After shooting with my Nikon D600 for the past 6 years, I have recently replaced it with the Nikon Z6.

 I bought the D600 used, so it was actually older than the time I had it. It was a heavy camera, and I had a big, heavy Tamron 24-70 f2.8 lens on it. My shoulder would get sore after carrying it more than an hour. Although the resolution was good, the overall picture quality was just ok. One big complaint I had was the autofocus. It wasn’t always reliable.

That all changed with the Z6. So far I am very impressed. The picture quality is outstanding (in part due to the image processor – its 2 generations newer than the D600’s).  The autofocus is quick and accurate with several AF settings to adapt to various situations (face detection, eye detection, wide-area, single point, etc). The feature set is impressive. It’s a mirrorless camera, so it is significantly lighter than the D600. The Z6 has an auto ISO feature which will make taking indoor shots much more reliable. I can count the number of motion-blurred family shots I took with the D600 because I forgot to increase the ISO. No more. 

Another feature I like is the ability to see the histogram in the viewfinder as I’m shooting. I now can see right away if the shot is over, or under, exposed. With the D600 I would take a shot, then review the histogram to ensure a good exposure. 

The Z6 has also improved the exposure bracketing options, offering 5 exposures rather than the D600’s 3. More exposures mean getting one that is just right. I use this feature if I’m trying to capture a bright sunset and a darker foreground. I’ll choose one exposure for the sky and another one for the foreground and blend them together.

I’m looking forward to the photo possibilities of my new camera!