Nikon Z30 Review
We tested the most compact and lightweight camera in the Z series, the Nikon Z30
Verdict
The Nikon Z30 is a great little vlogging camera for capturing day-to-day 4K video. The controls and touch interface are easy to get your head around and the interchangeable lens mount offers great versatility, but it has a lot of competition.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design
- Beginner-friendly controls
- Interchangeable lens mount offers more versatility
Cons
- No in-body image stabilisation
- Lacks features found on similarly-priced rivals
Availability
- UKRRP: £649
- USARRP: $659.95
Key Features
- Compact designSmallest and lightest camera in the Nikon Z series
- Made for vlogging4K/30p video capture and full-time AF
- APS-C sensorThe same one found in the Nikon Z fc
- LCD touch displayWith a vari-angle hinge
Introduction
In 2022, Nikon introduced the Z30, a small and lightweight mirrorless camera built for vlogging.
On paper, the Z30 includes all the basics you’d expect from a vlogging camera, including a vari-angle monitor, simple controls and 4K UHD video support. It even has an interchangeable lens mount over the fixed lens available with some more entry-level vlogging cameras.
But, how does the Nikon Z30 perform in the real world?
Design
- The Z30 is the smallest and lightest Z series camera
- It has an interchangeable lens mount and a solid grip
- The vari-angle display is sharp and responsive
The Z30 is smallest and most lightweight camera in the mirrorless Nikon Z series at 128 x 73.5 x 59.5mm and 405g with the battery and memory card included.
That’s slightly larger and heavier than the three Sony ZV cameras, but significantly smaller and less than half the weight of another of our best vlogging cameras, the Panasonic Lumix GH6.
Like the Panasonic and the Sony ZV-E10, the Nikon Z30 comes with an interchangeable lens mount, allowing you to swap out the DX 16-50mm kit lens (if you opt for the combo) with any Nikkor Z lens. You can also pair the camera with Nikon’s DSLR F-mount lenses provided you buy the optional Mount Adapter FTZ II along with it.
An interchangeable lens mount also calls for a chunky grip to support bigger lenses and I found that the Z30’s grip was deep enough to offer a solid hold of the camera.
Combined with its lightweight build, the Z30 is easy to carry around in one hand and at no point did I worry about it slipping out of my hand.
The Nikon Z30 has a 3-inch vari-angle monitor. I found the LCD display to be bright and sharp enough to offer a detailed preview of my images and the touchscreen was responsive when tapped. Meanwhile, the vari-angle hinge means you can turn the monitor to face yourself when vlogging.
As far as physical controls go, the Z30 has a good number of buttons without appearing cluttered. You’ve got the basics, like the arrow keys, menu, modes dial and shutter release, as well as a couple of customisable Fn buttons, ISO and exposure controls and a chunky red record button, among others.
When it comes to ports, there are USB-C, HDMI and mic inputs. However, the camera lacks a headphone jack to easily monitor sound.
The Nikon Z30 supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards and there’s a hot shoe on top of the camera for accessories.
Features
- The AF system works well for everyday vlogging
- You can get some stylised results with the Creative Picture Control modes
- The app makes it easy to transfer footage to a smartphone
Given that the Z30 is designed for vlogging, Nikon has packed the camera with some useful video features.
That includes a hybrid phase detection and contrast detection autofocus system with 209 focus points and Full-time AF.
Full-time AF allows you to lock the focus onto your subject as you film. This means you won’t need to worry about continuously refocusing while walking down busy streets or filming your own face out and about. I found that the AF did a good job of quickly latching on and staying where I wanted it, though it did sometimes struggle to focus on items placed too close to the camera.
Meanwhile, Eye-Detection AF and Animal-Detection AF seek out people, cats and dogs to ensure their eyes are kept sharp. The subject detection isn’t as advanced as that on a higher-end hybrid camera like the Fujifilm X-H2S, which can track modes of transport, like cars, planes and trains, as well as humans and animals, but it should be sufficient for day-to-day vlogging.
If you’re looking to give your photos and videos a specific look, there are 20 Creative Picture Control filters to choose from. These are a bit like Fujifilm’s Film Simulation filters and make it easy to get a uniform, stylised look right in-camera.
Nikon has definitely missed a few tricks when it comes to vlogging features. For example, Sony’s ZV-E10, ZV-1 and ZV-1F offer features like Product Showcase, which makes adjusting the focus more seamless when you hold an item in front of the camera and take it away. I found the Z30 to be quite good at focusing on items placed in front of the lens, but the camera was sluggish to refocus when those items were taken away.
The Z30 also doesn’t offer any equivalent to Sony’s bokeh switch, which makes it possible to blur your background with the push of a button. You can get a diffused background with the Z30, but turning it on and off isn’t as seamless as one click.
When it comes to connectivity options, the Nikon Z30 supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can pair the camera with the SnapBridge app to transfer images and videos to your phone wirelessly, which should make it easy for content creators and vloggers to get their content from the camera up onto their social media platform of choice.
As far as the battery goes, Nikon claims the Z30 is capable of shooting 125 minutes of video in FHD, but this number drops to 35 minutes when faced with 4K. I found the camera was able to last a full day taking it in and out of my bag as I captured footage around Central London.
Image and video quality
- Images are vibrant with a decent amount of depth, but this is definitely a video-first camera
- 4K footage is bright and sharp
- There’s no in-body image stabilisation
The Nikon Z30 takes advantage of the same 20.9-megapixel image sensor found in the Nikon Z fc. However, unlike its fellow Nikon, the Z30 isn’t designed primarily for snapping stills. That doesn’t mean it’s bad at taking photos, but I wouldn’t recommend this camera if its main purpose will be photography and not video.
Images captured with the Nikon Z30 are sharp and saturated with a good amount of depth to them, but the results don’t feel like a substantial enough step up from our best camera phones to justify picking one up for this purpose.
Both the 11fps burst mode and the zoom features feel limited, but I did like how bright and detailed selfies appear when snapped with the camera.
The camera is capable of producing punchy results in low light with an ISO range that extends from 100 to 51200 for stills and 100 to 25600 for video. However, I wouldn’t recommend pushing it past 3200 as this is where I found noise began to crop up in my images.
For video, the Nikon Z30 is capable of capturing 4K video at 30p or 1080p at up to 120p, putting the camera directly on par with Sony’s ZV series in terms of quality. There’s also support for slow-motion capture in FHD.
I found video taken with the Z30 to be detailed and vibrant as you can see in the 4K footage below.
Unfortunately, there’s no in-body image stabilisation, but Nikon has included a vibration reduction setting to help a bit with keeping footage steady. I didn’t find the results to be super smooth, but I did test the camera alongside DJI’s new RS 3 Mini gimbal and would definitely recommend this pairing if you want shake-free results.
Finally, there’s the audio quality. The Nikon Z30 comes with a built-in stereo mic which I found to be good, but there’s also a port for an external mic so if you want to boost the sound quality you have that option.
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Should you buy it?
You want a 4K vlogging camera: While the Z30 isn’t short of competitors, the camera is compact, beginner-friendly and capable of producing some punchy 4K video. It’s also versatile with a good range of Nikon lenses supported.
You want a camera to take photos: While the Z30 does produce some nice stills, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with no interest in video. This is a vlogging camera first.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a good starter vlogging camera, the Nikon Z30 has a lot to like. The video quality is sharp and vibrant, the AF system is accurate and the design is easy to slip into a bag.
The camera also has a simple set of buttons and touch interface, making it easy to transition from filming on your smartphone to using the mirrorless camera. The ability to send footage straight to the mobile app to upload on social media is very handy in this regard.
Considering the camera is very similarly priced to Sony’s ZV series, I would have liked to have seen more unique vlogging features along the lines of Sony’s bokeh switch and Product Showcase mode.
Likewise, If you want to push beyond 4K, you may want to consider the Panasonic Lumix GH6. This camera supports 5.7K video at 60p as well as Apple ProRes 422 HQ, though the GH6 is definitely a bigger investment at almost £2000.
How we test
We test every camera we review thoroughly. We use set tests to compare features properly and we use it as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Used the camera for several weeks
Tested both the video and image modes
Took the camera out in the evening to test its low light performance
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FAQs
No, the Z30 has an APS-C sensor.
Yes, the Z30 can capture 4K/30p or FHD/120p.
The Nikon Z30 supports continuous shooting at up to 11fps.
Full specs
Jargon buster
USB-C
The modern USB connector you’ll find on most Android phones, new laptops, cameras and games consoles. It’s reversible and used for charging along with data-transfer.Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a method of wireless transmission that allows for the exchange of data between devices over short distances.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
