Nikon Z 30 Mirrorless Camera with 16-50mm VR Lens
Take on different photoshoot needs and capturing breathtaking footage when out and about with the practical Nikon Z 30 Camera with Nikkor 16-50mm VR Lens.
Take on different photoshoot needs and capturing breathtaking footage when out and about with the practical Nikon Z 30 Camera with Nikkor 16-50mm VR Lens.
Take on different photoshoot needs and capturing breathtaking footage when out and about with the practical Nikon Z 30 Camera with Nikkor 16-50mm VR Lens.
Take on different photoshoot needs and capturing breathtaking footage when out and about with the practical Nikon Z 30 Camera with Nikkor 16-50mm VR Lens.
in 17 offers
The lowest price for Nikon Z 30 Mirrorless Camera with 16-50mm VR Lens right now is $717.70 at Camera West, compared across 17 retailers.
The all-time low was $706.01 on 22 June 2026 — today's price is 2% above the lowest ever. This is at or near its all-time low — a good time to buy.
Prices last updated 24 June 2026.
Last updated at 24/06/2026 09:42:05
Nikon Z30 + NIKKOR Z 16-50mm Lens Kit | 20.9MP APS-C Mirrorless | 4K UHD Video | Vlog-Ready Flip Screen | Compact Creator Starter Kit
Free delivery
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originally posted on bestbuy.com
I have been using the new mirrorless Nikon Z30 for just over a week and have fallen in love with photography again! I am an armature photographer, having been out of the game for many years, who is just now delving into the world of vlogging and content creation for some of my social media groups and channels. I like to collect things and I love to share photos of the items I collect. From the start, the Nikon Z30 has been an amazing camera for a newly emerging content creator such as myself. From shooting photos at 11fps to recording 4k at 30fps, this is an extremely powerful camera and tool to have in the vlogging world, especially with the highly useful Nikon SnapBridge app. One of the first features I really liked is the VR, aka Vibration Reduction, which, in ... MoreI have been using the new mirrorless Nikon Z30 for just over a week and have fallen in love with photography again! I am an armature photographer, having been out of the game for many years, who is just now delving into the world of vlogging and content creation for some of my social media groups and channels. I like to collect things and I love to share photos of the items I collect. From the start, the Nikon Z30 has been an amazing camera for a newly emerging content creator such as myself. From shooting photos at 11fps to recording 4k at 30fps, this is an extremely powerful camera and tool to have in the vlogging world, especially with the highly useful Nikon SnapBridge app. One of the first features I really liked is the VR, aka Vibration Reduction, which, in combination with slower shutter speeds your images will come out sharp and clear without motion blur. The CMOS sensor combined with the Exspeed 6 processing engine dramatically help produce high quality photos in very low light conditions. Even some astrophotography, such as pictures of the moon, when using the right settings, comes out looking really great! The creators accessory kit for the Z30 comes with a mini boom mic, tripod grip and remote. The remote fits perfectly in the handle of the tripod/ selfie stick, which I love. I recommend using the boom mic when outdoors where wind might cause some unwanted noise interruption. Otherwise, the mic on the camera itself is fantastic and easily isolates sounds closer to the device. The tripod/handle makes handling the camera solo much easier when taking video, especially with the rotating LCD monitor. And with the remote a solo act is all you need to produce high quality film and photography. The Auto Focus on the Z30 is great! The eye detection on people and pets is really unique and accurate. I was very surprised at how quickly the camera picked up eyes in the shot and adjusted everything including a slight blur in the background. The quality of the Auto Focus makes capturing photos quick and easy at a time when timing is everything. The 4k video capture on the Z30 is very sharp and has great detail, even in low light situations. There is a separate button for video recording and during recording there is an indicator light on the front letting you know the camera is rolling, which is always appreciated. I also like the red light because it lets others in public know to be courteous when walking by. Overall I love this camera. It’s helped to bring out the photographer in me, who I thought I lost years ago. I do have some major brushing up to do, as this camera is much more advanced than what I used to use in High School many years ago. But with the help of the Nikon School online and the free 30+ minute training video I received when purchasing this camera, I’m picking it all back up pretty quickly and can’t wait to take this baby on vacation somewhere beautiful! I highly recommend this camera and the content creators kit to anyone who vlogs, owns a website or shares their content on social media sites, groups and channels.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Video logging is the in thing nowadays when it comes to cameras. And quite obviously cell phones at the front of this new trend. As such camera manufacturers are well aware of this trend and as to remain competitive, these companies have been offering “video logging” cameras in recent years. Nikon some reason has not joined in the fray until now. So here comes the Nikon Z 30 APS-C video logging camera. The Nikon Z 30 can be viewed as the little brother of the existing Nikon Z 50. It has similar specs compared to the Z 50 which includes the sensor, form factor and build quality and even the battery. There are notable differences though which I’ll explain below. First is the absence of an electronic view finder and a built-in flash. Now some people especially those ... MoreVideo logging is the in thing nowadays when it comes to cameras. And quite obviously cell phones at the front of this new trend. As such camera manufacturers are well aware of this trend and as to remain competitive, these companies have been offering “video logging” cameras in recent years. Nikon some reason has not joined in the fray until now. So here comes the Nikon Z 30 APS-C video logging camera. The Nikon Z 30 can be viewed as the little brother of the existing Nikon Z 50. It has similar specs compared to the Z 50 which includes the sensor, form factor and build quality and even the battery. There are notable differences though which I’ll explain below. First is the absence of an electronic view finder and a built-in flash. Now some people especially those who are more into stills photography who may consider the lack of an electronic view finder is a dealbreaker, the absence of a view finder makes perfect sense. It seems the Z 30 is marketed to beginner or a bit advanced video loggers and videographers coming from cell phones, hence a viewfinder will not be a dealbreaker for them. Also, the removal of the viewfinder and the built-in flash makes the costs lower which also makes sense, since these are beginner users making a lower price point appealing to them. Second, the 30-minute limit in video recording has been increased to roughly two hours which puts the Z 30 in the realm of camcorders. Do note that in certain countries (especially those in Europe) have limits on video recording capabilities. But there are reports that the Z 30 has tendency to overheat or to put it gently warm up after extended use. So far in my limited test on the video capabilities, I have not encountered any warmups. Lastly, since this is now more of a “video camera with stills capabilities” rather than a “stills camera with video capabilities”, Nikon has decided to include a USB-C port that can power (and charge) the camera so that it can fully function not only as a video camera but as a web cam also. Another thing to note is the auto-focusing capabilities of the Z 30. Since video loggers are presumed to wok mostly alone, the tracking capabilities of the Z 30 is top notch. It uses eyes tracking to auto-focus on moving objects and it also has good auto-focusing on subjects such as products or items being displayed for close up. In this regard the Z 30 passes as a “video logging” camera. The primary common thing of the Z 30 as compared to the Z 50 and also the retro-style Zfc is the image quality. This is a no brainer since all three crop sensor cameras share the same sensor. One thing of note that that even though this is an APS-C camera, performance in low light is very good. In addition, the included kit lens (which all three cameras share) has good image quality for a kit lens. In fact, background blur is more pronounced that the included kit lens is entering APS-C baes f2.8 territory (I may be saying too much but the kit lens is actually good.) Unfortunately, Nikon AFAIK only offers three APS-C Z mount lenses while the rest are full frame. And though you can use full frame lenses on the APS-C Z mount cameras, they are quite expensive. But then again Nikon may be presuming that newbies may be satisfied with the kit lens only. Moreover, I understand Nikon has a lens roadmap for the Z series out on the internet. Handling of the Nikon Z 30 is also superb. It is fairly small enough but has a grip which makes it like holing a compact DSLR. The body is light enough and even though the feel is a bit plasticky, holding the Z 30 is perfectly fine. I understand that the body of the Z 30 is weather sealed too. But I cannot determine if the included kit lens is also weather sealed too. And though in my opinion most video loggers will not be needing a weather sealed body and not having a weather sealed lens is self-defeating, having a weather sealed body is always a welcome addition. One thing I don’t like about the Z 30 is the lack of a stand-alone charger. Charging via USB-C takes long at around seven hours. A trick here is to use a power direct charger whether it’s a plug-in or a PD battery pack. A stand-alone charger is also for purchase. But unfortunately, it seems cameras like cell phones no longer include chargers. (I understand that Nikon sells different creators’ accessory kits in the region, but the one described above is the one available in the United States.) Finally, to add to the video logging experience, a dedicated creators’ accessory kit is available to complement the Z 30. This includes the Nikon BT remote, a tripod and remote holder, and a Rode Video Mic with wind screen. A small wind screen which you attached to the hotshot is also available for purchase. But personally, Nikon should have also included it in the box. Overall, the Nikon Z 30 is a video logging camera also which is also good for stills too. It is sold at a reasonable price point aimed as video loggers who are considering upgrading their gear in the near future.
