Recording Features
Connections
Play, Print and Edit Features
Battery Information
Computer Software

Recording Features

Overview: The Nikon Z5 II mirrorless, full-frame digital camera can produce stunning 24.5-megapixel still images and broadcast quality 4K video. The camera has the Nikon Z mount, and is compatible with Z-mount NIKKOR Z lenses. With an available mount adapter, you can use F-mount NIKKOR lenses. No lenses are included with this "body only" kit.

Image Sensor: The Z5 II is equipped with an FX-format, 35.9 x 23.9mm CMOS image sensor with 24.5 million effective pixels (and 25.28 million total pixels). The Nikon FX format, with its native 3:2 aspect ratio, enables photographers to take advantage of the familiar perspective characteristics of 35mm film photography. You can choose to shoot in the FX format (36 x 24), or switch to 1:1 (24 x 24), 16.9 (36 x 20), or DX format (24 x 16).

Still Image Size/Quality: The Z5 II records still images in JPEG, HEIF, and NEF* (RAW) formats. It can also record in both NEF (RAW) + JPEG or NEF (RAW) + HEIF formats simultaneously. JPEG and HEIF images can set to fine (1:4 compression), normal (1:8), or basic (1:16) image quality. Depending upon the selected format (image area), you can choose from the following image sizes:

Movies: The camera can record movies in MOV, MP4, and NEV file formats with N-RAW (12-bit), H.265/HEVC (8-bit/10-bit), and H.264/AVC (8-bit) video compression. Audio is recorded in Linear PCM for NEV or MOV format, or AAC for videos recorded in MP4 format. The available movie options include:

• 4K UHD (3840 x 2160): 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p
• FHD (1920 x 1080): 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p
• Slow Motion (1920 x 1080): 30p x 4, 25p x 4, 24p x 5
• RAW Video:
  • FX (4032 x 2268): 30p, 25p, 24p
  • DX (3948 x 2240): 30p, 25p, 24p

Recording Media: The Z5 II has dual memory card slots that can accommodate SD memory cards. Both UHS-I and UHS-II cards are supported. Cards rated UHS Speed Class 3 or better are recommended for movie and high-speed frame capture. Video Speed Class 90 (V90) cards are recommended for N-RAW recording. No memory cards are supplied with the camera. You can choose from the following options for the card inserted in Slot 2:

• Overflow: The card in Slot 2 is used only when the card in Slot 1 is full.
• Backup: Each picture is recorded twice, once to the card in Slot 1 and once to the card in Slot 2.
• RAW Slot 1 - JPEG Slot 2: NEF (RAW) copies of photos taken at settings of RAW+JPEG/HEIF are recorded only to the card in Slot 1, JPEG copies only to the card in Slot 2.
• JPEG Slot 1 - JPEG Slot 2: Two JPEG copies are recorded, one to each memory card. The copy saved to the card in Slot 1 is recorded at the image quality and size selected in the menu. The copy saved to the card in Slot 2 is saved at an image quality of JPEG/HEIF basic.
• RAW Slot 1 - HEIF Slot 2: NEF (RAW) copies of photos taken at settings of RAW+JPEG/HEIF are recorded only to the card in Slot 1, HEIF copies only to the card in Slot 2.
• HEIF Slot 1 - HEIF Slot 2: Two HEIF copies are recorded, one to each memory card. The copy saved to the card in Slot 1 is recorded at the image quality and size selected in the menu. The copy saved to the card in Slot 2 is saved at an image quality of JPEG/HEIF basic.

Touch-sensitive LCD Monitor: The Nikon Z5 II features 3.2-inch, 2,100,000-dot tilting TFT LCD monitor with a 170° wide viewing angle and 100% frame coverage. The monitor has an 15-level adjustable brightness control. The Z5 II features a Live View that lets you use the monitor in place of the camera's viewfinder to confirm your subject and composition while shooting. The touch screen can be used to position the focus point during live view, measure a value for preset manual white balance, and for typing. During playback you can swipe to view images, zoom in or out of images, view thumbnails, and view movies.

