Teardown of the Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Camera

October 30, 2018 · Roger Cicala · in Equipment , New Items , Teardowns and Disassembly , Technical Discussions

We published our teardown of the Canon EOS-R and then had to decide which of the Nikon Z cameras to do. We decided to go with the top-end Nikon Z7. The Nikon Z6 would be the more appropriate comparison from a price standpoint; the Nikon Z6 is retailing for $2145, the Canon EOS-R for $2299, and the Nikon Z7 for $3545. (FWIW, the Sony A7R III splits the difference, at $3,000.) But we had a Z7 and didn’t have a Z6. And honestly, I was more interested in what the top-end camera looked like inside.

Yes, I know fanboys are going to go berserk about it being an unfair comparison, but fanboys are going to get upset no matter what I do. Nikon shooters will legitimately wish I’d compared both the Z6 and Z7 to help with decision making. I’ll probably crack a Z6 open just to peak at differences when we get them, but I probably won’t make a full tear down.

I also want to mention that the good guys at Kolarivision (I highly recommend them, BTW, should you ever want an IR conversion) have already done a Z7 teardown. I think the two teardowns will complement each other. They give you a great look at the sensor assembly, because removing sensor assemblies all day is what they do, so we just left that alone. We’re going to focus more on the other parts of the camera because repairing dead cameras (and looking for weak points) is what we do. We won’t take out the sensor because I have too much to do, and that part is already done well by Kolarivision.

Nikon Z7 Teardown

Well, the first difference comes early: the viewfinder rubber is clip-on, where the Canon’s was attached with screws. You guys can go ahead argue for a few hours about which is better or worse; I don’t think it matters.

Opening the doors and looking around shows a lot of weather-resisting gaskets everywhere. There is more robust door sealing than we saw on either the Canon EOS R or the Sony A7RIII.

While the Canon had a new type of bracket for their fully rotating LCD, the Nikon has a tilting LCD with standard bracketing that we’ve seen on numerous cameras. It’s tried-and-true, I have no worries about it; tilt brackets are less stressed than rotating-tilting brackets.

Anyway, with external inspection out of the way, we started taking out the obvious screws.

And removing the grip rubber. Another thing that makes absolutely no difference to anyone but us, but we got spoiled with Canon’s new adhesive. Nikon uses more of a ‘you ain’t getting this off without a fight and a heat gun’ adhesive. Kind of a pain for disassembly/reassembly, but the strong adhesive, along with lots of overlapping edges covered by the grip rubber is kind of impressive. In many places the plastic shell doesn’t just interlock; it overlaps, screws together and then is covered with rubber grip and adhesive. That should not only give a superior weather seal, but it’s also probably giving some added strength to the assembly.

Nikon cameras tend to want the bottom plate removed before going on to other things, so we started there.

Those of you who read a lot of my teardowns know that my life revolves around mocking Nikon for having actual wires (how 80’s) winding hither and yon in the camera. I’m pleased to see they’ve obviously been listening to me because the first thing we see is a wire neatly held in a bracket. The white color makes me think it’s a WiFi antenna wire.

The bottom plate, again, has thick weather gaskets both around the edges and at the tripod mount.

The tripod mounting plate itself is OK, but certainly neither as robust as, nor is the screw insert as long as the Canon. When will this matter? Probably never, but I would be careful not to insert an overly long tripod plate or accessory screw on this camera; you might pop the top of the socket off.

With grips off and screws out, the back panel and LCD assembly slide right off.

And at this point, things look much like any Nikon SLR disassembly. You can see the end of that white wire inserting into a plug on the PCB which confirms its WiFiness.

And let me give props where they are due: there is not a soldered wire to be seen, flexes are neatly laid out, and runs are short. It’s an immaculate and thoughtful design.

Let’s also praise some thorough weather sealing. Here you see it along the top.

And here along the sides.

And, of course, the buttons are all well sealed. I think we can safely assume that all cameras have well-sealed buttons these days, but the Nikon Z7 has great sealing everywhere we looked.

