Nikon Z50II vs Nikon Z5II
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonZ50II | NikonZ5II | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | November 2024 | April 2025 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor format | APS-C | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | Back-illuminated CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 23.5 × 15.7 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 20.9 MP | 24.5 MP |
| Largest image | 5568 × 3712 | 6048 × 4032 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–51200 | 100–64000 |
| Sensor detail | 21.51 million total pixels; Japanese exact specification gives 20.88 million effective, rounded to 20.9 on Nikon UK. Image-dust-off reference data requires NX Studio. | 25.28 million total pixels; sensor-cleaning function and image-dust-off reference data for NX Studio |
| Image formats | 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF | 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless, high-efficiency star or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF |
| ISO detail | Standard still-image ISO 100–51200, expandable to equivalent ISO 204800; HLG starts at ISO 400. Movie ISO 100–25600, with N-Log-specific limits. | Standard still-image ISO 100–64000; expanded equivalent ISO 50–204800; HLG starts at ISO 400. Conventional movie ISO 100–51200. |
| Image processor | EXPEED 7 | EXPEED 7 |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon Z mount | Nikon Z mount |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | Sensor shift |
| Maximum continuous burst | 30 fps | 30 fps |
| Lens detail | NIKKOR Z FX and DX lenses; FX lenses have a DX field-of-view crop. F-mount NIKKOR lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions. | NIKKOR Z lenses; NIKKOR F lenses require a mount adapter, with model-dependent functional restrictions |
| Autofocus | Hybrid phase/contrast detection; 209 single-point or 231 auto-area positions, nine subject types, 3D tracking and AF-A. Nikon's −9 EV sensitivity uses AF-S, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C. | Hybrid phase/contrast detection; 273 single-point or 299 auto-area positions in FX stills; 3D tracking, nine subject types and AF-A automatic AF-S/AF-C selection. Nikon's −10 EV sensitivity uses AF-S, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C. |
| Shutter | Mechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic; 1/4000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time, extendable to 900 seconds in manual mode. Flash sync up to 1/250 second with reduced guide number above 1/200; Auto FP supported. | Mechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic shutter; 1/8000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time, extendable to 900 seconds in manual mode; flash sync at 1/200 second or slower and Auto FP support |
| Burst detail | Extended continuous shooting approximately 11 fps, or 15 fps silent; ordinary high approximately 5.6 fps, rising to 9.7 fps silent without RAW. C15/C30 high-speed capture with pre-release capture reaches 30 fps for JPEGs, not RAW. | Ordinary continuous high approximately 7.8 fps mechanical, 9.4 fps electronic front-curtain or 10 fps silent. Extended high approximately 14 fps, or 15 fps silent, with JPEG-only restrictions at the highest extended rate. C15/C30 high-speed frame capture supports pre-release capture; main 30 fps is electronic-shutter JPEG normal, not RAW. |
| Stabilisation detail | No sensor-shift stabilisation; optical stabilisation depends on a VR lens. Electronic video VR adds a crop. | Five-axis sensor shift; maker claim up to 7.5 stops at the centre or 6 at the periphery under CIPA 2024 using NIKKOR Z 24–120mm f/4 S at the telephoto end in NORMAL mode. Focus Point VR has compatible-lens and focus-mode restrictions. |
| Flash | Manual pop-up flash, guide number approximately 7 at ISO 100 in metres; i-TTL and ISO 518 accessory shoe | No built-in flash; ISO 518 accessory shoe and compatible external i-TTL Speedlights |
| Exposure controls | Auto, P/S/A/M and scene modes; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation | Auto, P/S/A/M and three user settings; ±5 EV still-image compensation |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps | 4032 × 2268 at 30 fps |
| Video detail | UHD 3840 × 2160 up to 60p, with additional crop at 50/60p; full-width DX UHD up to 30p is oversampled from 5.6K. Full HD up to 120p; H.265 8/10-bit and H.264, N-Log and HLG, waveform, timecode, tally lamp, Product Review mode and Full HD Hi-Res Zoom. Maker recording limit 125 minutes, subject to conditions; no internal RAW video listed. | N-RAW 12-bit at 4032 × 2268 up to 30p in FX or 3984 × 2240 up to 30p in DX. Conventional UHD 3840 × 2160 reaches 60p with DX crop; uncropped UHD reaches 30p and Full HD reaches 120p. H.265 8/10-bit and H.264; N-Log, HLG, RED LUT support, waveform, timecode, proxy recording and Full HD Hi-Res Zoom. Recording-time limit 125 minutes, subject to conditions. |
| Audio | Built-in stereo microphones; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4; external microphone and headphone monitoring | Built-in stereo microphones; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for NEV and MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4; external microphone and headphone monitoring |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Electronic | Electronic |
| Screen size | 3.2″ | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 1,040,000 | 2,100,000 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Tilting screen | Yes | Yes |
| Display detail | Vari-angle TFT, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels | Vari-angle TFT with approximately 100% frame coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | 0.39-inch XGA OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, 1.02× magnification and 19.5 mm eyepoint; maker maximum brightness claim 1000 cd/m² | 0.5-inch OLED, approximately 3.69 million dots, 100% coverage, 0.8× magnification and 21 mm eyepoint; Nikon UK claims 3000 cd/m² maximum brightness and 60 Hz refresh |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 250 photographs | 390 photographs |
| Body weight | 495 g (better) | 620 g |
| Release detail | Announced in November 2024; Nikon US states availability in late November 2024. Month precision is retained because an exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed. | Announced on 3 April 2025. Nikon's later Z5IIC announcement explicitly identifies the Z5II as released in April 2025; month precision is retained because an exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed. |
| Recording media | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot supporting UHS-II, in the battery compartment | Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots supporting UHS-II; overflow, backup and separate file-format recording |
| Ports | USB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone output, the latter also supports MC-DC3 remote release | USB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; MC-DC3 remote-release connection |
| Wireless connections | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL25a; CIPA approximately 250 monitor shots with power saving enabled or 230 without; EVF 240 with power saving or 220 without. Tested with NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR; movie battery-life claim 55 minutes. EN-EL25 compatibility gives shorter battery life; Photography Blog's 300-shot EN-EL25 narrative is not the current maker claim. | EN-EL15c; CIPA approximately 390 shots with the monitor and power saving enabled, 350 without; EVF 380 with power saving or 330 without. Tested with NIKKOR Z 24–70mm f/4 S. Movie battery-life claim approximately 85 minutes. Photography Blog quotes a different monitor-shot figure; main follows Nikon's full specification. |
| Charging | USB charging and power with compatible equipment; optional EH-8P adapter | USB charging and power delivery with compatible equipment; EN-EL15b/15a compatibility has restrictions. Nikon UK states no charger included. |
| Dimensions | Approximately 127 × 96.8 × 66.5 mm | Approximately 134 × 100.5 × 72 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 495 g body only or 550 g including battery/card, excluding body cap | Approximately 620 g body only or 700 g including battery and memory card, excluding body cap |
| Materials | – | Magnesium-alloy top and rear covers; dust- and drip-resistant construction |
| In the box | EN-EL25a battery, AN-DC29 strap, USB-C cable and BF-N1 body cap | EN-EL15c battery, AN-DC26 strap, DK-29 eyepiece, BS-1 shoe cover, BF-N1 body cap and USB cable |
More comparisons
- Nikon Z5II vs Nikon Z5IIC
- Nikon Z50II vs Nikon Z5IIC
- Canon EOS R8 Mark II vs Nikon Z5II
- Nikon Z5II vs Sony Alpha 7 V
- Fujifilm X-T30 III vs Nikon Z50II
- Fujifilm X-T30 III vs Nikon Z5II
- Canon EOS R6 Mark III vs Nikon Z5II
- Nikon Z5II vs Nikon ZR
- Nikon Z50II vs Nikon ZR
- Fujifilm X-E5 vs Nikon Z50II
- Nikon Z5II vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R III
- Nikon Z5II vs Panasonic LUMIX S1II
- Nikon Z5II vs Panasonic LUMIX S1IIE
- Nikon Z 5 vs Nikon Z5II
- Canon EOS R8 vs Nikon Z5II
- Canon EOS R50 V vs Nikon Z50II

