Nikon Z5 IIC
No Viewfinder, Stabilized 24MP FX @ 30 FPS, 4K60, 1,080/120, ISO 100~64,000 (50L~204,800H), 2026 ~ today
Z9 Z8 Z7 II Z6 III Z6 II Z5 II Z5 IIC Zƒ Z7 Z6 Z5
DX (APS-C): Zƒc Z50 II Z50 Z30
Z System Z Lenses All Nikon Lenses Flash
Nikon Z5 IIC (21.9 oz./620g with battery and SD card, no second slot, $1,397) and Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3. bigger.
I'd get mine at B&H or at Adorama:
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black, with 24-50mm.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver, with 24-50mm.
My junk-free, all-content website's biggest source of support is when you use those or any of these links to the places I use myself when you get anything, and it costs nothing more. I've bought from these places for over 100 combined years because they have the best service, the best selection, the best prices, and usually 100% cash-back returns for at least 30 days if you don't love your new goodies. As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner Network Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks! Ken.
September 2026 Better Pictures Nikon Z Z Lenses All Nikon Lenses All Nikon All Reviews
Better Pictures: Vision FART Cameras Don't Matter
Introduction top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
|
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
This Z5 IIC is a Z5 II with the finder chopped-off and the second card slot removed in exchange for a $300 discount. The "C" in the model name stands for "Chopped" or "Cheap."
The Z5 IIC is quite different from Sony's smaller and lighter full-frame A7CR, A7C II and A7c, in which the "C" stands for compact and all of which include viewfinders sadly missing in this Z5 IIC — but these Sonys are twice as expensive and have much poorer color rendition and ergonomics to my taste.
This Z5 IIC is an inexpensive way to get into Nikon Full-Frame mirrorless, but honestly having no finder would drive me nuts, not so much for shooting which is easy to do with a tiny screen, but because it's nearly impossible to see details in what you shot looking at a tiny screen outdoors in sunlight. A finder works so much better in direct sunlight, but hey, for $300 off this certainly can be worth it to some people, especially those who use these on rigs with external monitors.
I'd get my Z5 IIC at B&H or at Adorama:
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black, with 24-50mm.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver, with 24-50mm.
New Since the Z5 II intro top
No more viewfinder.
No more second card slot.
No more programmable U3 mode (U1 and U2 remain).
LCD now only 1.04 Mdots, down from 2.1 Mdots.
No more "size priority" (relatively constant file size) or quality priority ★ (relatively constant quality so file size varies with image complexity) JPG and HEIF options.
More new "Imaging Recipes."
New options to add noise for "film grain" effects.
First FX (Full-Frame) Nikon mirrorless with scene modes. So?
3.15 oz. (80g) lighter.
3/4" (20mm) shorter.
$300 less expensive.
Good intro top
Unbeaten Nikon image quality.
Fast handling with lots of programmable buttons, controls and dials.
Superb in-camera Image Stabilization.
U1 and U2 preset camera-state memories.
Smart playback rotation, like an iPhone, so playback images rotate as you rotate the camera. Canon can't do this, you have to rotate Canon cameras on playback, or have all your vertical images playback tall and skinny instead. On this Z5 IIC images rotate by themselves, bravo!
Low price.
The 𝒊 info menu and shooting and playback data rotate for vertical shots.
Excellent mode-control dial for one-handed shooting, far better than the wrong-side, two-hands-required dials of the older Z6 III and Z7 II.
Option to have exposures set in one-stop clicks while still being able to set exposure compensation in thirds of a stop.
Timed manual exposures out to 15 minutes.
BULB and TIME exposure modes.
Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth.
Weather-sealed.
Bad intro top
No finder.
No 4:3 or 4:5 "Ideal Format" crops; 1:1 square and 16:9 only.
Missing intro top
No shutter speeds above 1/8,000, even in Electronic Shutter Mode.
Flash won't work with silent electronic shutter.
No 4:3 or 4:5 "Ideal Format" crops (1:1 square and 16:9 only).
No built-in flash.
No search ability in menu system.
No automatic brightness control for rear LCD.
Menus don't rotate with the camera held vertically, although the 𝒊 info menu and shooting and playback data do rotate.
No illuminated buttons.
Can't use a standard threaded cable release; use the app or Nikon MC-DC3 remote cord instead.
No GPS, use the app.
Specifications top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
I'd get my Z5 IIC at B&H or at Adorama:
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black, with 24-50mm.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver, with 24-50mm.
Image Sensor specifications top
23.9 × 35.9 mm CMOS.
6,048 × 4,032 pixels (24.4 MP) native.
3:2 aspect ratio.
1.0× crop factor.
Ultrasonic cleaner.
Sensor-shift stabilization.
ISO specifications top
Stills
ISO 100 ～ 64,000.
Also ISO 50 (L-1), 64 (L-0.7), 80 (L-0.3) and ISO 80,000 (H+0.3), 102,400 (H+0.7), 128,000 (H+1) and 204,800 (H+1.7).
Video
ISO 100 ～ 51,200.
Also ISO 64,000 (H+0.3), 80,000 (H+0.7), 102,400 (H+1) and 204,800 (H+2).
Image Sizes specifications top
6,048 × 4,032 pixels native (Large, 24.39 MP or 24,385,536 pixels).
4,528 × 3,024 (Medium, 13.7 MP).
3,024 × 2,016 (Small, 6.1 MP).
Cropped Aspect Ratios
Square 1:1 (24 × 24mm)
4,032 × 4,032 (Large, 16.3 MP).
3,024 × 3,024 (Medium, 9.1 MP).
2,016 × 2,016 (Small, 4.1 MP).
16:9 (36 × 20mm)
6,048 × 3,400 (Large, 20.6 MP).
4,528 × 2,544 (Medium, 11.5 MP).
3,024 × 1,696 (Small, 5.1 MP).
DX APS-C (16 × 24mm)
3,984 × 2,656 (Large, 10.6 MP).
2,976 × 1,992 (Medium, 5.9 MP).
1,984 × 1,328 (Small, 2.6 MP)
Still Image Formats specifications top
JPG or HEIF in BASIC, NORMAL or FINE (no size- or quality-priority settings).
Raw 14-bit in your choice of lossless, high efficiency★ or high efficiency compression options.
Also can record raw data along with a JPG or HEIF.
Video specifications top
File Formats
.MOV, .MP4 or .NEV.
Compression
N-RAW (12 bit), H.265/HEVC (8 bit/10 bit) or H.264/AVC (8 bit).
Frame Sizes and Rates
4K (3,840 × 2,160) at 23.976, 25, 29.97, 50 or 59.94p.
1,920 × 1,080 at 23.976, 25, 29.97, 50, 50.97, 100 or 199.88p.
1,920 × 1,080 overcranked 5x flagged for playback at 23.976, or 4x flagged for playback at at 25 or 29.97FPS.
also raw at
FX: 4,032 × 2,268 at 23.976, 35 or 29.97p.
DX: 3,984 × 2,240 at 23.976, 35 or 29.97p.
Audio specifications top
48 ksps 24-bit Linear Pulse-Code Modulation (uncompressed LPCM) with MOV or NEV files.
48 ksps 16-bit Advanced Audio Coding (compressed AAC) with MP4 files.
S - t - e - r - e - O microphone built in.
Mic-in jack with plug-in power overrides built-in mic.
Headphone jack (shared with remote cord jack).
Autofocus specifications top
299 points auto-selected, or 273 manually.
Rated LV -10 ~ +19 with f/1.2 lens and the center AF sensor.
Light Meter specifications top
Matrix, center-weighted, spot or highlight-weighted.
LV -4 ~ +17 with an f/2 lens.
Finder specifications top
NONE.
Shutter specifications top
Quiet mechanical, silent electronic and electronic front-curtain shutters.
1/8,000 ～ 30 seconds, BULB and TIME modes.
Set a menu and manual speeds go to 900 seconds (15 minutes).
1/200 flash sync speed, also auto FP high-speed sync.
Remote Releases specifications top
Socket for Nikon MC-DC3 remote cord (shared with the headphone jack; you only can have that jack do one or the other at a time).
Wirelessly via Nikon's App.
Frame Rates (Still Shots) specifications top
JPG or HEIF
Assuming the shutter speed and AF speed are conducive to shooting this fast; for instance, you can't get seven frames per second with a half-second shutter speed:
30 FPS (C30), with restrictions to settings. 225 frame buffer.
15 FPS (C15), with restrictions to settings. 225 frame buffer.
15 FPS (CH+) with silent electronic shutter.
14 FPS (CH+) with mechanical shutter.
10 FPS (CH Continuous High), with silent electronic shutter.
9.4 FPS (CH Continuous High), with electronic front-curtain shutter.
7.8 FPS (CH Continuous High), with mechanical shutter.
1 ~ 7 FPS (CL Continuous Low).
Raw
12 FPS (CH+), auto shutter.
10 FPS (CH+), silent electronic shutter.
Flash specifications top
iTTL.
1/200 sync speed.
Built-in Flash
NONE.
External Flash
i-TTL control, both optical and via radio.
Focal-Plane High-Speed Sync (FP HSS).
LCD Monitor specifications top
3.2" (80 mm) diagonal touch screen.
1.04 megadots.
Normal all-around swiveling.
Connectors specifications top
Nikon Z5IIC and Z 24-50mm f/-6.3. bigger.
Top left to bottom right:
3.5mm Mic-in jack with plug-in power.
3.5mm combined headphone or Nikon MC-DC3 remote cord jack.
USB-C "super speed."
Type D HDMI.
Wi-Fi specifications top
802.11ac.
NFC specifications top
None.
Bluetooth specifications top
Version 5.0
GPS specifications top
None; try the app.
Storage specifications top
One SD card slot.
Takes SD (up to 2GB), SDHC (up to 32GB) and SDXC (up to 512GB) cards.
UHS-II compatible.
Body specifications top
Claimed weather sealing.
Claimed magnesium alloy, which is usually the internal frame and not necessarily the outside of the camera.
Power & Battery specifications top
Battery
|
|
Also works with older EN-EL15b, EN-EL15a and EN-EL15.
Charging
Charges via USB-C, or optional MH-25a battery charger:
AC Adapters
You can shoot continuously with any USB C charger that meets the PD ("Power Delivery") standard.
You also can use the old, expensive EH-5d, EH-5c or EH-5b AC Adapters, any of which require the EP-5B Fake Battery Connector to poke in the battery bay.
Regular non-PD USB cords and power sources work great for charging and will extend the run time, but might not have enough power to run indefinitely as a PD charger will.
Size specifications top
3.169 × 5.276 × 2.835 inches HWD.
80.5 × 134.0 × 72.0 millimeters HWD.
Weight specifications top
21.9 oz. (620 g) with battery and SD card.
19.0 oz. (538 g) stripped.
Operating Environment specifications top
0º ～ 40º C (32º ～ 104º F).
0 to 85% RH.
Nikon's Model Numbers specifications top
Z5 IIC, black: 2046.
Z5 IIC, silver: 2082.
Z5 IIC, black, with 24-50mm: 2047.
Z5 IIC, silver, with 24-50mm: 2083.
Included specifications top
Z5 II body with color-coordinated BF-N1 Body Cap, DK-29 eyecup and BS-1 hot-shoe cover.
$340 UC-E25 USB-C to USB-C cable.
Announced specifications top
12:05 AM, Thursday, 24 September 2026, NYC time.
Promised for specifications top
Mid-October 2026.
Price, U. S. A. specifications top
24 September 2026 (Introduction)
$1,397 at B&H and at Adorama in black or in silver.
$1,697 with Z 24-50mm in black or in silver.
Optional Accessories top
Introduction New Good Bad Missing
I'd get my Z5 IIC at B&H or at Adorama:
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, black, with 24-50mm.
NEW: Nikon Z5IIC, silver, with 24-50mm.
Nikon Z Lenses
Nikon DSLR and manual-focus lenses, some of which work with the FTZ/II adapter
Nikon Flash
The SB400 is my absolute favorite small flash for use with this little camera.
If you need to buy a new small flash, I'd look at the Godox iT32 or the Viltrox Z1 Classic for use with the silver camera.
Nikon MH-25a External Battery Charger
|
|
Optional Nikon MH-25a Charger. enlarge. |
Optional Nikon MH-25a Charger. enlarge. |
Nikon MC-DC3 remote cord.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Alla rättigheter förbehållna. Toate drepturile rezervate. Niciun vampir nu a fost implicat în crearea acestei lucrări. Omnia jura reservata. Ken Rockwell® is a registered trademark.
Help Me Help You top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken.