DxO Marks Nikon Z7

2019.03.14

DxO Mark just release their second scoring of the year. Following the ranking of the Z6 last week, this time they unsurprisingly ranked the Nikon Z7 flagship Full-Frame Mirrorless Digital Camera.

The Nikon Z7 reviewed here is built around a 46 megapixels CMOS sensor adapted from the highly-acclaimed Nikon D850 also reviewed here. While exactly the same size and resolution, this sensor is in-fact different as it incorporates a 493-Point Phase-Detect AF system which is not present on the D850 sensor, since AF is performed by a dedicated sensor on DSLRs. Still, the Z7 scores remarkably close it the D850.

DxO Mark ranks the Nikon Z7 at 99 which is just one point shy of the 100 score held by the D850 and Sony A7R III. The latter manages its score even though it features built-in Phase-Detection like the Z7. This is near top scores among Full-Frame Digital Cameras, with only 2 Medium Format Digital Cameras scoring above 100.

The Z7 score breaks down into 26.3 bits of pixel-depth, 14.6 EVs of dynamic-range and a High-ISO score of 2668. This color-depth is simply spectacular, while dynamic-range is only 0.1 EV less than the D850, surely the result of having Phase-Detection Pixels on-sensor. Still, this is truly a minimal impact. What takes down the Z7 compared to other cameras is the High-ISO score. Given its very high resolution, this camera scores near the D850 but much lower than cameras having fewer yet large pixels, such as the 24 megapixels Nikon Z6 and Sony A7 III (not to be confused with the A7R III mentioned earlier).

This is an excellent performance from this mirrorless which matches the conclusion of our in-depth review of the Nikon Z7.