With the bottom and back off we can get a nice look up from the bottom at the various boards. If you compare it from a similar view of the Canon EOS R near the end of that post, you can see that there’s a lot less air in the Nikon, mostly because there’s a lot of IBIS in there.

Next step is taking out the EVF. There are very few things I didn’t like about this camera from a reliability standpoint, but one was the diopter adjustment knob. In some ways it’s very nice – you have to pull it out to adjust it, which is good. But when it is pulled out, it feels rather weak and overly flexible. Who cares? Only me. You’ll only adjust this once in a great while and never have a problem. But my theoretical purpose here is to find out what’s likely to break on a rental unit. This will get adjusted with every rental and I suspect we’ll see some breakage here.

I got irritable (irritable – the feeling I get when I’m nervous) when we were trying to pop off the makeup plug to get to the screw inside. Aaron would try to pry up the makeup plug. The diopter knob would pop out and bend like a palm tree in a hurricane. Aaron: Hold the knob for me. Roger: You are prying with a scalpel. Not happening.

Eventually, (I held the knob with some forceps) the diopter adjustment knob was removed (no fingers or camera parts were damaged during the disassembly) and the EVF came right out. Again, a big, thick moisture seal sits under the adjustment knob. Had I held the knob with my fingers, this would have prevented my blood from getting deep into the camera.

Removing a few more screws let us take the main PCB off.

As mentioned earlier, it’s neatly laid out and not particularly crowded.

The underside shows the XQD card slot and the ports are all soldered on. The audio plug jacks are on a separate sub-board. That’s the date-time battery in the upper right. In the early days, we used to worry about where the battery was because you’d have to change them after a couple of years. It’s not an issue with modern batteries.

With the board out you can look down at the sensor / IBIS assembly. It’s noticeably more compact, has less travel than the Sony system, and seems more robust. From our focus on repair, we see this as a good thing – early Sony IBIS systems would sometimes move enough to jam and/or break. (To be clear, that’s not an issue with newer Sony cameras. I point this out just to show that the manufacturers have been watching each other.)

Certainly, the adjusting posts, which support the entire assembly, are robust; at least the equal to the Canon EOS R.

I should also point out that both Canon and Nikon have used infinitely adjustable spring-over-screw systems to correct sensor-to-flange tilt. Sony uses a shimmed post. In theory, at least, the step-wise adjustment of shims can’t be as accurate as an infinite adjustment; whether the technique actually results in less sensor-to-flange tilt, I do not know. I could imagine, though, that with a wider lens mount, and the narrow depth of field of f/1.2 lenses, sensor-to-mount tilt might require more accuracy.

We took off the port cover next. I won’t show a close-up, but you can make out foam sealing around the release button, and we saw the sealing around the edge that meshes with the back assembly earlier.

Here are the mic and audio out plugs on their separate board.

The port bracket certainly looks up to the task of keeping the audio ports from pulling out, but I’m not sure it does much to prevent, the more common and severe problem of pulling the HDMI port off of the board. Still, all protection is good protection.

Finally, we removed the top assembly. By the way, the magnesium frame you now see is fairly thick, stiff, and heavy.

The usual electronic complexity of all top assemblies is there. And as usual, we aren’t going to spend hours taking it apart.

But I will show yet another close-up of the really impressive weather sealing.

Just in case I haven’t made my point, a couple of more pictures of ‘if there’s an edge, there’s a weather seal’ in this camera.

I’ll leave you with one last shot of the sensor / IBIS/frame assembly. Not a lot of air in this one, but a lot of really strong looking supports and connections.

Conclusion:

This is not marketing department weather resistance. This is engineering department weather resistance. Anything that can be sealed has been sealed. I’m impressed, and I will say for future cut-and-paste blurbs: this is as robustly weather sealed a camera as we’ve ever disassembled.

I don’t believe in weather resistance myself. I believe like life; water will find a way. I believe in plastic baggies and rubber bands. I am, however, a great believer in the idea that if you claim to do something, then damn well do it right. This is done right.