originally posted on bestbuy.com
The Nikon Z30 mirrorless 4K camera is a versatile device that’s good for people wanting to take excellent photos, but also for people into consumer-level or semi-pro level of videography or “vlogging”. For a camera of this type it’s actually pretty compact, being almost 2 ½ inches high by just under 3 inches wide and five inches deep. Without a lens it weighs just under a pound. There are at least a couple of lenses available for it with my kit coming with a Nikkor 16-50 millimeter lens with image stabilization. A zoom lens is available but you can also get an adapter which will allow you to use other Nikon lenses. This particular kit gives you a good standard working range with wide angle and a bit of zoom for general day-to-day photography and video. A 3-Inch ... MoreThe Nikon Z30 mirrorless 4K camera is a versatile device that’s good for people wanting to take excellent photos, but also for people into consumer-level or semi-pro level of videography or “vlogging”. For a camera of this type it’s actually pretty compact, being almost 2 ½ inches high by just under 3 inches wide and five inches deep. Without a lens it weighs just under a pound. There are at least a couple of lenses available for it with my kit coming with a Nikkor 16-50 millimeter lens with image stabilization. A zoom lens is available but you can also get an adapter which will allow you to use other Nikon lenses. This particular kit gives you a good standard working range with wide angle and a bit of zoom for general day-to-day photography and video. A 3-Inch touch LCD screen is what you will use to compose your images and video. It’s bright and clear and allows you to control settings as well. The screen flips out and twists so you can angle it to varying degrees as well as flip it forward so that you can take selfie images or video with the camera. Stereo microphones are built in, but there is also an adapter for an external microphone if you want to use something more professional. Likewise an external flash can be used if desired as there is no built-in flash in the camera itself. A mini-HDMI port allows you to connect to varied devices that can use it to view pics and video, and a tripod mount on the bottom of course allows for table-to-tall tripod use. The battery (included) and a standard SD sized memory card (not included) fit in the bottom. As a side note, Nikon sells a “Creator’s Kit” that includes a table tripod/grip combo, a Bluetooth remote for basic commands, and an external microphone with fuzzy windscreen (or you can buy each separately). I tried out the remote which worked well from a distance, and the microphone will catch audio somewhat better than the built-in mics at greater distances. Nikon also has a “SnapBridge” app for Apple or Android devices that allows you some basic controls as well as the ability to transfer data from the camera directly into your phone or tablet using the camera’s WiFi feature (note, using this drains the battery faster). The battery is charged in-camera via a USB-C cable, and unfortunately an external charger is not included. The estimate is that you can get just over 300 photos per charge but of course it will range up and down depending on how you use the camera. The 21 megapixel (20.9 to be exact ) images are bright and clear with good dynamic range and colors. Images can be taken in JPEG or RAW if you want more creative control using software later. Photos in lower light with the iso range of 100-51,200 generally look very good (lens choice make a difference as well), but the expanded software iso of up to 204,800 does look a bit grainy – though can work to your advantage depending on the look you’re trying to achieve. Video can be taken in resolutions up to 4K and 30 FPS. I did notice that after several minutes the camera did become warm when recording video. I have not yet experienced the camera shutting down due to overheating, although it is mentioned in documentation that this can happen depending on conditions. I haven’t noticed any stuttering or skipped frames, although if you pixel-peep enough, a few artifacts will momentarily appear when panning. Overall I’d say it’s in the very good video range. The Z30 is pretty good about locking onto a subject’s eyes and following them, including pets. A small box will highlight the area and follow them and stay locked with focusing. I found this to be pretty accurate unless the subject moved suddenly where it would take a second or two to relock. Overall the feature works well although if there are several people participating in high action movement it will get confused. Sound is recorded pretty clearly at reasonable ranges, but you will want to invest in an external microphone for longer range. Overall I think this is a very good camera, but I do have a couple of nit-picky things I’d like to see Nikon address: First of all, having to charge the battery in-camera and it taking roughly 7 or so hours to do so from a dead battery is very inconvenient, and an external charger should be included. While many may opt for an external flash, it also would have been nice to have a basic popup flash or small flash on the camera for shadow fill-in purposes without having to resort to an external one. The heating issue should also be addressed as those who wish to take longer videos may have some hassles to deal with in this regard. The Z30 is still a very good system though, and I’m sure many will find a lot of great uses for it, even considering my few small picky cons about it. Recommended.
| Mount Type | Nikon Z Mount |
| Focal Length Range | 16 - 50mm |
| Zoom Ratio | 3.1x |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 3.5-6.3 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/ 16 |
Nikon Z30 + NIKKOR Z 16-50mm Lens Kit | 20.9MP APS-C Mirrorless | 4K UHD Video | Vlog-Ready Flip Screen | Compact Creator Starter Kit
Free delivery
Affiliate Disclosure: We may receive a small commission for purchases made through this link at no extra cost to you. This helps support our site. Thank you!
Nikon Z30, 200 Act, 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 VR 3027523
Nikon Z30 with 16-50mm Lens Kit Mirrorless Camera
Delivery $24.90
Nikon Z30 Mirrorless Camera with 16-50mm Lens - Brand New
Free delivery between 29 June – 3 July
Nikon Z 30 Camera with Nikkor 16-50mm VR Lens
I have been using the new mirrorless Nikon Z30 for just over a week and have fallen in love with photography again! I am an armature photographer, having been out of the game for many years, who is just now delving into the world of vlogging and content creation for some of my social media groups and channels. I like to collect things and I love to share photos of the items I collect. From the start, the Nikon Z30 has been an amazing camera for a newly emerging content creator such as myself. From shooting photos at 11fps to recording 4k at 30fps, this is an extremely powerful camera and tool to have in the vlogging world, especially with the highly useful Nikon SnapBridge app. One of the first features I really liked is the VR, aka Vibration Reduction, which, in ... MoreI have been using the new mirrorless Nikon Z30 for just over a week and have fallen in love with photography again! I am an armature photographer, having been out of the game for many years, who is just now delving into the world of vlogging and content creation for some of my social media groups and channels. I like to collect things and I love to share photos of the items I collect. From the start, the Nikon Z30 has been an amazing camera for a newly emerging content creator such as myself. From shooting photos at 11fps to recording 4k at 30fps, this is an extremely powerful camera and tool to have in the vlogging world, especially with the highly useful Nikon SnapBridge app. One of the first features I really liked is the VR, aka Vibration Reduction, which, in combination with slower shutter speeds your images will come out sharp and clear without motion blur. The CMOS sensor combined with the Exspeed 6 processing engine dramatically help produce high quality photos in very low light conditions. Even some astrophotography, such as pictures of the moon, when using the right settings, comes out looking really great! The creators accessory kit for the Z30 comes with a mini boom mic, tripod grip and remote. The remote fits perfectly in the handle of the tripod/ selfie stick, which I love. I recommend using the boom mic when outdoors where wind might cause some unwanted noise interruption. Otherwise, the mic on the camera itself is fantastic and easily isolates sounds closer to the device. The tripod/handle makes handling the camera solo much easier when taking video, especially with the rotating LCD monitor. And with the remote a solo act is all you need to produce high quality film and photography. The Auto Focus on the Z30 is great! The eye detection on people and pets is really unique and accurate. I was very surprised at how quickly the camera picked up eyes in the shot and adjusted everything including a slight blur in the background. The quality of the Auto Focus makes capturing photos quick and easy at a time when timing is everything. The 4k video capture on the Z30 is very sharp and has great detail, even in low light situations. There is a separate button for video recording and during recording there is an indicator light on the front letting you know the camera is rolling, which is always appreciated. I also like the red light because it lets others in public know to be courteous when walking by. Overall I love this camera. It’s helped to bring out the photographer in me, who I thought I lost years ago. I do have some major brushing up to do, as this camera is much more advanced than what I used to use in High School many years ago. But with the help of the Nikon School online and the free 30+ minute training video I received when purchasing this camera, I’m picking it all back up pretty quickly and can’t wait to take this baby on vacation somewhere beautiful! I highly recommend this camera and the content creators kit to anyone who vlogs, owns a website or shares their content on social media sites, groups and channels.
