Z5 Mirrorless Digital Camera Body with Nikon FTZ Mount Adapter Bundle (2 Items)

I have only had it for about 30 min now, but I wanted to mention a few things before I forget. 1. it comes with the FTZ ii. The description just says FTZ but the picture shows FTZ ii. I was a little nervous it was going to be the FTZ. 2. The Z5 does not have a built in flash. I didn't realize this when I ordered it. I am ok with it as I generally use a stand alone flash anyway but just listing it here to prevent others from being surprised. 3. The AF is fast, and the image quality looks great. It actually looks a little noisy in the viewfinder but the captured images look very clean. 4. The battery is compatible with the battery from my Nikon D7100. I wasn't expecting that but happy surprise. 5. My two DX lenses worked with no issues. I haven't tried VR yet but the AF worked flawlessly.

I bought my husband this camera last year and it is still SSO NICE. So many features and easy to use.

I own a D750 and was looking for a more portable mirrorless replacement. Initially I considered the Z6 and the Z50. Portability wise, the Z50 is very attractive considering its weight, size and the absolutely small Z 16-50mm DX lens, but a full size sensor was key to me. I initially chose the Z6 but after comparing the Z5 and Z6 my conclusion was that the Z5 was the perfect one for me, as the additional features on the Z6 (faster continuos shooting, top LCD, LCD resolution, video features) did not justify the 25% premium. On the other hand the Z5 features, picture quality, Z lenses, FTZ adapter and ergonomics are just superb and perfect for my needs.

Having owned multiple Nikon DSLR cameras I was anxious to see if the mirrorless ones were as good as advertised. I got the Z5 and the adaptor as I have many F-mount lenses. I considered the Z6II and the Z7 but with the $1000 I saved I also ordered a Nikkor 24-70 f/4 lens. Together the shots are tack sharp and the video feature works really well. Happy with my purchase!

TLDR: - Best value for money full frame mirrorless camera for stills. Period. I wish Nikon did a better job promoting this. - AF is the same as Z6/Z7 and more than adequate for casual family photography (my primary use case) - Face/eye AF works incredibly well (easier vs DSLR focus techniques) - Nikon level build quality and handling in a compact body - AFS lens work great with the FTZ adapter (in many cases nails focus much better -- especially on the eye) - IBIS - See very bottom of this review for areas I hope Nikon will address with future firmware updates LONGER OVERALL IMPRESSIONS: I've been a long time Nikon DSLR user (D40, D90, D700, D800) and had dabbled some in mirrorless (Nikon V1, FujiFilm XT2) but always came back to my Nikon DSLRs primarily because of their handling and (full frame) image quality. While my heart was set on a Z6 II, the holiday 2020 pricing on the Z5 was too much to resist and I am overly impressed with the job that Nikon did with this camera for the price. I plan on holding on to my D800 and 1 or 2 of my F mount primes as a back up, but it will be hard for me not to continue down the Z series path. I won't repeat what all the customer and blogger reviews have said about this camera in terms of specs and comparisons to the Z6. I'll just say, if you are primarily a DSLR stills shooter and (especially) invested in the Nikon system, don't overlook this camera. For a few $ hundred more the Z6 might be worth considering if you're a (serious) video shooter or need the frame rates, but for most people the Z5 will likely meet 95% of your photography needs. The money you save can go towards a lens or investing it elsewhere. Additionally, since the Z6II has gone on sale, i'm not sure Nikon will continue to support the first gen Z6 with anymore significant firmware updates. I give this camera 4 stars out of 5 because I think Nikon can still squeeze a bit more performance from the camera w/ firmware updates: - I wouldn't mind another 1.5-2fps. The same EXPEED6 processor allows 12fps in the Z6. - Improve auto AF algorithm to better determine which subject to focus on in a scene. This would reduce the amount of time switching between subject tracking AF and auto/face detect AF. - Improve the AF overlay in subject/face/eye tracking to keep up with what the AF system is actually capturing. It works well in most cases, but it could be better. - Give user the ability to change the size of the subject tracking box. - A 120HZ or "high" refresh rate option in the EVF would be nice as well.

This camera is a great addition to my arsenal of photograpic equipment, primarily because it is the only mirrorless, full frame camera that I have. Unlike my Nikon DSLR's, however, it doesn't have the buttons and levers on the outside of the camera. Consequently, I need to set up the camera features by using the menus, instead. That being said, it has the same features as my other cameras.

I am interested in macro photography. This camera has settings that will allow it to what Nikon calls focus shift shooting that means the camera does not have to be tethered in order to do photo stacking. You can do the stacking with Photo shop or with Helicon Focus. The ISO will run up crazy high. I am using two 128 GB cards. This is the first camera that I have purchased that supports 4K video. I purchased the adapter to utilize my existing lenses. This is a great buy for a photo enthusiast that wants to up their game. This is not the camera for a super pro , The Z6 or Z7 will make that person happier.

I've used nikon for over 12 years, and this is my 4th one. man - it takes some getting used to, but now that the muscle memory is kicking in to dial everything in, i'm enjoying it. it's mirrorless. the left side buttons on the back are gone. no built in flash. no top displays. most everything is done on the back lcd screen. i realized it was touch screen pretty quickly, but what took me a bit to discover is that you can also scroll through photos, and zoom in, with the screen like you do with your smart phone. We're still getting to know each other. ;-)