📸 Nikon Z5 II performance packed into a smaller body and lower $1,399 price
🖼️ 24.5MP sensor with backside illumination and 7.5-stops of IBIS
🔻No electronic viewfinder and lower-resolution LCD
🧑🎓 Beginner-friendly Auto Mode and 15 Scene Modes
🎥 Uncropped 4K30 in 10-bit N-Log & N-RAW video recording
📦 The Nikon Z5IIC will be available in mid-October
The Nikon Z5IIC is a more compact version of the already incredibly small Nikon Z5 II full-frame camera. It still features the same 24.5MP sensor, complete with RAW movie recording capabilities, but it loses its electronic viewfinder in favor of a smaller silhouette and a lighter frame. At the same time, the Nikon Z5IIC comes with beginner-friendly filters that let you add “film-like” digital noise and a smattering of 15 Scene Modes.
Cutting out the EVF also makes the Nikon Z5IIC a slightly more affordable $1,399 camera compared to the original $1,699 Nikon Z5 II. So far it really seems like you’re just getting a more pocketable camera with all the same capabilities for less money. The Scene Modes and deep-learning-backed Auto Mode make this a much more approachable camera for beginners. Meanwhile, the incredible video shooting capabilities also make the Nikon Z5IIC a great camera to grow into as you learn to shoot more cinematically.
🧥 Pocket-sized. The Nikon Z5IIC really is just the Nikon Z5 II with a flat-top haircut. It features the same grip and overall dimensions, though it is slightly lighter at 21.9oz and shorter at 3.2 inches, compared to the 24.7 oz and 4-inch-tall Nikon Z5 II. This all makes the Nikon Z5IIC a little more pocketable – for a jacket at least. One thing that didn’t shrink was the massive grip, which lets you hold it comfortably with just one hand during long street-shooting sessions.
🔻 EVF and LCD downgrades. The removal of the EVF is sure to irk some photographers, but worse yet, Nikon lowered the resolution of the 3.2-inch fully articulating LCD from 2.1M to 1.04M dots. This makes it a little harder to check your manual focus and review the sharpness of your images. Thankfully, the large display really makes up for these misgivings, and it’s good enough for leisurely street shooting, which is what I would use this camera for most. The display is also plenty bright enough to be seen clearly even on a sunny day.
📷 “C” stands for casual. While you might think the “c” in Nikon Z5IIC stands for compact, it actually denotes that it’s designed for casual shooters. The first thing that clues you in to this philosophy is the new/reappearing Scene Mode, which offers 15 presets for shooting portraits, landscapes, animals, sports, food, sunsets, flowers, and even autumn colors.
They’re smart shortcuts for beginners to get good results without needing to know a lot about photography. For example, the Nikon Z5IIC makes shooting portraits easier by automatically opening the aperture for more bokeh, or by speeding up the shutter speed when shooting sports. If you want the camera to fully take the wheel, Nikon’s Auto Mode also uses deep learning to recognize both subjects and scenes, then automatically optimizes exposure settings.
🎥 Pro video shooter. On the opposite end of the beginner-friendly spectrum, the Nikon Z5IIC is fully equipped to shoot unfropped 4K30, or APS-C cropped 4K at 60fps and up. You can also record movies in both 10-bit N-Log and N-RAW for maximum color grading flexibility. The Nikon Z5IIC also offers plenty of assists for professional video shoots, including peaking, zebra, waveforms, histograms, and more. My favorite addition is a new tally light at the front that’s an immensely helpful recording-in-session indicator for vloggers.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam