Specifications#
- Brand
- Nikon
- Model
- Z6
- Camera type
- Mirrorless
- Released
- 2018-08-23
- Lens mount
- Nikon Z
- Sensor size
- 35.9 × 23.9 mm (Full frame (35 mm))
- Crop factor
- 1.00×
- Resolution
- 24.5 MP (6,048 × 4,024 px)
- ISO range
- 100 – 51,200
- Fastest shutter
- 1/8,000 s
- Continuous shooting
- 12 fps
- Max video resolution
- 4K
- Weight
- 585 g (20.6 oz)
- Sensor type
- Back-illuminated CMOS sensor
- Viewfinder
- Quad-VGA (1280x960) EVF (3690000 dots)
- Focus
- Single-servo AF (AF-S); Continuous-servo AF (AF-C); Full-time AF (AF-F; only available in video mode); Predictive focus tracking; Manual focus (electronic rangefinder can be used)
- AF points / area
- 273 points (single-point AF) with 90% coverage
- Metering
- TTL metering using camera image sensor; Highlight-weighted metering: -4 to +17 EV (ISO 100, f/2.0 lens, 20 °C/68 °F)
- Exposure modes
- TTL metering using camera image sensor
- Shutter
- Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter, Electronic front-curtain shutter
- Flash
- Built-in: No; Hot shoe
- Battery
- EN-EL15b
- Dimensions
- 134 *
- Successor
- Nikon Z6II
- Made in
- Japan
- Launch price
- USD $1,999.95
- Production
- 2018-11-16 through 2022-9-9; (3 years 10 months)
- Video
- 1080p video at up to 120 fps, and 4K video at up to 30 fps
Specifications merged from Wikipedia, Wikidata, Lensfun and openMVG. Spot an error? Tell us.
Sensor size compared#
Focal length equivalents & field of view#
Multiply any focal length by 1.00 to get the full-frame field of view. Angles are for a rectilinear lens focused at infinity.
| Lens on this camera | Full-frame equivalent | Horizontal | Vertical | Diagonal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mm | 10 mm | 121.8° | 100.2° | 130.2° |
| 12 mm | 12 mm | 112.5° | 89.8° | 121.8° |
| 14 mm | 14 mm | 104.1° | 81.0° | 114.0° |
| 16 mm | 16 mm | 96.6° | 73.5° | 106.9° |
| 18 mm | 18 mm | 89.8° | 67.2° | 100.3° |
| 20 mm | 20 mm | 83.8° | 61.7° | 94.3° |
| 24 mm | 24 mm | 73.6° | 52.9° | 83.9° |
| 28 mm | 28 mm | 65.3° | 46.2° | 75.2° |
| 35 mm | 35 mm | 54.3° | 37.7° | 63.3° |
| 40 mm | 40 mm | 48.3° | 33.3° | 56.7° |
| 50 mm | 50 mm | 39.5° | 26.9° | 46.7° |
| 56 mm | 56 mm | 35.5° | 24.1° | 42.1° |
| 70 mm | 70 mm | 28.8° | 19.4° | 34.2° |
| 85 mm | 85 mm | 23.8° | 16.0° | 28.5° |
| 100 mm | 100 mm | 20.4° | 13.6° | 24.3° |
| 135 mm | 135 mm | 15.1° | 10.1° | 18.2° |
| 200 mm | 201 mm | 10.3° | 6.8° | 12.3° |
| 300 mm | 301 mm | 6.8° | 4.6° | 8.2° |
| 400 mm | 401 mm | 5.1° | 3.4° | 6.2° |
| 600 mm | 602 mm | 3.4° | 2.3° | 4.1° |
| 800 mm | 803 mm | 2.6° | 1.7° | 3.1° |
Depth of field table#
Total depth of field at each subject distance, using a circle of confusion of 29.9 µm (the 0.030 mm full-frame standard scaled by the crop factor). Detailed tables: 24 mm f/1.8, 24 mm f/2.8, 35 mm f/1.8, 35 mm f/2.8, 50 mm f/1.8, 50 mm f/2.8.
