If you liked the Nikon Z6 then you’ll love the Z6 II. If you didn’t like the Nikon Z6, there’s a good chance you’ll still love the Mark II.


When Nikon released the 6 and 7 back in 2018 I remember taking them out for a test drive and really enjoying everything about them. From build feel to image production, I couldn’t find a fault with them. They had, to my mind, come out sprinting onto the Mirrorless field and I was blown away. 

However, for may Pros and YouTubers, the story was all about that single XQD card slot. I felt it was a shame that such great cameras had gotten snagged on a simple issue like this, especially seeing as how there was so much to like about the XQD cards in the first place. But SDs are more universal and accessible, and for a lot of photographers being able to write to two cards in one go is vital – cards are known to fail all the time, and if you miss a once in a lifetime shot you could potentially ruin not just your day, but someone else’s wedding too.

That said, I think Nikon have to be commended here. They’ve clearly listened to the complaints and with this new update they’re able to offer the same great build and performance quality of their original cameras while fixing all the complaints that people had. 

In many ways, you could think of these cameras as the hardware equivalent of a firmware update. There’s nothing here that’s going to revolutionise the Z series, and nothing here that decimates the original 6, either. But it’s a good update that fixes a lot of problems while offering a few more goodies, such as 14fps still shooting, better performance chips, and extra battery life.

If you liked what you saw with the original 6 but you were tripped up by the card slot, then I think the Mark II deserves a look in. If you are still on the fence about jumping from a DSLR to Mirrorless, then I think the Mark II deserves a look in. If you already own a 6 and you’re wondering whether you need to toss your camera now and trade up, I would only do so if you really need the features that the Mark II brings – however if you were looking into buying a Z6 I would definitely go for the Mark II instead.

As I say, I really liked the Z6 and Z7 when they first came out, and I like the Mark II versions just as much. It’s an incremental upgrade which shows what way Nikon is heading, and it looks to be heading in the right direction.