Nikon’s new $2,500 Z6 III has the world’s first partially stacked CMOS sensor

At the opening of a caller photograph locomotion with a Nikon representative, I was told it was lone a substance of clip earlier I became a “birder”. Because yet each lensman runs retired of things to instrumentality photos of and is near with lone 1 taxable to master: birds. Which, due to the fact that of advancements successful sensor technology, person go a overmuch easier target. 

It was connected this aforesaid photograph locomotion that I got a fewer hours with the caller $2,500 Nikon Z6 III. And the large quality successful this camera is its 24.5-megapixel partially stacked CMOS sensor. This is the archetypal camera, ever, to employment this technology. Instead of the circuit parts and pixel country some stretching the afloat corner-to-corner dimensions of the representation sensor and sitting connected apical of each other, arsenic successful the much costly Nikon Z9 oregon Nikon Z8, oregon not being stacked astatine all, arsenic successful the erstwhile Nikon Z6 II, the Z6 III’s circuit parts are stacked arsenic bars connected the apical and bottommost of the pixel area. 

It results successful higher continuous shooting rates, faster autofocus, higher video framework rates, and little rolling shutter effect than the erstwhile Z6 II, with its BSI CMOS sensor successful e-shutter mode. But it besides means that the Z6 III is not arsenic speedy arsenic the much premium Z8 oregon Z9 with their afloat stacked sensors. In elemental terms, partially stacking the sensor allows Nikon to support this camera’s terms beneath that of the Z8 and Z9 portion besides overmuch improving the show of it implicit the erstwhile generation.

The different important updates are the Z6 III’s incredibly agleam physics presumption finder that tin scope a highest brightness of 4,000 nits and the cameras quality to movie 6K RAW video astatine up to 60fps and 4K RAW up to 120fps. Nikon is besides promising Z8 level physique quality, which means the camera is particulate and moisture sealed and rated for cognition down to 14°F/−10°C. Simply put, Nikon builds precise resilient cameras that don’t skimp connected specs. And besides cameras that tin crook immoderate lensman into a birder.

I chose the Staten Island Ferry for my photograph locomotion with the Z6 III due to the fact that of its endless opportunities for radical watching and unthinkable views of little Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. Match that with the boat’s iconic orangish colour and you are guaranteed astatine slightest a fewer large shots. What I had ne'er paid overmuch attraction to earlier were each of the birds utilizing the boat’s slipstream to determination crossed the harbor. 

While the Z6 III does not person a dedicated vertebrate absorption mode, Nikon claims that its autofocus is 20% faster than the Z6 II and has an extended scope down to -10EV, meaning it is much delicate adjacent successful lowlight conditions. And portion connected the backmost of the ferry, it had perfectly nary occupation locking onto birds. Within minutes of taking disconnected from Lower Manhattan I was whipping the Z6 III from near to close attempting to seizure seagulls. Eventually I smartened up and framed One World Trade Center and waited for a vertebrate to transverse my frame. And arsenic soon arsenic a vertebrate would participate the camera locked close the moving entity that was a seagull. Within minutes I had changeable good implicit 100 photos.

Photos taken with the Nikon Z6 III + Nikon NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR Lens

There of people past came the infinitesimal I thought “what the hellhole americium I going to bash with each these photos of birds”. Which is wherefore I would similar to convey you each for clicking done the supra slideshow and giving my caller recovered passionateness for vertebrate photography a crushed to exist.

Much similar the Z8 and Z9, Nikon progressively makes cameras that are truthful responsive and intuitive that you nary longer person to walk arsenic overmuch clip reasoning astir problems specified arsenic focus, manus shake, oregon shutter speed. You tin rapidly constituent the camera successful immoderate absorption and it volition seizure thing successful focus.

That being said, determination is lone truthful overmuch I could trial successful my fewer hours with this camera. I didn’t person a debased airy situation to trial the ISO ranges oregon debased airy autofocus, I didn’t person aggregate subjects to trial tegument code practice on, and I didn’t person ND filters successful bid to get a due video vulnerability for investigating 6K RAW. So portion I had a batch of fun, and americium present a certified “birder” determination is surely a batch much investigating that needs to beryllium done connected this caller partially stacked sensor technology. But successful my abbreviated clip with it, I tin confidently accidental that successful nary mode did it consciousness similar a measurement back. The Z6 III volition beryllium disposable starting contiguous for $2,500.