“Which Nikon camera is best for wedding photography?”

The best Nikon camera for wedding photography is the Nikon z6ii. I explain why and share examples of other gear needed for photographers.

It’s simple to say that the Nikon Z6ii is the best Nikon camera for wedding photography because I have two of them. I started with a DSLR (Nikon d90, Nikon d7500, and Nikon d750), and I upgraded to mirrorless when the Z6ii was available for pre-order.

 

 

What about my camera matters as a wedding photographer

Weight

It’s light, under 2lbs, and with the Spyder Holster, I can have two on my hips. I will not have pain after 4 hours of shooting. Around the reception time, I tend to take the holster off my hips to give my lower back a break and shoot with one camera anyway.

Buttons

Custom button features for the screen and around the camera. I like to control the white balance, ISO, focus settings, subject tracking, release mode, and silent mode for the ceremony (silent mode cannot be used with flash). I have no complaints on how the camera buttons are located on the camera and how I can control them on the LCD touch screen.  The back button focus is how I focus my shots and it’s very easy for me to use as I shoot wedding photography.

LCD screen viewing

The Nikon Z6II has a great LCD screen, but it has a couple of drawbacks. Firstly, it can drain the battery faster if left on for too long, and secondly, it doesn’t swivel for a selfie option. However, I still prefer to keep the LCD touch screen activated as I find it convenient to touch the buttons on the screen to switch settings quickly and view my compositions and exposure. As someone who is not very tall (only 5’1”), the tilt screen is essential for me, especially for receptions on a wedding day since I shoot at high angles.

Autofocus

The Nikon Z6ii has 273 focus points, which is plenty and it’s best for wedding photography. In low light, it’s pretty good. Although, not perfect. It can miss some shots in complete darkness so the use of the focus light illuminator on your flash and camera settings will help! I love that the Nikon z6ii does shift focus as needed in continuous shots.

Tracking moving subjects

Underexposed subjects in bright backgrounds or far away subjects won’t work out using the Auto-area AF (people) setting. Instead, use the mode Wide-L to get the best results for tracking subjects and getting autofocus working its prime on a wedding day! Watch this Youtube video to learn more about the tracking.

RAW support

I cannot shoot wedding photography without having the option to shoot RAW files. I need full control over my editing and being limited by JPEG files does not work for my creative abilities in Lightroom/Photoshop programs.

Lens compatibility

My list of Nikon z6ii compatible lenses I use for wedding photography:

• Details and Flatlay photos: Nikon Z 50mm Macro 2.8
• Portraits, Ceremony, and close-ups (bringing the backdrop closer to the subject): Nikon Z 85mm 1.8 S
• Portraits, Ceremony, Reception, and wide shots: Nikon F 35mm 1.4G (Needs FTZ adapter)
• Reception and super-wide shots: Nikon F 14-24 mm 2.8 S  (Needs FTZ adapter)

 

Flash compatibility

I use flash at every single one of my weddings because it helps makes indoor and low light outdoors shots more professional and sharp and bright. My list of flash equipment that is compatible for Nikon z6ii:

• Godox trigger
• Godox AD200 and Flashpoint Evolv200
• Godox v1 Speedlite 
• Magmod 24 inch octabox for portraits
• Magmod off-camera flash kit for 200s
• Godox v1 dome diffuser
• Auto 9 ft light stand
• 7ft umbrella for indoor family portraits or large groups
• And don’t forget an extra battery per flash

Battery life

I keep my LCD screen on the entire time I shoot with my Nikon z6ii on a wedding day, and I go through about two sets of memory cards. I need about three batteries for each camera to make it through a full 10-hour wedding day. I will not show up to a wedding without a battery charger just in case, and I replace my batteries before the ceremony and reception, so sometimes the batteries will be half full, and I still replace them. The last thing I want is an accident where the camera dies during the father-daughter dance. Although the Nikon z6ii has the option to add an extra extended life battery pack, I do not use it as I find it adding unnecessary weight to my camera.

Two card slots that can be copied

As a wedding photographer, it is essential to have a backup system in place for your camera. This means having two card slots to make copies in case memory cards get corrupted, no matter how reliable the camera is. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a camera with dual-slot card options, making the Nikon z6ii an ideal choice for wedding photographers.

To ensure the fastest speed of RAW photos being copied, I invested heavily in memory cards, such as SD 64GB, 32GB, and 128GB Extreme Pro cards with a read speed of 300mb/s. When using the Nikon z6ii, I typically use two cards of the same size, such as a 128 GB SD card and a 128 GB CF card. However, I mostly use 64GB SD and 64GB CF cards.

Wifi and an app to control the camera

I don’t use this as often as possible, but I have before. When there’s dead time during the reception or towards the end of the night, I can use Snapbridge to upload my photos to my phone for quick editing or control my camera through my phone. This would be awesome for tablet users too for same day edits!

Video

I don’t use this function as often as I could but if I ever were to do hybrid wedding photography and videography, the Nikon z6ii can do it and I think this will be well used in the future.

Weather sealed

Rain is good luck on a wedding day, right? Well, the Nikon z6ii is weather-sealed to keep dust, snow, grime, and moisture out. Taylor Jackson has a great youtube video promoting this

How it handles in low light

The ISO is incredible for the Nikon z6ii. I can shoot at 3500 with minimal grain and am very happy with how the photos turn out in churches and at receptions. I don’t need to go any higher, especially if I use flash in dark receptions anyway! The focus is pretty good, as mentioned above about autofocus.