Mirrorless Cameras Come of Age
The elimination of the mirror box from DSLRs brings significant benefits to shooters, as evidenced by the raft of new full-frame cameras around, like the Panasonic Lumix S1, Sony Alpha 7, Canon EOS R – and the Nikon Z6.
The 24Mpx Z6 features a full-frame ‘Z’ 55mm mount – the widest available of any DSLM [digital single lens mirrorless]. This enables Nikon to more efficiently utilize the full width of the camera sensor. More practically for shooters, the elimination of the mirror box enables lens manufacturers to produce more compact, lighter weight zooms because the lens mount can be placed further back closer to the sensor.
Nikon’s shallow 16mm flange focal distance is the shortest among the major DSLM manufacturers. For shooters, this means that Nikon’s ‘S’ wide-angle zooms can be made with a less bulky front element group – a welcome development for shooters feeling burdened by the front-heavy optics of the past.
The 58mm Nikkor Z f/0.95 Noct lens produces truly amazing full-frame pictures; the lens creates a distinctive flare and coma around point sources that gives shooters a wide range of new options along with an extremely narrow depth of field.