Not Done by an Influencer

In many ways, it’s hard to tell the difference between the Nikon Z6 III and the Z5 II. I’m speaking to just the performance standpoint here — as they both are incredibly similar. In many ways, the Nikon Z5 II (properly called the Nikon Z 5 II) feels like a camera that’s not necessarily targeting the creator crowd. Instead, it seriously seems to be aimed at the passionate photographers amongst us. This camera borrows from the Nikon Zf and the Nikon Z8 in many ways while keeping the exterior package pretty much the same as the original Nikon Z5. We can think of loads of photographers who are bound. to love that. And most intriguing is the 7.5 stops of image stabilization. We really wanted to see how well this camera could stand up to stability tests — so we did them.

The Big Picture: Nikon Z5 II Review Conclusions

Please expect this section to be completed when we are finished with our full review.

Pros

• Nikon kept the megapixels pretty modest
• This camera has the Z8’s processor; specifically, it’s the Expeed 7 processor
• 7.5 stops of image stabilization
• Fairly high-resolution finder for this price point.
• Dual SD card slots
• Weather resistance
• The Nikon ZF’s level of high ISO cleanliness.

Cons

• No shutter protection when the camera is powered down

Gear Used in our Nikon Z5 II Review

Our review of the camera utilized:

Innovations: What Makes the Nikon Z 5 II So Different?

The biggest changes from the previous camera are the LCD screen style, the upgraded EVF, and the amalgamation of parts of other cameras crammed into this. It’s something between the Nikon Zf and the Z8. But in the space of cameras today, there’s nothing that the Nikon Z5 II is doing that makes it innovative.

Hardware

Upon first glance at the Nikon Z5 II, you don’t really see anything that seems very out of the ordinary. In fact, it looked a lot like the original Nikon Z5. I was the journalist who tested and really liked that camera. And overall, I’m not sure that on the outside, I’d be able to tell the difference. The biggest one has to do with the LCD screen: instead of flipping, it’s a tilty-flipping screen that’s similar to the Nikon ZF’s.

In fact, upon looking at our images of the previous camera, it truly is nearly identical in every single way. If you owned the previous camera and liked the ergonomics, that’ll be nice to hear. On the other hand, you could say that Nikon is really only focusing on the LCD screen and taking guts from other cameras to Frankenstein them inside of the z 5 II.

Protect Your Camera Gear

For years, here at The Phoblographer we’ve done tests on cameras, lenses, bags, computers, lights, and more. And we know that your warranty doesn’t always cover the damage. Plus, accidents can happen on set. While the Nikon Z5 II is weather-resistant, things can still happen.

This is why we’ve created a Photography Care Program in partnership with Full-Frame Insurance. Now, photographers across the United States looking for extra security can get various protections to cover their craft. The Photography Care Program provides peace of mind; now you’ll know you can bounce back from a photoshoot gone awry, on-site or inside. We’re making it super easy to get it done, too! Better yet, there is coverage outside of the US and Canada when the photographer is traveling for short periods of time for business.

We’re able to do this through our partnership with Full-Frame Insurance, a company specializing in Small Business Insurance. Are you a Freelance Photographer? We’ll cover you. What about a freelance multi-media journalist? We’ve got you. The Photography Care Program will protect you.

Transform your focus from worry to creativity with the Photography Care Program. Whether it’s a light stand tumbling down, a telephoto lens shattering, or an unforeseen mishap, you don’t have to face the financial burden alone. Experience the freedom to capture stunning shots, knowing you’re protected. Whether you’re an amateur or a professional, secure your peace of mind – and protect your photography gear – with our affordable Photography Care Program today.

Focusing

The Nikon Z5 II has all the scene detection and AI of all the other Nikon camera bodies. Additionally, it’s also pretty accurate and fast to focus. We didn’t do very much testing in very low light with people of color — but something that Nikon claims is that it can focus down to -10 EV. We’re very curious to see how that performs in practice.

Ease of Use

Something really worth talking about with the Nikon Z5 II is the fact that it has 7.5 stops of image stabilization. While that’s behind pretty much everything that Panasonic offers, it’s still pretty good. But in practice, you can surely see and feel the difference. I’ve handheld the Panasonic S5 II to very long shutter speeds and barely saw the effects of camera shake. With the Nikon z5 II, it becomes a bit more difficult to handhold it beyond two seconds.

The image above was handheld at a second with the 40mm f2 lens. Sure, there’s movement — but it’s very acceptable.

Beyond this, the Nikon Z 5 II has pretty much the same menu as every single Nikon camera. That means that if you’re already a Nikon user, this will be simple to use in every situation. After custom-wiring buttons to do what you want, you’ll have even less issues.

Nikon Z5 II Image Quality

The initial unit that we tested was a pre-production unit. And we’re going to update this section when we have RAW files to test.

Extra Image Samples

The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience since day one. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, many folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So, we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can decide for yourself.

Unedited

Edited

Nikon Z5 II Tech Specs

These were provided to us by Nikon.

Declaration of Journalistic Intent

The Phoblographer is one of the last standing dedicated photography publications that speaks to both art and tech in our articles. We put declarations up front in our reviews to adhere to journalistic standards that several publications abide by. These help you understand a lot more about what we do:

• At the time of publishing this review, Nikon is not running direct-sold advertising with the Phoblographer. This doesn’t affect our reviews anyway and it never has in our 15 years of publishing our articles. This article is in no way sponsored.
• Note that this isn’t necessarily our final review of the unit. It will be updated, and it’s more of an in-progress review than anything. In fact, almost all our reviews are like this.
• None of the reviews on the Phoblographer are sponsored. That’s against FTC laws and we adhere to them just the same way that newspapers, magazines, and corporate publications do.
• Nikon loaned the unit and accessories to the Phoblographer for review. There was no money exchange between us or their 3rd party partners and the Phoblographer for this to happen. Manufacturers trust the Phoblographer’s reviews, as they are incredibly blunt.
• Nikon knows that it cannot influence the site’s reviews. If we don’t like something or if we have issues with it, we’ll let our readers know.
• For the initial part of this review, Nikon met up with the Phoblographer in NYC and paid for lunch. The Phoblographer paid for cab fair for both Nikon and the Phoblographer. The products were returned to Nikon after a bit of use. A unit will be shipped to the Phoblographer and, if they request it back, will be paying for the return shipment. This is a standard practice in the world of journalism.
• The Phoblographer’s standards for reviewing products have become much stricter. After having the world’s largest database of real-world lens reviews, we choose not to review anything we don’t find innovative or unique, and in many cases, products that lack weather resistance. We’ve also steered away from Micro Four Thirds and APS-C as they’re dying formats in the interchangeable lens camera world. This is a conclusion that even the other members of TIPA agree on. Unless something is very unique, we probably won’t touch it.
• In recent years, brands have withheld NDA information from us or stopped working with us because they feel they cannot control our coverage. These days, many brands will not give products to the press unless they get favorable coverage. In other situations, we’ve stopped working with several brands for ethical issues. Either way, we report as honestly and rawly as humanity allows.
• At the time of publishing, the Phoblographer is the only photography publication that is a member of Adobe’s Content Authenticity Initiative. We champion human-made art and are frank with our audience. We are also the only photography publication that labels when an image is edited or not.

More can be found on our Disclaimers page.