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D6vs Z5 II

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Nikon D6 Nikon D6 (2020) Starting from £3200 new Best for Professional Sports, Press & Wildlife Photography View D6
VS
Nikon Z5 II Nikon Z5 II (2024) Starting from £1299 new Best for Full-frame value View Z5 II

GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?

Professional Sports, Press & Wildlife Photography — D6 (2020): Nikon's final and finest DSLR — the D6 brought 105 all-cross-type AF points, 14fps, and built-in LAN to the F mount. The last word in optical viewfinder photography.

Full-Frame Value — Z5 II (2024): The most accessible full-frame mirrorless — dual card slots, weather sealing, and Nikon colour at a sensible price.

↓ Full specifications below

D6 (2020)

  • Sports, wildlife, and press photographers who prefer an optical viewfinder
  • Professional Nikon shooters with a substantial F-mount lens collection
  • Photojournalists who need built-in LAN for wire transmission
  • Nikon system professionals seeking a used flagship at under-new-price value

Z5 II (2024)

  • DSLR photographers making the switch to full-frame mirrorless
  • Enthusiasts who want full-frame Z quality at the most accessible price
  • Z5 owners wanting significantly improved autofocus and uncropped 4K
  • Landscape and portrait photographers stepping up from APS-C

Quick take: The z5 ii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the z5 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification D6 (2020)Z5 II (2024)
Price £3,200 £1,299
Sensor 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS 24.5MP Full-frame BSI CMOS
Resolution 20.8MP 24.5MP
Video 4K UHD 30fps 4K/30p oversampled, 1080p/120p, N-Log
Autofocus Multi-CAM 3500FX III — 105 AF points, all cross-type Phase-detect, 273 points, subject detection (human/animal/vehicle)
Stabilisation 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops
Burst Rate 14fps mechanical 14fps mechanical, 30fps electronic
Battery Life ~3580 shots (CIPA) ~470 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1450g (body only) 700g body only
Dimensions 160 × 163.5 × 92mm 134.0 × 100.5 × 69.9mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes
Viewfinder OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.80× magnification
Screen 3.2" fixed touchscreen, 2.36M dots 3.2" tilting touchscreen
Mount Nikon F mount Nikon Z-mount (full-frame)
Memory Cards Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD slots Dual SD UHS-II slots
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Ethernet (built-in), USB 3.1 USB-C 3.2, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi
Genre D6Z5 II
Sports & Action
10.0
4.0
Wildlife
9.0
Wedding & Events
8.0
9.0
Street
8.0
7.0
Portrait
7.0
9.0
Landscape
7.0
9.0
Travel
7.0

GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →

⚡ Compare specs side by side D6 prices → Z5 II prices →

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