Now that we have people accumulating a “full” Z-mount kit, we need to return to a topic I covered in the DSLR era. That’s basically the mismatched camera set versus the matched camera set.
I’m a firm believer in spending my time photographing when taking photographs (duh). When you carry and use two bodies with you that have different controls, options, and basically handling bits, you sometimes have to think about “what camera do I have in my hand” before you take a photo.
Of course, I take photos these days mostly in sports arenas and wildlife locales. Even a fraction of a moment wasted thinking about which button controls what can mean I miss the photo I wanted. Thus, whenever possible I carry two matching bodies with me. For example, during my month in Botswana earlier this year, I brought two Z9 bodies (with different lenses), set identically. It didn’t matter which camera I had in my hand; I had no cognitive dissonance that I was fighting as I sought to get the images I wanted.
Most of you aren’t carrying two cameras and bouncing between them all the time as I am on the sidelines or in the Land Cruiser. But I’ll bet you now have more than one body. How often do you go out with a body and have that moment where you stop to think “which camera do I have in my hands, and how is it set?” If your answer is “almost never” then congratulations, you’re done reading this article (though do consider coming back to it if your answer ever changes).
At the beginning of the Z System, Nikon actually produced two matching bodies with different internals: the Z6 and Z7. Using one was pretty much the same as using the other, at least until the firmware updates started piling up. Eventually, those nit-making engineers in Tokyo started adding features to one camera but not to the other (e.g. voice annotation on the Z6 only). The Z6 II and Z7 II also stayed relatively the same, so if the two Z cameras you’re juggling are among the Z6, Z6 II, Z7, Z7 II crowd, no big worries, you too can probably stop reading. If you buy a Z6 III, however, all bets are off.
We’re currently in an era with many body UX differences. Grossly lumped into categories, we have:
- Zf, Zfc — near identical retro dials cameras at the basic operational level, though there are quite a few differences under the skin and in their extended abilities.
- Z5, Z6, Z7, Z6 II, Z7 II — on the outside, close to identical, though again you might find some differences under the skin once you go beyond the basic handling bits.
- Z30, Z50 — while similar to the cameras in the bullet just above, there are more operational differences that come into play for basic photography controls.
- Z6 III, Z8, Z9 — the current design standard at Nikon started with the Z9 and worked its way down currently to the Z6 III. While physically these cameras are different, the way you control them is remarkably similar, enough so that using any two of these bodies together can be done by aligning the controls you’re using.
Things aren’t currently as bad as they became at times in the DSLR era, but serious photographers still need to pay attention to this, lest they find themselves in the field trying to figure out why something isn’t working the way they thought it should, only to discover it’s because they’re using a different camera.
I’m a firm believer in “master what you have,” so if you haven’t already done that with your current camera(s), buying another that’s in a different group and has not only different controls but different features is asking for trouble. It’s like trying to pass Calculus before you’ve completed Algebra.
One reason why people buy a new camera is that they think they’re missing out on something, because those new features and performance that’s marketed sound real good to where they are. But again, they were likely still in the middle of an Algebra class, so trying to do the advanced Calculus stuff becomes a pretty giant, and usually frustrating, leap.
That said, Nikon clearly has a new base set that originated with the Z9 and now is in three models. If you’re considering moving to a Z6 III from an earlier camera, for instance, make sure you’re ready for the change. Also, don’t expect to be juggling your Z6 and Z6 III back and forth without getting discombobulated.
Nowhere is the current situation more problematic than with the person who bought into the Z6/Z7 dichotomy in the first place, opting for a 24mp and 45mp camera. If you’re trying to stay current, for instance, a Z6 III and a Z7 II are two very different cameras in control, personality, features, performance, and a host of other bits. You will experience the “which camera am I holding” issue at some point, guaranteed.
Most of you reading this will dismiss my thesis. You’ll claim that either (1) you never experience those dissonant moments; or (2) you’ve never lost a photo op to the dissonance. If that’s your claim, you’re either (a) operating with such diligence and discipline that having faster and better access to features and control don’t matter; or (b) ignoring the data in front of you. If you’re a 1a, great, you, too, can now stop reading. But I’ll bet that most of you are a 2b, and I think you should be a not 2b. Watch out for those slings and arrows ;~).
Too often I find folk lusting for the best new gear when something else is what they should be pursuing. A common question I get from someone coming to my African workshops for the first time is “should I rent a Z9?” To go with the Z7 you’re bringing as a second body? Probably not. Learning the ins and outs of the Z9 isn’t trivial, as the massive size of my book on it should suggest. If you do manage to master that, the Z7 will feel “wrong” every time you pick it up, so you’ll stop picking it up.
Since we’re coming into the buying season and a lot of you are contemplating picking up one of the new bodies, I’d challenge you to rationalize your system a bit. If you’re opting to move into the Z6 III, Z8, Z9 class for the first time, are you really comfortable with having your backup being different? It’s okay to say “I’ll just use the one, new camera.” But it becomes questionable if you think “I’m going to use the new and old one side by side.”
As much as features, you have to think about UX (user experience). Simply put, a Z6 III is a different user experience than a Z6 or Z6 II. Make sure you’re ready for that.
Bonus: It’s not that Nikon is the only one with this problem. I actually think Sony is the current worst offender, mostly because they’ve put out so many generations and have kept the older models on the market so long in order to fill lower price points. I watched someone at a store recently opt simultaneously for an A7 Mark IV and an A7 Mark II as a backup, thinking that they’re both A7’s. Boy are they going to be surprised.
What I write above is also something that the camera companies keep getting wrong with their small camera options, too. Most of us serious photographers also want a carry-everywhere camera. Wouldn’t it be great if that had basically the same UX, only slimmed down? Nope. Must have different UX. Management say self competition bad. Only new customer for compact. (Hmm, I seem to have suddenly channeled stereotypical Tarzan, give me a moment…)
Fujifilm currently comes the closest to what serious photographers want. X100, XF bodies, GFX bodies, they all (mostly) share the same UX. Or rather, you can buy an X100, XF, and GFX that have very similar UX; you can also buy an X-S20 and mess that up some, because dials disappear ;~). Despite my snide bits here, again, Fujifilm is doing mostly the right thing.
Heck, even Leica is now starting to do the same, at least if you ignore the M series. The SL3, Q3, and D-Lux8 now have a fairly consistent, and very modern, UX.
So where’s Canon, Nikon, and Sony? Still in the “compacts must be different” thinking.
