Nikon Z5 vs Z6

Two 24MP Nikon full-frame Z bodies that weigh the same, about 675 g with battery and card, and share EXPEED 6, 273-point hybrid AF, 5-axis VR and a 3.69M-dot finder. The Z6 adds a back-illuminated sensor, 12 fps, full-width 4K, 120p Full HD and a sharper screen; the Z5 adds two SD slots and Eye and Animal Detection from launch.

A black Nikon Z5 body with a NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens, seen from the front left on a white background — **Nikon Z5**24.3MP full frame · launched at $1,399.95 in 2020Photo: Alex 'Florstein' Fedorov via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

A black Nikon Z6 with a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S zoom lens, seen from the front left on a white background — **Nikon Z6**24.5MP full frame · launched at $1,999.95 in 2018Photo: Phiarc via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Side-by-side specs

	Nikon Z5	Nikon Z6
Sensor	24.3MP FX-format CMOS	24.5MP FX-format back-illuminated CMOS
Processor	EXPEED 6	Same
ISO	100–51200; Lo 50, Hi 102400 equivalent	100–51200; Lo 50, Hi 204800 equivalent
Autofocus	273 points; Eye and Animal Detection from launch; −2 EV (−3 EV with low-light AF)	273 points; Eye AF added by firmware 2.0; −3.5 EV (−6 EV with low-light AF)
Stabilization	5-axis in-camera VR, 5.0 stops	5-axis VR, about 5.0 stops
Bursts	Up to 4.5 fps	Up to 12 fps (Continuous H extended, 12-bit raw)
Viewfinder	0.5-inch OLED, about 3.69M dots, 0.8x	Same
Screen	3.2-inch tilting touchscreen, about 1.04M dots	3.2-inch tilting touchscreen, about 2.1M dots
4K video	4K UHD up to 30p, cropped about 1.7x	4K UHD up to 30p, full-pixel readout
Full HD	Up to 60p	Up to 120p
Cards	Two SD (UHS-II)	One XQD / CFexpress (Type B)
Battery	EN-EL15c; about 390 shots (viewfinder), CIPA; USB power delivery	EN-EL15b; about 310 shots (viewfinder), CIPA
Weight	About 675 g with battery and card	Same
Launch price	Jul 21, 2020; $1,399.95 body-only (US)	Aug 23, 2018; $1,999.95 body-only (US)

Specs from Nikon's Z5 specifications and online manual (Z5 battery life: Battery Endurance, EN-EL15c, CIPA), Nikon Inc.'s July 21, 2020 release and the Nikon specs cited in our Z6 review; US launch prices from Nikon Inc. ✓ = advantage; blank = tie or not directly comparable.

Sample photos

Four photos taken with the Nikon Z5 and four with the Nikon Z6, shared on Wikimedia Commons under open licenses.

Sample photo 1 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z5 — Taken with the Nikon Z5. Photo: antontutaev via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)

Sample photo 2 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z5 — Taken with the Nikon Z5. Photo: Bruno Barral via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 3 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z5 — Taken with the Nikon Z5. Photo: Andloukakis via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 4 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z5 — Taken with the Nikon Z5. Photo: Andloukakis via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 5 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z6 — Taken with the Nikon Z6. Photo: Harald Schmidbauer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 6 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z6 — Taken with the Nikon Z6. Photo: Harald Schmidbauer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 7 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z6 — Taken with the Nikon Z6. Photo: Harald Schmidbauer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Sample photo 8 of 8 taken with the Nikon Z6 — Taken with the Nikon Z6. Photo: Harald Schmidbauer via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)

Who should buy which

Buy the Z5 if…

You shoot stills, travel and landscapes and want two SD card slots.
You want Eye and Animal Detection AF built in from launch.
You want the EN-EL15c battery with USB power delivery.

Buy the Z6 if…

You shoot action: up to 12 fps vs 4.5 fps.
You shoot video: full-width 4K and Full HD up to 120p.
You want a sharper 2.1M-dot rear screen and AF rated down to −6 EV with low-light AF.

Both bodies weigh about 675 g and share EXPEED 6, 273-point AF, 5-axis VR and a 3.69M-dot finder, so the choice is mostly speed and video versus card slots. See our full Z5 and Z6 reviews, or all comparisons.

Where to buy

Nikon Z5

Z5 · body (new)

Nikon Z5: Launched at $1,399.95 in 2020.

Check price
Read the full Nikon Z5 review

Nikon Z6

Z6 · body (Renewed)

Nikon Z6: Launched at $1,999.95 in 2018.

Check price (Renewed)
Read the full Nikon Z6 review

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