Nikon Z7 II
Price: $2,996.95
Nikon has shortcomings, no doubt. But, I can tell you one thing, their new mirrorless bodies are some of the best out there for landscape photography. When you look at the camera realm with more than just landscapes in mind, I agree the Canon R5 is probably winning the race.
But, Nikon nails landscape cameras, they just do. Overall image quality, dynamic range, noise handling – the Z7 II is the leader in all those categories. Pair it with some of the best ergonomics out there and landscape-focused features, and boom, the Z7 II is one of my favorites.
The ergonomics of the Z series cameras are so good. I’d say it’s the most comfortable camera in the hand and changing settings/using camera features is a breeze. I think the Z7 II and the R5 are setting the bar, and it’s one area both have an advantage over the Sony cameras.
The Z7 II gets dual card slots, if that matters to you, and has features like focus shifting shooting and the ability to capture exposures over 30 seconds without a remote/intervalometer.
Where does it come up short? Well, lack of lenses for one. That’s Nikon’s big shortcoming right now, it’s been a huge disappointment. The Z system has so much potential, but new releases have been painfully slow.
It also shines in the landscape realm, but use it for anything else and the R5 and a1 are going o have the advantage. The Z7 II has excellent focus, but it’s not quite at R5/a1 levels, it cannot compete on the video front, and the burst rate is much slower than those two cameras.
If you a pure landscape shooter though, I really think it’s tough to beat the Nikon Z7 II and it’s why I shoot with a Z7. It also comes at a much better price than the a1 and R5.