Video logging is the in thing nowadays when it comes to cameras. And quite obviously cell phones at the front of this new trend. As such camera manufacturers are well aware of this trend and as to remain competitive, these companies have been offering “video logging” cameras in recent years. Nikon some reason has not joined in the fray until now. So here comes the Nikon Z 30 APS-C video logging camera. The Nikon Z 30 can be viewed as the little brother of the existing Nikon Z 50. It has similar specs compared to the Z 50 which includes the sensor, form factor and build quality and even the battery. There are notable differences though which I’ll explain below. First is the absence of an electronic view finder and a built-in flash. Now some people especially those ... MoreVideo logging is the in thing nowadays when it comes to cameras. And quite obviously cell phones at the front of this new trend. As such camera manufacturers are well aware of this trend and as to remain competitive, these companies have been offering “video logging” cameras in recent years. Nikon some reason has not joined in the fray until now. So here comes the Nikon Z 30 APS-C video logging camera. The Nikon Z 30 can be viewed as the little brother of the existing Nikon Z 50. It has similar specs compared to the Z 50 which includes the sensor, form factor and build quality and even the battery. There are notable differences though which I’ll explain below. First is the absence of an electronic view finder and a built-in flash. Now some people especially those who are more into stills photography who may consider the lack of an electronic view finder is a dealbreaker, the absence of a view finder makes perfect sense. It seems the Z 30 is marketed to beginner or a bit advanced video loggers and videographers coming from cell phones, hence a viewfinder will not be a dealbreaker for them. Also, the removal of the viewfinder and the built-in flash makes the costs lower which also makes sense, since these are beginner users making a lower price point appealing to them. Second, the 30-minute limit in video recording has been increased to roughly two hours which puts the Z 30 in the realm of camcorders. Do note that in certain countries (especially those in Europe) have limits on video recording capabilities. But there are reports that the Z 30 has tendency to overheat or to put it gently warm up after extended use. So far in my limited test on the video capabilities, I have not encountered any warmups. Lastly, since this is now more of a “video camera with stills capabilities” rather than a “stills camera with video capabilities”, Nikon has decided to include a USB-C port that can power (and charge) the camera so that it can fully function not only as a video camera but as a web cam also. Another thing to note is the auto-focusing capabilities of the Z 30. Since video loggers are presumed to wok mostly alone, the tracking capabilities of the Z 30 is top notch. It uses eyes tracking to auto-focus on moving objects and it also has good auto-focusing on subjects such as products or items being displayed for close up. In this regard the Z 30 passes as a “video logging” camera. The primary common thing of the Z 30 as compared to the Z 50 and also the retro-style Zfc is the image quality. This is a no brainer since all three crop sensor cameras share the same sensor. One thing of note that that even though this is an APS-C camera, performance in low light is very good. In addition, the included kit lens (which all three cameras share) has good image quality for a kit lens. In fact, background blur is more pronounced that the included kit lens is entering APS-C baes f2.8 territory (I may be saying too much but the kit lens is actually good.) Unfortunately, Nikon AFAIK only offers three APS-C Z mount lenses while the rest are full frame. And though you can use full frame lenses on the APS-C Z mount cameras, they are quite expensive. But then again Nikon may be presuming that newbies may be satisfied with the kit lens only. Moreover, I understand Nikon has a lens roadmap for the Z series out on the internet. Handling of the Nikon Z 30 is also superb. It is fairly small enough but has a grip which makes it like holing a compact DSLR. The body is light enough and even though the feel is a bit plasticky, holding the Z 30 is perfectly fine. I understand that the body of the Z 30 is weather sealed too. But I cannot determine if the included kit lens is also weather sealed too. And though in my opinion most video loggers will not be needing a weather sealed body and not having a weather sealed lens is self-defeating, having a weather sealed body is always a welcome addition. One thing I don’t like about the Z 30 is the lack of a stand-alone charger. Charging via USB-C takes long at around seven hours. A trick here is to use a power direct charger whether it’s a plug-in or a PD battery pack. A stand-alone charger is also for purchase. But unfortunately, it seems cameras like cell phones no longer include chargers. (I understand that Nikon sells different creators’ accessory kits in the region, but the one described above is the one available in the United States.) Finally, to add to the video logging experience, a dedicated creators’ accessory kit is available to complement the Z 30. This includes the Nikon BT remote, a tripod and remote holder, and a Rode Video Mic with wind screen. A small wind screen which you attached to the hotshot is also available for purchase. But personally, Nikon should have also included it in the box. Overall, the Nikon Z 30 is a video logging camera also which is also good for stills too. It is sold at a reasonable price point aimed as video loggers who are considering upgrading their gear in the near future.
