Nikon Z5IIC | CAPABLE Entry to Nikon's Full Frame EXCELLENCE
A special thanks to Nikon Singapore for allowing me to test the new Z5IIC mirrorless camera at very short notice. I was so motivated because I really wanted to check out how the NEW FISH Subject detection performed.
The minimalist Z5IIC has :
no EVF
a 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor
Expeed 7 processor
single card slot
In-body Vibration Reduction up to 7.5 stops
15 scene modes for simplified photography
mechanical shutter that can shoot up to 14FPS | electronic shutter up to 30FPS
Pre-capture capability
Z5IIC | Physical Build
Like all Nikon's, the build was solid but the silver version which I used looked & felt even MORE solid. The silver top plate added to the overall look showing off the knurled textures of the dials. At ~600 grams, it was ~100 grams lighter than the Z5II but it felt even more solid than the Z5II & I was so glad that Nikon did not sacrifice the wonderful grip for compactness sake.
Testing the Z5IIC
I intentionally tested the Z5IIC with my Z28-400mm f4-8 lens. Testing condition was a little worse case but matching the Z5IIC with this ultra telephoto zoom made it a very practical one lens combo that can photograph ALL genres from landscapes, portrait, travel, events & even wildlife.
AutoFocus wise, I just relied solely on 3D tracking with or without subject detection.
FIRST TEST | MID-AUTUMN LANTERN FESTIVAL @JURONG LAKE GARDENS
Combo used Z5IIC + Z28-400mm f4-8, here's a summary of my REAL experience of how the combo performed
the 24MP BSI sensor's performance was EXCELLENT especially with the colors & details rendered.
Dynamic Range (DR) performance was SUPERB, all images in the Mid-Autumn gallery were NOT blended with multiple shots.
I used 3D tracking WITHOUT subject detection, AF was FAST & ACCURATE even in very low light AF worked great.
NO issues with noise performance but I did NOT use that high a ISO at this location. Bottomline though the RAW files were still very clean.
NO EVF, that was NEVER a hindrance. Yes, there was some adapting to do for an EVF shooter like me but the lack of it was never a problem.
The Z5IIC had ALL the CREATIVE tools like Multiple Exposure that I aways use to produce my creative shots.
Check out my Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival gallery, All shots were captured:
Hand-held
No multi-shot blending indicated how good the DR was from the RAW files captured.
2nd TESTING SESSION | SINGAPORE OCEANARIUM |
I used the same combo to capture the different sea creatures at the oceanarium & the truth was that I really wanted to test how good & effective the Z5IIC's new FISH subject detection really was.
My experience/insights with the Z5IIC at the Oceanarium:
No issues with AF in extreme low light & low contrast scenes. Tracking was fast & accurate even when tracking through very thick or curved glass tanks.
FISH subject detection worked really well, it was able to recognize a very variety of sea creatures detecting the creatures eye effectively. FISH detection worked on jellyfish, eels, sharks, Lion fish & even the Pencil fish plus various fish types. Detection was also quite agressive, going after the eyes in many cases even when the subject was back-facing or was swimming away.
Used ultra high ISOs because of the need to "freeze" motion in very low light conditions. The ISO12,800 , ISO16,000 RAW files were reasonably clean at this extreme ISOs but what I was most impressed with, were the amount of details rendered. To put things in perspective, I had to shoot through extra thick glass or rounded glass surface, yet the details rendered by the Z5IIC's sensor with the Z28-400mm lens was really impressive ..... check out the oceanarium gallery below
All images:
single shot captures
No AI noise reduction or AI sharpening instead I used my regular Neat Image NR & High Pass sharpening when needed.
FISH Subject Detection CAPABILITY
To see how Z5IIC's FISH subject detection works checkout the following related post which compiled the various video recordings I did of the Z5IIC's rear monitor showing 3D AF tracking capability with FISH subject detection.
Overall I liked the inclusion of FISH subject detection eventhough fish was a niche subject but it could be useful for:
underwater photographers
pet (Betas, arowanas, aquarium) photographers
Also I had a slightly different take on the inclusion, I do believe that including Fish detection indirectly helped inprove the camera's overall AF tracking capability/sensitivity especially in very low light & very low contrast scenes which represented Fish environments.
The NEGATIVES
single card slot | for the camera's intended audience, a single card slot was perfectly fine, this camera design was not targeting serious professionals that always used backup in their professional workflows.
no EVF | another distraction which I do not understand why so many were making a fuss over it's omission as this camera was targeted for users that prefer to use the rear LCD screen. If you wanted an EVF, just consider the Z5II instead.
Lower resolution rear LCD screen | this was probably the biggest negative as the rear monitor resolution is lower (by half, 1MIL vs. 2MIL dots) than that of the Z5II , though it was NOT a killer omission, I do wish for a better resolution rear monitor.
C does not stand for compact which was what a lot of photographers were expecting based on the rumors & youtubers but it does stand for chunky, capable, comfortable because Nikon did not sacrifice the useful grip. Officially the C stands for Casual.
FINAL COMMENTARY
At under USD1400/-, the Z5IIC was Nikon's lowest priced entry into Nikon's Full Frame world.
Kudos to Nikon for providing more alternatives to enter Full Frame photography.
After using the Z5IIC, I can honestly vouch for the image quality & AF tracking performance. Nikon did not cut corners in IQ & AF, it also included most of the tools & features in the more expensive Z full frame cameras. If I ranked it based on price vs. performance, it would be ranked no. 1 in my book.
This was one FUN camera to use especially for:
users wanting an upgrade from a smartphone camera
photographers that do not use EVF to do photography
anyone that wanted a spare fun camera for daily use
I think it would also be great for kids too to get a head start into proper photography
If you wanted to use the Z5IIC as a daily walkabout camera , I would pair it with the following to create a light less than 800g combo:
Z26mm f/2.8 (125g)
Z24-50mm f/4-6.3 (195g)
Till the next post.
Cheers, Andrew
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