The lens is pretty compact, though not quite as compact as the pancake design of the Z 16-50mm that accompanies the APS-C sensor Z50. In fact, in some markets including the UK, the camera is available as a bundle with the lens, while in other territories, such as the USA, it can be bought body-only. (Image credit: Adam Waring/Mike Harris) That 24-50mm kit lensĮvery entry-level camera needs a kit lens, and the Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 is the Z5’s.

One of the Nikon Z5's key features is its new (and possibly controversial) 24-50mm retracting kit lens. The Z5 is actually a tad heavier (five grams) and 2mm deeper than the Z6 and Z7, no doubt as a result of accommodating the additional card slot. In addition to backing up your images on the fly, the Z5’s dual-card design also gives the option of recording raw files to one card and JPEGs to the other – useful for quickly sharing images from one card while having the full-fat files for those you might wish to work on more extensively on the other – or simply increasing the number of shots you can take without physically changing cards. Even the fastest UHS-II SD cards are left in the dust compared to the read/write speeds of XQD/CFexpress, and while we’ve certainly had SD cards corrupt on us, XQD/CFexpress cards are often quoted as having a failure rate that’s “close to zero”. But this came at a price, with the proprietary Sony-owned format being eye-wateringly expensive compared to same-capacity SD cards. When Nikon adopted the XQD memory card format for the Z6 and Z7 (and has since enabled compatibility with the even more superior CFexpress), it reasoned that this was due to it being the fastest, most reliable and future-proof format available. This initially might seem like this gives the Z 5 the upper hand, especially to those concerned about the potential for card failure, but there are important considerations to take into account.

(Image credit: Rod Lawton/Digital Camera World)Īnother physical difference is that the door that houses the memory card slots is deeper this is due to the Z 5 housing two memory card slots, rather than the single slot of the cameras higher up the range. But it still has a magnesium alloy body and weather sealing. There is no top status panel on the Z5, and the space is taken up by the main mode dial. That said, both cameras have an ISO range of ISO100-51,200, but the Z6’s expanded range goes one stop better, topping out at ISO204,800 rather than ISO102,400. In a nutshell, BSI sensors have better low-light performance. The chief distinction here is that BSI sensors put all the wiring at the back, while with CMOS this is at the front, sitting between the individual photodiodes, and potentially blocking some light from reaching them. The Z6 has a more expensive BSI (back-side illuminated) sensor while the Z5’s is based on more established (and therefore cheaper) CMOS technology.

This handful of pixels is certainly not enough to lose any sleep over, and images from either can be printed to the same resolution or cropped to the same degree without any noticeable difference – but it does indicate some differences in the sensor The 0.2MP difference translates to a 6016 x 4016 resolution on the Z 5 versus a 6048 x 4024 pixel-count on the Z6. While its 24.3MP sensor is practically the same size as The Z6’s 24.5MP component, it’s not exactly the same. (Image credit: Adam Waring/Mike Harris) Key features The tilting rear touchscreen is bright and clear, but has a lower resolution than those on the Nikon Z6 and Z7. Likewise, there are no dedicated buttons for oft-used functions like metering, white balance or selecting between raw and JPEG image quality. While Nikon DSLRs typically allow you to change between single, continuous and self-timer shooting modes by turning a dial, or between AF-S, AF-C and Manual focus with a dedicated button, here you’ll need to select these options from on-screen menus. Indeed, the control layout is almost exactly the same, offering a near identical handling experience, with a thumbstick, D-Pad and array of buttons to access vital controls at the back along with a touchscreen rear LCD, finger- and thumb-operated control dials in easy reach, and pair of well-positioned programmable Function buttons on the front.įor those making the move from a DSLR, though, the lack of direct access buttons can take some getting used to.

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