Hillary Grigonis/Digital Trends
Nikon has finally stepped into professional mirrorless cameras, and its flagship Z7 isn’t just a scaled-down version of the D850 DLSR, even if the two share many similar specs. Both have a full-frame 45.7-megapixel sensor, 4K video and nearly identical prices. But the Nikon Z7 adds in-body image stabilization and a processor that’s even faster than the one inside the D850. So which camera is better? The choice is difficult.
Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D850: Specs
| Nikon Z7
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Nikon D850
|
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| Sensor | Full-frame CMOS of 45.7 megapixels without optical low-pass filter | Full-frame CMOS of 45.7 megapixels without optical low-pass filter |
| Burst Speed | 9 fps in extended mode or 5.5 fps with live view | 7 fps (9 fps with additional battery) |
| Shutter speed | 30 sec. to 1/8000, bulb | 30 sec. to 1/8000, bulb |
| ISO | 64 – 25,600 (32 – 102,400 extended) | 64 – 25,600 (32 – 102,400 extended) |
| Autofocus | Hybrid contrast AF with 493-point phase detection | 153 dynamic range phase detection points (contrast detection AF in live view) |
| Low Light AF | -1 to +19 EV (-4 to +19 in low-light AF mode) | -4 to +20 EV |
| Flash Sync | 1/200 | 1/250 |
| Image stabilization | Sensor displacement in 5 axes | None (available in some lenses) |
| Video | 4K at 30 fps, 1080p at 120 fps | 4K at 30 fps, 1080p up to 5x slow motion |
| Viewfinder | 0.5 inch, 3.69 million dot EVF, 100 percent coverage | Optically, 100 percent coverage |
| LCD | 3.2 inch, 2.10 million dot tilting touchscreen | 3.2-inch tilting touchscreen with 2.359 million dots |
| Media slots | One XQD card slot | One XQD, one SD (UHS-II compliant) slot |
| Battery | 330 shots | 1,840 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 5.3 x 4 x 2.7 inches | 5.8 x 4.9 x 3.1 |
| Weight | 1.29 lbs. (body only) | 2.02 pounds (body only) |
| Price | 3400 dollars | 3300 dollars |
| Read more | Nikon Z7 review | Nikon D850 review |
| Buy now |
Size
Switching to a mirrorless model shaves off more than half a pound, putting the Nikon Z7 at a weight that’s comfortable for longer shoots. Smaller isn’t always better and luckily Nikon has included a DSLR-sized grip on the Z7 so you don’t sacrifice ergonomics. The viewfinder also sticks out from the back of the camera, preventing your nose from making contact with the touchscreen. This means you don’t save much space in your camera bag compared to the D850, but the Z7 is still noticeably more compact.
The winner in the size category is of course no surprise — but it’s nice to note that the Z7 isn’t so small that it’s uncomfortable to hold.
Winner: Nikon Z7
Controls
While the Z7 is smaller, the Nikon D850 has more room for physical controls and — a problem for many professionals — dual media card slots. The D850 uses a control layout that is very familiar to anyone who has used a Nikon DSLR, with many direct access controls. Several of the D850’s buttons can also be backlit for working in the dark.
The Z7 shares a surprising amount of similarities with the D850 despite its smaller profile. Both have overhead displays, dual control wheels, joysticks, tilting touchscreens and many common buttons, along with rugged weather protection. The Z7 ditches the drive mode dial and hotkey cluster found on the D850 in favor of a traditional exposure mode dial. The Z7 has two customizable buttons near the lens mount. Even with the added options, the Z7 still lacks a few physical controls (which depend on what’s assigned to those front two buttons). While the design isn’t a reason not to go for the Z7, the D850 just has more room for a more robust control scheme and those dual card slots.
The Z7 has another design feature that the D850 lacks — an electronic viewfinder, which unlike its optical sibling, displays accurate exposure and depth of field, along with tools like focus.
Winner: Nikon D850
Image quality
Even putting the images side-by-side, it’s hard to tell which image came from the D850 and which was taken on the new Z7 — the image quality is almost, but not quite, identical.
While the specifications for the sensors look identical, Nikon has redesigned the sensor for the Z7. The biggest change, though, is the updated processor — we noticed slightly less noise in images taken with the Z7 at the same ISO. While a detailed comparison test showed the Z7 to have slightly better noise reduction, both cameras had excellent color, detail and sharpness.
