Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera review

Explore Nikon’s new Z30, a high-performance mirrorless camera that combines knowledge with innovation. Experience sharp images and stunning videos with blur-free clarity now!

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera summary

Review Title: Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera
Available Models: Nikon Z9 mirrorless camera, Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera, Nikon Z7ii mirrorless camera, Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera, Nikon Z6II mirrorless camera, Nikon Z6 mirrorless camera review, Nikon Z5 mirrorless camera, Nikon Z50 mirrorless camera, Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera, Nikon Zfc mirrorless camera
Review Category: #Nikon #MirrorlessCamera
Price Range: 2 (where 1 is very cheap and 5 is very expensive based on a comparison of products in the same category)
Price: $659.95

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera product highlights

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera product highlights:

APS-C size
20.9 megapixels
ISO 100-51200
EXPEED 6
Eye-/Animal-DetectionAF
Vari-angle monitor
125-min. recording
REC lamp
Touchscreen
4K UHD/30p
Creative Picture Controls
Self-portrait mode
SnapBridge
Webcam Utility

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera features

The Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera is a compact and lightweight camera designed for high-quality video and still photography. It features an APS-C size/DX-format image sensor, an EXPEED 6 image-processing engine, and NIKKOR Z lenses, delivering excellent video quality. The camera has a standard sensitivity range of ISO 100-51200, allowing you to capture beautiful footage and photos without noise, even in low-light conditions.

With Eye-/Animal-Detection autofocus, the Nikon Z30 keeps your subjects in focus, whether you’re shooting videos or stills. This feature is particularly useful for capturing moving subjects and ensures that they remain sharp and clear.

The Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera is equipped with a versatile vari-angle touch-sensitive monitor, which can be tilted and adjusted to shoot from various angles. It allows you to take selfies, shoot from low angles, high angles, or even at waist level, giving you flexibility in composing your shots.

The Nikon Z30 offers an extended recording time of up to 125 minutes for continuous video recording, ensuring you can capture longer events without interruption.

As the smallest and lightest mirrorless camera in the Z series, the Nikon Z30 is highly portable and easy to carry. Its design is optimized for video shooting, with features such as a REC lamp, dedicated video-record button, ergonomic grip, and well-placed buttons, making it ideal for content creators.

The camera includes various creative features, including 4K UHD/30p video recording, Creative Picture Controls, slow motion, and time-lapse. These features allow you to explore your creativity and add unique elements to your videos and photos.

Nikon provides content creator-friendly applications and software for the Nikon Z30, including SnapBridge for easy image transfer and remote shooting, NX Studio’s Movie Editor for editing videos, and Webcam Utility for using the camera as a webcam.

In summary, the Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera offers high-quality video and still photography capabilities in a compact and user-friendly package. It is designed to cater to the needs of content creators, with its optimized design, versatile monitor, and creative features, making it an excellent choice for capturing and sharing your creative vision.

Nikon Z30 mirrorless shutter speed and type

The Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera offers different shutter options to suit various shooting needs. It includes an electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter, an electronic front-curtain shutter, and an electronic shutter. The shutter speed range is from 1/4000 to 30 seconds, adjustable in steps of 1/3 EV. It also features bulb and time modes for long-exposure photography. The flash sync speed is set at 1/200 seconds or slower, allowing you to synchronize the flash with the shutter.

Additionally, the Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera supports auto FP high-speed sync for using the flash at faster shutter speeds.

Nikon Z30 image sensor

The Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera features a high-quality image sensor that captures stunning photos. The image sensor has dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm, which is known as the Nikon DX format. This sensor size ensures excellent image quality and allows for a compact camera body. The total number of pixels on the sensor is 21.51 million, resulting in sharp and detailed images.

To maintain the cleanliness of the sensor, the Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera includes a dust-reduction system. This system utilizes Image Dust Off reference data, which can be utilized with the NX Studio software, to minimize the appearance of dust particles and keep your images clean and clear.

Our final opinion about Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera

The Nikon Z30 is an excellent choice for anyone looking for a quality, lightweight mirrorless camera at a reasonable price. It offers great image quality, good build quality, and a range of features that make it a great choice for photography enthusiasts of all levels. It’s well-suited for landscape, portrait, and street photography, as well as all-round photography.

This Nikon Z30 is a great choice for anyone looking for an affordable mirrorless option that will never let them down.

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera technical specifications

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera technical specifications:

Type

Type of camera	Digital camera with support for interchangeable lenses
Lens mount	Nikon Z mount

Nikon Z30 lens

Compatible lenses	Z mount NIKKOR lenses F mount NIKKOR lenses (mount adapter required; restrictions may apply)

Effective pixels

Effective pixels	20.9 million

Nikon Z30 image sensor

Type	23.5 x 15.7 mm CMOS sensor (Nikon DX format)
Total pixels	21.51 million
Dust-reduction system	Image Dust Off reference data (NX Studio software required)

Storage

Image size (pixels)	[DX (24 x 16)] selected for image area: 5568 x 3712 (Large: 20.7 M), 4176 x 2784 (Medium: 11.6 M), 2784 x 1856 (Small: 5.2 M) [1:1 (16 x 16)] selected for image area: 3712 x 3712 (Large: 13.8 M), 2784 x 2784 (Medium: 7.8 M), 1856 x 1856 (Small: 3.4 M) [16:9 (24 x 14)] selected for image area: 5568 x 3128 (Large: 17.4 M), 4176 x 2344 (Medium: 9.8 M), 2784 x 1560 (Small: 4.3 M) Photographs taken while recording videos at a frame size of 3840 x 2160: 3840 x 2160 Photographs taken while recording videos at other frame sizes: 1920 x 1080
Nikon Z30 file format (image quality)	NEF (RAW): 12 or 14-bit JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx.1:8), or basic (approx.1:16) compression NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera Picture Control system	Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat, Creative Picture Controls (Dream, Morning, Pop, Sunday, Somber, Dramatic, Silence, Bleached, Melancholic, Pure, Denim, Toy, Sepia, Blue, Red, Pink, Charcoal, Graphite, Binary, Carbon); selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
Media	SD (Secure Digital), and UHS-I compliant SDHC and SDXC memory cards

Monitor

Monitor	7.5-cm/3.0-in. approx. 1040k-dot vari-angle TFT touch-sensitive LCD with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% frame coverage, and color balance and 11-level manual brightness controls

Nikon Z30 shutter

Type	Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter; electronic shutter
Speed	1/4000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3 EV, bulb, time
Flash sync speed	Synchronizes with shutter at X=1/200 s or slower; supported with auto FP high-speed sync

Release

Release modes	Single frame, continuous L, continuous H, continuous H (extended), Self-timer
Approximate frame advance rate	Continuous L: Approx. 1 to 4 fps Continuous H: Approx. 5 fps Continuous H (extended): Approx. 11 fps *Maximum frame advance rate as measured by in-house tests.
Self-timer	2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s

Release modes

Single frame, continuous L, continuous H, continuous H (extended), Self-timer

Approximate frame advance rate

Continuous L: Approx. 1 to 4 fps
Continuous H: Approx. 5 fps
Continuous H (extended): Approx. 11 fps

*Maximum frame advance rate as measured by in-house tests.

Self-timer

2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s

Nikon Z30 exposure

Metering system	TTL metering using camera image sensor
Metering modes	Matrix metering Center-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 8-mm circle in center of frame; weighting can instead be based on average of entire frame Spot metering: Meters 3.5-mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point Highlight-weighted metering
Range (ISO 100 and f/2.0 lens at 20°C/68°F)	-4 to +17 EV
Modes	Auto, P: programmed auto with flexible program, S: shutter-priority auto, A: aperture-priority auto, M: manual U1, U2 and U3: user settings modes
Exposure compensation	Range: -5 to +5 EV, Increment: 1/3 steps
Exposure lock	Luminosity locked at detected value
Nikon Z30 ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)	ISO 100 to 51200 in steps of 1/3 EV; can also be set to approx. 1 EV above ISO 51200 (ISO 102400 equivalent) or to approx. 2 EV above ISO 51200 (ISO 204800 equivalent); auto ISO sensitivity control available
Active D-Lighting	Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, and Off
Multiple exposure	Add, average, lighten, darken
Other options	HDR (high dynamic range), photo mode flicker reduction

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera autofocus

Type	Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF
Detection range (in photo mode, AF-S, ISO 100, f/1.8 lens at 20°C/68°F)	-4.5 to +19 EV (-3 to +19 EV without low-light AF)
Lens servo	Autofocus: Single-servo AF (AF-S), continuous-servo AF (AF-C), AF mode auto-switch (AF-A, photo mode only), full-time AF (AF-F, video mode only), predictive focus tracking Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used
Focus points (in photo mode, single-point AF, DX format)	209 focus points
AF-area modes	Pinpoint AF; single-point AF; dynamic-area AF; wide-area AF (S), wide-area AF (L), wide-area AF (L-people); wide-area AF (L-animals); auto-area AF; auto-area AF (people); auto-area AF (animals); pinpoint AF and dynamic-area AF available in photo mode only

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera flash

Flash control	TTL: i-TTL flash control; i-TTL balanced fill-flash is used with matrix, center-weighted, and highlight-weighted metering, standard i-TTL fill-flash with spot metering
Flash modes	Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, off
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)	i-TTL flash control, optical Advanced Wireless Lighting, FV lock, Color Information Communication, auto FP high-speed sync

White balance

White balance	Auto (3 types), natural light auto, direct sunlight, cloudy, shade, incandescent, fluorescent (3 types), flash, choose color temperature (2500 K to 10000 K), preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored), all with fine-tuning except choose color temperature

Bracketing

Bracketing types	Exposure and/or flash, white balance, and ADL

Video

Metering system	TTL metering using camera image sensor
Metering modes	Matrix, center-weighted or highlight-weighted
Frame size (pixels) and frame rate	3840 x 2160 (4K UHD); 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p 1920 x 1080; 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p 1920 x 1080 slow-motion; 30p (x4), 25p (x4), 24p (x5) Actual frame rates for 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 119.88, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively
Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera file format	MOV, MP4
Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera video compression	H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding
Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera audio recording format	Linear PCM (for videos recorded in MOV format) or AAC (for videos recorded in MP4 format)
Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera audio recording device	Built-in stereo or external microphone with attenuator option; sensitivity adjustable
Nikon Z30 Exposure compensation	Range: -3 to +3 EV, Increment: 1/3 steps
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)	M: Manual selection (ISO 100 to 25600 in steps of 1/3 EV); auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600) available with selectable upper limit P, S, A: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600) with selectable upper limit Auto: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600)
Active D-Lighting	Same as photo settings, extra high, high, normal, low, and off
Other options	Time-lapse video recording, electronic vibration reduction, time codes, with REC lamp

Interface

USB	Type-C USB connector (SuperSpeed USB); connection to built-in USB port is recommended
HDMI output	Type-D HDMI connector
Audio input	Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5-mm diameter; plug-in power supported)

Wi-Fi/Bluetooth

Wi-Fi	Available
Bluetooth	Available

Power source

Battery	One EN-EL25 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
Charging AC adapter	EH-7P Charging AC Adapter (available separately)

Nikon Z30 mirrorless camera dimensions/weight

Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 128 x 73.5 x 59.5 mm/5.1 x 2.9 x 2.4 in.
Weight	Approx. 405 g/14.3 oz. with battery and memory card but without body cap; approx. 350 g/12.4 oz. (camera body only)