I’m impressed by the very solid construction of the chassis and IBIS unit. I’m impressed with the neat, modern engineering of the electrical connections. Yes, I’m aware that soldered wires carry electricity just fine, but to me, there’s something reassuring about seeing neat, well thought out, 2018 level engineering.

I’m not here to tell you which camera is best to use or has the best performance. I’m just here to say this is a damn well-built camera, the best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart. (For the record, I haven’t torn down a Leica SL.)

Even I don’t buy cameras strictly because of how well they are built. And I can’t say until we take apart a Z6 (and really also whatever Canon releases as their high-end mirrorless) if the build quality is how Nikon’s going to do it or because it’s a flagship camera. I would guess a bit of both. But so far the CaNikon mirrorless have been exactly what we expected.
Roger Cicala and Aaron Closz

Lensrentals.com

October, 2018

100 Comments

DrJon · October 30, 2018
BTW some of that “weather sealing” looks more like EMC sealing… i.e. conductive.
(Could be both, of course.)
1. Roger Cicala · October 30, 2018
  I think the ones along the magnesium chassis are heat conductive, they were of a different character, but they were also definitely foamy.
  1. DrJon · October 30, 2018
    EMC conductive seals tend to be foamy…
    1. Roger Cicala · October 30, 2018
      Makes sense – we saw those along the top assembly to chassis area, and the top assembly does generate some heat.
J.L. Williams · October 30, 2018
There were so many productive things I planned to get done over my lunch break, but then… “New teardown article on LR!”
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bokesan · October 30, 2018
I, for one, am very happy about that locked viewfinder diopter adjustment knob. On the A7R2 and D600 before it, I often accidentally changed the adjustment when putting or retrieving the camera from tightly stuffed bags. No more.
Anneke Giersbergen · October 30, 2018
Yes, excellent weather sealing. None of which makes up for the lackluster auto-focus and one card slot.
Priced like a D850 with the performance of a D5500, enjoy it.
1. umeshrw · October 30, 2018
  “Yes, I know fanboys are going to go berserk about it being an unfair comparison, but fanboys are going to get upset no matter what I do.”
  Roger sure is omniscient.
2. AnotherView · October 30, 2018
  I agree the AF needs work…don’t care about the single card slot. Still the Z7 is a really sweet camera…much more fun to use than my D850. Thanks.
  1. Anneke Giersbergen · October 30, 2018
    you should care about a single card slot. Foolish! https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5628e639986a57b6968a2bcd829cb9f4bdeba0f5e4109933be9aab4c19a78cba.jpg
    1. RC Jenkins · October 30, 2018
      Did you get to the part where LiamPham was able to recover all of the files?
      
      Whoops! Spoiler Alert!
      1. Baconator · October 31, 2018
        LOL trolls don’t sleep!
    2. Baconator · October 31, 2018
      I had a similar problem with a Sony SD card a few years ago. Was able to recover the images, but the card can’t be read anywhere but my old Sony VAIO laptop! Never had issues with SanDisk cards. Sony cards suck.
      1. dave · October 31, 2018
        Did you try to format it on computer then in camera? Or try thr sd card formatter app?
        
        I agree though, sandisks all the way. Their 95mb cards write really fast, 2x as fast as their 90mb cards for some reason.
        
        Baconator · October 31, 2018
        @disqus_6iO68J6Eyr:disqus The camera couldn’t see it, my macbook couldn’t see it, so the only option was that VAIO. I tried formatting the card via the standard Windows format tool and then via command line (after deleting and creating a new partition) – no dice! Not a big deal – I’m just sticking to SanDisk going forward.
        
        dave · October 31, 2018
        Awhile back Adobe had a mac bug that’d kill your drves if you used backblaze and over 15 of my external drives bit the dust but I had so many recovery tools from mac bundles that it was crazy how my MBP wouldnt see them but these apps would and would mount them in safe mode so you could get data off (after you took drive out of case and put it in a dock).
        
        sdcard.com has a disk formater that they recommend to use every time and it might work and it’s free.
        
