Which is the Best Landscape Camera: Nikon Z7 II or Sony a7R IV?

Which is the best landsacape camra in the world? Chris at the DPReview  compared Nikon Z7 II (Amazon/B&H/ Adorama) and Sony a7R IV (AmazonB&H/ Adorama) for landscape photography, with a close look at their displays, image quality, lens lineups and more. Nikon Z7 II is the winner!

He compared two of the best full frame landscape cameras available today – the Sony a7R IV and the Nikon Z7 II. You could find out which one is best for you.

Nikon has a higher resolution for LCD monitors. If you increase the brightness of the monitor, you can see both models well in direct sunlight, but Nikon has a little better saturation and contrast. The α7R IV has a new model (α7R IVa) that replaces the monitor with a higher resolution one, but this has not been tested yet. Nikon is slightly superior in the display category.

(The main difference between the two machines) The weight is 655 grams for Sony and 705 grams for Nikon, which is not so different. The media is SD x2 for Sony and CFexpress + SD for Nikon, but there is no big difference between them in landscape photography. There is a big difference in battery life between Sony 670 and Nikon 420 according to the CIPA standard, but fortunately both are compatible with USB charging. The price is $ 500 higher for Sony.

(Comparison of dynamic range) Sony has a very good dynamic range, but Nikon has more information than Sony when using ISO64, and noise is suppressed even when the shadow is lifted. The dynamic range of the Nikon Z7II is comparable to medium format. Nikon clearly wins here.

(Resolution) Nikon’s 45MP sensor also has excellent resolution, but in detail, Sony’s 60MP sensor has a considerable advantage. Sony also has a pixel shift multi-shot feature that can generate 240MP images. Sony’s multi-shot feature isn’t ideal because it can’t combine images into a single image in the camera, and it doesn’t have a motion correction feature, but Sony still has an advantage. It’s a pity that Nikon doesn’t have a multi-shot function. The a7R IV easily wins here.

(High sensitivity) High-resolution sensors are a disadvantageous category, but they are almost equal in RAW comparison. Sony’s noise reduction is better for JPEG.

(Lens lineup) As for wide-angle lenses suitable for landscapes, Nikon has very good lenses such as 20mm F1.8, 14-24mm F2.8, and 14-30mm F4, but the number of lenses is small and it is made by a third party. There are few lenses. Sony has a lot of choices such as the wonderful 16-35mm F2.8, 12-24mm F2.8, and 14mm F1.8, and there are also a lot of third party lenses. Sony wins here.

(Deep focus) Even if you want to pan focus in a landscape, if you stop down too much, the resolution will drop, so depth composition is useful, but it is difficult to do this manually. The Nikon Z7II can be depth-synthesized in the camera.

(Time-lapse function) The time-lapse function of the Sony α7R IV is very basic, but the Nikon Z7II has full-featured features for time-lapse photographers and is my favorite time-lapse camera. Here is Nikon’s victory.

(Conclusion) The Sony α7R IV has amazing resolution, excellent battery life, and many interchangeable lenses. On the other hand, Nikon Z7 II has an excellent dynamic range, which is important for landscapes, and is equipped with functions such as high-performance time-lapse function and depth composition. The two cameras appear to be slightly ahead of the Z7II in landscape photography. The only question is whether you need higher pixels than 45MP, but for most people 45MP should be fine.

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Nikon Z7 II
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