The Nikon Z30 mirrorless 4K camera is a versatile device that’s good for people wanting to take excellent photos, but also for people into consumer-level or semi-pro level of videography or “vlogging”. For a camera of this type it’s actually pretty compact, being almost 2 ½ inches high by just under 3 inches wide and five inches deep. Without a lens it weighs just under a pound. There are at least a couple of lenses available for it with my kit coming with a Nikkor 16-50 millimeter lens with image stabilization. A zoom lens is available but you can also get an adapter which will allow you to use other Nikon lenses. This particular kit gives you a good standard working range with wide angle and a bit of zoom for general day-to-day photography and video. A 3-Inch ... MoreThe Nikon Z30 mirrorless 4K camera is a versatile device that’s good for people wanting to take excellent photos, but also for people into consumer-level or semi-pro level of videography or “vlogging”. For a camera of this type it’s actually pretty compact, being almost 2 ½ inches high by just under 3 inches wide and five inches deep. Without a lens it weighs just under a pound. There are at least a couple of lenses available for it with my kit coming with a Nikkor 16-50 millimeter lens with image stabilization. A zoom lens is available but you can also get an adapter which will allow you to use other Nikon lenses. This particular kit gives you a good standard working range with wide angle and a bit of zoom for general day-to-day photography and video. A 3-Inch touch LCD screen is what you will use to compose your images and video. It’s bright and clear and allows you to control settings as well. The screen flips out and twists so you can angle it to varying degrees as well as flip it forward so that you can take selfie images or video with the camera. Stereo microphones are built in, but there is also an adapter for an external microphone if you want to use something more professional. Likewise an external flash can be used if desired as there is no built-in flash in the camera itself. A mini-HDMI port allows you to connect to varied devices that can use it to view pics and video, and a tripod mount on the bottom of course allows for table-to-tall tripod use. The battery (included) and a standard SD sized memory card (not included) fit in the bottom. As a side note, Nikon sells a “Creator’s Kit” that includes a table tripod/grip combo, a Bluetooth remote for basic commands, and an external microphone with fuzzy windscreen (or you can buy each separately). I tried out the remote which worked well from a distance, and the microphone will catch audio somewhat better than the built-in mics at greater distances. Nikon also has a “SnapBridge” app for Apple or Android devices that allows you some basic controls as well as the ability to transfer data from the camera directly into your phone or tablet using the camera’s WiFi feature (note, using this drains the battery faster). The battery is charged in-camera via a USB-C cable, and unfortunately an external charger is not included. The estimate is that you can get just over 300 photos per charge but of course it will range up and down depending on how you use the camera. The 21 megapixel (20.9 to be exact ) images are bright and clear with good dynamic range and colors. Images can be taken in JPEG or RAW if you want more creative control using software later. Photos in lower light with the iso range of 100-51,200 generally look very good (lens choice make a difference as well), but the expanded software iso of up to 204,800 does look a bit grainy – though can work to your advantage depending on the look you’re trying to achieve. Video can be taken in resolutions up to 4K and 30 FPS. I did notice that after several minutes the camera did become warm when recording video. I have not yet experienced the camera shutting down due to overheating, although it is mentioned in documentation that this can happen depending on conditions. I haven’t noticed any stuttering or skipped frames, although if you pixel-peep enough, a few artifacts will momentarily appear when panning. Overall I’d say it’s in the very good video range. The Z30 is pretty good about locking onto a subject’s eyes and following them, including pets. A small box will highlight the area and follow them and stay locked with focusing. I found this to be pretty accurate unless the subject moved suddenly where it would take a second or two to relock. Overall the feature works well although if there are several people participating in high action movement it will get confused. Sound is recorded pretty clearly at reasonable ranges, but you will want to invest in an external microphone for longer range. Overall I think this is a very good camera, but I do have a couple of nit-picky things I’d like to see Nikon address: First of all, having to charge the battery in-camera and it taking roughly 7 or so hours to do so from a dead battery is very inconvenient, and an external charger should be included. While many may opt for an external flash, it also would have been nice to have a basic popup flash or small flash on the camera for shadow fill-in purposes without having to resort to an external one. The heating issue should also be addressed as those who wish to take longer videos may have some hassles to deal with in this regard. The Z30 is still a very good system though, and I’m sure many will find a lot of great uses for it, even considering my few small picky cons about it. Recommended.
I'll be the first to admin, I never thought I'd own another dedicated camera after buying a Nikon D5600 DSLR a few years ago to take on a cruise. While it was a great camera, it was huge and bulky even for a compact crop sensor camera and getting photos on and off of the camera were more cumbersome just using my phone and sharing to friends, family, social media, or printing services. Around the time I got my DSLR, I had heard of "Mirrorless" Cameras becoming popular for their reduced size and bulk, full size cmos sensors, fewer moving parts/failure issues, and better response and video capabilities. There were some downsides, like overheating, but overall they seemed to be the direction digital photography was headed. So of course I was thrilled to test Nikon's ... MoreI'll be the first to admin, I never thought I'd own another dedicated camera after buying a Nikon D5600 DSLR a few years ago to take on a cruise. While it was a great camera, it was huge and bulky even for a compact crop sensor camera and getting photos on and off of the camera were more cumbersome just using my phone and sharing to friends, family, social media, or printing services. Around the time I got my DSLR, I had heard of "Mirrorless" Cameras becoming popular for their reduced size and bulk, full size cmos sensors, fewer moving parts/failure issues, and better response and video capabilities. There were some downsides, like overheating, but overall they seemed to be the direction digital photography was headed. So of course I was thrilled to test Nikon's entry-level Z30 4K with Vblogger kit when I had the chance. My initial impressions right away was what a massive difference there was in camera body size and weight. You can see there's no longer the bump for the mirrors in the camera body and the lack of a viewfinder for better or worse (more on this later) also make for a big difference in size. Then you take into account the D5600 has an 18-140mm lens while the Z30 has a 16-50mm lens and it almost feels like the Z30 is a point and shoot or an old school Nikon Coolpix because it is so compact in size. That was actually something that was kind of a negative at first for me, the smaller body and profile on the Z30 made initial impressions seem like it felt less "premium" but after using it for awhile its clear that less can be better and the camera overall felt great in the hand with a pronounced grip bump. The 16-50mm kit lens however definitely does not feel as nice in terms of build quality or feel when focusing it compared to the 18-140mm kit lens that came with the D5600, which is regarded as one of the best kit DX kit lenses that Nikon came out with. I may get the Nikon FTZ II adapter to use my old 35mm and 18-140mm DX lenses but I will get a lot of the bulk back that way, however, the 18-140mm kit lens is pretty much perfect for a single lens and not having to swap for most touristy or sight-seeing usage. Also, if you have any inkling of needing a better telephoto lens, go ahead and spend on the Z30 kit that has both the 16-50mm and 50-250mm kits as that will save you $100 over buying it later. On to connectivity and the Snapbridge app. This is something that REALLY bothered me on my D5600, you couldn't take remote photos using Snapbridge unless connected directly to the Camera using WiFi, which was slow and cludgy and disconnected you from your local WiFi. Not a big deal if you're out shooting in the field, but if you wanted to transfer pictures to the cloud you have to disconnect and reconnect to WiFi internet to start that transfer. Also, you can't connect both the Camera to the App and the Nikon wireless controller via Bluetooth simultaneously, it is one or the other. I really wish the Snapbridge App just let you use it in Bluetooth mode for setting time delay or snapping a picture, but again, it must be in WiFi mode as it transmits an image to your phone as a digital viewfinder. The remote is just via Bluetooth so you can use it like a remote to just take pictures, set delay etc. Also, when using the App to take pictures, you must use A, M, or S mode, you can't just set to Auto and snap pictures, but you can with the remote controller. I was really hoping 5 years of upgrades would make this experience better, but sadly it is still clunky integration with the app. One really nice feature of the App however is that it gives you free lifetime storage of 2MB versions of your pictures with account and registration. Some people may have privacy concerns but that is a great free cloud options through Nikon. As previously mentioned, this camera does not have a viewfinder port, so you will definitely find yourself struggling with that at times and also struggling to get the right distance for closer shots because you can't put the camera to your face but still view what you are shooting with the LCD to frame your shot. That may drive anyone looking for a more traditional camera experience a little bonkers, but for most people its not a big issue since the LCD viewfinder is very similar to using a camera phone. The full swivel LCD is also great of course for self-filming and vlogging. The included Vlogging kit is nothing special, its a 3rd party tripod/grip that really just holds the Nikon OEM remote control and it has a furry wind muffling microphone to help in outdoor conditions. I think most serious vloggers are still going to use some kind of pocket/remote microphone instead. The remote is great however, but setting it up is a little different than in the instructions. You go to the setup area (not Network) on the camera settings and add it there but the instructions are off slightly, you have to choose to pair to remote ML-07 OR smart device Bluetooth, you can't have both connected at once. The video recording capabilities were very good, easy to use and the self-stabilization feature was really excellent. I used the camera to record Happy Birthday for my daughter's party and it came out great as darkness set in. I didn't even have to focus the camera and just held it while recording and both sound and audio came out great. You do have to remember to change the mode slider between camera and video however! I didn't have any issues running into the camera shutting down or overheating, but it was cool and around 60 degrees outside. In the direct sunlight or summer heat, with a black camera body that situation may be different. Make sure to set the video resolution and quality in the settings in advance so you know what you're getting! Finally, in terms of physical connectivity, there's good and there's bad. First with the bad, there is no actual battery charger. Not that Nikon has a great track record of blazing fast battery chargers, but the ability to charge a battery while shooting was a pretty big benefit. You must charge the battery while in the camera, and that charge speed is fully dependent on the type of charger you have connected to the camera. A USB-C from most PCs or laptops will charge VERY slowly, like 7hours at 10W (5V 2A), with faster chargers like 40W or 65W you can charge faster, but they cost additional money. The USB-C port can also be used to transfer photos off of the camera which is nice so when you connect the Camera vs. USB-C it shows up like any other mass storage device as "Z 30" with the individual picture directories. Navigation is super fast, so I'll probably use this method to move photos around instead of removing the SD Card and finding my USB 3.0 adapter for it, or using some cloud medium to move things around. There's also a micro-HDMI port for previewing photos or movies, I have an adapter somewhere but I've never used it before. Maybe for folks editing video in the field this is useful but the option is there. So that's pretty much it, I've used the camera for about 1.5 weeks taking some pictures of the yard and family and its a huge difference in terms of portability and accessibility, two of the main reasons people use their smartphones more and more. People just don't like to lug around extra things when they are trying to stay mobile and active and live in the moment instead of through a lens. With the Nikon Z30, its small enough and light enough that its not really that obtrusive and with the 16-50mm lens, its actually small enough to fit into moderate sized jacket pockets. For those who want a little more full featured camera and a viewfinder, take a look at the Z50. But for those who want to vlog or take pictures on the go with a minimalist camera, the Z30 is an excellent option!
