Nikon Z6II VS Nikon Z6III | Should You Really UPGRADE?

I had (2) two Z6ii bodies. In January I sold one to MPB to purchase the Z8. Since the release of the Z6iii I sold the other one this week to MPB. Now what to do? Purchase the Z6iii or wait for Nikon to come up with the D500 Replacement. Which I think is coming but when? Right now I have the Z8 and D500 bodies and that is it for now.

Thanks for the comparison - lots to consider. So true that people don’t care which camera took the shot.

Think if I were shootin a lot of video I'd be goin with the Z6III

Hello Adrain,

Regarding upgrading..... I would very much like to be able to upgrade, from my current D3/D800 setup, but it's just too much money for me at the moment. And as you said, the clients don't care what you shoot with. They just want good pictures :)

And with the D3, I get fast(er) FPS, than the D800, but less resolution. Resolution is not so importtant, as I have a long lens I use for photographing animals in the wild or airshows.

When the time comes, I'd consider even "just" a Z6 with an FTZ adapter, because I'm not a working photographer, so the income from the few jobs I have, isn't big enough to justify buying a mirrorless, yet.

Cheers,
Steen

Hello Adrian,im planning on upgrading from a d7200, should i go for the z6 3 or the z8 . I plan on trying out all types of photography, from portraits and events to wildlife. Will the z8 high iso pictures be good?

I owned two Z6ii’s and decided to sell one and ordered a Z6iii. Probably wasn’t “necessary”, but really wanted to upgrade a little and Z 8 is a little out of my price range.

Hi Adrian, a great video as always, buddy! In my experience, it is very individual if someone should upgrade or not. I just do that if the upgrade offers me any significant advantages. Something like image quality is no longer a real criterion for me on days like these. It is more little helper functions that make life easier out in the field. The question is just: is the money worth it? The answer is very individual 😊
Have a nice weekend,
Christian

I think if you're someone who shoots a lot like weddings/wildlife/action/sports, etc, then chances are your camera already has a high shutter count.
Given that the Z6ii is four years old, it may be beneficial to future-proof your gear by upgrading to avoid wear and tear costs and chances of gear failure (brand new gear can also fail)

If you got a brand new Z6ii in the last year or two, then you're probably good for another 2 years before deciding.

The video benefits of the Z6iii can help you add more services to recover the upgrade costs.

Casual shooters and hobbyists have no benefit just yet, so rather skip a generation and wait for the 4th version

Alternatively, if you do need multiple bodies, then get more Z6ii when it drops in price after more pop up in the used market

I'm using a Z7 II right now, mainly for taking shots of the animals at the local zoo where I volunteer as staff photographer and I am not going to buy a Z6 III.
Mainly because I have gotten so used to the resolution of the Z7 II! I don't crop my photos but the way it can reproduce fine details is awesome and for the zoo it's very handy for when they want to make very large prints, like banners and such.
If the Z6 III had RAW pre-capture... That might have made me want to buy it. That together with the improved focus system would have been amazing to have in a camera under 4000 bucks.
But as it stands right now I am happy enough with my Z7 II. At the moment I am thinking about either getting a Z8 later on or to replace my F mount Tamron 70-200/2.8 G2.

I'm good with my mark 2 and find no need to upgrade yet. Thanks for the vid.

Z6ii owners should wait, until a z6iv or zfii. Or wait for one year and take used z6iii😊

Great comparison Adrain, does seem a big upgrade in spec. Good information and hard choice for those thinking of buying the Z6III. Many thanks for sharing the info and have a great week.

Thanks Adrian with 8mins video clip i just got enlightened. I'm thinking to sell my z6ii to upgrade z6iii but i must say i'll keep my z6ii til next year.

Adrian, good arguments to both sides. For me, I love birding and the ability to crop as I do with my D850, so after this release I think the camera for me is the Z8. I just have to save a little more to afford it.

Hi Adrian, great as always- today, in the US, the Z7ii is now $250 less expensive than the new Z6iii.. for a 90% still photographer, which makes more sense?

The feature I preordered for is the manual focus assist. The Zf has a limitation with fastest shutter speed on some of my more exotic Voightlander or older "D" lenses which renders them useless without an ND filter on a sunny day. Z6 iii will go a full stop faster on the electronic shutter. Doesn't have a particular use case in my kit and won't supplant my Z8 as my daily driver but should still be fun. Cheers!

Thanks for the video. I'm looking at the Z6 ii now.