Thanks to internal stabilization, the Z7 can also shoot at much slower shutter speeds, which can allow lower ISO settings to be used, improving quality. This will depend on the situation – you can’t use a slow shutter to capture a fast-moving subject, for example – but the Z7 gives it an added advantage.
Winner: Nikon Z7 (by a hair)
Autofocus
Early mirrorless cameras lagged well behind DSLRs in autofocus performance, and while many have caught up, autofocus performance remains a major concern for photographers considering the switch from DSLR to mirrorless. And in most lighting scenarios, there’s nothing to worry about. In good lighting, the autofocus on the Z7 was similar to shooting with a Nikon DSLR, even when DSLR lenses were adapted to it.
In low light, however, the Z7’s autofocus isn’t as robust as the D850’s. The Z7 needs a special low-light autofocus mode to cover the same sensitivity range as the D850, but even Nikon says the low-light AF mode can reduce AF speed. The Z7 is also not compatible with the AF assist beam on Nikon flashes. Faster low-light AF performance and AF-assist flash compatibility give the D850 an edge in low-light shooting. We also weren’t impressed with the Z7’s 3D autofocus tracking, which just can’t keep up with the D850’s excellent tracking.
The D850 may be the low-light autofocus king, but the DSLR’s live autofocus wasn’t nearly as impressive. The D850 cannot lock focus as quickly using the contrast detection system for Live View mode when shooting video or photos.
Winner: Nikon D850 (except in Live View)
Speed up
With the EXPEED 6 processor, the Nikon Z7 achieves 9 fps, a speed that the D850 can only achieve with an additional battery grip (without the grip, the maximum speed is 7 fps). However, both cameras have a fine print at those top speeds. The Z7 may not need a bracket, but it can’t use live view and exposure locks after the first shot. Continuous autofocus is still available at that 9 fps speed. With continuous auto exposure and live view, the Z7 is limited to 5.5 fps.
Speed is a tough competition with both cameras capable of reaching 9 fps, but with fine print speeds of 7 fps and 5.5 fps and the D850’s better autofocus, we give the D850 the title here. The D850 also has a slightly faster flash sync speed — 1/250 compared to 1/200.
Winner: Nikon D850
Stabilization
Nikon DSLRs do not have stabilization, but it can be found in many lenses. In-body stabilization is one of the Z7’s biggest features that the D850 lacks, allowing it to shoot stabilized with any lens — including all fast lenses that are not typically stabilized. The stabilization system is five-axis which is good for up to five stops. On F-mount lenses that already have VR in the name, in-body stabilization adds an axis of rotation to what’s already inside the lens, increasing efficiency.
Winner: Nikon Z7
Battery life
The Nikon Z7 and D850 use nearly identical batteries — the Z7 includes the same size battery with a slight update to allow USB charging, but it can also use older batteries like the one inside the D850. However, using the electronic viewfinder takes a toll on battery life. The Z7 easily surpassed its stated battery rating of 300 shots during our tests, but it’s still no DSLR — the D850 can give you thousands of exposures on a single charge.
Winner: Nikon D850
Picking a winner
Comparing the cameras side-by-side, the Nikon Z7 and Nikon D850 share several important features, but also have several very significant differences. The Z7 has a smaller body, updated processor, excellent electronic viewfinder and in-body stabilization. The D850, however, has better autofocus (except in Live View), a more robust control scheme, two image storage options, longer battery life, and a price that’s about $100 lower.
The Nikon Z7 is an excellent first-generation mirrorless camera — it’s rugged, performs better than expected, and offers features like an electronic viewfinder and in-body stabilization that aren’t available on the company’s DSLRs. The Z7, however, shares the throne with the D850 rather than demoting the DSLR outright. The D850 has better low-light autofocus performance, longer battery life, two media slots, more physical controls, and better burst speed without the fine print.
Which camera wins depends on what you’re shooting and what’s most important to you. For fast action, such as sports and wildlife, or in low-light situations, such as wedding photography, the D850 is a better choice. However, the Z7’s smaller size, updated processor and in-body stabilization make this mirrorless camera great for travel, landscapes and portraits.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn