Nikon Z Z30
Panasonic Lumix S S5 II Black 2023
What Buyers Say
Nikon Z Z30
The Nikon Z30 is widely praised for its compact size, light weight, and excellent image quality, especially for video and vlogging. Users love the intuitive touchscreen, fast autofocus, and realistic color science, though many note the lack of a viewfinder and overheating during extended 4K recording as drawbacks. Battery charging is slow via USB and no charger is included, but overall it's considered a fantastic value for beginner content creators and travel photographers.
Pros
- Compact and lightweight design
- Excellent video quality
- Intuitive touchscreen controls
- Fast and accurate autofocus
- Realistic color science straight out of camera
Cons
- No built-in viewfinder
- Overheating during extended 4K recording
- Slow USB battery charging
- No battery charger included in box
- Screen difficult to see in bright sunlight
Panasonic Lumix S S5 II Black 2023
The Panasonic Lumix S5II is overwhelmingly praised as a fantastic hybrid camera that finally brings phase-detect autofocus to the L-mount lineup. Users highlight its excellent video features, including a fan for unlimited recording, great stabilization, and beautiful color science, all at a very competitive price. A few long-term users report a shutter button issue, and some note the limited lens selection compared to Sony, but the vast majority consider it the best value full-frame camera under $2,000.
Pros
- Excellent phase-detect autofocus
- Great video quality and codecs
- Internal fan prevents overheating
- Outstanding image stabilization
- Beautiful color science
Cons
- Shutter button issue after extended use
- Limited lens selection compared to Sony
- APS-C crop in 4K 60p
- Rolling shutter at fast pans
- External monitor disables internal display info
Scores
Specifications
| Nikon Z Z30 | Panasonic Lumix S S5 II | |
|---|---|---|
| Sensor | ||
| Type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Size | aps-c | full-frame |
| Megapixels | 20.899999618530273 MP | 24.200000762939453 MP★ |
| ISO Range | 100 | 100 |
| Processor | EXPEED 6 | L2 |
| Autofocus | ||
| AF Points | ||
| AF Type | Photo, VideoPhase Detection: 209 | Photo, VideoContrast Detection, Phase Detection: 779 |
| Eye AF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Animal AF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Subject Detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shooting | ||
| Burst (Mechanical) | 11 fps | 30 fps★ |
| Burst (Electronic) | 11 fps | 30 fps★ |
| Max Shutter | 1/4000 | 1/8000 |
| Electronic Shutter | ✓ | ✓ |
| Video | ||
| Max Resolution | 4K | 6K★ |
| 4K FPS | 30 fps | 60 fps★ |
| 1080p FPS | 120 fps★ | 100 fps |
| 10-bit | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Log Profile | ✓ | ✓ |
| RAW Video | ✗ | ✓★ |
| Codec | H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding | H.264/H.265/MOV/MP4/ProRes 4:2:2/4:2:0 8/10-Bit |
| Display & EVF | ||
| Screen Size | 3" | 3" |
| Touchscreen | ✓ | ✓ |
| Articulating | ✓ | ✓ |
| EVF Resolution | 1.0M dots | 3.7M dots★ |
| Build | ||
| Weather Sealed | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weight | 0.35 kg★ | 0.66 kg |
| Battery Life | 330 shots | 370 shots★ |
| Connectivity | ||
| Wi-Fi | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| USB | USB-C | USB-C |
| HDMI | Micro HDMI Type D★ | HDMI Output |
| Hot Shoe | ✓ | ✓ |
Pros & Cons
Nikon Z Z30
- Strong connectivity (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong battery (91st percentile)91st %ile
- Strong build (90th percentile)90th %ile
- Strong display (87th percentile)87th %ile
Panasonic Lumix S S5 II Black 2023
- Strong display (99th percentile)99th %ile
- Strong af (98th percentile)98th %ile
- Strong build (96th percentile)96th %ile
- Strong connectivity (96th percentile)96th %ile
Verdict
Scores 97 overall, wins 10 of 10 usage categories and 10 of 33 specs.