Most of the reviews that I’ve worked on during the past few years have been for smartphones. I’m sure it goes without saying that the market is huge, and they’re the devices which are used for the vast majority of photography across the planet these days (probably).
I’m very happy to review smartphones – they’re lightweight, they’re mostly fairly straightforward, and, most importantly, they take some excellent images. But, still, even after all these years and many dozens of (excellent) smartphones, nothing beats the feeling of holding and using an actual camera. I’m not going to say ‘real’ or ‘proper’ here because I think implying smartphones are ‘not real’ or ‘not proper’ is a huge insult to the fantastic photographs that people take with them every single day.
Lucky in love
Anyway, I digress… in recent times, as well as the usual glut of smartphones, I was also lucky enough to test out the Nikon Z5II, an entry level full-frame mirrorless camera. I didn’t expect to fall in love with it quite as hard as I did.
Most of the things that I review I really enjoy playing with, but it doesn’t dishearten me too much when the courier comes knocking to retrieve the goods. But I was really sad to see this one go.
You’d be forgiven for wondering why an entry level camera sparked such a feeling in me. Well, I was surprised too. Technically, you might think I’m not the target audience for this particular model. I’m not a beginner, I know what I’m doing (well, mostly). But, what you can’t get away from is that you get an awful lot for your money here.
Chaos ensues
This mirrorless camera ticks a huge number of boxes. It’s full frame, with the same 24MP sensor as the stylish Nikon Zf, it’s (relatively) lightweight, the focusing is excellent, and of course, the image quality is brilliant. And you get all that for under £2,000 – bargain. Indeed, I actually am the target audience for this camera because it turns out to be a superb family camera – primarily because it can keep up with erratic children and the chaos that ensues when trying to photograph a toddler.
While using it, I realised how much I missed the feel of holding a camera, pressing physical shutter buttons, and looking through a viewfinder.
When the Nikon Z8 came out, I considered buying that. But it’s an enormously expensive camera and probably overkill for what I need it to do. So although I seriously contemplated buying it, I held off, understandably anxious to make the financial commitment required.
Unscheduled
Then the Z5II came out and for the first time in a very long time I was ready to hit the purchase button. In fact, I did. Were it not for the fact that my second daughter decided to make an unscheduled early entrance to the world, and I had to put my camera order on hold, I’d own a Z5II right now…
Now she’s been around for a while, perhaps it’s time to treat myself to that present after all and start documenting her – and her sister’s – life in a way that feels much more exciting than my phone can provide (though I’ll absolutely still be using that very frequently too).
Take a look at some of the best Nikon Z-mount lenses, our buying guides, and our latest reviews.
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The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Amateur Photographer magazine or Kelsey Media Limited. If you have an opinion you’d like to share on this topic, or any other photography related subject, email: ap.ed@kelsey.co.uk.
