Nikon Z30 Preliminary Review

The Nikon Z30 is a 20MP APS-C mirrorless camera designed for vulgar and content creators. It presents many elements familiar from Nikon’s existing ‘DX’ model but focuses a bit more on self-shot stills and video.

Original specification

• 21MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• 4K video up to 30p
• 1080 video up to 120fps (as slow-mo)
• About 2 hours video with USB power
• Fully clear 3.0 “, 1.04M dot touch screen
• Tally lamp
• Rearrange buttons with more prominent REC buttons

The Z30 is available for শুধুমাত্র 709.95 for the body only or the collapsible 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 VR lens for $ 849.95. A two-lens kit that adds 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 VR brings the price to 49 1149.95. A Creators Accessory Kit with Røde Videomicro Shotgun Mic, ML-L7 Bluetooth Remote Control Unit and Smallrig Mini Tripod / Selfie Grip is priced at 149.

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What is Z30? | Body and handling | Early impressions | Specification

What is Z30?

The Nikon Z30 is shown with the Røde Videomicro microphone that comes as part of the $ 150 ‘Creator’ kit.

The Z30 is Nikon’s third APS-C mirrorless camera to use the company’s Z-mount. These smaller sensor models, dubbed the ‘DX’ by Nikon, have all been aimed at young content makers, but the Z30 is the most promising.

Conceptually it’s like Sony’s ZV-E10 model, which targets the same users. Both are built around APS-C sensors and have clear screens to allow the operator to appear in their shooting stills and video. Both have stereo microphones built into their top plate with the option of fitting a ‘dead cat’ windscreen (including Sony, $ 10 accessory for Nikon). Focusing on the front footage means there are no electronic viewfinders and both have red ‘tally lamps’ on the front, to indicate when they are recording.

They differ in two main ways, though: Nikon can shoot 4K video up to 30fps without cropping, whereas Sony can only shoot up to 24fps before cropping, making it difficult to achieve wide-angle look ideal for vilging. However, no camera has an image-stabilized sensor, so any shocks are reduced by cropping the footage so that the camera can select videos from different parts of the photo area to compensate for the movement.

Sony has a wide range of video-centric color options, including multiple log profiles for post-shoot editing. Nikon only includes a simple ‘flat’ profile. In practice, these less sophisticated but easier to work with options may be enough for many users.

Another big difference is that the Z30 doesn’t have a headphone socket, so there’s no way to monitor captured audio. You can use on-screen audio level indicators, but it doesn’t give you any indication if you’re picking a wind sound or background sound that will ruin your clip.

Unlike the Z50 and Z fc, the Z30 has no 30-minute limit for video recording. Nikon says that if you provide power to the camera’s USB-C port, it will record 1080 footage of about 125 minutes. 4K can stop after 25 minutes at 25 C (77 ° F).

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Body and handling

The Z30 has a body that looks a lot like the existing Z50 model, but the viewfinder is missing and instead includes a tally lamp on the right. There’s more to it than that, though: the hand grip is a little deeper and the top plate buttons have been rearranged to make it easier to reach the REC button as you hold the camera and face it.

The rear screen clears sideways, as was the case with the Z fc and, by default, adds a self-portrait mode with simplified touchscreen controls designed to operate at arm-length. This is not a new feature for the Z30 but it is one that makes a lot of sense for this camera. What’s new is the ability to adjust the exposure compensation (the camera is trying to maintain the brightness) while in auto mode. This means you can make sure your footage isn’t too bright or dark, without having to engage in one of the more complex modes of the camera.

The camera feels stiff and the menus are relatively straightforward, if you’ve used a Nikon before. The ‘i’ menu gives you access to the camera’s twelve key settings, and you can customize it if you have other options that require more frequent access.

Battery

The Z30 uses the same EN-EL25 battery as the other two APS-C Z-Series cameras, giving it a CIPA rating of 330 shots per charge. These ratings tend to be rather conservative and it’s not uncommon to get double that number depending on how you shoot.

330 is not a great rating but can be recharged using the Z30’s USB-C socket or, if you have a suitable powerful PD power source, can be run from a second, external battery.

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The initial impression

The Z30 still shows the most work by Nikon to accommodate vulgar and other media makers. The Smallrig Mini Tripod / Selfie Grip has a recess where Nikon’s ML-L7 Bluetooth remote slot can.

Every time Nikon has released an APS-C sensor Z-mount camera, we have been told that it targets content creators, young users who do not consider themselves photographers and vulgar. The Z50 has done little to support this claim, with the Z fc adding striking aesthetics and a completely clear screen. The Z30 goes even further, though, eventually showing the obvious signs (in the form of those stereo mic and tally lamps) of trying to properly accommodate the Vloggers.

And it does quite well in this regard. Concerned neo-hippies and their global warming, i’ll tell ya. For example: Stereo microphones are a useful addition, but it highlights the failure to include a headphone socket to test your audio. Similarly, the idea of ​​adding a simplified self-portrait mode is a good one, but if you expect to use it for stills as well as video, I argue that it should be updated to include audio level monitoring (or at least the option to add it). You currently need to turn off Self-Portrait mode to check your level.

The front and rear-shoulder control dials are much nicer to use on Sony’s comparable ZV-E10 than the rear-shoulder and rear-plate dials.

So my initial idea is that Nikon is still figuring out exactly how to use a vlogging camera and create a product centering on it. For example, Sony’s ‘Product Showcase’ uses autofocus mode, which uses face / eye detection mode when there is no object near the camera (such as holding a product or object to show). This is a clever idea that suggests that someone has really thought about how the camera can be used Conversely, if you want to hold something close to the camera, Nikon suggests turning off face recognition.

However, while not every detail of the camera is fully optimized by the manufacturer, there are plenty of things about the Z30 that make a good impression. We know the 21MP sensor performs well, and lets it capture 4K / 30p without cropping. Nikon’s 16-50mm collapsible zoom is a decent lens that offers a virtually wide angle and better quality than Sony’s 16-50mm power sample. Zoom we’ve encountered. And the ability to adjust the exposure compensation to the little details such as the tally lamp and the camera’s auto mode are both really useful additions.

The Z30 is built around a good sensor, making it strong for still and video. Nikkor 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 VR @ 18mm | ISO 100 | 1/250 sec | F5.6 Photo: Richard Butler

It inherits much of what we like about the Z50: a thoughtful twin dial control interface with a nice comfortable grip and well-positioned function buttons. We remain concerned about the lack of well-suited lenses (it’s hard for me to call for a lot of encouragement to use the 40mm F2 full-frame prime as the 60mm equivalent in DXZ models), but the promise of a wide-angle zoom and 24 and 26mm primes Improves things in this regard.

The Z30 seems to be doing enough to make Sony’s ZV-E10 not the default option for vulgar and social media photographers who want more creative control than their smartphones. We look forward to testing it more fully.

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