OLED Viewfinder: In addition to the LCD monitor, the Z5 II has a 0.5" OLED viewfinder with approximately 3,690,000 dots (Quad VGA), and 100% vertical and horizontal frame coverage. The viewfinder brightness can manually be adjusted in 18-levels. It has a diopter adjustment knob so you can set the viewfinder to your personal eyesight (with or without eyeglasses). The bright and sharp viewfinder makes focusing in low-light situations possible. The viewfinder offers approximately 0.8x magnification. An eye sensor near the viewfinder automatically switches between the monitor and viewfinder as you raise or lower the camera to your eye.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth: The Z5 II has built-in Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a/ac, 2.4 and 5 GHz) and Bluetooth (5.0), allowing you to wirelessly connect the camera to computers, smartphones, or tablets running the SnapBridge (iOS 13.0+, Android 6.0+) or NX MobileAir (iOS 15.0+, Android 9.0+) apps. On the app, you can download pictures from the camera, or control the camera for taking pictures remotely. With the Wireless Transmitter Utility software loaded on your computer, you can easily upload images via Wi-Fi from your camera to your computer automatically. The camera and computer can be connected via a Direct Wireless Connection (Access-Point Mode) or on an existing network.

Vibration Reduction: The Nikon Z5 II features built-in Vibration Reduction (VR) in the camera, providing the equivalent of up to 7.5 stops of image stabilization. This 5-axis image sensor shift can be applied while shooting still images or movies. In the menu, you can select Normal VR (for static subjects) or Sport VR (for rapidly moving subjects), or Off. In addition, lens shift Vibration Reduction is available with certain VR lenses.

273-Point Autofocus System: The Z5 II is equipped with a hybrid phase-detection/contrast Autofocus system with AF assist. With 273 focus points, you can select from the following AF-area modes: Pinpoint AF, Single-point AF, Dynamic-area AF (S, M, L), Wide-area AF (S,L), Wide-area AF (C1, C2), 3D-tracking, Subject-tracking, and Auto-area AF. You can choose from Single or Continuous Auto Focusing, or Manual Focusing.

Focus Lock: Focus Lock can be used to change the composition after focusing, making it possible to focus on a subject that will not be in a focus area in the final composition.

Focus Shift Shooting Mode: To obtain a photo with a wide depth of field, the Focus Shift Shooting Mode takes a series of individual photos, each with a slightly different focus distance. Using 3rd party software, the images can be stacked into a single image. Before shooting, you must choose the number of shots (up to 300), the focus step width, the time between shots (in seconds), first-frame exposure lock (on/off), silent photography (on/off), and the folder in which to save images.

Release Modes: The release mode determines how the camera takes photographs. You can choose from the following shooting modes:

• Single Frame: camera takes one photograph each time the shutter-release button is pressed
• Continuous L: while shutter-release button is held down, the camera records 1 to 7 frames per second, as selected in the menu.
• Continuous H: while the shutter-release button is held down, the camera records continuously at up to about 9.4 frames per second (up to 10 fps in silent mode).
• Continuous H (Extended): while the shutter-release button is held down, the camera takes photographs at up to 14 fps (up to 15 fps in silent mode).
• C15 / C30: The camera takes photographs at 15 or 30 fps while the shutter-release button is pressed.
• Self-Timer: use self-timer for self-portraits or to reduce blurring caused by camera shake; you can set the self-timer to 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds. Up to 9 self-timer exposures can be taken at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 seconds.

Interval Timer Photography: The Z5 II is equipped to take photographs automatically at preset intervals. Shooting will begin about 3 seconds after the interval is set or you can set a start time. You can select the number of intervals, and the number of shots taken per interval. The interval length can be set in hours, minutes, and seconds. You can also set up the camera to take a silent time-lapse movie, with the frame size, frame rate, and image area currently selected in the movie shooting menu.

Exposure Modes: The Exposure Modes determine how the camera sets shutter speed and aperture when adjusting exposure. You can choose from the following Exposure Modes using the top-mounted Mode Dial:

• Auto: A "point-and-shoot" mode in which the camera sets the shutter speed and aperture, as well as the white balance and other items.
• Programmed Auto (P): The camera sets shutter speed and aperture for optimal exposure according to a built-in program; recommended for snapshots and other situations in which there is little time to adjust camera settings.
• Shutter-Priority Auto (S): The user chooses the shutter speed while camera sets aperture for best results; use to freeze or blur motion. The shutter speed can be set from 30 to 1/8000 seconds.
• Aperture-Priority Auto (A): The user chooses the aperture while the camera sets shutter speed for best results; use to blur background for portraits or bring both foreground and background into focus for landscape shots.
• Manual (M): The user controls both shutter the speed and aperture for complete control over exposure.
• User Settings (U1/U2/U3): You can assign frequently-used settings to these positions for quick recall.

