T3 - UK (2020-10)

£1,719 (with 24-50mm kit lens)

nikon.co.uk

WE’RE IMPRESSED Solid

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WE’D IMPROVE Limited frame

rate for sports and action; 4K

video cropped.

THE LAST WORD The Nikon Z5

has enticing specs for the entry-

level user, especially when you

consider just how small it is. If

you’re looking for a fab everyday

or travel camera, it’s certainly

worthy of consideration.

VERDICT

Discover more great mirrorless

cameras at: bit.ly/t3mrrlss

OCTOBER 2020 T3 73

Te s te d

Nikon Z5

n ‘entry-level’ full-frame mirrorless

camera, the Nikon Z5 is designed to

compete with the likes of the Canon

EOS RP. It follows on from the

original Z7 and Z6, sitting directly underneath

them to give those with a smaller budget, or less

advanced needs, a model to get them going.

At the heart of the Z5 is a new 24.3 megapixel

CMOS sensor. It’s similar in resolution to the

Z6’s 24.5 megapixel device but importantly it

is not backlit, which makes it cheaper to include

at this price point.

The 3.69-million dot viewfinder has been

directly brought across, which considering this

is an entry-level/cheaper model is reasonably

surprising to see. Where Nikon has made a

cutback is to the screen, which at 1.1-million dots

is closer to the Z50’s screen than the Z6/Z7’s. It’s

still a touch-sensitive, tilting number though.

We had every confidence the Z5 would deliver

excellent images, and happily that’s proven to be

the case in the vast majority of situations.

In good lighting, the shots produced by this

camera have a satisfying vibrance to them, with

Is it the ultimate entry-level full-frame camera?

Nikon Z5

OH, SNAP!

accurate colours that stay on the right side of

realistic. For those who like to shoot consistently

in low light though, the lack of a back-

illuminated sensor seems to have an impact

when lighting conditions aren’t quite perfect. The

overall impression of detail at lower ISOs is also

very good, although at very high ISOs, there’s

quite a bit of image smoothing.

Further good news is it features the same AF

system as found in the Z6, which gives you good

coverage across the frame, and also includes

features such as Eye AF, which works on both

humans and animals.

One of the big compromises for the Z5 is the

slow frame rate, which, at a mere 4.5fps, seems

particularly sluggish in 2020. That makes the Z5

less appealing to those who like to shoot sports

and action – or indeed anything that moves.

Another big cutback is to 4K video recording,

which suffers from a crop. Even when using a

24mm lens, that gives you an equivalent focal

length of around 40mm, making framing certain

subjects fairly difficult. A crop like this makes the

Z5 far less appealing to videographers and

vloggers, and suggests that Nikon’s main

audience for the Z5 is stills photographers.

Overall, however, the Nikon Z5 has a lot to

offer and it’s a great little package for anyone

looking to get their first full-frame camera.

A