Nikon: Nikon Z5 II review: brilliant full-frame mirrorless with a bargain price tag

Nikon Z5 II review: brilliant full-frame mirrorless with a bargain price tag © Future The control layout is pretty much identical to the previous Nikon Z5, save for the addition of a Picture Control button (Image credit: Future) Connection-wise, there's a USB-C socket for power and linking to a computer, mini HDMI, a mic and a headphone jack, which also doubles as a remote shutter port, compatible with the Nikon MC-DC3 remote cord (Image credit: Future) The rear screen is vari-angle, flipping out to the side and rotating up and down for shooting at awkward angles, or to be forward-facing for selfies. It's much more flexible than the tilt-only design of previous-generation cameras, like the Z6 II (on the left) (Image credit: Future) The camera is a great low-light performer, locking onto subjects' eyes even in the dingiest of settings (Image credit: Future) Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|Animal AF works well, even with the most uncooperative of subjects | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100 (Image credit: Future) There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100|There's a separate setting for Bird AF, which locks onto and keeps up with our feathered friends | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100 (Image credit: Future) In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100|In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100|In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100|In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100|In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100|In-body image stabilization enables the use of slower-than-normal shutter speeds when shooting handheld | Nikon Z5 II | Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S | 1/30 sec | f/16 | ISO100 (Image credit: Future) Like other recent Nikons, text and on-screen info rotates to match the shooting orientation, which is a nice touch and helps avoid craning your neck when shooting in portrait orientation (Image credit: Future) Nikon Z5 II review: brilliant full-frame mirrorless with a bargain price tag Nikon Z5 II review: brilliant full-frame mirrorless with a bargain price tag Nikon Z5 II review: brilliant full-frame mirrorless with a bargain price tag View on Watch 1 / 3 Landscape Picture Control The Nikon Z5 II is the successor to the Nikon Z5 , which was released five years previously as a cheaper entry to Nikon's full-frame mirrorless ecosystem compared to Nikon's other full-frame cameras of the day, the Nikon Z6 and Z7 . While the original Z4 24.3MP sensor almost matched the 24.5MP of the Z6, it was underpowered compared to that camera in many ways, with a much slower burst rate, underwhelming video and inferior rear LCD display. A lot has changed since then, however, and the Nikon Z5 II is proof of that. The Z6 line has gone through Z6 II and Z6 III iterations. The Z6 II was a fairly minor revamp in terms of performance, and largely addressed the criticism of the original camera only having a single memory card slot. But the Z6 III, launched in June 2024, is a far more powerful camera, trickling down much of the tech of Nikon's high-end Z8 and Z9 cameras, including its next-level subject detection autofocus. In turn, the Nikon Z5 II has been endowed with much of the same tech that's trickled into the Z6 III from the cameras above it. It has certainly come on in leaps and bounds since the Z5 (I go into more depth on this in my Z5 II vs Z5 guide , including a spec-by-spec comparison). The Nikon Z5 II is also a much better camera in almost every way than the Z6 II - making it a viable upgrade for owners of that camera, too. Nikon Z5 II: Specifications Nikon Z5 II: Price The Nikon Z5 II's launch price is $1,699 / £1,599 / AU$2,699 for the body only. This is a not-insignificant increase compared to the original Z5's launch price of $1,399 / AU$2,399 (at launch in the UK it was only available bundled with a kit lens, but it was later available body-only for £1,359). Unless you're upgrading from another Nikon Z-series camera, then you'll need a lens to go with the Z5 II, and there are a bunch of attractive kit lens bundles that will save you a chunk of cash compared to buying them separately. It can be bought with the Nikon Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 that was launched alongside the original Z5 for $1,999 / £1,859 / AU$3,300 (which compares to $1,699 / £1,719 / AU$3,099 for the Z5 at launch bundled with the same lens). While this standard zoom is very compact, it also has a limited zoom range, only reaching 50mm at the telephoto end, and the aperture slows down markedly too, to a sluggish f/6.3. If you're in the UK, Australia or other territories where it's available (it's not a kit option in the USA), then I think the more upmarket Nikon Z 24-70mm f/4 S standard zoom kit is the better buy at £2,129 / AU$3,649. Not only do you get greater telephoto reach and a faster, constant f/4 aperture, but it's absolutely top-notch optically, with the S-line moniker reserved for Nikon's very best pro-standard Z-series lenses. Simply put, it's the best 'kit' lens there is, for any camera. For those that want a do-it-all lens, the Nikon Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR superzoom kit costs $2,499 / £2,299 / AU$4,062 and covers the zoom ranges of a typical standard and telephoto zoom. I'd normally advise caution when considering a superzoom due to the lack of sharpness that such lenses tend to suffer from as a consequence of shoehorning all that zoom range into a single optic, but this one bucks the trend and offers impressive sharpness throughout that will be more than good enough for most users. At the time of writing, it significantly undercuts its closest rivals that come with a broadly comparable spec sheet: the 24.2MP Canon EOS R6 II (around $2,000 / £2,000 / AU$2,900) and 33MP Sony A7 IV ($2,000 / £2,150 / AU$3,500) have similar subject detection autofocus, zippy shooting rates and 4K video capabilities. Nikon Z5 II: Design & Handling On the exterior at least, the Nikon Z5 II looks almost identical to its forebear, and that's no bad thing. It's reasonably compact considering it packs a full-frame sensor, has a good (if slightly minimalist) control layout, and is comfortable to hold, with a decent-sized grip (the Z5 II's is actually slightly deeper than the Z5's, if only by a couple of millimeters). It's also very similar in feel and layout to the Z6 / Z7 line, although like the Z5 it has no top-plate LCD to show at-a-glance shooting info. Speaking of, all the top-plate controls sit under the right hand, with a mode dial, shutter release button within a circular on/off switch, and buttons for video record, ISO and exposure compensation. It also gains a new Picture Control button that was introduced with the Nikon Z50 II APS-C sensor camera, and which by default enables easy access to Picture Controls - Nikon's in-camera processing that determines the 'look' of JPEG images shot in-camera (this can be assigned other function if you primarily shot RAW). The front of the camera has a conveniently placed control dial primarily for setting the aperture, and a pair of programmable function buttons that are used in conjunction with the front / rear control dials and by default change the focus mode and area, and white balance settings. Around the back is a rear control dial for dialing in the shutter speed among other functions, there's a D-pad and joystick for moving the AF selection area around and navigating through menus, and a whole rank of buttons that users of Z-series cameras will be familiar with. That said, the Playback and Release Mode buttons have swapped places from where they were on the Z5, in line with Nikon's more recent cameras. Most of the rear is taken up by a large 3.2-inch touchscreen LCD panel, - but this is now of the vari-angle type that flips out to the side and rotates up and down, to aid shooting at awkward angles. This screen can be reversed so that it's tucked away against the body of the camera for protection if you primarily use t