Nikon Z 30 | Our most compact, lightweight mirrorless stills/video camera | Nikon USA Model

My interest in camera began with my iPhone 11 few yrs back and upgraded to 14 pro but soon realized its limitations while vlogging as I've to settle for front camera instead of mighty rear camera. Z30 steps-up game significantly with more control on picture quality than a smartphone for video and Elgato facecam for streaming. Invest some time in learning the basics of picture composition (which's same for all camera brands) since it's a one-time investment to unleash full potential of this little Swiss army knife semi-pro camera. Youtube has very good tutorials on basics.Drawbacks and easy fixes:1) overheating while streaming: 4k overheats regardless of fps. Fortunately, 1080p 50fps is not overheating and can run as long as I need with Elgato 4k camlink. 1080p quality is fantastic ! Not missing 4k due to its crazy recording file sizes filling-up hard-drives quickly2)no view-finder: don't miss this as a one coming from smartphones generation3)no audio monitor: same as above. Never needed one while vlogging thru smartphone as I test check my levels before shoot4) crowded ports covering display: use left-angled micro HDMI and right-angled USB-c cable adaptersThis cam's lightweight, portability and low price overweighs these and any other limitations. Interestingly it has 11fps which's higher than its pricier full-frame Z5 bro. Mainly using this for video & streaming.UPDATED: after looking at raving reviews on Sony ZV-E10 + sigma 16mm lens, I gave it a try but had to return it back as:1) Nikon colors are more realistic than Sony right out of cam. Each video needs post-process to get good colors on zv-e102) 4k 30p is not cropped on z30 which's great for vlogging. enabling electronic-VR crops a bit on z30 but is still better than zv-e10's always cropped 4k 30p3) zv-e10 needs catalyst browser to fix vibration issues but z30 comes with decent VR built-in kit lens4) z30 display got touch screen both for controls and auto-focus while zv-e10 is all buttons. This's great in selfie mode when we can't see back buttons. Latter feature lets me touch any object on screen to begin auto-focus on it. No issues with auto-focus so far.5) sony+sigma setup feels bulky & heavy to hold for vlogging and bit more desk space for streaming compared to z30 with kit lens. You almost certainly feel need for gimbal with sony. z30 grip rocks !6) HDMI and USB-c ports are way too crowded on zv-e10 than z30. If either one of micro-hdmi or usb-c plugs are big, you're out of luck7) tally light on z30 is killer feature! it even blinks when it gets hot or low-battery8) nikon menu layout is lot intuitive and easier than sony9) z30 comes weather sealed unlike zv-e1011) audio quality on z30 is awesome12) after all the above, paying $300+ more for outdated zv-e10+sigma lens combo didn't make senseONLY Con this camera has compared to more recent released mirrorless cams of other brands in this budget is lack of UVC/UAC support to let us connect via USB without needing Elgato camlink and still get Z30's excellent 1080p quality streaming

The product arrived on time and in good condition. The camera itself is easy to use. It is user-friendly and the settings are easy to navigate. The included lens is sharp and video quality is amazing. I bought this camera to take videos when hiking and I’m amazed by how well it performed. Strong stabilization, clear frames, ease of use, compact form factor, and smooth adjustment screen. Coming from a DSLR, it did take a bit of time to get used to having no view finder. But once I did, it was easier to use than the view finder. The screen adjust to exposure settings, so what you’re seeing screen is the photo you’re taking. Overall great product.

Fantastic Nikon quality images and great auto focus in a small package!

I love this little camera. It has great picture quality. I can use any Z mount lens on it full frame (FX) or cropped (DX). With FTZ adapter you can use any F mount lens on it. I got this camera to use mostly for video, YouTube, talking head stuff and events. It has been working great. If you shoot in a flat profile you can apply LUTs to the footage. It's a cropped sensor so it will be a bit noisy in low light. There is no IBIS so I'm kitting mine out like a cine rig. The add weight will help to keep it stable. It's vary lite weight on it's own. Make a good carry around camera. I have not had any autofocus problems for what I use it for. It's a good vlogger camera. It shoots 1080p for 120 mins and 4k for 29mins. You can shoot logger if you get an external recorder. Like an Atomos Ninja V. Then you can shoot for as long as your battery last. The fits well in the hand. Nikon has great ergonomics.

