The Nikon Z5 is a camera that’s easy to fall for, but only if you keep your expectations in check. It’s like a gateway drug for the world of full-frame mirrorless photography – a step up from entry-level DSLRs, but it’s not here to replace the big dogs like the Z6II.

Let’s get personal. The build is solid, and it feels good in your hands. Weather-sealing gives it some toughness points, but don’t plan on taking it into a hurricane.

Image quality? It’s a sweet spot. The 24.3-megapixel sensor is no slouch, but it’s not the resolution king. Still, your shots will pop with good detail, and it’s decent in low light.

Autofocus? It’s like your trusty old dog – it’ll fetch the ball, but don’t ask it to do backflips. Basic shooting is fine, but it won’t track a speeding car like the Z6II.

Video? It’s okay for family movies and YouTube, but don’t expect Hollywood quality. Full HD is fine, but 4K isn’t in its playbook.

Battery life? Solid. You can shoot a day away without hunting for outlets.

In a nutshell, the Nikon Z5 is your buddy for the photography journey. It’s not the flashiest or the most advanced, but it’s dependable. Just remember, it’s not gonna give you the Z6II’s magic, but hey, it’s a start.

Here’s the bottom line on this model. It is the same Nikon quality you know, love, and expect at a much more attainable price point. It has dual SD UHS-II card slots, and uses the newest variation of the EN-EL15 battery from Nikon (EN-EL15c). I refuse to call it “entry-level.”

So if you have been on the fence about Nikon mirrorless because of the single XQD card slot in the Z6 or Z7, this is a great way to dip your toe in the mirrorless water and even dive in if you want.

SD cards are ubiquitous and inexpensive. It has been flawless with the FTZ adapter and my F mount lenses. It does uncropped 1080p HD video, and can do cropped 4K video. I don’t do much video at all, so I don’t mind. 1080p is enough for me right now anyway. I am not a pro (maybe someday…). I do wish it had a little faster frames per second for stills. 4.5 is ok, but not great.

I liked the Z5 so much, I sold off my F bodies and bought a second Z5! Now I have two of these for the day I go pro as a wedding photographer! You always need a backup.

There’s a lot of reviewers on the ‘Tube who have been talking down to Nikon for its mirrorless efforts, but the fact of the matter is, Nikon is doing a great job in its first generation of full frame mirrorless. The Z5 (for me), Z6II, and Z7II (both unreleased at the time of this review), have everything we need. There’s no reason to jump ship to another brand now. IBIS and Eye autofocus are all onboard the Nikon mirrorless cameras.

Don’t get caught up in the reviews (especially outdated ones) that make it seem like everyone buying cameras is a professional wedding photographer who needs 4k video 100% of the time in one hand while photographing birds, wildlife, and sports at 20fps in the other hand, all at the same time. If that’s not you, do you care if you have one card slot, or can’t record in uncropped 4k? All we need is a little perspective. Find the right camera for you and go have fun.

EVF needs a menu option to control the time the EVF is active to the time it shuts off, once you pull your eye from the viewfinder. It takes about 250ms for the EVF to register an eye (or object) is near the viewfinder to the time it turns on the viewfinder. In most cases it is just a slight annoyance, but it can hinder some shots if you’re an active shooter in a dynamic setting.

Otherwise the IQ is great — half stop improvement over my D750. The Buffer is deep. I paired it with the 3rd party grip that supports 3rd party batteries. Works well.

Taking video through the viewfinder is such a wonderful experience over using the rear panel, especially in daylight.

Having the ability to 2x zoom in to your subject through the viewfinder makes even manual focus lenses a snap.

This paired with the 50 f/1.8 S is such a solid, near-silent combo.

I doubt I will ever go back to DSLR. To the point I sold my D750.