a low frame rate mode too quickly and the amount of lowered framerate too harsh when you are not actively shooting, and it is another annoyance I wish Nikon fixes or puts a setting in the menu to adjust (or if someone can point that out to me). This is tiresome on the eyes when you are trying to acquire a new subject to focus on (i.e., the next bird, etc.). The EVF is beautiful and fast when it is fully active, though. They need to make that timer longer and/or not drop to such a low framerate. I also find the eye to EVF detection sensor to be overly sensitive, which others have mentioned. Maybe I am just spoiled by the Z8/Z9 and I am being overly critical of the Z6III.

[@LindaP-rp3jp]

It does record video to the SD card.

[@WildlifeInspired]

It does not only CFB

[@LindaP57]

@@WildlifeInspired how strange then because mine does. In the video recording menu, under Destination, I chose SD card and it records to there all the time.

[@WildlifeInspired]

I was under the impression it did NOT shoot all formats to the SD card, it certainly does not shoot back up the SD card. I have since returned the loaner unit and can't test. Perhaps the SD only option is limited to some formats

[@LindaP-rp3jp]

@@WildlifeInspired In looking at the manual, the only thing I found was that video cannot be recorded to SD or XQD memory cards with a capacity of 32 GB or less when N-RAW 12-bit(NEV) or ProRes RAW HQ12-bit(MOV) is selected for Video File Type in the video recording menu. Didn't find anything that said SD option was limited to some formats. Maybe someone else knows more....

[@irajnaghash]

Low Dynamic Range. Most of the shadows are noisy.

[@nickdual]

I subscribed, you do too colleauge

[@MyContestPix]

Always an informative watch!!! I'm guessing you rank the Z9 as the "best" for bird photography solely for Nikon's zoom lenses which other brands don't have - yet. A great autofocusing camera that has no glass is almost worthless. LOL!!! 😄

[@WildlifeInspired]

No glass? Are you aware of nikons lineup? Just because Tamron doesn't have a lens for them doesn't mean that they are inferior. Their lineup is impressive even for midlevel lenses. Please google.

[@MyContestPix]

@@WildlifeInspired We got off on the wrong foot here. Been a follower for years. 😄 In the context of bird photography which you specialize in and what this video is about. At 24:48 you mention the Z9 is the "best" bird camera on the market. Implied in that statement is Nikon's telephoto glass which I referred to in my statement. Midlevel glass from other vendors wouldn't cut it for bird photography. 😄