Nikon's latest digital camera, the Z 30, is their attempt at offering a creator-focused, video-forward device in what has quickly become a popular, competitive space: mirrorless cameras. To that end, Nikon is aiming the Z 30 squarely at the creator/vlogger/streamer crowd, with their marketing materials leaning heavily into the video capabilities and self photo/video capture abilities of their new camera. The Z 30 also happens to be the most affordable entry point into Nikon's Z lineup of mirrorless cameras, meaning those of us that have been very curious about mirrorless devices but unwilling or unable to fork out thousands of dollars for a mirrorless camera have a new option to consider. I'm approaching the Z 30 as a amateur photographer and decade-long user of a ... MoreNikon's latest digital camera, the Z 30, is their attempt at offering a creator-focused, video-forward device in what has quickly become a popular, competitive space: mirrorless cameras. To that end, Nikon is aiming the Z 30 squarely at the creator/vlogger/streamer crowd, with their marketing materials leaning heavily into the video capabilities and self photo/video capture abilities of their new camera. The Z 30 also happens to be the most affordable entry point into Nikon's Z lineup of mirrorless cameras, meaning those of us that have been very curious about mirrorless devices but unwilling or unable to fork out thousands of dollars for a mirrorless camera have a new option to consider. I'm approaching the Z 30 as a amateur photographer and decade-long user of a Nikon DSLR who is new to the mirrorless field. I've loved my 2010-era Nikon DSLR for many years, and it's faithfully served me across the world. While my DSLR is still fully functional and capable of high-quality images (a testament to the reliability of Nikon products, for sure), it's sorely lacking many of the technological advances of the past decade. The Z 30 arrived in typical understated Nikon packaging, with the 16-50mm kit lens, charging cable, camera strap and basic user manual and warranty documentation. Upon first inspection it's clear that even with their entry-level model Nikon goes great lengths to produce a quality product, with excellent fit-and-finish and a reassuring heft. Yes, it's an all-plastic model, but don't let that be a turnoff. The Z 30 and its kit lens are absolutely quality products, and plastic has the added benefit of being lightweight. If you've used any Nikon DSLR or mirrorless product you'll be right at home with the Z 30. I've always been a fan of Nikon's logical controls and excellent in-hand feel and the Z 30 is no exception. Despite being substantially smaller and lighter than my Nikon DSLR the Z 30 feels every bit as comfortable in my hand, with the ergonomics I've come to expect from this brand. Buttons may have moved around slightly but everything is instantly familiar and usable. Display tech has come a long way since my 2010 DSLR, and the Z 30's screen is excellent. It smartly swings out from the side and rotates 180 degrees, allowing you to position it exactly where you need to for the perfect shot, and then fold it away for safekeeping when you're done. Resolution is great and touch sensitivity is top-notch -- if you've not had a touchscreen on your camera, it's a fantastic addition, giving you smartphone-like control when you need it but reassuringly backed up with a plethora of physical controls. It's a good thing Nikon includes a great screen, because you'll be using it 100 percent of the time. There's new viewfinder on the Z 30, electronic or not, nor is there a built-in flash. Those are two big differences between the Z 30 and the Z 50, the camera above this one in Nikon's mirrorless system. There are pros and cons, and I think I still prefer a viewfinder in many cases (especially outside in direct sunlight), but having access to the touchscreen and full menus while framing your shot is awesome. My favorite feature is the tap-to-focus option, which lets you lock focus on your subject with a simple tap. Importantly, the Z 30 has enough screen resolution to see whether you hit the right focus target before you upload all your photos to your phone or computer. Connectivity is another strong suit of the Z 30. This camera includes both bluetooth and wifi connection options and full compatibility with Nikon's free SnapBridge mobile app. Connecting your phone or tablet to the Z 30 with SnapBridge is pretty straightforward, and I've had no connection problems since initial setup. Communication is two-way and can be set to happen in the background, which enables awesome features like GPS location on your photos and videos and automatic uploading of your photos to your mobile device for immediate sharing. I encourage you to explore all the settings in SnapBridge and the camera menus, as leaving all the options turned on the background drains your camera and mobile device batteries faster, and uploading every photo can quickly become annoying. SnapBridge also enables remote control of the Z 30, which depending on your use case can be invaluable. I definitely appreciated the ability to connect to the Z 30 via wifi and selectively upload full-resolution JPEGs to my phone on a recent business trip where I found myself without an SD card reader. The Z 30 includes menus upon menus of controls for fine-tuning your photos, videos and camera behaviors, accessible from the camera's display using both touch and physical controls. If you're familiar with Nikon's menu structures you'll once again find yourself right at home, but if you're intimidated by the sheer volume of options, you'll be happy to know the camera can handle everything with alacrity in its automatic mode. Even after a decade of Nikon use I still appreciate the "?" option available on many camera menus, which offers a succinct description of many controls to guide you as you use the camera. It's quicker than a web search and can save you from mucking things up when you're out using your Z 30. So how does this Nikon perform? With photos, my comfort area, I'd say the Z 30 is top-notch. The 20 megapixel crop sensor (DX APC-C size, aka 1.5 times smaller than a full-size sensor) provides more than enough detail, and Nikon's fabulous image processing, auto-focusing and color-handling prowess is on full display here. Photos are generally sharp and balanced, colors are accurate and focus is on-point, every bit as good and better than my DSLR. Nikon's excellent 16-50mm kit lens really is a gem, with a very usable focal range and great image stabilization. If you know Nikon's DX cameras you know they don't come with image stabilization in the camera body, instead relying on the lens, denoted by the "VR" branding in this lens' full name. Image stabilization is high on my priority list for someone that snaps photos almost exclusively handheld. This kit lens produces great results at all focal lengths with appropriate lighting, and Nikon's excellent ISO capabilities mean you can get good results in low light, although you'll want to stay close to that 16mm length for the best results. The Z 30 produces quality images even at high ISOs, but you'll certainly start to notice digital noise as the ISO increases. Regardless, this lens focuses quickly and silently, introduces almost no distortion, can produce great background blur and folds up into itself for storage and transport. The Z 30 with this lens is a compact, lightweight shooter, perfect for popping in your bag and infinitely more transportable than even the smallest DSLRs. Video quality is great, especially with the built-in stereo mics, photo-and-video "selfie" mode (rotate the screen to face the same direction as the lens, turn the camera around and you'll have a selfie powerhouse), and I'm sure video types will appreciate the ability of the Z 30 to record continuously for 125 minutes, much longer than many competitors. However, there are a few things keeping the Z 30 from a perfect score in my mind. Advertised as a video-forward device, the Z 30 lacks a few important options. While it can record beautiful 4K video, it can only do so at 30 frames per second. The going rate these days is 60 fps, which the Z 30 can only do in 1080p. The difference between 30 and 60 fps is noticeable even to untrained eyes. With 4K video quickly becoming the standard I think Nikon's decision to limit the Z 30 to 30 fps in 4K resolution is problematic, especially considering modern smart phones can shoot 4k in 60 or even 120 fps. Add to this the Z 30's lack of a headphone jack -- which means you can't listen to your audio through stereo headphones as it's recorded, leaving you guessing as to the real audio quality until you upload your video to your editing device -- and I'm left scratching my head as to why Nikon left out two key video features you can find in the mobile device you're probably reading this review on. For me personally, the bigger issue is the lack of DX-specific lenses for Nikon's DX-line mirrorless cameras like the Z 30 and Z 50. Nikon has dozens of Z-mount lenses, yes, but only three DX-specific Z-mount lenses. The 16-50mm kit lens is very good, but the lack of options is noticeable even to this amateur hobbyist photographer. DX-line Nikons lack in-body image stabilization, meaning a lens without Nikon's VR designation leaves you with no image stabilization whatsoever, a huge loss when shooting handheld, especially in low-light situations. Hands-down my best low-light photos come from so-called "fast prime" lenses that offer fixed focal lengths and ultra-low minimum apertures. Nikon has no DX-line fast prime Z lenses, instead offering only fast-primes without VR, designed mainly for use on their full-frame models. While you can use these lenses on the Z 30, you'll be doing so without image stabilization, possibly resulting in blurry photos when shooting handheld on the ultra-compact, lightweight Z 30. Overall, I really, really like the Nikon Z 30. It's delightfully compact but reassuringly high-quality, it's easy for anyone to use, and it can produce excellent images. That said, I think Nikon missed the mark when it comes to video, with no 60 fps at 4K resolution and no headphone jack to be found. As a photographer I can forgive these omissions, but I am pretty disappointed in the lack of affordable, DX-focused lenses, especially the infinitely-useful fast-prime type. I am waiting anxiously for Nikon to reveal their planned "24mm DX" Z-mount prime, which -- if it includes VR and a reasonable price tag -- will be a must-have for me and many others.
