FAST FORWARD

Now that we’ve all heaved a collective sigh of relief following the arrival of the full-35mm mirrorless camera systems from both Nikon and Canon, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty of seeing exactly what’s on offer. Of course, Sony has been in this space previously with its FE mount cameras and also Leica with its pricey SL, but both Nikon Z and Canon EOS R are quite different animals, primarily as they’re significantly influenced by the respective D-SLR systems. Makes sense because it’s undoubtedly these audiences that Nikon and Canon are primarily appealing to, at least initially. But they’re also different for another more profound reason – Sony thinks like an electronics company, both Canon and Nikon think like photographic companies or, perhaps even more influentially, camera makers of long-standing. While the flagship Nikon Z 7 (yes, there’s deliberately a space in the model designation) is being compared to Sony’s A7R III – mostly valid on paper – the two cameras embody very different design philosophies which manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Consequently, the Z 7 is actually better compared with the EOS R so here we are again… the same, only different. But this is where both Canon and Nikon can expect to make up some ground – which they need to do urgently – not only against Sony, but the other mirrorless brands now making inroads into the higher-end ILC market.

The photo DNA that runs through the Z 7, Z 6 and EOS R is very strong indeed – influencing the styling, design, handling, user interfaces, feature sets and specifications. So the Z 7 may indeed be the start of something completely new, but it looks, feels and works reassuringly like a Nikon should… like a camera created by a ‘traditional’ camera company should.

There are intangibles at play here too, but pick up the Z 7 and it feels absolutely right, especially if you’ve been a Nikon D-SLR user up until now.

It’s bigger than the A7R III – primarily because Nikon hasn’t skimped on the sizes of either the handgrip or the monitor – but it’s still significantly smaller and lighter than the D850 which is the closest D-SLR equivalent. Nikon says it’s 26 percent lighter which is huge and you only have to see the two side-by-side to appreciate how much smaller the mirrorless camera is despite having – spoiler alert – a very similar set of features and specifications. The height is the biggest dimensional difference – a shade over 100 mm for the Z 7, versus 124 mm for the D850.

MOUNTING UP

What’s also glaringly obvious is the difference in the size of the lens mounts… with its inner diameter of