At the start of a recent photo walk with a Nikon representative, I was told that it was inevitable I’d become a “birder”. The reasoning was that every photographer eventually runs out of subjects and turns to birds as the ultimate challenge.
Thanks to advancements in sensor technology, photographing birds has become significantly easier.
Unlike the more expensive Nikon Z9 and Z8, which have fully stacked sensors, or the previous Z6 II, which has an unstacked BSI CMOS sensor, the Z6 III’s sensor has its circuit parts stacked as bars on the top and bottom of the pixel area.
This design results in higher continuous shooting rates, faster autofocus, better video frame rates, and less rolling shutter effect than the Z6 II.
However, it isn’t as fast as the Z8 or Z9 with their fully stacked sensors. Essentially, partially stacking the sensor allows Nikon to offer the Z6 III at a lower price than the Z8 and Z9 while still improving performance over its predecessor.
Other notable upgrades include the Z6 III’s incredibly bright electronic viewfinder, which can reach a peak brightness of 4,000 nits, and its ability to shoot 6K RAW video at up to 60fps and 4K RAW at up to 120fps.
Nikon also promises Z8-level build quality, meaning the camera is dust and moisture-sealed and can operate in temperatures as low as 14°F/−10°C. In summary, Nikon builds durable cameras with impressive specifications, capable of turning any photographer into a birder.
For my photo walk with the Z6 III, I chose the Staten Island Ferry due to its numerous opportunities for people-watching and stunning views of lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
The boat’s iconic orange color guaranteed some great shots. I had never noticed the birds using the ferry’s slipstream to cross the harbor before.
Although the Z6 III lacks a dedicated bird focus mode, Nikon claims its autofocus is 20% faster than the Z6 II and works in low-light conditions down to -10EV. While on the ferry, the camera had no trouble locking onto birds. Within minutes of departing Lower Manhattan, I was using the Z6 III to capture seagulls in flight.
Eventually, I framed One World Trade Center and waited for birds to cross my shot. As soon as a bird entered the frame, the camera locked onto it. In no time, I had taken over 100 photos.
I then faced the question, “what am I going to do with all these bird photos?” So, thank you for viewing the slideshow and giving my new passion for bird photography a purpose.
Like the Z8 and Z9, Nikon’s cameras have become so responsive and intuitive that you don’t have to spend much time worrying about focus, hand shake, or shutter speed. You can quickly point the camera in any direction and capture something in focus.
That said, I could only test so much in my few hours with this camera. I didn’t have a low-light environment to test ISO ranges or low-light autofocus, multiple subjects to test skin tone representation, or ND filters for proper video exposure in 6K RAW.
While I had a lot of fun and am now a certified “birder”, there is certainly more testing needed for this new partially stacked sensor technology. However, based on my short experience, the Z6 III did not feel like a step back in any way. The Z6 III is available starting today for $2,500.
