Nikon Z6 vs Canon R

Introduction

I haven’t really made many reviews about mirrorless cameras lately, so I decided to take two high-end mirrorless cameras and put them into a performance, feature and specs duel. You may have heard of these two cameras, they’re pretty popular among many professional photographers, they’re also being widely used for commercial applications, but what’s more important, the plethora of premium features that they possess.

It’s important to note that they don’t really come at a low-price, so budget is something you should take into consideration when buying one of these cameras. As it is normal, depending on the type of photography that you do, you’re also going to have to consider the features that you need and meet your requirements the most.

Anyhow, I doubt that you won’t like these cameras since they come at a fully high-end premium package, feature-wise, performance-wise, and specs. I’m personally more of a fan of Nikon Z6, due to some small details in some features, however, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Z6 is better, we’re about to see later in the review.

Similar Comparison: Nikon Z6 vs Sony A7 III

Head To Head Comparison

Nikon Z6

The Nikon Z6 is a relatively new camera in the mirrorless camera industry, whereas it gained fame quicker and faster than most other cameras that have been around for quite some years now. With tons of other options and brands available today, it’s really hard for a company to release a camera suitable for the majority, however, this is not the case with the Z6. With this camera, the new Z is an example of how mirrorless cameras can be like and it’s proof that in the next couple of years, DSLRs will be taken over by mirrorless cameras, well, eventually.

Let’s first start with the design though.

In terms of ergonomics, the Z-series is well-known for its compact construction, they feature a superb build quality which provides a very familiar and smooth experience, especially to those Nikon users who’ve been using Nikon cameras before. I particularly like the deep grip more than everything else, it makes the camera very comfortable to hold, but that’s not all, the front of the camera is also pretty decent and it boasts a minimalistic design that packs only three buttons, and obviously, the front dial.

In addition, you’re going to notice the plastic body shell to be a bit farther extended than usual, which slightly protrudes over the metal mount, while the rubber gasket is there to make sure to prevent dust particles from occurring.

Now, this is where the real high-end area of the Z6 starts to show, the touch-enabled 3.2-inch tilting LCD screen with 2.1 Million dots. This being said, you can already tell what quality results, sharp details and vibrant image preview you’re going to get from this screen, while the ease-of-use that it delivers makes your experience with using this camera whole lot more enjoyable. Starting with the touch-sensitive capabilities, you can do plenty of things with it, navigate through the menu, use a couple of features here and there such as manual focus, while the tilting screen is good news especially for those videographers, it’s an essential thing to have for shooting from different angles.

That pretty much sums it up all I have about the design, so now, let’s jump to performance and see what else does this camera offer.

Let’s start with the Z 6’s 24.5-megapixel sensor which when combines with the Z Mount’s light gathering potential and the exceptional EXPEED 6 noise reduction image sensor, it allows for extremely stunning images to be taken with remarkable details, while it also allows for videos at extremely high ISO settings, for which we’ll talk in a bit.

The Z6 is well-known for its ability to shoot incredible images in low-light, which brings up the native ISO of up to 51,200, and the boosted ISO sensitivity of up to 204,800. It’s basically an industry-leading ISO spec at this price range, and all I can say is, the quality is noise-free even at high-ISOs, and what’s even better, your images will look sharp nonetheless without any blur.

It’s also important to note that you can shoot at a continuous shooting speed of 12-frames per second at full resolution, and this is all achieved without the need of an external battery pack. Thus, this camera would be the ideal choice for action, wildlife, sports, and other fast-moving high-demanding fps shots that you will never miss.

Furthermore, the 273-Point on-sensor AF covers 90% of the frame, while subjects are acquired quickly and the camera maintains focus as the subject moves, thanks to the new hybrid autofocus that uses an algorithm optimized for the FX-format sensor, which means that the camera is able to automatically change between focal-plane phase-detect AF and contrast-detect AF to fine-tune focus. Subject tracking and eye-detection AF will also greatly help for those portrait photographers, a feature that recognizes the eye of multiple people in the frame, while it also gives you the choice to choose which person and eye to focus on and it locks on the subject afterward.

Now, in terms of video, besides FHD 1080p, you also get the option to record a cinematic 16:9 4K UHD/30p video in full-frame using the total resolution of the Z 6’s backside-illuminated sensor. Let’s not forget to mention the 4K Time-Lapse, it can shoot up to 9,999 full-resolution stills using an Interval Timer, while afterward, it combines them into one 4K movie with 3rd party software.

Before we end, when it comes to connections, you get a built-in Wi-Fi, a built-in Bluetooth, whereas you can also connect via the SnapBridge to get remote access of the camera in your phone, so as you can see, there’s really nothing that this camera lacks, from very high-end specs to features and performance, you’re getting the latest technologies with everything you could ever ask for. If you decide to go with this camera, then i also highly recommend you check out our article of the best tripods for nikon z6. 

