The digital camera wars are heating up again with the big names finally introducing full frame mirrorless pro cameras. In the last few weeks Nikon has fired the first salvos with the announcement of their new Z series mirrorless pro shooters. These two new models will herald the beginning of a new war for supremacy in the pro camera market, no longer will Sony have this market virtually to itself.

Two models have been announced by Nikon, the Z6 and Z7. Both cameras share the same body and really only differ on the sensor and price. The Z7 makes use of Nikon’s updated full frame sensor with 45.7 megapixel resolution and $3999 USD price tag. While the Z6 uses 24.5 megapixel half frame sensor and will cost $1999 USD.

In a bold move Nikon is also introducing a new mount to go with their new pro shooters, the Z mount. The new mount will allow faster lenses but will maintain backwards compatibility with its F Mount using the FTZ adapter.

Reviews of the new cameras have so far been mixed with many pro camera lovers complaining about the single memory card slot, firmware quality and missing buttons. At the same time many have been impressed with the fast and accurate auto-focus, exceptional image quality for both images and 4K movies, the ability to capture 8K time-lapses along with the impressive new touch screen and sharp digital view finder.

Sony are undeniably the kings of the full frame mirrorless pro camera market but things in the tech world never stand still long enough to enjoy a title such as that. It may take Nikon a little time to establish their beachhead in the market, but they have landed, and the battle is only just beginning. Canon is not one to be left out of such a battle either, they are planning a mirrorless pro shooter of their own and in recent days rumours of an EOS R full frame mirrorless camera sent the internet in meltdown (here). Expect the market for full frame mirrorless cameras to be rather more crowded by Christmas.

Reference: Business Insiders
Reference: DPReview
Reference: TechRadar