Long Time-Exposures: When the M (manual) exposure mode is selected, you can choose between two Long Time-Exposure modes: Bulb and Time. During Bulb shooting, the shutter will remain open while the shutter-release button is held down. Bulb shooting is used for long time-exposure photographs of moving lights, the stars, night scenery, or fireworks (an optional tripod and optional remote cord are recommended to prevent blur). Time exposures start when the shutter-release button is pressed on the camera or an optional remote control. The shutter remains open until the button is pressed a second time.

Exposure Compensation: You can alter the exposure from the value suggested by the camera, making pictures brighter or darker. You can adjust the exposure from -5.0 to +5.0 EV in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV. Exposure compensation is available in P, S, A, and M modes.

Metering: The Z5 II utilizes through-the-lens (TTL) metering using the camera's image sensor. You can choose one of the following metering methods:

• Matrix Metering: The camera meters a wide area of the frame and sets exposure according to tone distribution, color, distance, and composition for natural results.
• Center-weighted: The camera meters the entire frame but assigns greatest weight (75%) to the 12mm or 8mm area in the center of the frame. The weighting can also be based on the average of the entire frame.
• Spot: The camera meters inside a 4mm diameter circle (approximately 1.5% of frame). The circle is centered on the selected focus area, centered on selected focus points.
• Highlight-weighted: The camera assigns the greatest weight to highlights to reduce loss of detail in highlights.

Multiple Exposure: This feature records a series of two to ten NEF (RAW) exposures in a single photograph. Multiple exposures can be recorded at any image quality setting, and produce results with colors noticeably better than photographs combined in an imaging application because they make use of RAW data from the camera image sensor.

White Balance: White balance is used to preserve natural colors under different types of lighting. You can choose one of the following white balance options: Auto (3 options), Natural Light Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent (3 options), Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, or Shade. You can also choose a color temperature from a list of values (2500K-10000K), or manually set the white balance using the subject, light source, or existing photograph in the memory card as reference. The White Balance Fine Tuning feature allows you to compensate for variations in the color of the light source or to introduce a deliberate color cast into an image by adjusting the amber, blue, green and magenta color settings.

Bracketing: Bracketing automatically varies exposure, flash level, Active D-Lighting (ADL), or white balance slightly with each shot, "bracketing" the current value. You can set the increment to 1/3, 2/3, 1, or 1.3 EV, and the number of shots to 3, 5, 7, or 9. In exposure, flash level, and ADL bracketing, multiple shots are required to complete the "bracket" as the camera will vary the settings with each shot. With white balance bracketing, the camera creates multiple copies of each photograph, each with a different white balance. Bracketing can be combined with continuous shooting or the self timer modes.

ISO Sensitivity: ISO Sensitivity is the digital equivalent of film speed. You can set the ISO Sensitivity to Auto or Manual. You can manually select settings of ISO 100 to ISO 64000 in steps of 1/3 EV or 1 EV. For special occasions, expanded settings of Lo 0.3, 0.7, or 1 EV (equivalent to ISO 50) below ISO 100, or to approximately 0.3, 0.7, 1.0, or 1.7 EV above ISO 64000 (equivalent to 204800).

Picture Controls: The camera offers seven preset Nikon Picture Controls. You can choose a Picture Control according to the subject or type of scene:

• Auto: The camera automatically adjusts hues and tones based on the Standard Picture Control. Complexions of portrait subjects are softer, and foliage and sky colors are more vivid than Standard.
• Standard: Standard processing for balanced results; recommended for most situations.
• Neutral: Minimal processing for natural results; recommended for photographs that will later be extensively processed or retouched.
• Vivid: Pictures are enhanced for a vivid, photo-print effect; recommended for photos that emphasize primary colors.
• Monochrome: Takes monochrome photographs.
• Flat Monochrome: Features gentle gradations from highlights to shadows, producing soft monochrome pictures.
• Deep Tone Monochrome: You can choose slightly darker tones in the range from shadows to mid-tones, with brightness rapidly increasing as tones progress from mid-tones to highlights.
• Portrait: Process portraits for skin with natural texture, smooth complexions, and a rounded feel.
• Rich Tone Portraits: Produces more vivid results than the Portrait setting, while capturing details of the subject's complexion and avoiding loss of detail in highlights.
• Landscape: Produces vibrant landscapes and cityscapes.
• Flat: Details are preserved over a wide tone range, from highlights to shadows. This setting should be chosen for pictures that will later be extensively retouched or processed.
• Creative Picture Controls: You can choose from the following: Dream, Morning, Pop, Sunday, Somber, Dramatic, Silence, Bleached, Melancholic, Pure, Denim, Toy, Sepia, Blue, Red, Pink, Charcoal, Graphite, Binary, and Carbon.
• Custom Picture Controls: You can modify one of the above Picture Controls and save it as a new Custom Picture Control. Custom Picture Controls can be edited, renamed, and deleted.
• Cloud Picture Controls: Picture Controls can be transferred to the camera and saved to the Nikon Imaging Cloud. Picture Control files saved in the cloud can be downloaded to the camera, as needed.

Color Space: The color space determines the gamut of colors available for color reproduction. You can select either sRGB for photos that will be printed or used "as is" with no further modification, or Adobe RGB for images that will be extensively processed or retouched after leaving the camera.

Active D-Lighting: Active D-Lighting preserves details in highlights and shadows, creating photographs with natural contrast. Active D-Lighting offers the following application strength levels: Auto, Extra High, High, Normal, Low, and Off.

Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS): The Z5 II does not have a built-in flash. Optional flash units can be attached to the camera's accessory shoe. The camera supports the Nikon Creative Lighting System when used with CLS-compatible flash units, such as the SB-R200, SB-300, SB-400, SB-500, SB-600, SB-700, SU-800, SB-800, SB-900, SB-910, and the flagship flash SB-5000. The following flash modes are supported: Fill flash, Rear-curtain sync, Red-eye reduction, Slow sync with Red-eye reduction, Slow sync, and Off.

Flash Control: The camera supports the following Flash Control modes: TTL, Auto external flash, Distance-priority manual, Manual, and Repeating Flash.

Flash Compensation: Flash compensation is used to alter flash output from -3 EV to +1EV in increments of 1/3 EV to change the brightness of the main subject relative to the background. Flash output can be increased to make the main subject appear brighter or reduced to prevent unwanted highlights or reflections.

FV Lock: This feature is used to lock the flash output, allowing photographs to be recomposed without changing the flash level and ensuring that the flash output is appropriate to the subject even when the subject is not positioned in the center of the frame. The Flash output is adjusted automatically for any changes in ISO sensitivity and aperture.

Connections

HDMI: The camera features a micro-HDMI (Type D) output for connecting the camera to an HDTV or other high-definition video device via an optional HDMI cable.

SuperSpeed USB: The Z5 II has a SuperSpeed USB Type-C connector. This high-speed USB port can be used for downloading photos to your computer or connecting the camera to a printer. You can charge the battery in the camera through the USB port using the included 24" USB-C cable and the optional Nikon EH-8P AC adapter or a third-party USB-C wall charger. A third-party wall charger should be PD (Power Delivery) compatible with a minimum output of 27 watts (9V-3A).

Microphone: The camera has a 3.5mm input for an external microphone, such as the Nikon ME-1 Stereo Microphone. The sensitivity of a connected external microphone can be set in the menu.

Headphone/Remote Connector: The camera has a 3.5mm stereo headphone output to allow you to monitor audio during movie recording. The connector doubles as a input for the optional MC-DC3 remote cord. If the connector is set to "Auto Switch" in the menu, the camera will automatically detect whether the connected device is a pair of headphones or the remote cord.

Play, Print and Edit Features

Auto Image Rotation: Photographs taken while Auto Image Rotation is set to "On" contain information on camera orientation, and allow the images to be rotated automatically during playback.

Playback Menu: The playback menu contains the following options:

• Delete: allows you to delete the current image or multiple images in the selected folder or folders
• Playback Folder: allows you to choose a folder for image playback
• Playback Display Options: lets you choose what options are displayed for full-frame playback, including focus point, first shot in a series, exposure information, highlights, RGB Histogram, shooting data, overview, flash data, Picture Control/HLG data, etc.
• Delete Photos from Both Slots: If images are recorded to both cards, you can choose whether or not to delete both images simultaneously. Options include: Yes (with confirmation), Yes, or No.
• Dual-format recording PB slot: If you record images on memory cards in both slots, you can choose the slot from which images are played back.
• Filtered Playback Criteria: Lets you choose the options for filtered playback, i.e. Protect, Picture Type, Rating, Select for cloud upload, Select for computer upload, Select for FTP upload, Voice Memo, or Retouched Pictures.
• Series Playback: Lets you choose options for playing back bursts.
• Picture Review: When this setting is enabled, the camera displays the image on the LCD monitor after the picture is taken.
• After Delete: choose the picture displayed after an image is deleted (next, previous, continue)
• After burst, show: You can choose to display the first or last photo when viewing a burst.
• Record camera orientation: You can choose whether the camera orientation information during shooting is stored in the images. If On, is selected, images shot in portrait orientation are displayed vertically. If Off, they are displayed horizontally.
• Auto-rotate Pictures: If On is selected, the playback display will automatically rotate to match the camera orientation. "Tall" pictures will be rotated to display in "tall" orientation when the camera is held in "wide" orientation. Likewise, "wide" pictures will rotate to display in "wide" orientation when the camera is held in "tall" orientation.
• Copy Images: You can copy pictures from one memory card to another when two cards are inserted.

Full-Frame Playback: During Full-Frame playback, you can view all the pictures stored on the memory card one at a time.

Thumbnail Playback: This feature allows you to view four (2x2), nine (3x3), or 72 (9 x 8) images at once on the LCD monitor so that you can search for an image quickly.

Playback Zoom: During single-image and thumbnail playback, you can zoom in or out on the selected image. This is helpful to view faces, or other areas of the image. FX-format (36 x 24) photos can be zoomed in to a maximum of approximately 32x (large), 24x (medium), or 16x (small). Once the image is enlarged, you can move it around on the LCD monitor using the multi selector.

Retouch Menu: The Retouch Menu allows you to create trimmed, resized or retouched copies of the photographs you have taken on the memory card. The Retouch Menu gives you the following editing options: NEF (RAW) processing, Trim, Resize, D-Lighting, Red-eye correction, Straighten, Distortion control, Perspective control, Monochrome, Image overlay, Lighten, Darken, and Motion blend.

Image Comment: The camera allows you to input up to 36 characters of alphanumeric text and save it to a recorded image. The comment can be viewed in NX-Studio software as metadata.

Battery Information

Battery: The Z5 II is powered by the EN-EL15c Lithium-ion battery (7.0V, 2280mAh, 16Wh). The battery charges in approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes using the optional EH-8P AC adapter with the included USB-C cable. It can also be charged with the USB-C cable and a third party PD (Power Delivery) compatible AC adapter equipped with a USB-C output (minimum output of 27 watts -- 9V-3A). The estimated battery life for the EN-EL15c is as follows:

• Viewfinder Only:
  • Energy Saving Mode On: Approximately 380 shots
  • Energy Saving Mode Off: Approximately 330 shots
  • Video Mode: Approximately 85 minutes
• Monitor Only:
  • Energy Saving Mode On: Approximately 380 shots
  • Energy Saving Mode Off: Approximately 330 shots
  • Video Mode: Approximately 85 minutes

Optional Battery Pack: The Z5 II is compatible with the MB-N11 and MB-N14 Battery Packs which allows you to use two EN-EL15c batteries to increase the length of shooting time by up to 1.8 times. The MB-N11/MB-N14 attaches to the bottom of the camera body and connects through the camera's battery compartment. The battery packs are equipped with buttons, dials, and a multi-selector for use when the camera is rotated to take pictures in portrait (tall) orientation.

Computer Software

Available Software: No software is included with the Z5 II. You can download the following Nikon software applications from the Nikon Download Center:

• NX Tether: The NX Tether software is used when the camera is connected to a computer. You can adjust the exposure, white balance, and other settings remotely using controls in the computer display.
• NX Studio: NX Studio software lets you view and edit photos and videos shot with Nikon digital cameras. The Nikon Transfer 2 feature lets you transfer pictures from the camera to the computer. The software can convert Nikon's NEF/NRW (RAW) images to another image format, such as JPEG or HEIF. You can adjust and manage Custom Picture Controls on the software.
• Wireless Transmitter Utility: If you are connecting the camera to a Wi-Fi network, you must use Wireless Transmitter Utility software. After pairing the camera with the computer, you can upload pictures over the wireless network.

Mobile Apps: To maximize the use of your Z5 II with your smartphone or tablet, you'll need one or more of the following mobile apps:

• NX MobileAir: With NX MobileAir, you can connect the camera to a USB-C-equipped 4G or 5G smartphone or tablet and quickly transfer images to an FTP server without a laptop, wireless transmitter, or Wi-Fi connection. It is compatible with iOS 15.0 or later and Android 9.0 and up.
• SnapBridge: The SnapBridge app lets you connect your smartphone or tablet and send the photos directly to the camera so you can share them with your friends and on social media. You can also use the controls on your phone or tablet to shoot remotely. Any available camera firmware can be uploaded through the phone to the camera. SnapBridge is available for iOS 13.0 or later, and Android 6.0 and up.