Nikon Z6 Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Canon EOS R vs Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon R

The Canon EOS R is the most high-end mirrorless camera option that you can find on the market, it has above the graph specs with remarkable performance and some serious features for you to elevate your photography and videography to a whole new level. It basically has everything that the Z6 has, but with improved numbers, so let’s dive in and see what this camera offers.

Design-wise, same as the Nikon Z6, the EOS R is a very compact camera that features a smooth and angular modern design which nonetheless boasts distinctive styling, while at first sight, this camera can be often mistaken to a Canon DSLR, but it isn’t really. It measures 136 x 98 x 84 mm and it weighs around 660grams with the battery included. In width and height, it’s practically similar to Nikon Z6, but again, it isn’t quite thin and light as the Z6. In the front of the camera, you’ll notice a minimalist design with no buttons or dials, while at the right of the lens mount you’re going to see the lens release button, and it’s quite unique because if you remove the lens, you won’t be able to see the sensor as you can see it in any other mirrorless camera.

There are a few changes if you compare the EOS R to other Canon models, for instance, the power switch on the left side is now replaced with a recessed power dial, while the dial is stiff enough to prevent you from accidentally turning it on. There is really a lot to talk about the design, but we’ll cover one more special part, the LCD screen.

Similar to Nikon’s design of the LCD, the EOS R features a vary angle touchscreen but with improved numbers just as I stated in the beginning. More specifically, it is a fully-articulating 3.15-inch touchscreen, and it’s the only full-frame mirrorless camera that has a screen that can face all the way forward. The built-in EVF holds 3.69 million dots, while the dot matrix LCD panel makes everything easier for you with its touchscreen capabilities, but on the other hand, the tilting and swiveling abilities of it will be the center of attention for many professional photographers and videographers.

As we said, this is one of the most high-end mirrorless cameras on the market, which brings up the 30.3-megapixel Full-Frame CMOS sensor which combines with an incredible image processor, the DIGIC 8. You’re going to get a fast and quick performance no matter what type of photography you do, but what’s really impressive is the autofocus system.

The Canon EOS R has the industry-leading autofocus system, featuring the company’s Dual Pixel on-sensor AF with over 5655-AF points covering 88% frame horizontally, and 100% vertically.

There’s really no telling to the tracking abilities you’re going to get even with the fastest-moving subjects out there, the camera is able to maintain focus with ease, no matter in what conditions darker or brighter.

Since we mentioned darker or brighter, the Canon EOS R has an ISO range of up to 100-40000, which means that you’re going to get stunning results even in low-light, but that’s not all, at even the highest ISOs, the EOS R delivers noise-free images with plenty of sharpness.

It’s also important to note that this particular camera has a continuous shooting speed of up to 8 frames per second, so if you’re an action photographer, wildlife photographer, portrait photographer, sports or whatever it may be, you’re going to get the most premium result there are, with an above-the-chart autofocus system, and an impressive burst shooting fps rate.

Similar to the Nikon Z6, besides 1080p Full HD recording, here you also get 4K recording at 4:2:2 in 8-bit or 10-bit color, so they don’t differ much here.

Connection-wise, the EOS R offers an excellent feature set with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for instant sharing or transferring to a compatible smartphone, tablet, computer or FTP server. But that’s not all, there is also a USB 3.1 Type-C terminal for fast data transfer, a 3.5mm microphone, headphone jacks and an E3 terminal for remote control.

All and all, if you want the most high-end mirrorless camera option out there, the Canon EOS R would be the answer.

Canon R Sample Images:

Similar Comparison: Nikon D3500 vs Canon T6I

Nikon Z6 vs Canon R Feature Comparison

	Nikon Z6	Canon R
Camera Type	Full-Frame Mirrorless	Full-Frame Mirrorless
Megapixels	24.5	30.3
ISO Range	100-51,200(204,800)	100-40000
Flip-Out Screen	Yes	Yes
AF Points	273 AF Points	5655-point Dual-Pixel AF
Viewfinder	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes
Video Recording	Yes	Yes
Sensor Size	CMOS	CMOS

Similar Comparison: Nikon D850 vs Canon 5DS R

Conclusion

That pretty much sums it up for today, and obviously, by now, you can see for yourself which camera is better because, in terms of usage, they both can accommodate photographers and videographers of the same type.

I did mention at the beginning that I like the Nikon Z6 more, but as I reviewed both products now, I think I’m changing to the Canon EOS R.

Nonetheless, they are both high-end options which pack the most premium features along with the latest technologies, they are both great for sports, action, wildlife, events, portrait photography, still photography, whatever you throw at them, they can handle it.

Now, as they both share the same functionalities, I must say that the Canon EOS R has really improved everything in terms of specs, but in terms of features, they’re pretty much the same. If you were to decide between these two cameras, I would recommend the Canon EOS R over the Nikon Z6, simply because you’re going to have everything top-notch, while this camera will suit you good for many years to come.

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