The Nikon Z 6 is a full-frame mirrorless camera with a premium, well-built design. It has excellent image quality, so your photos appear sharp and detailed. Also, its outstanding photo autofocus feature helps keep moving subjects in focus in your pictures. This camera also has decent video quality in 4k and FHD, but videos aren't as sharp as those recorded with some of the other cameras we've tested. Also, its bulky build may not make it ideal to bring with you on the go.
Our Verdict
The Nikon Z6 is good for travel photography. It has excellent image quality, so your photos are sharp and detailed, and its superb autofocus feature helps keep moving subjects in focus. This camera is well-built and easy-to-use, but it's a bit heavy.
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Well-built design.
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Amazing image quality.
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Superb photo autofocus performance.
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Not very portable.
The Nikon Z6 is great for landscape photography. This well-built camera is easy to use, and its screen is readable even if you're shooting in bright sunlight. It also has amazing image quality, so photos look detailed and sharp. Unfortunately, this camera is a bit heavy, so it isn't the most portable.
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Well-built design.
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Amazing image quality.
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Not very portable.
The Nikon Z6 is great for sport and wildlife photography. Thanks to its high continuous shooting speed, you can take bursts of pictures that help you get a clear shot of fast-moving subjects. Also, it does an incredible job tracking fast-moving subjects thanks to its superb autofocus system. It has amazing image quality and handles noise superbly well, too.
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Amazing image quality.
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Superb photo autofocus performance.
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Not very portable.
The Nikon Z6 is okay for vlogging. It isn't very portable, and its tilting screen can't be flipped to point forward so you can see yourself while you record. It has good video quality in 4K and FHD, but but the camera does exhibit a noticeable rolling shutter effect when panning side to side. Fortunately, its video stabilization helps provide stable footage even if you're walking while filming.
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Very good video stabilization performance.
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Not very portable.
The Nikon Z6 is great for studio video. It has good video quality in both 4k and FHD. Also, it has lots of inputs for commonly used accessories like a microphone and headphones. Thanks to its face detection feature, its autofocus does an incredible job focusing on the faces of moving people in both 4k and FHD, but it struggles a little more to stay focused on moving objects.
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Face detection feature.
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Lots of inputs for headphones and other accessories.
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Video autofocus can struggle to keep focus on moving objects.
The Nikon Z6 is inadequate for action video. This camera isn't very portable, and it isn't meant to be mounted on a helmet. It isn't waterproof, either. On the upside, it has good 4k and FHD video quality, and it can provide stable footage even if you're moving a lot while filming.
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Very good video stabilization performance.
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Not very portable.
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No water resistance.
- 7.9 Travel Photography
- 8.6 Landscape Photography
- 8.2 Sport & Wildlife Photography
- 6.5 Vlogging
- 8.3 Studio Video
- 5.3 Action Video
- Updated Dec 14, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.12.
- Updated Nov 21, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.11.
- Updated Oct 03, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.10.
- Updated Aug 16, 2022: After running into issues with RawTherapee during retesting for Test Bench 0.9, we decided to process the 'Photo RAW Dynamic Range' test scene in Lightroom instead. The test scene photo has been reuploaded.
- Updated Jul 29, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.9.
- Updated Apr 22, 2022: Converted to Test Bench 0.8.
- Updated Jul 07, 2021: Corrected depth measurement in 'Portability' box.
- Updated May 06, 2021: Retested 'Test Scene Extract' tests in 4k and FHD, updated '4k Video Quality' and 'FHD Video Quality' scores.
- Updated Feb 19, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 16, 2021: Early access published.
- Updated Jan 22, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Jan 21, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Nov 30, 2020: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Nikon Z6 comes in 'Black'. We tested this camera with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens, and you can see the label for the model we tested here.
This camera is also compatible with other Nikkor Z lenses, and you can also purchase it without a lens at all. However, we haven't tested its performance in any other configuration.
If you come across another version, let us know in the discussions so we can update our review.
Compared To Other Cameras
The Nikon Z 6 is a bit better overall than the Nikon Z 5, but the Z 5 still offers a lot of value for those just getting into full-frame photography. The Z 5 is Nikon's entry-level full-frame camera, while the Z 6 is a higher-end enthusiast model. Because of that, the Z 6 has a faster continuous shooting speed, can shoot 4k video without a crop and more frame rate options, and has a CFexpress card slot. However, it does have a shorter battery life than the Z 5.
Test Results
Update 07/07/2021: Camera depth incorrectly showed 3.7" (9.4 cm). This camera is actually 3.3" (8.5 cm) deep. We've adjusted the score accordingly.
- Magnesium alloy body, mix of rubberized and hard plastic exterior feel solid
- Dials and buttons are sturdy and offer good physical feedback
- Battery and SD card compartments covered by hinged doors
- Additional mini OLED display beside the thumb command dial
- Input and output compartments are covered by rubber flaps
- Nikon Z 6 camera body
- Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens
- User manual
- AC battery charger
- Nikon EN-EL15b battery
- Sensor cap
- Shoulder strap
- Lens cap, lens fabric wrap, lens hood, and lens mount cover
- USB-C to USB-A cable
- Cable management adapter
- Lots of room between body and lens; thumb can rest out of the way of the screen without accidentally pressing any buttons
- Viewfinder cover made of comfortable rubber
- Textured hand grip is comfortable and grippy
- Camera is a bit heavy
- Menu system easy to navigate using the touchscreen
- Using the shortcut/quick settings menu lets you access frequently used features and functions
- Nikon SnapBridge app can be used to operate some of the camera's functions through your phone
- Guide mode helps explain settings and features
- A few functions are hard to find, like video assistants and focus assist
Update 05/06/2021: The test scene extract shots have been retaken, as the original shots were out of focus. The camera's score in this category has been updated.
