Nikon Z6 III camera with 'partially stacked' full-frame sensor costs 2999 euros
Nikon has announced the Z6 III system camera. It is the first camera in the world with a 'semi-stacked' full-frame sensor. The sensor is supported by an Expeed 7 image processor. The camera will be available at the end of this month for a suggested retail price of 2,999 euros.
Nikon equips the Z6 III with a 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor. It is also the first 'partially stacked' CMOS sensor, where the imaging area and circuitry are partly stacked on top of each other. According to the manufacturer, this should lead to faster autofocus and higher frame rates when taking photos. For example, the camera can shoot twenty raw photos per second with an electronic shutter, or fourteen photos per second with a mechanical shutter. At the same time, this construction should entail lower costs than a fully stacked sensor such as that found in Nikon's more expensive Z8 and Z9 cameras and the Sony A1.
The Expeed 7 image processor, which is also in the Z8 and Z9, ensures according to Nikon for faster autofocus calculations and a higher refresh rate for the electronic viewfinder, according to PetaPixel 120Hz. The viewfinder also achieves peak brightnesses of 4000cd/m² and has 5.67 million pixels. According to Nikon, this is possible without blackout or rolling shutter distortion. The Z6 III has an ISO range of 100 to 64,000. This can be expanded to 50 to 240,800 ISO.
The camera can record 6k videos at 60 frames per second in 12bit raw format. The Z6 III also supports 5.4k recording in the yuv format. For 4k videos, the camera can record at up to 120 frames per second. 4k60 is also supported, with images oversampled from 6k. This means that the original 6k recording is downscaled to 4k, resulting in improved detail and reduced noise.
The Z6 III also has five-axis image stabilization in the camera body, which offers up to eight stops of vibration reduction. In addition, the camera has a fully rotatable and tiltable touchscreen monitor with 2.1 million pixels. The camera also offers professional audio capabilities with an external microphone input. The Z6 III has two card slots: one for CFexpress Type B or XQD cards and the other for UHS-II SD cards. In addition, an optional MB-N14 battery grip is available for vertical shooting.