Pro Moviemaker Winter 2018

NIKONZ 7 TEST GEAR

SIMPLY ZEE BEST? Nikon’s first full-frame mirrorless offers impressive video spec FILMMAKERS’ FRIEND

WORDS & IMAGES KINGSLEY SINGLETON

N ikon is taking filmmakers seriously with the launch of its full-frame mirrorless system, the Z Series, with a new lens mount featured on two identically-sized bodies (the Z 6 and Z 7) with differing innards. The Z 7 can be thought of as a mirrorless D850 – a DSLR camera we loved for its full-chip 4K video with no cropping. The Z 7 has a 45.7-megapixel sensor with no optical low pass filter, 9fps burst mode for stills, 493-point AF system, 64-25,600 ISO range and 4K video at 30/25/24p with no cropping. It also shoots in HD at up to 120fps.

short, losing grip from the lower fingers. This was exacerbated when shooting with my 70-200mm f/2.8E mounted via the FTZ adapter as it’s just too front heavy to be comfortable handheld. Weight- wise, it’s a great improvement. As a Nikon user, I was quite at home with the new control layout, but it did take some mental adjustment. Due to the small body but large screen, there are no buttons on the rear left or front left of the camera. The on/off button is around the shutter button, and the ISO and exposure compensation buttons are in the same position as all of Nikon’s recent bodies.

Also launched are three Z Nikkor lenses: a 24-70mm f/4, a 35mm f/1.8, and a 50mm f/1.8, with more promised for 2019 and beyond. There’s also an FTZ mount adapter, which allows you to fit any F-Mount lens to the new bodies. It’s obvious Nikon has chased the legions of its DSLR owners who were waiting for a serious mirrorless camera, rather than chasing pure filmmakers. For users of Nikon DSLRs, the Z Series is an obvious upgrade, especially for shooting video. The Z 7 body is small, but not so much so to be fiddly. The grip is good, though for my hands the body feels a bit

ABOVE Have Nikon finally found the way to filmmakers’ hearts with the small, light mirrorless Z 7?

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PRO MOVIEMAKER WINTER 2018

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