The Nikon Z5II tried and tested

First things first

Unboxing the Z5II feels like seeing an old friend who’s had a glow-up. Sleek, confident and refreshingly unfussy. It’s very clean and has a good sense of function and feeling ‘right’. I like the almost old-school manual dial feel of it and new users will like the fact that you won’t have to carry the manual around with you for the first two weeks. Just flick ‘On’ and it’s ready to go.

Weight and feel

The Z5II feels solid, and Nikon has really gone the extra mile into thinking how it’ll sit in the hand. The magnesium alloy body gives it a pro-feel heft, but you won’t regret slinging it over your shoulder all day. It’s not a wrist-breaker weight-wise, even though it feels super-solid.

I have shovel-like hands, but I found it easy to work with. My fingers still fell on the dials easily, meaning I can make adjustments with my eye to the viewfinder, rather than playing ‘hunt the dial’, which I’ve had to do on other brands.

I love the fully articulated screen. Vloggers will love the clear, bright view it gives. And setting this up for some selfie footage, it felt cool that such a slimline package was delivering 4K 60p full-frame footage.

In half an hour the camera ‘disappeared’ – I simply stopped noticing it and just got on with stills and video.

Nikon Imaging Cloud

Creators are often on the move, and the Z5II is fully Nikon Imaging Cloud ready, meaning your files can fly straight into the ether without a laptop in sight. Perfect for remote work, travel creators or anyone who wants to back up on the go. Bonus: it plays nice with your imaging recipes (read how to build your own cinematic look in-camera here).

Best use cases

• The street-shooter
  Small size, fast autofocus. The Z5II is great for hitting the streets, gives you a lot of discretion and ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-me’ speed that won’t distract subjects.

• The seasoned traveller
  Just throw it in your rucksack and go. There’s no need to pack the kitchen sink. I know it can do great photo and stills, so let’s just hit the road. Again, there’s the weight (700g). You can pull a ten-hour day with this on the road and not feel it’s a drag.

• The single Spielberg
  When you are the crew, it’s great to have some things just covered by your kit. I love that the AF is fast and very smart. No crop 4K means no compromise in quality. Picture Controls provide great colour options in-camera. Plus, with incredibly useful things such as audio in/out, HDMI out for external monitors/recorders and USB powering, it’s exactly what a videographer needs.
  
  
• The hybrid creator
  Hybrid stills and video creators are going to love it. It does both so well with really zero sense of compromise. The fact that it has the same processor as my Z8 really shows. I don’t feel one side of the equation is short-changing the other.
  
  
• The storyteller
  I’m not being a total romantic when I say the jump to full frame is a game-changer (and I hate that phrase!). Anyone looking to really up their game in their content will find this a real short-cut to just better ‘stuff’.

Great NIKKOR lenses to twin with your Z5II

• NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2: tiny, fast and vibey. A great, discreet walkaround lens for the streets.
• NIKKOR Z 28-75mm f/2.8: your go-to for hybrid shooting. Light, versatile, and surprisingly cinematic, that f/2.8 stop with full frame is great for video.
• NIKKOR Z 24-120mm f/4 S: the all-rounder. Light enough to pack, sharp enough to print.
• Honourable mention: NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 Pancake: a very different take on the street, big and wide – a great and unique storyteller.

Five quick Z5II tips to max out this marvel

1. Create a signature style
   Dial in your cinematic vibe in-camera – less time grading, more time creating.
2. Use focus peaking for manual lenses
   Perfect for vintage glass lovers or anyone shooting moodier video sequences. Don’t forget you have the Nikon’s legendary F mount lens lineup at your fingertips, thanks to the optional FTZII adapter.
3. Shoot 10-bit via HDMI for the director in you
   If you’re feeling fancy, pair it with an external recorder. Go all in and this camera can take you to the pro leagues.
4. Less haste, more speed
   Assign your favourite settings (AF mode, White Balance, ISO) to buttons of your choice for fast switching mid-shoot. This thing is quick, but it’s also customisable and a couple of tweaks can make your workflow super-slick. As ever, the first thing I changed was switching ‘release’ from focus to shutter.
5. Blend in
   Grab a flat style lens such as the NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 or NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 Pancake and hit the streets. You’ll be amazed how invisible and ninja-like you’ll feel with the Z5II.

Final full-frame fantasy

Camera makers can easily impress with flagship models. It’s how they use that tech in their ‘entry-point’ models that is the most telling, and we’re seeing a huge amount of the history of the Z series stuffed into one dynamite (and small) package with the Z5II.

There’s a hint of the great back-to-basics simplicity of the Zf and the video vibes of the Z6III all tied together with the processor and autofocus of the mind-melting Z8 and Z9.

Frankly, the ‘entry-level’ tag is a misnomer to my mind. Why? Because it implies compromise and I simply can’t see how anyone getting this camera as their first full-frame body will think they’re missing out on anything.

Street shooters, videographers, YouTubers, event content capturers, travel photographers, those moving from DX to full frame… everyone is going to have a blast with this camera. It lived in my camera bag next to my Z8 and, even though I had plenty to go on for this review, I still found myself reaching for it.

I just find this a very ‘positive’ camera. I can fire it up and hit the shutter almost instantly. I can switch to video and hit record if some juicy B-roll opportunity arises. I can rely on the autofocus to keep up. If it’s a little low light on location, not a problem. If I’ve got a super-quick turnaround for an edit, I can set a Picture Control look and know it’ll look great and save me an hour of grading. Card failure? It has two slots, so just set it to backup. For me most menu settings are ‘set and forget’, and I can rely on dials and switches 90% of the time.

The list goes on. I’m never ‘fighting’ this camera to get what I need. Best of all? Despite its simplicity, the results are seriously pro.