Review: Nikon Z5II

Nikon’s original Z5 was the best entry-level mirrorless camera you could buy, and the sequel, introduced last month, is equally as good, with everything you need in a full-frame camera. Disappointingly, the price has gone up.

The Z5II is an improvement over its predecessor, with more advanced video features, autofocus subject detection from Nikon's higher-end cameras (yes, the Z5II can now detect birds), and other nice extras like prerelease capture and support for the HEIF image format. It all adds up to a very impressive, still not terribly expensive, mirrorless camera.

Entry Level

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

I've always thought of the term "entry level" as code for “a camera without the useless stuff," versus high-end cameras with the most impressive spec sheets, which are really only useful to sports and wildlife photographers. If you're one of the latter, then yes, you do need as many frames per second as you can get. But I have never in my entire 40 years of photography needed to shoot more than a few frames per second. Why should I pay for a camera that has features I don't need? Thankfully, there is the Nikon Z5II.

The updated Z5II has stepped up its specs a bit from the original Z5, which, unfortunately, has driven the price up $500 (even after factoring in tariffs on both models), but in the end you get a great camera.

Let's start with what's new. The big one is the sensor. It's still 24 megapixels, but it's a newer sensor, the same used by the Nikon Zf (8/10, WIRED Recommends) and the Z6 II. (The Z6 III moved to a more advanced 24-MP. partially stacked sensor.) It's not new tech by any means, but it's a very capable sensor and the source of most of the Z5II's newfound video capabilities.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

Image quality out of the Z5II is excellent, with a claimed dynamic range of just over 11 stops (the range between the brightest highlights and the darkest shadows). In the real world, I found I could recover underexposed images to about four stops before weird color casts started appearing. That's really impressive, as good as the Sony A7RIV, which costs nearly double the Z5II. The base ISO here is 100, not 64 like the Z8, and this is still a 24-megapixel sensor, which is toward the lower end of the full-frame market but more than enough to print 8 x 10.

To somewhat make up for the sensor being a generation behind, the Z5II uses the same processor as the Z8 and Z6III. The newer processor is why the Z5II can boast nearly the same autofocus ability as the Z6III and the Z8, both of which are significantly more expensive. (This also means we'll likely see an update to the Z8 this year.) The Z5II, like those cameras, can recognize birds, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trains, and planes. And along with the autofocus smarts comes faster burst rates of 14 frames per second with the mechanical shutter and 20 fps with the electronic shutter.

The video specs are up to 4K/30 fps using the full width of the sensor, or 4K/60 fps using the APS-C 1.5X crop mode. There's also support for shooting video in N-Raw, N-Log, and HLG.

The design hasn't changed much; the new body is roughly the same size and shape as the old, though there are a few more buttons. The mode dial offers three custom slots, which is nice for dialing in settings according to different scenarios. There are buttons to jump directly to all your most-used features, like ISO, exposure comp, and autofocus mode, as well as plenty of customization options in the menus.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The Z5II also has a Picture Control button that lets you easily select JPEG modes. There are quite a few built-in options (I like Deep Tone Monochrome the best), but you can also download more from Nikon or create your own using the desktop software. I think the route Panasonic took to support LUT files is simpler, but these work well enough.

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

The Z5II's viewfinder is pretty standard fare, not the highest resolution you'll find, but enough to get the job done. One plus: It's very bright—3,000 nits, according to Nikon. One place the "entry level" tag shows itself is here in the viewfinder, where the screen is only (only!) 60 Hz. More expensive models offer 120 Hz, which makes for faster shooting without blackouts. Likewise, the rear LCD screen is unchanged in resolution and size, but it is now fully articulating rather than just tilting like the original Z5.

Other nice extras include solid battery life (rated to 330 shots, good for a full day of shooting in my testing), a joystick to control the autofocus point (something I sorely missed in the Zf), dual SD card slots, and weather resistance. That is, in short, a hell of a full-frame camera for under $2,000.

Competition

Photograph: Scott Gilbertson

Buying a camera isn't just buying a camera, it's buying into a system of lenses, a particular type of color science, and a potential upgrade path. All of these things together still make the Nikon Z5 the best deal out there. The Nikon lens system is fantastic, with everything from massive wildlife lenses (the Nikkor Z 180-600mm being a standout) to the surprisingly capable 40mm pancake. The image quality from the Z5II is excellent. I find Nikon's JPEG noise reduction to be a bit much, but the results are great when shooting RAW. There are obviously higher-resolution sensors, and that's part of what makes this a compelling buy: Invest in the Z5 now, spend more on lenses, and if you really feel you need more resolution and speed, the Z8 or Z9 are available.

On the Canon side, there's the EOS R8, but it doesn't have in-body image stabilization. Then there's the Panasonic S9, which is a fine camera if you can live without a viewfinder, but I find the Z5 II a better buy than both. Sony doesn't have an entry-level full-frame camera, unless you count the A7 III, which, despite being completely outdated compared to these others, is somehow still for sale (not recommended).

There is, quite frankly, no real competition to the Z5II. If you're in the market for a good, full-frame mirrorless camera with nearly all the features most people need, without paying for the ones you don't, this is the camera to get.