        But I agree on the sansdisk, I’m only buying the 95mb ones from now on but will probably try one of the new sony tough ones but I have zero trust in sony products lol
      2. Dre de Man · October 31, 2018
        There is a line of code in the controller software of the Sony cards: if maker note = Nikon corp. then data loss = 1, else data loss = 0
        🙂
        
        Baconator · October 31, 2018
        Funny!!! 🙂 But that was actually a Sony camera (the first gen A7r).
    3. dave · October 31, 2018
      I have problems with external hard drives like that all the time, I just load up one of the many recovery software apps I have and 5 minutes time I have it all back. What I’ve found out is that a lot of times it’s just the cord.
    4. TurtleCat · October 31, 2018
      Random Dpreview user post doesn’t boost your argument by much. And it doesn’t rule out the more likely error: user error.
    5. davev8 · October 31, 2018
      lucky the R will transfer jpegs real time to a mobile device automatically
      1. RC Jenkins · November 2, 2018
        So will the Z7. Mobile device or laptop.
        Or, with the WT-7, to an ftp server.
    6. Friedhelm · February 3, 2019
      Hey Anneke,
      what BS did you smoke?
3. osynlig fog · October 31, 2018
  Thank the maker for a single XQD/CFe. SD is old and unreliable. Two XQD would have made the camera bigger. This camera is way smaller and lighter than a D850 (have you actually worked with these cameras or are you just trolling?) and, importantly, can operate in complete silence. I’d take the Z7 over the D850 any day of the week.
AnotherView · October 30, 2018
I’d be interested in what Roger thinks of the card-door slot being integrated with the main thumb-grip…some suggest it’s an engineering weak point..is it something we need to be careful with?
1. Astro Landscapes · October 30, 2018
  I have the same concern.
  
  I’m also wondering which type of grip rubber this is that Roger is referring to- is this the oldschool grip rubber, from the D700 (and older) to the D810, which would literally start melting off like clockwork after one season of weddings in the hot sun, …or is this the new D850 style of grip rubber, that seems a lot more rigid, almost like Canon’s “never gonna come off unless you take it off” grip rubber?
  
  Because, quite honestly, I’m sick of having to take all my cameras in to have the grip rubber replaced every single winter. I’ve probably had to do it ~20 times on the dozen-plus Nikons that I’ve owned over the last 15 years…
  1. Roger Cicala · October 30, 2018
    It seems more D850 style of grip – once on, never off. As to the card door, that’s one of those things that i think we have to watch over time. It’s very solid with the door shut. Now. When it’s new.
    1. AnotherView · October 30, 2018
      Right…handle with care…thanks Roger.
    2. Astro Landscapes · November 1, 2018
      That’s very good to know about Nikon’s whole future WRT grip rubber. Yay!
      
      As a wedding photographer, I’d be shooting with a Z6 tomorrow if it had dual card slots.
      
      As a nightscape / landscape / timelapse shooter, I’d be owning both a Z6 and Z7, if I knew the image quality could be truly equal to the D850, and equal/superior to the D750.
      
      I guess we’ll wait until the next generation…
      1. jose luis pelaez · November 3, 2018
        As an action and sport shooter I prefer my D850 and SONY RX10IV as second camera. The AF speed and tracking performance make the difference.
Astro Landscapes · October 30, 2018
Weather sealing, bloodborne pathogen sealing, same diff…

Either way, this is indeed two points for Nikon!

Unfortunately, based on the crazy internet “superfans” (because calling them fanboys is so 2014, and also sexist) …it appears that “the game” may be basketball, not hockey.
1. Roger Cicala · October 31, 2018
  I agree about fanboy being sexist, yet superfan doesn’t really have the childish immaturity connotation. Fanbrat?
  1. Larry Templeton · November 2, 2018
    I’m not sure it’s actually sexist though… Can you remember the last time you witnessed two females arguing like children on the Internet over the nuances of one brand’s spec list vs. the other’s?
    
    Perhaps males have rightfully earned their gender attached to this term— or maybe I’m missing out on some very interesting camera debate elsewhere on the web…
    1. Doug Herr · November 3, 2018
      According to my daughter knitting forums can be vicious.
    2. Roger Cicala · November 5, 2018
      I’m actually seeing more and more females being . . . well, can’t say fanboy. Fanbeciles?
Florent · October 30, 2018
Hi Roger and Aaron, this was a great post. Very informative.
As far as mirrorless cameras go, how do Fuji (e.g. X-T2) and Olympus cameras (e.g. E-M1 II) fare in terms of build quality?
Keep up the good work and especially the humor that always makes my day 🙂
Thanks!
1. Roger Cicala · October 30, 2018
  We haven’t done a disassembly in some years on either, so I don’t think it’s fare to comment.
  1. Athanasius Kirchner · October 31, 2018
    Since I don’t think you’ll do either just to make a few of us happy, can we at least count on you doing one of the new Panasonic S cameras? *wink wink, nudge nudge*
Stefanie Daniella · October 30, 2018
Nikon Z7/Z6:

robust metallic body externals + high-rigidity internals:

? UPSIDE is durability of non-moving components
= minimal flexing; seals remain uncompromised

? DOWNSIDE is efficient transfer of moving component shock
= mechanical shutter can easily rattle a moveable mechanical sensor-shift based in-body image stabilization (IBIS) even if “locked down” (kept off/disabled)
= shuttershock (mechanical shutter mode) @ 1/2000s or slower

thx for sharing
an inside reveal of Nikon Z7 !

on the other hand:

a stable fixed sensor that has Electronic Image Stabilization:
? would not blur due to mechanical shutter shock transfer
? would not overheat as fast due to full heatsink availability
1. jose luis pelaez · November 3, 2018
  But, an electronic image stabilization implies a cropped (reframed) and more processed image, and usually only 2-3 axes corrected. Then, do you think the optical stabilization could be the best stb system, as Canon says?
William Ling · October 30, 2018
So how solid IS the HDMI connection? Foresee a lot of problems with the rentals?
1. Roger Cicala · October 30, 2018
  It’s as good as every other camera, no better, no worse. Machine soldered to the PCB. As long as a cable never jerks it’s fine. When one does, it’ll probably avulse the solders. It’s not really frequent, but its a PCB replacement when it happens.
  1. robobal · November 5, 2018
    Hi Roger, great article. I’m just curious if the HDMI is a through-hole part or surface mount. TH part is obviously stronger but would add to the manufacturing cost especially if it is the only TH part on the PCB.
    1. Roger Cicala · November 5, 2018
      It appears to be surface mounted.
      1. robobal · November 5, 2018
        That is too bad but since the PCB thickness is most likely 0.8 mm or less, having an SMT part for the connector will not be much weaker. It is more important to have a mechanical support system to protect against both forces in the insertion direction as well as those that are orthogonal to that. This protection is usually provided by the enclosure. Not sure what it looks like for this camera.
      2. Oliver · November 7, 2018
        Actually as far as I can see, it’s mixed SMD+THT. Of course, the connectors are surface mounted, but the shell has 4 pins going through the board – look at the bottom side – so it’s as solid as it’ll get.
Not THAT Ross Cameron · October 30, 2018
Thanks for the tear down. I’ve seen comments generally to the effect that mirrorless are simpler / less complex, & presumably cheaper, due to lack of mirror, phase-detect AF & OVF structures. Would it be fair to say that this ‘complexity’ & cost has been effectively replaced by things like IBIS, on-sensor AF, and maybe the EVF?
1. Roger Cicala · October 31, 2018
  The mirrorless are still simpler and with less calibration (an EVF and on-sensor AF are far, far simpler than a prism/focus screen and separate AF sensor). However, more electronics EVF, IBIS) do mean more things that can fail.
  1. Not THAT Ross Cameron · October 31, 2018
    Thanks for putting it into context Roger. So if there is an electronics failure, does that mean that the fix would likely involve replacing a modular component, rather than a mechanical part? And I guess the bigger & more complex (say sensor & IBIS unit) the more expensive?
    I’m not trying to start a whole DSLR vs Mirrorles debate – web is already full of that nonsense – just understand the relative pros & cons.
    1. Roger Cicala · October 31, 2018
      That’s exactly it. We don’t see a lot of difference in the price of, for example, replacing a modular EVF or recalibrating an AF sensor. Hourly repair rates are such that a $200 module replaced in 15 minutes is no more expensive than 2 hours of calibration and disassembly.
      1. Not THAT Ross Cameron · October 31, 2018
        Ahhhh (loud clunk as the penny drops 🙂 Just a suggestion – if LR hadn’t done so already, there might be sufficient material for a blog from the perspective of changes in approaches to repairing cameras for SLR to DSLR to mirrorless. At the general level – I imagine too much detail to go down to specific manufacturers or models, unless there are particular standouts.
Anneke Giersbergen · October 30, 2018
It seems you were too afraid to take the IBIS mech. apart from the sensor assy.
I assume it has to do with the fact that you guys dont have the tools to recalibrate the IBIS mech alignment and shims with spacers.
1. Roger Cicala · October 31, 2018
  We can do it, but it’s time consuming for us and since it had already been done elsewhere we saw no need. There are some tools and jigs that would make it faster for us, but we don’t do it enough to make buying them worthwhile.
  
  Both the Canon and Nikon sensors are spring-over-screw spacers. Sony uses shims which are simpler, but probably less accurate.
  1. Michael Ogle · October 31, 2018
    With age, a spring loaded screw may move but a shim will be the same until the camera dies.
  2. David Cartagena · November 1, 2018
    As a Mechanical Engineering Technician I would choose a shim instead of a spring 1000x ! Shims are safe and make a sturdy connection and they are certainly not less accurate to use than a spring loaded adjustment screw.
    
    Best regards
    
    David
    1. Roger Cicala · November 1, 2018
      David, I’m interested in this. I completely agree about the sturdiness. In lenses, though, we find them extremely limiting when we are trying to do adjustments. A rotating eccentric collar is far faster (often on the order of an hour faster given that disassembly is required to change shims; and an hour is basically $100 in increased repair costs) and less accurate (as confirmed by optical testing – we simply can’t shim to as fine an adjustment as we can a rotating eccentric collar).
      
      We don’t adjust sensors nearly as often as we do lenses, and I can see the possibility of change in a spring-loaded screw over time, although I can’t comment on the frequency with which it may occur. My assumption has always been if anything changed over time it would be the lens mount that the sensor is shimmed to, especially when I watch people carrying 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses by the camera body. On the other hand, the screw-spring mounts are supporting a rapidly vibrating IBIS unit. Can you give us some data on loosening or change over time?
    2. SF_Expat · January 15, 2019
      A continuously variable adjustment gradient will have an infinite number of potential settings whereas a shim based system has discrete steps limited to the number of shim thicknesses one has. So a variable position system can be more accurate but the shim might be more stable with aging and abuse.
EOSHD · October 31, 2018
I for one would like to see that Leica SL teardown… See how many Panasonic chips you can find under the hood!
Jason Andersen · October 31, 2018
Rodger….since I’m old, I have an old school question. For a photojournalist in a war zone, would a Nikon F2 or Z7 stand up to more abuse?
1. leo tam · November 5, 2018
  The F2 isn’t sealed at all, but would probably still fire off. Wouldn’t be healthy for the camera though. It’s like when I see people in the pouring rain with a leica on their chest – sure it’s “tough”, but moisture will find it’s way in, but it’ll still run when everything inside is mildly oxidized
Perry · October 31, 2018
for over 3000 euro the Z7 should have better weather sealing than the EOS R.
Andreas Werle · October 31, 2018
Thanks for the tear down, Roger. It is always a pleasure to read!
rich · October 31, 2018
did nikon put any connector in the battery compartment for future battery grip potential like in old cameras? since they didn’t put any at the bottom of the camera.
1. wilson · October 31, 2018
  Nikon has already confirmed plans for a battery “pack” and confirmed that it will NOT have vertical photo controls on it. So not a “grip” in the sense that most photographers know.
2. SF_Expat · January 15, 2019
  Third party accessory makers will likely release a full control battery grip. No contacts are needed, your phone can control every function so it should be easy using a tiny BlueTooth module and controller board and buttons for AF-on, joy-stick,and shutter release. Nikon had the worst connectivity in the market until the Z cameras came out and now they have lept ahead of all. It is so easy and its has been flawless for linking to phone apps or using the WiFi for reliable fast file transfer while shooting. The best part of having wireless connections; no connections to get oxidized like in the previous grips.
EVener · October 31, 2018
To Roger and the rest of the LensRental team: Thank you for this and all of the other teardowns and lens testing you do. It is much appreciated.
Tony Pérez Martínez · October 31, 2018
Please take the shutter of the camera apart! Look for any oil leaks. Hope the Z6 is as well built as this one.
Athanasius Kirchner · October 31, 2018
Canon, as always, are half-assing their stuff.
Nikon, on the other hand, are betting the farm on the Z’s being a success. I’m sure the next generation will be very attractive bodies (the current ones have a weak processor, and are hamstrung by that).
Thank you Roger and Aaron for the disassembly!
Ayoh M · November 1, 2018
“IBIS assembly. It’s noticeably more compact, has less travel than the Sony system, and seems more robust.”

Roger in what way would you say the IBIS assembly seems “more robust”?
1. David Cartagena · November 1, 2018
  Seems ??. My old a900 from 2008 and my old KM D7D, and my a700 never had IBIS problems.
  1. Paradiddlesixix · November 3, 2018
    but someone elses has? my d3 never had a problem with anything. i guess by your reasoning, no d3 has ever malfunctioned.
    
    you are talking to guys that rent multitudes of cameras. where there is a weakness, they will have to deal with failures.
t_linn · November 1, 2018
Finally! A camera body that’s safe to rent for Burning Man! 😀
1. Roger Cicala · November 1, 2018
  Oh, man, they gonna’ ban you. . . 🙂
Robert E · November 1, 2018
Thanks for the tear down article. For me, these are always interesting to read. I suspected that something was amiss when the IBIS module on my lightly-used Sony A72 locked up. The “cushions” were replaced, at a cost of $300. I have since traded that camera in for an A7r2. I am hoping that the IBIS module on this newer camera is more robust.
Someone · November 1, 2018
Thank you Sir.
Epsilon · November 1, 2018
Well done! I’ll still wait for the next iteration from Nikon before abandoning my 850, though..
umad?! · November 1, 2018
GFX next 😉
David Bateman · November 1, 2018
Excellent teardown. Did you see if there was an IR shutter monitor? Or did you not go down that far?
David
1. Max da Meme · November 2, 2018
  There is not. The Kolarivision IR photography testing showed no IR source inside of the Z7. https://kolarivision.com/nikon-z7-infrared-photography-review/
Ralph Hightower · November 3, 2018
About that diopter adjustment knob, I have CSS (Can’t See Stuff); I am very near-sighted. While I can get diopters for my Canon 5D III and Canon New F-1 and A-1, I use my glasses behind the viewfinder. I never found glasses to be a problem with focusing my A-1 in 1981. Taking off my glasses for photography can be a point of failure (losing or damaging my glasses).
leo tam · November 5, 2018
Just curious- how do you get the rubber back on perfectly?
1. Roger Cicala · November 5, 2018
  Patience and a good heat gun.
Martin K. · November 7, 2018
If at all possible, do take apart a Leica SL, your analysis would be much appreciated!
Brian Smith · November 8, 2018
Thanks for another great article roger. I’m hoping the Z6 will have similar if not the same build quality; I would love more megapixels but 24 is plenty for now and leaves more room in the budget for lenses!
bokesan · November 10, 2018
Well done! How about a teardown of the FTZ adapter as a followup? You want to know about the seals, and I want to know if I can saw off that tripod mount without damaging the electronics 😉
Akvinat · November 17, 2018
Roger, I do believe in weather resistance ever since my phone spent 40 minutes under 10cm of flowing water and worked flawlessly after that (4 month and counting). It displayed “USB port wet” massage for 10 hours, but I could still charge it wirelessly and use. Same degree of sealing in cameras would make lens mounting too difficult probably…
1. J.L. · December 18, 2023
  It’s a little different for phones because water resistant phones often are tested in accordance with, say, IP67. Only a handful of “weather-sealed” cameras are tested to any IP-rating at all.
tt321 · January 7, 2019
Always a great read – I read all teardown articles here and none disappoints. However this one takes the biscuit. Given how the word ‘knob’ tends to be used colloquially where I live, the passages about crying out for knob holding assistance, scalpel, forceps and blood had me totally floored and breathless with laughter.
William Ling · March 16, 2019
Are you seeing a lot of unusual wear on the rubber on the panel below the memory card door?
Tero · March 30, 2019
There’s been some talk about rubber grip damaging easily… How hard
it would be to replace? On D800, it needed quite a lot of disassembly,
wondering if it’s any better with Z7? Eventually there should be spares
available online…
Bill Graham · May 30, 2019
Still waiting for the Z6 teardown…..
Ken Westover · June 1, 2019
I was looking for a way to remove the battery door. This is necessary if you install a Meike MK-Z7G Hand grip. I am still looking for the answer. I already have a broken battery door on my K-1 Pentax; I don’t want to break another.
james Smith · June 13, 2019
@roger_cicala:disqus I had a qestion about the IBIS, does it move when turned off through the menu or when you took it apart? i am looking for a camera which i can use in photogrametry and it is recomended not to use one with IBIS as it must be “calibrated”. If it locks magneticly or otherwise i can turn it off it and use the Z7 instead of the heavier d850. Thanks
Chris · June 16, 2020
Just read this and the EOS R teardown. It’s very interesting to see how each manufacturer has approached the design of their respective camera. Have you ever done a teardown on an Olympus unit. They have always been lauded for their weather sealing. I would love to know how an E-M1 mkIII, say, compares to the Nikon and Canon.
billp · July 23, 2020
I know I’m a couple of years late, but the IBIS in the Z cameras locks up when the power is off. This could explain the limited movement exhibited here in this tear down.
ThomasH · November 21, 2020
Did you also opened up the FTZ adapter? I am so annoyed by the tripod foot: does it has only the screw and open space?? It collides with the tripod plates, and it will collide with the vertical grip. Canon did it much better, and the newest Sony’s LA-EA5 is epic. This is what I would love to get from Nikon, the elusive DtZ adapter…
spider-mario · December 24, 2020
That’s the date-time battery in the upper right. In the early days, we used to worry about where the battery was because you’d have to change them after a couple of years. It’s not an issue with modern batteries.

That’s interesting. Would you perhaps happen to know what that is? What battery technology do they use for those?
Frank Döring · February 10, 2022
Do you think the tripod mount will be sturdy enough in the long run to dangle the camera + 24-70/2.8 lens from a sling attached to it?
Brad Stokkeland · November 9, 2023
Hi Roger :
I need a How to Adjust the AUTOFOCUS in CAMERA .. I have adjusted as far as I can +40 .. so need to adjust in camera – under the mirror correct ?? Can u give me a quick lesson ?? Shooting on this Sunday .. Nikon D800 …
Please ASAP

Teardown of the Nikon Z7 Mirrorless Camera

Nikon Z7 Teardown

Conclusion:

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