Nikon Z5IIC vs Nikon Z 6II
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonZ5IIC | NikonZ 6II | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | Coming 15 October 2026 | November 2020 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | Mirrorless | Mirrorless |
| Sensor format | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | Backside-illuminated CMOS | CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 35.9 × 23.9 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 24.5 MP | 24.5 MP |
| Largest image | 6048 × 4032 | 6048 × 4024 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–64000 | 100–51200 |
| Sensor detail | 25.28 million total pixels; image-dust-off reference data requires NX Studio | 25.28 million total pixels; image-sensor cleaning and Image Dust Off reference data. Photography Blog and TechRadar identify the sensor as backside-illuminated. |
| Image formats | 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless, high-efficiency star or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF recording | NEF RAW 12/14-bit with lossless, compressed or uncompressed options; medium/small RAW restricted to 12-bit lossless; JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus JPEG. DX, square and 16:9 still crops supported. |
| ISO detail | Standard SDR still-image ISO 100–64000; expanded equivalent ISO 50–204800. HLG stills start at ISO 400. | Expandable to equivalent ISO 50–204800; auto ISO available |
| Image processor | EXPEED 7 | Dual EXPEED 6 (Photography Blog and TechRadar) |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon Z mount | Nikon Z mount |
| Stabilisation | Sensor shift | Sensor shift |
| Maximum continuous burst | 30 fps | 14 fps |
| Lens detail | NIKKOR Z lenses; compatible NIKKOR F lenses require a mount adapter and retain model-dependent functional restrictions | NIKKOR Z lenses; compatible F-mount NIKKOR lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions |
| Autofocus | Hybrid phase/contrast detection; 273 single-point AF positions or 299 auto-area positions in FX still-image mode; 3D tracking. Maker low-light limit −10 EV uses AF-S, centre point, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C. | Hybrid phase/contrast detection, 273 single-point FX positions and human/animal eye detection. Maker sensitivity −4.5 EV or −6 EV with low-light AF, in AF-S at ISO 100, 20°C and f/2.0. |
| Shutter | Mechanical focal-plane, electronic first-curtain and electronic shutter; 1/8000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time; manual exposures extend to 900 seconds; flash sync 1/200 second | Mechanical focal-plane, electronic front-curtain and electronic shutters; 1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb/Time and manual extension to 900 seconds. Flash sync 1/200 second; Auto FP supported. |
| Burst detail | C30 high-speed frame capture reaches approximately 30 fps with pre-capture. Ordinary extended continuous shooting reaches approximately 14 fps or 15 fps with silent mode, for formats excluding RAW. Standard high-speed mechanical shooting reaches 7.8 fps. Figures are Nikon test-condition maxima. | Continuous H extended up to 14 fps; maker 14-bit NEF limit approximately 10 fps. Continuous H 5.5 fps and Continuous L 1–5 fps. TechRadar qualifies maximum 14 fps to 12-bit RAW and single-point AF; buffer/card/settings affect sustained speed. |
| Stabilisation detail | Five-axis sensor shift; Nikon claims up to 7.5 stops at centre and 6 stops at frame periphery under CIPA 2024 yaw/pitch/roll testing with NIKKOR Z 24–120mm f/4 S at its telephoto end in NORMAL mode | Five-axis image-sensor shift plus supported lens VR; TechRadar describes up to 5 stops of body stabilisation |
| Flash | ISO 518 hot shoe; i-TTL and Auto FP high-speed sync with compatible external Speedlights | No built-in flash; ISO 518 hot shoe with compatible i-TTL Speedlights and wireless-flash accessories |
| Exposure controls | P/S/A/M, Auto and 15 scene modes; still-image exposure compensation ±5 EV; Imaging Recipes and film-grain effects | Auto/P/S/A/M and three user-setting banks; compensation ±5 EV; matrix, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted metering |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 4032 × 2268 at 30 fps | 3840 × 2160 at 59.94 fps |
| Video detail | Japanese maker specification lists FX N-RAW 4032 × 2268 at up to 30p, DX N-RAW 3984 × 2240 at up to 30p, and conventional 3840 × 2160 up to 60p with a DX crop at 50p/60p. Nikon UK marketing describes 4K 60p N-RAW, conflicting with that detailed table; the main video fields follow the explicit Japanese RAW table. Full HD reaches 120p. H.265 8/10-bit, H.264 and 12-bit N-RAW; N-Log, HLG, REC lamp, waveform and USB UVC/UAC webcam support. Maximum single recording claim is 125 minutes, subject to temperature, battery and card conditions. | Firmware 1.10 adds UHD 3840 × 2160 up to 59.94p using DX-based image area and Normal movie quality; full-width UHD up to 29.97p. Full HD up to 119.88p, with 4×/5× slow-motion options. MOV/MP4 H.264, recordings up to 29 minutes 59 seconds with mode/card restrictions; electronic VR, timecode and time-lapse. External N-Log/HLG output; RAW video output requires a paid Nikon service upgrade and compatible recorder, with no RAW output at 4K/60p. UK technical page retains its old anticipated-February2021 wording; current Japan table and maker firmware announcement confirm the added mode. |
| Audio | Built-in stereo microphones; 3.5 mm external microphone input and headphone output; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for NEV/MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4 | Built-in stereo microphones or 3.5 mm external microphone with attenuator; PCM in MOV or AAC in MP4, headphone monitoring available |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | None | 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 with approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count display subpixels | Tilting touchscreen, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | Flat-top design without an electronic or optical viewfinder | 0.5-inch Quad-VGA OLED, approximately 3.69 million dots, 100% coverage, 0.8× magnification and 21 mm eyepoint |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 390 photographs | 450 photographs |
| Body weight | 538 g (better) | 615 g |
| Release detail | Announced globally on 24 September 2026. Nikon UK's body-only store states preorder shipping on 15 October 2026; Japan specifies 23 October 2026. Dates are planned availability, not completed retail sales. | Nikon Japan records first sale on 6 November 2020; exact first UK retail day is not independently established |
| Recording media | SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards with UHS-II support | One CFexpress Type B/XQD slot and one UHS-II SD/SDHC/SDXC slot; overflow, backup, RAW/JPEG separation and card copying |
| Ports | USB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets; headphone socket also accepts MC-DC3 remote release with automatic function switching | USB-C SuperSpeed USB, HDMI Type C mini connector, 3.5 mm microphone/headphone sockets and accessory terminal for compatible remote cords |
| Wireless connections | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud | Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac at 2.4/5 GHz and Bluetooth 4.2; SnapBridge |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL15c; CIPA approximately 390 still photographs with power saving enabled or 350 without, using NIKKOR Z 24–50mm f/4–6.3. Movie battery-life claim approximately 85 minutes. EN-EL15b/15a are compatible with shorter endurance. | EN-EL15c; CIPA monitor approximately 450 shots with power saving or 410 without; EVF 400 with power saving or 340 without. Movie battery claim approximately 100 minutes. Earlier EN-EL15 variants give fewer shots; optional MB-N11/MB-N10 hold two batteries. |
| Charging | USB charging with optional EH-8P and USB-C cable; EN-EL15c/15b can be charged in camera. Nikon UK's body-only store states no charger included. | USB-C charging/power with compatible equipment; in-camera charging supports EN-EL15c/15b; MH-25a external charger, optional EH-7P or compatible AC adapter with EP-5B connector |
| Dimensions | Approximately 134.0 × 80.5 × 72.0 mm | Approximately 134 × 100.5 × 69.5 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 538 g body only or 620 g with battery/card, excluding body cap and shoe cover. Nikon corrected the Japanese printed catalogue's erroneous 619 g figure on 28 September 2026. | Approximately 615 g body only or 705 g with battery/card, excluding body cap |
| Materials | Magnesium alloy in key body areas; dust- and drip-resistant design, without a guarantee in every situation | Magnesium-alloy body and weather sealing described by both reviews; maker operating range 0–40°C |
| Colours | Black or silver | – |
| In the box | Japanese exact-model specification lists EN-EL15c, AN-DC26 strap, USB-C cable, BS-1 shoe cover and BF-N1 body cap. The UK page also lists a DK-29 viewfinder eyepiece despite the camera having no viewfinder; that conflicting accessory is omitted here. | BF-N1 body cap, DK-29 eyecup, EN-EL15c battery, MH-25a charger, HDMI/USB clip, AN-DC19 strap, UC-E24 USB cable and BS-1 shoe cover; charger plug varies by region, current Japan also lists AN-DC26 as a strap alternative |
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