Using the Nikon z6iii for wedding Photography

Those that have been following my a while know that for the past decade I’ve been shooting everything on Fujifilm cameras (most recently the Fuji XT5. I’ve enjoyed the process of working with them – they’re light, tactile and are capable of making beautiful images in fast moving situations.

Recently though, my Fuji had an extended stay in hospital and I started experimenting more with Nikon cameras at weddings. I’d already purchased a ZF to use with manual lenses like the Voigtlander 40mm 1.2, and the simplest way of getting up and running was to exchange them for some autofocus lenses and take the Nikon ZF to a wedding.

This soon got out of hand and I found myself sitting on a complete set of lenses, a couple of flashguns and a Nikon Z6iii on order. We’re halfway through this season and I’ve been mainly I’ve been mainly sing the Nikon Z6iii for my wedding photography.

So how’s that going? And am I going to be selling all my Fujifilm kit?

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Technical stuff

If you are familiar with my work, you’ll know I’m largely oblivious to technical stuff. I know that we’re somewhere between 16 and 30 megapixels, and to buy Z mount lenses. But, as with photoshop, or my computer, or my brain, I’m not going to be using 90% of what this technology can do. I’m old fashioned and simple and my ideal camera is just a Nikon FM with autofocus and a digital sensor (or better still, a lifelong supply of film and processing). I use it for documentary wedding photography, family photoshoots and want to keep things unobtrusive, light and really value simplicity.

And you’ll realise when I tell you about the lenses – I don’t really care about MTF charts and corner to corner sharpness. The two lenses I gravitate towards are tactile and have a vintage filmic character (that actually comes from their flaws)

So, hanging round Nikon forums and camera clubs I tend to get shouted down a lot as not knowing what I’m talking about. And you too, should take what you can from this what you want, as I’m not a technical person at all. All I want to know is, does my camera get me there quickly? Can I pull off amazing feats in dark spaces?

Do the Nikon’s do this? Is the low light performance better than Fuji?

(Do they do it better than Sony? Probably not. But I hated using Sony cameras and was 100% back to Fuji in a flash when I gave that a go.)

Anyway. Technical specs, for anyone who wants them for the Nikon Z6iii are.

Sensor & Image Processing

• Sensor: 24.5 MP full‑frame (35.9 × 23.9 mm), back‑illuminated partially‑stacked CMOS design – offering ~3.5× faster readout than the Z6 II, enabling pre‑release burst shooting and minimal blackout.

• Processor: EXPEED 7, borrowed from Nikon Z8/Z9/Zf series, supports high-speed autofocus and video processing.

📸 Still Photography

• • • Burst Rates:
      • • • Mechanical shutter: up to 14 fps (RAW)
        • • Electronic shutter: up to 20 fps (RAW)
        • JPEG-only burst: 60 fps at full‑resolution, up to 120 fps at 11 MP DX crop
  • • Pre‑Release Capture: Captures up to 1 sec before fully pressing the shutter (up to 120 fps in JPEG mode)
  • Pixel‑Shift Multi‑Shot: Creates up to a 96 MP composite image via 32 RAW frames

🎥 Video Capabilities

• • • 6K RAW (N‑RAW): up to 60 fps
  • • 4K ProRes RAW & ProRes 422 HQ: up to 60 fps
  • • 4K UHD: up to 120 fps (with DX crop)
  • • Full HD: up to 240 fps (10‑bit H.265, oversampled)
  • • Video codecs: Internal 12‑bit N‑RAW, 10‑bit ProRes, 10‑bit/8‑bit H.265/MPEG‑4 AVC (H.264), with HDMI clean output and support for external recorders via ProRes RAW or AtomOS integration (HDMI 2.1, 10‑bit 4:2:2, N‑Log/HLG options)
  • Thermal design: Supports up to ~125 min of continuous 4K/60p recording

🧠 Autofocus & Subject Detection

• • • AF System: Hybrid phase-detect/contrast AF; 273 user-selectable points, or 299 auto-area points
  • • Low Light AF: Detectable down to −10 EV at f/1.2, ISO 100
  • • AI‑Driven Subject Detection: Detects and tracks 9 subject types — humans (faces & eyes), animals, birds, cars, motorcycles, airplanes, trains, bicycles; supports 3D‑tracking, wide/dynamic/auto-area AF
  • Focus‑Point VR: Applies stabilization around the active AF point (especially helpful with non-VR lenses)

🎯 Stabilization & Metering

• • • In‑Body Image Stabilization (IBIS): 5‑axis VR sensor-shift, rated up to 8 stops CIPA, including Sync VR and Focus‑Point VR
  • Metering modes: Matrix, center-weighted, spot, highlight-weighted; ±5 EV exposure compensation; white balance range 2,500 K–10,000 K, plus custom & auto presets

🔧 Physical & Ergonomics

• • • Body Size: ~138.5 × 101.5 × 74 mm
  • • Weight: ~760 g with battery & card (≈1.68 lb)
  • • Temperature Rating: Operates reliably down to −10 °C / 14 °F; premium weather sealing on par with Nikon Z8
  • • Rear Display: 3.2″ fully articulated touchscreen LCD, 2.1 million dots, 170° movement for vlogging/angle shooting
  • Viewfinder: 5.76 million‑dot OLED EVF, 0.8× magnification, 120 Hz refresh, up to 4,000 nits brightness, DCI‑P3 gamut, 100% coverage, blackout‑free in electronic shutter

⚙️ Connectivity & Power

Ports: USB Type‑C (SuperSpeed 5 Gbps), HDMI 2.1 Type A, mic input, headphone output; Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (SnapBridge & Wi‑Fi Utility)

Storage: Dual card slots — one CFexpress Type B (also XQD-compatible), one UHS‑II SD card slot

Battery: EN-EL15c (backwards compatible with EN‑EL15a/b), USB‑PD charging/power supported; ~360–380 shots CIPA rating (eco mode ~410)

Why the Nikon Z6iii?

We were all told the Nikon ZF would be a Fujifilm killer. The truth is, as a Fujifilm user, is that it’s not as tactile as a Fuji. It’s not as light as a Fuji, and most of the lenses are also heavier. You have to work around the Nikon ZF to make it work more like a film camera. Whereas Fuji have a really simple system where you can just flip one parameter of the exposure triangle to auto, Nikon have implemented a PASM system that doesn’t make much sense when you’re supposed to have access to everything via dials. What this means is that you don’t have access to everything via dials, and you have to stop and think about how to make what you want to happen, happen.

So when I got a second body, I thought I’d give the Z6iii a spin, as it had been about for a while and was becoming quite good value for what it offered. The Nikon Z5ii had just been announced, so prices were pretty similar at the time. If I was buying now, and didn’t want to shoot video (I don’t!) I’d probably plump for the Z5ii

Do I notice a huge difference when switching between the two? I don’t really. The Nikon Z6iii has a joystick, which is nice, but inessential. And the Z6iii also has more function buttons. Which are useful on paper, but I never remember what I’ve set most of them to. Since I’ve been shooting with both the ZF and the Z6iii the latter has definitely become my main body. (The one with a 35mm permanently glued to it)

Do I notice a difference between my kit bags for Fuji and Nikon? Hell yes. One seems to weigh twice as much. I do tend to stash my bag somewhere and just work with cameras wherever possible though, so it only really niggles on the days when you have to carry kit with you all day.

Prime Lenses

I’ve been a prime shooter for a long time (zoom lenses feel oddly mechanical and take me out of the process of living and back into the process of camera-operating). So my preference is always for some decent prime lenses.

With Fujifilm I always shot with 28mm and 50mm equivalent lenses and occasionally used an 85. It kept things very stripped back and simple. And that Fujifilm 18mm (28mm equivalent) is an amazing lens. With Nikon I’m back to switching between a 24mm and 35mm.

I find the 24mm a bit too stretchy and distorted (but I’ve always felt that way about 24mm), whereas 35mm is often too tight, but I’m trying to opt for it more and get more creative with it.

I also have a 50mm and 85mm.

I haven’t opted for the professional f1.8 lenses, but have gone for the prosumer f1.4 wherever they’re available. There are a few reasons for this.

1. They have a control ring and I can use it as an aperture ring. Some photographers hate this because they’re always knocking it though, so it’s probably because I was really missing my aperture rings.

2. f1.4 just gives me that little bit extra when things get dark and gnarly.

3. I like a bit of character and don’t want lenses that are super clinical and sharp. I often remove it in post processing anyway, as I photograph mainly people, and a slightly softer lens can be more flattering.

4. A bit of character also gives that elusive vintage feel to the images without the need for extra filters or breathing on your lens.

Real World Use

In the real world the Nikon’s have been pretty snappy and have caught most things I’ve thrown at them. Which is pretty impressive as I don’t think we’ve done the mind / body meld thing that I have with my Fujifilm cameras (or the D700/800 bodies that I used until my chiropractor bills were getting too much.) I love having several function buttons so I can assign things to the outside of the body and rarely have to menu dive. Like on my Fujifim cameras, I’ve set my Nikon’s up to show a histogram in the viewfinder as I shoot. I find this is the best way to meter for me.

Talking about the viewfinder – this was probably the first thing I noticed. It is big, it’s bright and it’s like watching a movie. It really allows you to be present in the scene almost as much as an SLR would and is a huge step forward from anything I’ve used before. Switching back to the XT5 feels like peering into a dark room. 

Autofocus

The autofocus is snappy and intuitive. I’ve set one of my function buttons up to scroll between different settings, but use the 3d tracking with face detection a lot. People are very critical of Fujifilm autofocus, but the Fuji’s tend to get it right, they just can take a while to get there, whilst Sometimes the Nikon only thinks it’s got it right, and got there a bit faster.

I guess what I’m saying is – neither system is inherently better. Both are good and I’m sure both are a bit more tweakable, too.

I was worried about the Nikons on dark dance floors, having seen some unfavourable reviews on YouTube, and for my first few weddings with Nikons I had a Fuji XT5 to hand, just in case. This seems to be unnecessary, and the focus tracking has continued to work all the way up to ridiculously high ISO’s with ridiculously little light to hand.

Image quality

I’m loving the image quality I get from these cameras and lenses. I don’t know if it’s opting for the slightly imperfect lenses, but there’s a lovely softness to the images and a wonderful fall off between the sharp and out of focus areas of the pictures. I think dynamic range in the real world is similar to the Fuji’s – but I seem to be able to roll off the highlights a bit softer and make them more filmic. At the moment I’m just using my regular preset and have adapted it to the new cameras so everything sits together nicely. I may tweak further as I get more used to working with the files.

High Iso

The Nikon Z6iii has two native ISO’s. I can’t follow the technical side of it – but in the real world this means that it can perform at crazily high ISO’s and still produce a deliverable image.

Please bear in mind that as a photographer of the perfectly imperfect, grainy, blurry and scuzzier school of photography, my ‘deliverable’ could mean something totally different to yours. I do tend to push cameras to their limits, and you can check out my posts on wedding dancefloor , first dance photography and use of natural light for wedding photography to see what I mean by that.

Colours

Overall, I quite like the colours. Nikon skin tones always look quite natural and subtle to me. (I find Canon colours very yellow, and Sony colours hard to work with). If anything, they seem to fall apart a bit under artificial light and this is one of those things that Fujifilm cameras do better. I can see myself tempted to reach for the Black and White option more frequently to solve problems (is that an inherently bad thing)

IBIS & Buffer speed

Ibis can be quite useful, especially for room decor and location shots at night. I can’t say I’ve tested it to see how low I can go yet – but this is a useful extra to have in certain situations. The buffer has never been a problem. I’ve been able to get away with buying cheaper cards and not worrying about that. (This may be different if you shoot video)

What Presets are you using with the Nikon Z6iii?

I have custom presets built by Amy-Leigh at Northern Presets. I have tweaked these a bit, both to match the Nikon cameras better and to add a little bit of warmth, grain, halation and fuzz where I want it. I may approach Amy-Leigh again in the near future to have them professionally tweaked.

Battery life

I’m carrying 6 Nikon batteries to a wedding (so the same as my XT5) I often find I only use 4, and they’re unlikely to suddenly start flashing red and discharge as the bride walks down the aisle (unlike the XT5). So I guess they’re lasting a bit longer into the day.

Finding a bag

Of course, there was no way any of this was fitting in either my Ona Bowery or Brixton, so I had to go in search of a more spacious bag. At the moment I’m using a Domke F2, which just about fits everything in if I take one of the lenses off one of the cameras.

So am I switching brands?

For the most part, yes. I think I’ll be shooting most of my stuff on Nikon cameras. I’ve been to a couple of weddings recently where the light was so challenging that I don’t know how I’d have covered it with Fujifilm cameras. I’m also enjoying the bokeh that comes from having a bigger sensor – although trying not to get too hooked on it and set it appropriately for storytelling and detail-grabbing.

(This is a whole subject in itself, but to sum up, as Zalmy Berkowitz put it, I don’t want to Bokeh-rize reality into oblivion in every photo)

Saying that, I’ve a London wedding coming up, and the idea of carrying my Nikon kit around public transport for two days fills me with dread. So London will definitely be a Fujifilm wedding and it would still be the ideal kit for family shoots or other events where I have to carry my kit all day.

Equipment mentioned in this article

Nikon Z6iii – Currently my main camera

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Nikkor 35mm 1.4 z series lens

This lens lives on my camera all day. Could I shoot a whole wedding with it? Probably

I prefer the 1.4 to the 1.8 as it has more character and I can use the control ring like an apeture ring.

Nikkor 50mm 1.4 Z series lens (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Again, 1.4 because it’s more tactile and has more character. My second go-to focal length.

Nikkor 24mm 1.8 S Z series lens (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

A great wide angle lens. Technically better than the 35mm, but the 35mm has my heart.

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Nikkor 85mm 1.8 S Z series

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Domke F2 camera bag

This is an amazingly practical bag that, whilst not as pretty as an Ona or Billingham, has its own style going on. And it fits loads. It probably deserves its own article. I have the green one

Buy from Amazon (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Buy from Amazon (As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)