Nikon Z 6 £2,099/$1,997 (body only) VS Sony Alpha 7 III £1,849/$1,998 (body only)
Until a few months ago, Sony had the full-frame mirrorless market pretty much sewn up – but the arrival of the Nikon Z series has posed a direct challenge to Sony’s supremacy. The Nikon Z 6 is a direct challenger to the Sony Alpha 7 III: both are full-frame mirrorless cameras, both have 24-megapixel sensors, and both are priced to appeal to enthusiasts and experts looking for a low-cost entry into full-frame photography.
The sensor resolution is the same, and so is the ISO range. These cameras don’t offer as many megapixels as higher-priced full-frame mirrorless cameras, but the payback is bigger photosites, higher ISOs and lower noise across the range. Both cameras offer a standard range of ISO 100-51,200 (expandable to ISO 50-204,800), so there’s nothing to split them here either.
When you drill down into the specs, however, some key differences emerge. The Nikon Z 6 has a pretty amazing continuous shooting speed of 12 frames per second, which beats the Sony A7 III’s 10fps, but all is not as it seems. The Z 6 is fast but has a limited buffer capacity of just 25 JPEG images or 18-23 raw files, depending on the raw settings. The Sony’s buffer capacity is much greater, at 177 JPEGs or 36-89 raw. The Nikon has a speed advantage on paper, but in practice the Sony’s greater buffer capacity makes it much more effective for burst shooting.
This advantage carries through into autofocus