I won’t upgrade just yet. My Z6ii is a companion camera to my Z9. I don’t need two high end bodies. I don’t want a Z8. It would be handy if the viewfinder and autofocus was more advanced than the Z6ii. I like a second camera body for international travel. The Z6ii with a 24-120 is good choice for general shots. I rely far more on my Z9 with a 180-600, especially for wildlife etc. The only advantage with a Z6iii would be as a more viable possible replacement for the Z9 in the event of an accident or technical malfunction. It would be nice to have that option but it is far from essential. I don’t travel often so an upgrade is difficult to justify.

This was an excellent comparison. Nice work, Adrian!

Great comparison between the two Adrian. Horses for courses really and entirely depends on each individual photographer on what they shoot and what they need from a camera. 👌👌👍👍

Have been holding off buying back into full frame, awaiting the 6iii’s announcement. But now that we know those, it’s really overkill for my needs. So i’m now choosing between the 6ii or ZF…Better grip and button placement vs. better VR and flippy screen. Hmmm.

I have a z6 and d850, does z6 have equivalent focus as the d850 group area af? For birds in flight

I’ll be upgrading because my Z6II fell in a river last summer (tighten that tripod!)…and now I can only turn it on and off by putting the battery in and out. Z8 is sooo far out of my budget, as is the Z6III is $3900 CDN after taxes and coversion…uugh.

I have upgraded every second camera, started with D80, skipped the D90, upgraded to D7000, skipped D7100, bought D7200, skipped D7500, Bought Z6 (where I upgraded to full frame), skipped Z6 II and now I'm in for Z6 III. But it will be sometimes during the autumn.
Of course it's overkill for my needs but i'm suffering from severe GAS and it's fun to experiment with new techniques.
Also switching lens from Z 24-70 f/4 to Z 24-120 f/4. Keeping my Z 70-200mm and some F-mount lenses (where the oldest is from 1973, a 200mm f/4, still fantastic!)

Very good information, I will keep my z6ii as I am new to a full frame as of 10/2024 and I am not using video. I have bought some nice lenses and they make a big difference in the photos. I'd love to explore video but one skill at a time first. Does anyone have thoughts on which of the two cameras would be better for astro?

I just purchased my Z6ii, so I will stay with what I have. But, the Z6lll would be the replacement or second body if needed. Great comparison video.

I wisch to have a Z7II

Upgrading from my Nikon d500 to this makes a lot of sense.

Hi there! You are really awesome!!
What wireless mic do you use in this video?

First time Nikon Mirrorless buyers, get at least a ZF...unless you can get a used Z6ii or even a Z5 for like, really cheap bargain then by all means, get it...but DON'T buy it brand new, it's just not worth it IMO.

I have recently acquired the ZF , I love the experience with small primes especially that I may never put a zoom on it. However for zooms I’d prefer this z6iii over the heft of z8,it’s why I sold the d850 to mirrorless. Like many I would have liked to have seen a 45MP Z7 iii in such a form , definitely not the 33mp Sony influenced resolution speculation on you tube. From the Zf sport , wildlife & action the z6iii does make sense.

What would you recommend if you have the original Z6?

first timer to mirrorless, should I get the Z6iii or buy the Z6ii, I m still using D850 and D500? Thank you Adrian.

If this camera existed a year ago, I definitely would have jumped on it… I’d been so frustrated with the AF on the Z7II for years so I caved during the holiday sales and grabbed a Z8. I don’t need 45MP as a hobbyist, but I definitely don’t want to miss moments with my kids due to focus issues…. I got a great deal on my Z8 and absolutely love it… but had this one been around, I probably would have gotten it instead and had cash left over to grab another lens.

Good video. I am glad someone told this honestly. Focusing speed alone is not the parameter for a good camera. Of course, AF speed is crucial for certain type of shoot but not all. For the rest, the Z6 ii will still get the job done with its amazing picture quality.

Waiting for zf with stacked or partially stacked sensor

Yup! 👍🏾

I will definitely jump from my z5 to z6iii.

If I could afford it, I'd definitely upgrade... but I can't, so I won't. Still, it's not like the 6ii is a bad camera... it's an EXCELLENT camera, just not as good as the 6iii

The z6ii is still a great camera. The price has come down these days. Got a new z6ii for a really good price with the 24-120.
I don't think, i will regret it. I‘ll use it for landscape and astrophotography.

Hi Adrian - Great video as always. I will be upgrading my Z6ii to Z6iii as most of my shooting is sports and wildlife. The 3D tracking will make it a good comparative to my D750.

Will you be upgrading to the Nikon Z6III or just keeping your current Z6II? Share your thoughts in the comments below 👇 🙏