Nikon Z6: verdict
Nikon certainly hasn't held back with the Z6, and any worries that it would miss the mark soon are dispelled as soon as you pick the camera up.
Offering polished handling, a robust build, excellent image quality from the 24.5MP sensor, a brilliant electronic viewfinder, and loads of nice little touches, the Nikon Z6 is an extremely nice camera to take pictures with.
The adoption of a new lens mount is a big move for Nikon, but if the two lenses we shot with are anything to go buy it's one that will pay dividends in terms of improved optical performance as the lens range grows, while the optional FTZ mount adapter ensures that you're not necessarily starting from scratch if you've already invested in a lot of Nikon glass.
The single XQD card slot is going to cause some division, while the buffer could be a little bit more capacious when you're shooting raw files, but these are only minor marks against a very impressive camera.
While the Z7 may have stolen the headlines when the two cameras launched, in many ways the Nikon Z6 is our pick of the pair. In fact, we'd go so far as to say it's the best all-round full-frame camera Nikon has made, and that's including DSLRs like the much-loved D750.
Until now we'd have had little hesitation in recommending Sony's Alpha A7 III if you were in the market for a well-specced full-frame camera at around the $2,000 / £2,000 price point – but the Nikon Z6 is in many ways the more compelling option.