Pros Has tally light Lens stores compact Light for feature set Has camera control app Designed to work as a webcam Good grip for secure hold Has photo and video modes Easy to use by just leaving on auto Allows you to learn features on your time Screen flips to show from front Allows saving custom profiles Has both touch and conventional controls Creates shallow depth of field naturally Low light photos are very low in noise Large selection of lenses with adapters Integrated stereo mics with noise reduction Can record video for over 2 hours Cons Short battery life No headphone audio jack Limited number of native lenses No viewfinder for conventional shooting Autofocus noises sometimes recorded video Can only record around 30 minutes of 4K before thermal shutdown ... MorePros Has tally light Lens stores compact Light for feature set Has camera control app Designed to work as a webcam Good grip for secure hold Has photo and video modes Easy to use by just leaving on auto Allows you to learn features on your time Screen flips to show from front Allows saving custom profiles Has both touch and conventional controls Creates shallow depth of field naturally Low light photos are very low in noise Large selection of lenses with adapters Integrated stereo mics with noise reduction Can record video for over 2 hours Cons Short battery life No headphone audio jack Limited number of native lenses No viewfinder for conventional shooting Autofocus noises sometimes recorded video Can only record around 30 minutes of 4K before thermal shutdown Design and Features The Z30 is Nikon’s latest offering targeting vloggers looking to transition to the next step beyond smartphone and webcam video. For starters, there is no viewfinder. This task is handled by the integrated touchscreen. The touchscreen can be viewed from the back of the camera or flipped around and viewed from the front. It can also be flipped to face the camera to store the screen and protect it from damage. With the touchscreen, you have the option to control and configure the camera via touch or conventional buttons. While most buttons are like other cameras there are some notable differences. Since the Z30 was intended to be both a still and video camera it has two separate “shutter” buttons. The main one up front on the top of the grip is set by default to take still photos and them behind that is a smaller button which activates video. Just above the screen is a toggle switch that changes the camera from photo to video mode. This changes the presets for what is displayed on screen and how buttons operate, including the mode dial up top. The mode dial has the standard options such as Auto, Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual modes but then adds three more options labeled U1, U2, and U3 which store your own custom settings. On top are stereo mics which offer some built in wind cancellation. A windsock is available as an option to further reduce wind noise. External connections include an HMDI port, USB-C port, and Mic port. The mic port can be used to add a shotgun mic for further noise cancellation but unfortunately there is no headphone jack to monitor the audio. The USB-C port is used for charging but also has video capability. The battery bay also houses the SD card slot and has a special access door to install a dummy battery while keeping the main door closed. This is handy if you choose the route of connecting via HDMI and a capture card as you don’t have to have the battery door hanging open. Usage and Performance Nikon seems to have put a fair bit of effort into making the Z30 a bridge device for those who want to upgrade from phone or webcam video to something more but aren’t ready for the complexities of higher end DSLRs. The removal of the viewfinder and addition of the touchscreen allows those more comfortable with touchscreens to feel at home. Auto modes are quite good to get started. You won’t utilize the camera to the fullest, but over time you can learn how to adjust more settings and further dial in the camera to your preferences. To help you learn the functions the Z30 has built in explanations for different features. There is a button to the right of the screen with a question mark. You can press that to get an explanation of what a particular setting changes. If you want to use the Z30 as a streaming camera you have a simple option that doesn’t even require extra hardware like a capture card. You just install Nikon Webcam utility and plug the camera in via USB-C. You just need to change USB-C power delivery option and that’s it. The camera will show us just like any other webcam. If you want more control, you can get a dummy battery and use the HDMI port and connect it to a capture card. The HDMI output is clean so no worries about camera settings overlaying on your video. By default, the focus mode is auto area people. The camera determines the area that it thinks you want in focus and looks for people in that area to focus on. This is helpful but it does mean if you want to show something you must block your face or change the focus mode to something other than people. It would have been nice to see Nikon offer a mode where it focusses on people unless something is in the foreground and then focuses on that. Beyond streaming, the Z30 is a capable shooter with the included kit lens. The lens collapses into a storage position making the overall package smaller and easier to carry. The included lens does best for macro, portraits, and vlogging. If you are vlogging solo and have shorter arms you may find the included lens harder to get that super blurry backgrounds without your face filling the whole frame. In any other situation it’s very easy to get the natural bokeh. If you can’t afford a shotgun mic the integrated stereo mics do a respectable job of picking up speech. There is a software-based wind noise filter which does a decent job until you can afford to upgrade or if you need to stay more low profile. If you want to see your audio levels, you will want to turn off self-portrait mode as the audio levels will go away the moment you flip the screen around with the mode enabled. Autofocus eye tracking comes in handy for both photos and videos. From a distance it will focus on what it recognizes as a person or animal, depending on what you set. As the person or animal gets close enough it will put a box over the eye it has found. You can also choose which eye to track for focus. If you move out of the frame for a second and come back it will find the same eye and lock the focus again. Video resolution maxes out at 4K 30 fps which at first might seem like nothing big but unlike smartphone video which looks good but has contrast and sharpness set very high to hide the limitations the Z30 doesn’t need to do this. The large sensor on Z30 means you get a naturally sharp image and accurate colors that is hard to describe but easy to see next to smartphone photos or videos. Where this really comes in handy is in low light. Pictures and videos stay naturally sharp and clear with very little noise even in low light. Combine this with a blurry background that isn’t generated by software but naturally by the lens and you get video and pictures that look more professional. One small caveat is cameras at this level still can’t handle recording 4K video for long periods without overheating. If you have a way to provide power, the Z30 can record video for over 2 hours at 1080P. Switch that to 4K and the camera will start to thermal shutdown somewhere just past 30 minutes depending on conditions. In most cases 30 minutes should be enough but it is worth noting. If you are using the Z30 as a streaming camera there is no specific time limit. With no recording being done on camera it stays much cooler and should run for hours on a stream assuming you have no other heat issues near it. However, there have been some reports of thermal shutdown when streaming via USB-C so for extended streams it might still need the traditional dummy battery and capture card. If you do longer streams and are concerned it might be good to wait for the community to do more testing. Final Thoughts There is so much more that could be covered about the Z30. Minor quirks notwithstanding, Nikon has created a very capable camera for streamers looking to up the quality of their content without jumping into the high-end equipment. If you are a vlogger, streamer, photographer, or even hobbyist looking for a way to start working their way into DSLR cameras the Nikon Z30 is a solid contender. The combination of features to help you transition to professional equipment and versatility, the Z30 is a compelling bridge camera to start you on your way to better photo and videography.