| Focal | Aperture | 50.0 cm | 1.00 m | 2.00 m | 3.00 m | 5.00 m | 10.0 m | Hyperfocal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 mm | f/1.8 | 5.3 cm | 22.0 cm | 92.5 cm | 2.23 m | 7.98 m | ∞ | 9.01 m |
| 22 mm | f/2.8 | 8.3 cm | 34.8 cm | 1.55 m | 4.21 m | 33.3 m | ∞ | 5.80 m |
| 22 mm | f/4 | 12.0 cm | 51.3 cm | 2.57 m | 9.63 m | ∞ | ∞ | 4.07 m |
| 22 mm | f/8 | 25.0 cm | 1.26 m | 88.6 m | ∞ | ∞ | ∞ | 2.05 m |
| 43 mm | f/1.8 | 1.3 cm | 5.6 cm | 22.9 cm | 52.0 cm | 1.47 m | 6.33 m | 34.4 m |
| 43 mm | f/2.8 | 2.1 cm | 8.7 cm | 35.7 cm | 81.8 cm | 2.36 m | 11.3 m | 22.1 m |
| 43 mm | f/4 | 3.0 cm | 12.4 cm | 51.5 cm | 1.19 m | 3.57 m | 22.0 m | 15.5 m |
| 43 mm | f/8 | 5.9 cm | 25.1 cm | 1.08 m | 2.69 m | 10.9 m | ∞ | 7.77 m |
| 73 mm | f/1.8 | 0.4 cm | 1.9 cm | 7.8 cm | 17.8 cm | 49.9 cm | 2.03 m | 99.1 m |
| 73 mm | f/2.8 | 0.7 cm | 2.9 cm | 12.1 cm | 27.7 cm | 77.9 cm | 3.20 m | 63.7 m |
| 73 mm | f/4 | 1.0 cm | 4.2 cm | 17.3 cm | 39.6 cm | 1.12 m | 4.69 m | 44.6 m |
| 73 mm | f/8 | 1.9 cm | 8.3 cm | 34.9 cm | 80.2 cm | 2.33 m | 11.1 m | 22.3 m |
| 120 mm | f/1.8 | 0.1 cm | 0.7 cm | 2.8 cm | 6.5 cm | 18.2 cm | 74.0 cm | 268 m |
| 120 mm | f/2.8 | 0.2 cm | 1.0 cm | 4.4 cm | 10.1 cm | 28.4 cm | 1.15 m | 172 m |
| 120 mm | f/4 | 0.3 cm | 1.5 cm | 6.2 cm | 14.4 cm | 40.6 cm | 1.65 m | 121 m |
| 120 mm | f/8 | 0.6 cm | 2.9 cm | 12.5 cm | 28.8 cm | 81.6 cm | 3.37 m | 60.3 m |
Equivalent aperture#
Exposure is identical at the same f-number on any format; equivalence only describes depth of field and total light.
Diffraction & pixel pitch#
With 5.94 µm pixels, diffraction starts to soften pixel-level detail around f/8.8. For maximum sharpness keep landscapes between f/4.9 and f/9; stopping down further trades detail for depth of field.
| Aperture | Airy disk diameter | Spread over | At 100% view |
|---|---|---|---|
| f/2.8 | 3.8 µm | 0.6 px | sharp |
| f/4 | 5.4 µm | 0.9 px | sharp |
| f/5.6 | 7.5 µm | 1.3 px | sharp |
| f/8 | 10.7 µm | 1.8 px | sharp |
| f/11 | 14.8 µm | 2.5 px | slight softening |
| f/16 | 21.5 µm | 3.6 px | visibly soft |
| f/22 | 29.5 µm | 5.0 px | visibly soft |
Maximum print sizes#
At 24.5 MP the Nikon Z6 produces 6,048 × 4,024 pixel images. See the 24 megapixel guide or the print size calculator.
| Resolution | Typical use | Inches | Centimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300 DPI | Photo-lab quality | 20.2 × 13.4 in | 51 × 34 cm |
| 240 DPI | Fine-art inkjet | 25.2 × 16.8 in | 64 × 43 cm |
| 200 DPI | Wall print | 30.2 × 20.1 in | 77 × 51 cm |
| 150 DPI | Poster, viewed from 1 m+ | 40.3 × 26.8 in | 102 × 68 cm |
Night-sky exposure limits#
Longest exposure before stars trail. The NPF rule accounts for pixel pitch and is stricter than the classic 500 rule — use it for pin-sharp stars on high-resolution sensors.
