Nikon Z 30 With Two Lenses | Compact Mirrorless Stills/Video Camera

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 quickly
2)no view-finder: don’t miss this as a one coming from smartphones generation
3)no audio monitor: same as above. Never needed one while vlogging thru smartphone as I test check my levels before shoot
4) crowded ports covering display: use left-angled micro HDMI and right-angled USB-c cable adapters

This 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-e10
2) 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 30p
3) zv-e10 needs catalyst browser to fix vibration issues but z30 comes with decent VR built-in kit lens
4) 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 luck
7) tally light on z30 is killer feature! it even blinks when it gets hot or low-battery
8) nikon menu layout is lot intuitive and easier than sony
9) z30 comes weather sealed unlike zv-e10
11) audio quality on z30 is awesome
12) after all the above, paying $300+ more for outdated zv-e10+sigma lens combo didn’t make sense

ONLY 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

Got tired of lugging my Nikon D810 around on vacations. But after trying, my Iphone 15 was just inadequate, missing things like aperture control. So i just bought the Z30 with DX16-50 lens.

First thing, this kit COMES with a battery, so you do not need to buy one. Also it can chage thru a USB cable, so you do not need to buy a charger. Also comes with a nikon branded camera carry strap.

So far i am liking it. Has a TON of controls, and wifi/bluetooth connectivity. We shall see how it does on the road, but it looks promising. I picked the Z30 over Z50 because the design is four years more recent, and it weight less and has a slightly smaller size. I will miss a viewfinder, but for low weight on a trip, i am willing to sacrifice.

Also, the Z30 has an unlimited run time for taking videos. The Z50 apparently overheats at 30 minutes of 4K video. AND the price was right.

I bought this camera after dropping my canon in the bath tub on accident and I must say that Nikon DID NOT disappoint. The camera is beautiful , takes amazing videos and pictures. LOVE LOVE LOVE

I would have given this 5 stars but didn’t because the battery life is horrible. It maybe lasts for 2 hours.

The second reason for only 4 stars is that it only allows you to connect to the computer with the cable that came with is. You can’t even connect with a high quality usb-c cable. Is there a firmware update that could fix this cable limitation?

Finally: if the camera is on it won’t charge the battery while plugged in. It apparently only charges when the camera is off. I could not even plug it into a USB cable and charge while recording, it just shut off the display and said shutter was turned off because the battery was dead. I had to stop recording and let it charge.

It would be nice if you could do 4k at 60 fps. But 1080p is good enough for YouTube.

I like it that the screen folds out to the side that way you can put it in a tripod and still see the screen. Overall I am happy with the video quality and get a good range with the zoom on the included lense.

10/10

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.