If you've been using your phone to film your vlogs and thinking of upgrading - this is the camera for you! This kit comes with everything that is needed to start including an awesome stand/handle with integrated remote control, external microphone and image stabilized 16-50 f/3.5-63 lens. Your viewers will notice the difference! Camera has a large 23.5mm x 15.7mm 20.9 Megapixel sensor (which is definitely larger than any smartphone sensors combined) that offers great low light performance with minimal noise, on board stereo microphones (plus included external RODE mic) and a built in touchscreen that can be oriented to face at any direction. Front of the camera features tally light (Red LED) to indicate that you are really recording. Camera saves the material to ... MoreIf you've been using your phone to film your vlogs and thinking of upgrading - this is the camera for you! This kit comes with everything that is needed to start including an awesome stand/handle with integrated remote control, external microphone and image stabilized 16-50 f/3.5-63 lens. Your viewers will notice the difference! Camera has a large 23.5mm x 15.7mm 20.9 Megapixel sensor (which is definitely larger than any smartphone sensors combined) that offers great low light performance with minimal noise, on board stereo microphones (plus included external RODE mic) and a built in touchscreen that can be oriented to face at any direction. Front of the camera features tally light (Red LED) to indicate that you are really recording. Camera saves the material to UHS-I SD card (full size SD) which is easily accessible. External power can be provided via on-board USB-C port to allow for a long recording time or use as an awesome web camera for your zoom calls/live stream events. Material can be transferred to your smartphone or a tablet using Nikon SnapBridge app (which also allows to be used as a remote control). A few things that you should consider before buying though: There is no eye view finder so internal display or external app are the only way to look at the frame, there is no in-body image stabilizer (IBIS), if stabilization is important - make sure you use stabilized lens (that said - Nikon has a wide variety of lenses to choose from - both Z-mount and F-mount plus FTZ adapter). Camera has external mic input, but no headphone jack to monitor audio real time (additionally sound meters disappear from the screen if it's oriented towards the object you are filming for some odd reason). There is no on-board flash either, so think of an external flash if needed. But overall - this is an amazing upgrade from filming using your smartphone to a dedicated professional camera (which actually has most of the settings available via dedicated buttons), your vlog viewers will definitely notice!
This is my first time owning a Nikon product ever, my preference and loyalty (perhaps the latter not anymore) were for a competing brand. I decided to give it a try since I hadn’t experienced with mirrorless devices before. Although it appears that the Nikon Z30 is advertised mainly as a 4K video recording device for creators/vloggers/streamers, this device is more than that, besides shooting high quality videos, I can take awesome pictures with its NIKKOR DX 16-50mm lens (the package came with this lens.) I can also attach other DX mirrorless lenses and, although I haven’t tried, it looks like through the Mount Adapter FTZ other F-mount series lenses can be attached as well. So, lots of options in terms of lenses. I am even in the process of acquiring a NIKKOR Z DX ... MoreThis is my first time owning a Nikon product ever, my preference and loyalty (perhaps the latter not anymore) were for a competing brand. I decided to give it a try since I hadn’t experienced with mirrorless devices before. Although it appears that the Nikon Z30 is advertised mainly as a 4K video recording device for creators/vloggers/streamers, this device is more than that, besides shooting high quality videos, I can take awesome pictures with its NIKKOR DX 16-50mm lens (the package came with this lens.) I can also attach other DX mirrorless lenses and, although I haven’t tried, it looks like through the Mount Adapter FTZ other F-mount series lenses can be attached as well. So, lots of options in terms of lenses. I am even in the process of acquiring a NIKKOR Z DX 50-200mm VR lens (available again at BestBuy, it was out of stock a few days ago), so it can become a more complete camera. There are plenty of settings to “customize” your experience but so far, from only a few days of use, the default “Auto” settings for video and photo are all you need to take great quality videos and pictures in bright and low light settings (brightness, eye tracking and focus are adjusted just fine.) Bottom line, there could be potentially several enhancements to it, but as an entry level device in the Nikon Mirrorless Cameras lineup, the Nikon Z30 is a perfect camera when you are on the go and need to record videos and takes photo that look professional. - Pros: 4K video resolution, autofocus, clear/quality video/photo, not bulky, remote control. - Cons: none so far. >> Video As already noted, the Nikon Z30 is designed mainly for video, but it doesn’t come in the shape/form of a video recording device, its form factor is more of a regular DSLR. As a result, it is not easy to hold it for long periods of time with one hand when filming yourself. So that is where the Tripod Grip in the Creator’s Accessory kit comes in handy. The tripod Grip allows you to get a good grip on the Z30 not only for shooting videos but also for photography. When you add the remote control to the equation, then it becomes a lot easier to do recordings of yourself and other objectives. It is no surprise that the lens that come with this kit are NIKKOR 16-50mm VR, it allows to record yourself while doing your vlogging, so that it is why perhaps you don’t care that much if the zooming capabilities are not that great (you need to manually adjust the zoom.) When recording yourself and having the touch-enabled monitor screen flipped to the front direction (of course it has to be flipped otherwise you don’t see a thing of what is being recorded), you can choose to focus the lens on different areas by tapping on the touch screen, that’s it. And using the remote, the only option available is to record. So, a little limited in that sense, but with the Auto mode capabilities of this device, I think you don’t need much more for most situations. At 4K with 30p max, I think it fits most of my needs, video is very detailed and looks smooth overall. I am not a video expert per se, but I always figured that having higher fps was always a plus, but after doing some research it looks like 30p is the standard overall for other 4K video devices. I can tell the difference between 4K and regular HD, and although you can choose to have more frames with HD, at 4K, tied with the autofocus and low light support, great and detailed video can be accomplished. One other aspect to highlight on this device is the eye tracking feature. If you are recording while walking for example, changing the focus from you to other objects and then coming back to you, it can detect and track your eyes appropriately. I wear glasses and this device it can pick my eyes moving, so it is for sure a superior device in this aspect. That being said, I was shooting indoors and there was a box behind me with a picture of a person, the camera started tracking the eyes on it! Well, I guess there is some setting to prevent such things from happening. >> Photo This is my first experience with the NIKKOR VR lens, and I am gladly surprised, stabilization is awesome. Sometimes with my shaky hands, photos wouldn’t come as great, but with stabilization and fast autofocus, pictures come out crips and clear. Photos of close objects depict a nice blurry background with enough detail that the overall picture looks enhanced. In addition, in low light scenarios, the capture image has enough detail that it needs little editing (if you are one person that likes editing pictures.) I am planning on using this as my primary photo device when doing reviews. Let me emphasize two of the features I love in Auto mode, the brightness and focus adjustment. It is just great when shooting outdoors, for example. I can focus on different objects with different levels of light and the Nikon Z30 is able to adjust very fast. Sometimes I need to take continuous pictures of something moving among different bright and shaded areas, and with this device, I don’t need to worry too much, as I just move the camera and shoot and, so far, I’ve found the camera almost instantly adjusts as pictures have come out very clear. >> Creator’s Accessory Kit I already talked about the components in the Creator’s Accessory kit, but they deserve special highlighting. Having the tripod grip, the remote and the mic, is highly recommended. At the very least, the tripod is a must, it makes it easy to hold the camera while filming, and even while taking pictures; otherwise, the way the camera has to be held when filming without the tripod grip is not comfortable, and in fact it is almost undoable if you are filming yourself (defeats its purpose as a vlogger tool.) The remote is extremely useful as well, and although it takes some practice to get used to it (sometimes I don’t seem to get it easily connected to the camera,) I find using it to even take pictures while pointing at some object. The mic could be optional but still is required if you are outdoors filming yourself logging your endeavors and want extra audio clarity. In my case, right now, I am fixing my wooden fence, and I am using this device to document the whole process and publish it as a tutorial at some point (hopefully.) Summarizing, invest in the Creator’s package for the Z30, you won’t regret it. >> Other thoughts It is advertised that fully charged, the battery last for a few hundred shots and can record over an hour of video. However, I haven’t gotten close to those numbers. Charging the battery doesn’t take long, though, just take into consideration what is mentioned in the Owner’s manual regarding charging the battery, so you don’t feel like something is wrong and the battery is dead. The ML 7 remote control is very useful; however, when you flip the LCD screen monitor to the front to record yourself, the only two options available are record or take a shoot (depending on whether you set the device to video or photo mode.) When the camera is in video mode, there is no way to take a picture or snapshot while in the middle of filming or even when not filming at all, which is a bummer. Sometimes you are filming, but also want to take a quick picture and continue filming. To accomplish that you need to pause, change from video to photo, take the picture, change back from photo to video, and continue. The ML 7 remote control has more options to control the camera when using it without flipping it to the front. You can select the focus point, zoom-in/out, and take pictures. These options disappear when the monitor screen is flipped in the front direction.
I recently got into photography a few years ago somewhat for fun and somewhat out of necessity. In doing so, I got my first nice camera and my plan was to teach myself all the ins and outs of photography. It somewhat happened and somewhat didn’t, my first nice camera was a competitors brand and though I like it, it’s menu system can be very complicated at times. That’s the one thing that struck me about the Z 30, the Nikon menu system was much easier to navigate. Besides taking pics of my girlfriends cats and hobby stuff, my primary use is real estate photography. When using it for real estate photos the less complicated menu system and controls is something I greatly appreciate. Taking photos and video, the controls such as the quick access button for white balance ... MoreI recently got into photography a few years ago somewhat for fun and somewhat out of necessity. In doing so, I got my first nice camera and my plan was to teach myself all the ins and outs of photography. It somewhat happened and somewhat didn’t, my first nice camera was a competitors brand and though I like it, it’s menu system can be very complicated at times. That’s the one thing that struck me about the Z 30, the Nikon menu system was much easier to navigate. Besides taking pics of my girlfriends cats and hobby stuff, my primary use is real estate photography. When using it for real estate photos the less complicated menu system and controls is something I greatly appreciate. Taking photos and video, the controls such as the quick access button for white balance adjustment and the excellent touch screen make it easy. The touch screen is very responsive and the touch to focus/shutter is an awesome feature that will make it easy for people coming from a smart phone and using a camera such as this for the first time. Though this is dubbed as a camera primarily for video, it takes amazing pictures right out the box and can produce a very nice Bokeh. When using for video it can shoot in 4k 30p or slow mo @ 1080 @ 120 fps. Though I would like to have Ibis built in to the camera, the lens does and you can also turn on vibration reduction for even more help making things stable. When it came time to see and edit my masterpieces or atrocities, I initially tried Nikons snapbridge app. I got it to connect to my iPad and iPhone with WiFi, but could never get it to connect with Bluetooth to either my iPad or iPhone. This was a little disappointing, but was short lived when I discovered I could connect it to my iPad directly with a USB-C to USB-C cable and not only could I transfer my pics directly to my iPad this way, the iPad would also reverse charge it. This is my preferred way to transfer as a one minute 4K video was able to transfer in about 45 seconds to a minute. When using the Nikon app that same video took almost five minutes wirelessly. Overall, the Z 30 is a well balanced entry level mirrorless camera that is geared toward video, but takes beautiful photos also.
I primarily create still photo content for Instagram, with a few videos sprinkled in. The Z30 for me is a way to improve the quality and breadth of that content by moving up from smartphone cameras. The package I got only came with one lens, but it also included the creator accessory kit. Most of the value in the creator accessory kit for me is the small tripod, but the remote is also useful. I separately bought a macro lens for closeup shots. Part of the value of a camera like the Z30 is access to all the Nikon lenses that fit their Z models. While the included lens is suitable for a wide range of applications, the ability to swap that lens out for others adds a lot of customizability to the base camera. The tripod comes in very handy for closeup macro shots ... MoreI primarily create still photo content for Instagram, with a few videos sprinkled in. The Z30 for me is a way to improve the quality and breadth of that content by moving up from smartphone cameras. The package I got only came with one lens, but it also included the creator accessory kit. Most of the value in the creator accessory kit for me is the small tripod, but the remote is also useful. I separately bought a macro lens for closeup shots. Part of the value of a camera like the Z30 is access to all the Nikon lenses that fit their Z models. While the included lens is suitable for a wide range of applications, the ability to swap that lens out for others adds a lot of customizability to the base camera. The tripod comes in very handy for closeup macro shots because the camera needs to be very steady. It's also recommended to use the remote for shutter control to further reduce the chance that you might jar the camera when taking a shot, but I haven't found that to be necessary yet. One limitation to the tripod is that there are a limited number of angles to position the camera, which can be problematic when setting up a shot. The other really great feature to this model that I have relied on extensively is the ability to link the camera via bluetooth with your phone through the SnapBridge app. You can set it up to automatically sync the photos you take to your photo library on the phone, and since my photo library syncs across my computing devices, I can see each photo on my laptop within seconds of snapping it on the camera. Now, you don't have to switch between camera mode and playback mode to see how a shot turned out, and you can see the shot in much better resolution on the computer than on the camera screen. That makes it much easier to make adjustments in real time. There are a lot of great autofocus features built into the camera that can automatically optimize your photos and videos depending on the content you're creating, but you can also take manual control of the camera settings and tailor your shots very precisely. And if you find you're reusing some of those configurations frequently, you can even save those settings in three user-defined modes. There's a ton of intelligence built into the camera, but you also have the ability to customize just about everything to your own needs or preferences. Add in the ability to sync over bluetooth and wifi, and there's not much you can't do with this camera.
| Mount Type | Nikon Z Mount |
| Focal Length Range | 16 - 50mm |
| Zoom Ratio | 3.1x |
| Maximum Aperture | f/ 3.5-6.3 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/ 16 |
