Nikon Z5 II Review

The Z5 II is the least glamorous camera of its year and one of the easiest to recommend. Nikon took the processor that runs its professional bodies and dropped it into the bottom of the full frame range, which means the subject detection that finds birds, cars and eyes on a five thousand dollar flagship now runs on a body costing a third of that. Add stabilization rated close to eight stops, two card slots, a viewfinder brighter than anything else at the price, and a grip that fits a hand better than the smaller rivals do, and the value case argues itself.

Reviewers were close to unanimous. The compromises sit exactly where you expect them. The sensor is a conventional back illuminated design rather than a stacked one, so fast panning shows skew and the burst rate is ordinary, 4K at sixty frames arrives with a crop, and the buffer fills sooner than a sports shooter would like. The kit lens is soft at the edges. None of it is a surprise at this money and none of it is a deal breaker. As a first full frame camera, or a second body for a Nikon owner, this is the obvious answer.