Used Nikon D90 for a long time and decided to give this a try. I didn't want to spend anywhere close to $1000 for camera body for a hobby and wanted something more compact to carry. You can use a most of F mount lens with the adapter from Nikon, which was one of the major selling point. Having the floppy screen was great, as it allowed me to position the camera in any direction/ vantage point that I couldn't do with tilt or stuck-on monitor. This is same advantage over using the smart phone, plus you get much better picture quality.Picture is great! No complaint there.Need to get over the no view finder on the camera. Same with Sony ZV-E10. If you are more used to smart phone photo, no issues what so ever.One thing to remember, (for photo) there is no "focus is locked" beep sound when not using AF-S. Only AF-S mode will give you the green focus confirmation and beep sound.Vs. Sony ZV-e10:I really wanted to hold on to Z30, as there are definitely additional benefits/ease using the camera and picture quality is excellent. However, ultimately decided to return Z30 due to focus issue on video. For a camera that is being sold and designed more for video, I found focus issue very odd. It was better photo camera than being the video camera.Pro vs. Sony ZV-E10:No cropping on 4K.Video stabilization is same as Sony, they both suck and will require work post production. However, no cropping on 4k helps with having less crop necessary at post production.Ergonomic is much better. Beefy grip.2 dials to control aperture and shutter speed + ISO button is by the shutter. Don't have to go through menu to pick it. Sony has 2 dials too but not as easy to use. More clicks are needed.Better picture quality. I found picture quality much better in Nikon.Some weather sealing vs none in Sony.2x FN button that you can assign desired setting.Nikon lens adapter allows you to use F mount lenses. Huge plus. Autofocus works well when shooting photo. Your option for lens really opens up because of this. Only caveat is that new FTZ I and 2 adaptor add length and size to your set up. FTZ 2 adapter doesn't give the hump on the bottom vs FTZ 1, but it's like $270...look for a used one. Used FTZ 1 adapter can be found for around $170.ISO/noise is definitely less in Nikon Z30 for both photo and video. How the Nikon takes care of the noise with higher ISO is amazing. In dark environment, even at F1.4 or 1.8, you do have to use higher ISO. I definitely find Nikon Z30 image to be cleaner than Sony.Con vs. Sony ZV-E10:People/face tracking is not always solid.Shutter sound is somewhat "sad" or not pleasing.No HDR recording.Lens options are limited and more expensive due to less 3rd party making lenses for Nikon Z line.Body+kit lens combo is slightly cheaper than Sony, but prime lenses will definitely cost more.No zoom control on dial for zoom lenses.Everything for Z30 was working great except when I realized many videos were not autofocusing on the person (in human eye/face tracking mode). Results were same for prime and zoom lenses, whether they were Nikon F lenses on the adapter or Nikon Z mount lenses. When camera or the person is not moving much, it's fine. When person is moving or camera is moving (slowly) around the person, face and eye detection does happen, but focus is not on the person. It's very odd.Once the focused person is outside of the frame and then back, eye/face tracking sometimes does not work and when it does, focus is not on the person. Focus is stuck on the background. As a result, I don't know if person is actually in focus. I tried it with 4 different lenses and same result. Very frustrating. I have to constantly focus point on the screen, which beats the purpose of the autofocus and also cause shakes on the video. Only solution was having the high F number to keep everything in the frame in focus. However, when subject moves slightly toward the camera, focus is gone on the subject, despite face/eye being tracked. Z30 has around 200+ focus point vs. ZV-E10 with 400+ points. Perhaps that is the issue? It's worse in "darker" environment with eye/face tracking and focus. Red light keeps blinking, telling you that the focus is not happening.If you are using the F lenses with adapter and hear the noise from lens trying to auto-focus, there is no way around this. You need to buy the Z adapter lens...no issue with noise. It's dead quite.I played with several different auto-focus options, sensitivity, speed, and block recovery....all lead to same problem. I really like this camera for photo, but can't trust that videos. Sorry, will have to go back.

Fantastic kit for getting into the “game” love this unit so far!!