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Tech · Nikon · 2020

Nikon Z6 II

The full-frame body with the fewest used-market catches: sealed, stabilized, and kind to old Nikon glass.

Used mirrorless bodies that still earn their keep — #1

Overall

8.4

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Performance (8.8), weakest on Value (8.0), a 0.8-point spread. The 8.4 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Nikon Z6 II — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Nikon Z6 II: Performance 8.8, Value 8.0, Durability 8.4, Ease of use 8.6, Design 8.4.PerformanceNikon Z6 II — Performance 8.8 out of 108.8ValueNikon Z6 II — Value 8.0 out of 108.0DurabilityNikon Z6 II — Durability 8.4 out of 108.4Ease of useNikon Z6 II — Ease of use 8.6 out of 108.6DesignNikon Z6 II — Design 8.4 out of 108.4Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Sensor
24.5MP full-frame BSI CMOS
Stabilization
5-axis in-body
Burst
Up to 14 fps
Video
4K up to 60p (1.5x crop at 60p)
Card slots
CFexpress Type B/XQD + SD UHS-II
Battery
EN-EL15c
Mount
Nikon Z

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • You own F-mount lenses and want them to keep working through the FTZ adapter
  • You shoot in rain or dust and want weather sealing on a used budget
  • Two card slots matter because you photograph events you can't reshoot

Skip it if

  • You'd want deep bursts but only own SD cards, since the SD slot fills the buffer sooner
  • Subject-tracking autofocus for birds or fast sport is the main job

The Z6 II is the original Z6 with a second processor and a second card slot, and the slot is the reason to pay the difference. One CFexpress/XQD slot plus one SD slot means a backup copy of every frame. If you go with the older Z6 instead, you get a single XQD slot and nothing else to fall back on.

The grip is deeper than on Sony’s bodies of the same era. Owners with larger hands bring this up more than any spec. Nikon’s menus are also easier to learn for anyone coming from a Nikon DSLR, since the layout carries over almost unchanged.

Autofocus is reliable for people and general subjects. For erratic subjects like small birds, DPReview and owner reports both put it a step behind the a7 III’s tracking, and well behind newer bodies.

On eBay, check that the listing includes the EN-EL15c or EN-EL15b if you want in-camera USB charging. The older EN-EL15 and EN-EL15a batteries fit and work, but they will not charge over USB. Listings that bundle Nikon’s FTZ adapter are worth hunting for if you own F-mount lenses. Search z6 ii ftz.

Nikon records the shutter count in each JPEG’s metadata, so one unedited sample file from the seller tells you how hard the body has worked.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.