| Focal length | 500 rule | NPF f/1.8 | NPF f/2.8 | NPF f/4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 mm (14 mm eq.) | 35.6 s | 17.2 s | 19.7 s | 22.7 s |
| 20 mm (20 mm eq.) | 24.9 s | 12.1 s | 13.8 s | 15.9 s |
| 24 mm (24 mm eq.) | 20.8 s | 10.0 s | 11.5 s | 13.3 s |
| 35 mm (35 mm eq.) | 14.2 s | 6.9 s | 7.9 s | 9.1 s |
| 50 mm (50 mm eq.) | 10.0 s | 4.8 s | 5.5 s | 6.4 s |
Handheld shutter speed guide#
The reciprocal rule uses the equivalent focal length. High-resolution sensors may need one stop faster than this for pixel-sharp results.
| Focal length | No stabilisation (1/equiv. focal) | With 3-stop IS | With 5-stop IBIS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 mm | 1/25 s | 0.3 s | 1.3 s |
| 50 mm | 1/50 s | 1/6 s | 0.6 s |
| 100 mm | 1/100 s | 1/13 s | 0.3 s |
| 199 mm | 1/200 s | 1/25 s | 1/6 s |
Lenses for the Nikon Z6#
Native Nikon Z lenses in our database (71 total). Also adaptable: T-mount (T2), M42 screw mount, Deckel (DKL), Nikon F, M39 / LTM (Leica thread).
- Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D 9 mm
- Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL 9 mm
- Viltrox AF 9mm f/2.8 Z/E/XF 9 mm
- Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF 10 mm
- Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D 12 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z DX 12-28mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ VR 12–28 mm
- Viltrox AF 13mm F1.4 13 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S 14–24 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S 14–30 mm
- Viltrox AF 14mm f/4.0 14 mm
- Laowa 15mm f/2.0 Zero-D 15 mm
- Viltrox AF 15mm F1.7 Air 15 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/2.8 VR 16–50 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR 16–50 mm
- Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary 16 mm
- Viltrox AF 16mm F1.8 FE/L/Z 16 mm
- Tamron 17-70mm F/2.8 Di III-A VC RXD 17–70 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z DX 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 VR 18–140 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 20mm f/1.8 S 20 mm
- Viltrox AF 20mm F2.8 Z 20 mm
- Viltrox PFU RBMH 20mm f/1.8 ASPH 20 mm
- Viltrox AF 23mm F1.4 XF/Z/L 23 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24-105mm f/4-7.1 24–105 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm f/4 S 24–120 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR 24–200 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S 24–70 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S 24–70 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7 24 mm
- Viltrox AF 24mm f/1.8 Z 24 mm
- Viltrox 25mm F1.7 E 25 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 26mm f/2.8 26 mm
- Viltrox AF 27mm F1.2 PRO 27 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR 28–400 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 28-75mm f/2.8 28–75 mm
- Nikon Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 28 mm
- Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III VXD G2 (A063) 28–75 mm
Similar cameras#
Other Full frame (35 mm) cameras from around the same time.
- Canon EOS R 2018
- Canon EOS RP 2019
- Sigma fp 2019
- Sony α7R IV 2019
- Canon EOS R5 2020
- Canon EOS R6 2020
- Sony α7S III 2020
- Ricoh Pentax K-1 2016
- Leica M10-D 2018
- Sony α7 III 2018
- Leica SL2 2019
- Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 2019
Frequently asked questions#
What is the crop factor of the Nikon Z6?
The Nikon Z6 has a crop factor of 1.00× relative to 35 mm full frame (diagonal 43.1 mm vs 43.3 mm).
What size is the Nikon Z6 sensor?
35.9 × 23.9 mm (Full frame (35 mm)), an area of 858 mm² — 99% of full frame.
Is the Nikon Z6 full frame?
Yes — its sensor is the same 36 × 24 mm size as 35 mm film.
How many megapixels does the Nikon Z6 have?
24.5 megapixels (6,048 × 4,024 pixels), enough for a 20 × 13 inch print at 300 DPI.
What lens mount does the Nikon Z6 use?
The Nikon Z6 uses the Nikon Z (flange distance 16.00 mm).
How long can I expose the night sky with the Nikon Z6?
With a 20 mm lens (20 mm equivalent) the 500 rule gives 25 s and the stricter NPF rule at f/2.8 gives 14 s.
Sources & licences#
- Wikipedia: Nikon Z6 — CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q56239870 — CC0
- Lensfun camera database — CC BY-SA 3.0
- openMVG sensor width database — MPL-2.0
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources