The Nikon Z System as of 2024: Every Camera, Lens & More

Spencer Cox

Nikon Mirrorless Comparison This article is a bird’s eye view of all Nikon Z System products available at the moment, including cameras, lenses, and official accessories. It is intended as a complete guide to the entire series of Nikon Z mirrorless products so that any photographer can understand the scope of Nikon Z mirrorless equipment. This guide is kept up-to-date with every new product announced by Nikon for their Z series.

Nikon Z Cameras

Nikon has a lot of mirrorless Z cameras available for purchase at the moment, although the Z6 and Z7 are already discontinued in some markets. I’ll go through them all below.

Note that every Nikon Z camera so far has one of two sensor sizes: an APS-C sensor with a 1.5x crop factor (which Nikon calls DX cameras) and a standard full-frame sensor (which Nikon calls FX cameras). DX cameras are generally smaller, lighter, and less expensive than FX cameras. However, they do have some drawbacks in dynamic range and high ISO performance because of the smaller sensor. See Nikon DX vs FX.

DX (1.5x Crop Sensor) Cameras

Nikon Z50

The Nikon Z50 is a 21-megapixel “upper entry level” mirrorless camera with surprisingly good specifications. It shoots 11 frames per second stills as well as 4K video, and it has eye-tracking autofocus (including some animal eyes) for portraits and wildlife photography. However, it lacks a few features found on Nikon’s more advanced mirrorless cameras, such as dual card slots, in-body image stabilization, and an AF-On button – and, of course, it has the smaller DX sensor. Read our Nikon Z50 review for more.

NIKON Z 50 + NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR @ 16mm, ISO 100, 8/1, f/5.6

Nikon Zfc

The Nikon Zfc has almost identical specifications to the Nikon Z50, but it’s built around a retro-themed design. It does add a few new features, such as the fully articulating rear LCD (as opposed to the tilt-only LCD on the Z50) and eye autofocus in video. But the main reason to choose one of these cameras over the other is because of which design you prefer. (We have a full Nikon Zfc vs Nikon Z50 article if you want to analyze their more minor differences.) It’s hard to go wrong with either camera, but the extra controls and articulating screen on the Nikon Zfc will justify the extra $100 for a lot of photographers, even if the styling differences are irrelevant to you.

Nikon Z30

The newest consumer-level Nikon Z camera is the Z30. Nikon says it’s aimed at vloggers and on-the-go video shooters, although frankly most of its video features are borrowed from the existing Z50. (Most of its stills features are, too.)

The Z30 is very similar to the Nikon Z50, except it lacks a viewfinder and was announced more than 2.5 years later. Given that, I’d have expected more than a $150 price difference between them. Frankly, the Z30 should be priced about $500 based on its features and timing. Or it should have gained higher-end video features like 10-bit recording, 4:2:2 sampling, and N-log if Nikon wanted to seriously target it at video users.

Nevertheless, if you want Nikon’s least expensive mirrorless camera and don’t mind the missing viewfinder, the Z30 is the way to go.

FX (Full Frame) Cameras

Nikon Z5

The Z5 is the least expensive full-frame Nikon Z camera at the moment, and it’s a really excellent value. Even though the starting price is $1400, I’ve seen it go on sale for $1000 at times (body only) which isn’t much more expensive than a DX camera. It lacks the high frame rate of most Nikon Z cameras and uses a slightly older generation 24.3 megapixel sensor, but it still has excellent full-frame image quality. The Nikon Z5 is our top recommendation for first-time Nikon Z shooters on a budget. It’s much better to get this camera with a good lens than a more expensive camera with a bad lens. Read our Nikon Z5 review for more.

NIKON Z 5 + NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR @ 63mm, ISO 100, 1/60, f/8.0

Nikon Z6

The Nikon Z6 (along with the Z7) was the first Z-series camera ever announced, back in August of 2018. It still has very impressive specifications today, including up to 12 FPS shooting and Nikon’s newest 24.5 megapixel sensor. However, it’s showing its age in a few areas, hence the release of a Nikon Z6 II in late 2020.

Even in 2024, the Nikon Z6 makes for a great budget camera. It’s hard to find new any longer, but prices on the used market have fallen to excellent levels in recent years. Read our Nikon Z6 review for more.

NIKON Z 6 + NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S @ 50mm, ISO 100, 1/2000, f/2.0

Nikon Z7

Announced alongside the Nikon Z6, the Nikon Z7 is a very similar camera in almost every way, except it has a higher resolution sensor (45 megapixels rather than 24) and a lower base ISO (64 rather than 100). The point of these changes is to allow for the highest possible image quality if using the camera with a sharp lens.

However, if you’re happy with 24 megapixels and ISO 100, you can get practically the identical camera for hundreds of dollars less by buying the Z6 instead. (The Z6 even has a faster frame rate of 12 FPS rather than 9 FPS to boot.) Read our Nikon Z7 review for more.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S @ 14mm, ISO 64, 6/10, f/16.0

Nikon Z6 II

The Nikon Z6 II fixes some of the biggest complaints about the first-generation Z6. The biggest changes are the addition of a second memory card slot, a higher frame rate, and 4K 60p video recording. It also has plenty of smaller, behind-the-scenes fixes that I appreciate, like the option for a clutter-free display in live view and a fix for the Z6’s oversensitive eye sensor for the viewfinder.

Still, the Nikon Z6 II is more expensive than the original Z6, especially on the used market. So, it’s all about what improvements you’re willing to pay for or not. Read our Nikon Z6 II review for more.

NIKON Z 6 II + AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR @ 500mm, ISO 100, 1/2500, f/5.6

Nikon Z7 II

Our next camera is the Nikon Z7 II – no surprise, a camera that mimics the Z6 II, but with a higher-resolution sensor. All of the same behind-the-scenes improvements that I talked about on the Z6 II are also present on the Z7 II.

The only major differences between the Z6 II and Z7 II are frame rate (in favor of the Z6 II), base ISO (in favor of the Z7 II), high ISO performance (in favor of the Z6 II), and resolution (in favor of the Z7 II). Read our Nikon Z7 II review for more.

NIKON Z 7 II + NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S @ 20mm, ISO 64, 1.3 seconds, f/5.6

Nikon Z9

The Nikon Z9 is one of the most advanced cameras ever made, and not just by Nikon. Many expected that with such advanced specifications – particularly the blackout-free 20 FPS shooting at 45 megapixels – the camera would cost at least $6000 and probably more.

Instead, Nikon launched it at $5500, the company’s lowest price in recent memory for their flagship camera. The Z9 is heavier than a typical mirrorless camera, but with these features, it arguably beats every other camera on the market today. Read more in our full Nikon Z9 review.

NIKON Z 9 + NIKKOR Z 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 VR S @ 320mm, ISO 800, 1/1250, f/5.3

Nikon Z8

The Z8 is one of Nikon’s most impressive cameras. Not only does it have essentially all the features of the Z9 except for the grip, it is $1500 cheaper than the Z9. It’s an action and wildlife powerhouse in a small package and would be idea for anyone who needs fast autofocus. Like the Z9, it features a blackout-free viewfinder and an insane autofocus system that can handle anything. I would recommend the Z8 as a first choice to any Nikon shooter who needs fast autofocus and does not mind the absence of the built-in grip and slightly lower battery life compared to the Z9.

NIKON Z 8 + AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR @ 500mm, ISO 1000, 1/1600, f/5.6

Nikon Zf

Although many of these specifications look similar to the Nikon Z6 II, despite the Zf being three years newer, there are some major reasons to get the Zf instead. It has a 96-megapixel sensor-shift mode with full RGB data. It has a more advanced image stabilization system than any previous Nikon camera, up to 8 stops (compared to 5 stops on the Z6 II).

Perhaps most importantly, the Zf’s the autofocus system is also far more advanced, borrowing the subject-tracking algorithms from the Nikon Z8 and Z9. You can read about additional differences in our Nikon Z6 II vs Nikon Zf comparison. In short, the Nikon Zf is a great camera that is very competitively priced at $2000.

NIKON Z f + NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 @ 40mm, ISO 5600, 1/3, f/2.0

Nikon Z-Series Lenses

DX Lenses

Nikon’s DX lenses have a smaller image circle intended for DX cameras like the Z30, Z50, and Zfc. These lenses can still technically mount on the FX cameras, although your camera will automatically crop all your photos 1.5x when you do so, in order to avoid black corners. In general, I recommend using these lenses only on a DX camera.

FX Lenses

Nikon’s FX lenses have a larger imaging circle that covers the entire full frame (FX) camera sensor. They also mount on Nikon’s DX cameras without any issues. In fact, we encourage Nikon DX users to consider these lenses, since the dedicated DX lineup is somewhat limited at the moment.

NIKON Z 7 + NIKKOR Z 20mm f/1.8 S @ 20mm, ISO 3200, 15 seconds, f/1.8

Unreleased Lenses

Thanks to Nikon’s mirrorless roadmap and a couple development announcements, we also have information about one other Nikon Z lens that has yet to be released. It’s going to be a 35mm S lens. No details are known, but I strongly suspect it will be an f/1.2 lens.

Nikon Z Official Accessories

Along with the cameras and lenses above, Nikon has some other products and accessories meant specifically for the Nikon Z system. Those are as follows:

There are also a number of lens-specific accessories such as replacement caps, cases, and lens hoods. You can find the full list here if you need a replacement. I only included accessories in the list above if they are exclusively meant for Nikon Z cameras. Plenty of Nikon’s other accessories are compatible with the Z cameras as well as some DSLRs or point-and-shoot cameras. That list is below:

Remote Releases

Batteries and Chargers

Storage and Data Transfer

Covers

Microphone

Flash

NIKON Z 7 + 70-200mm f/4 @ 200mm, ISO 400, 1/800, f/4.0

Conclusion

Turns out Nikon makes a lot of Z-series equipment! I did my best to make the guide above as comprehensive of a reference as possible, including the various useful accessories that Nikon Z shooters may be considering. If I missed anything, feel free to let me know in the comments and I’ll add it to the list. Likewise if you have any questions or comments – I’ll do my best to answer if you’re wondering about any of this gear.

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