Nikon Z5IIC Announced – 24.5MP Full-Frame, N-RAW to SD Card, EXPEED 7, No EVF for $1,399

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by Nino LeitnerToday

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Nikon has announced the Z5IIC, a flat-top full-frame mirrorless camera that drops the electronic viewfinder from the Z5II and pairs the same 24.5MP backside-illuminated sensor with the EXPEED 7 processor from the company’s flagship bodies. It records 4K UHD up to 60p, Full HD up to 120p, 10-bit H.265 with N-Log, and 12-bit N-RAW to a single SD UHS-II card, with 5-axis in-body stabilization rated at up to 7.5 stops. The body weighs 538g / 19oz, comes in black or silver, and starts at $1,399.95, making it the least expensive full-frame camera that writes internal RAW video. Shipping is planned for mid-October.

Nikon’s marketing for the Z5IIC talks about Scene Modes, Imaging Recipes and a new Film Grain function, and the company describes it as designed for “the way you shoot,” with touchscreen composition it compares to the more casual, expressive experience of smartphone photography. That positioning is aimed squarely at people stepping up from a phone. Underneath it, though, sits most of the video pipeline we tested in the Nikon Z5II last year, now in a body that is smaller, lighter and $300 cheaper. That is the part we care about, so let us walk through what has changed and what has not.

What the missing viewfinder buys you

The Z5IIC measures 134 x 80.5 x 72mm / 5.3 x 3.2 x 2.9in and weighs 538g / 19oz body only, or roughly 620g / 21.9oz with battery and card. Removing the EVF hump gives the camera a flat top plate and puts it in the same size class as the Sony a7C II, which is clearly the competitor Nikon has in its sights. The body keeps magnesium alloy reinforcement, dust and drip resistance, and a proper front grip, so this is a shrunken Z5II rather than a stripped one.

For stills shooters, no EVF is a real trade-off in bright sunlight. For video, it barely matters. Most of us frame on the rear screen or an external monitor anyway, and the Z5IIC keeps the 3.2-inch vari-angle touchscreen from the Z5II. If you need an eyepiece for handheld work, a loupe on the LCD does the job. Nikon has essentially removed the one component video users pay for and rarely use.

Video specs, and the crop question

Video recording tops out at 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 at 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p and Full HD 1920 x 1080 up to 120p/100p, with in-camera slow motion at 4x and 5x. As on the Z5II, full-width oversampled 4K is available up to 30p, while 4K at 50p and 60p comes from a DX (APS-C) crop. Nikon’s press release makes the DX crop explicit for 60p, so anyone hoping the “C” would bring uncropped 4K60 will be disappointed. Codecs are H.265 10-bit in MOV with N-Log and an HLG tone mode, plus N-RAW 12-bit in NEV.

The N-RAW modes tell the same story. In FX you get 4032 x 2268 at 30p/25p/24p; switch to DX and the resolution becomes 3984 x 2240 with frame rates up to 120p. Maximum continuous recording time is 2 hours 5 minutes. All of this goes to a single SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-II slot, and Nikon recommends V90 cards for RAW. That is the same arrangement as the Z5II, and it remains one of the few ways to record 12-bit RAW internally without buying into CFexpress.

Autofocus, stabilization and the Fish mode

The EXPEED 7 engine brings the deep-learning autofocus system from the Z8 and Z9. Subject detection covers people, dogs, cats, birds, vehicles and aircraft, and the Z5IIC adds a new “Fish” recognition mode, which will amuse some readers and be a serious feature for underwater and aquarium shooters. Nikon’s AI-based AF has been reliable in our testing across the Z line, and there is no reason to expect a step back here.

In-body VR is 5-axis and rated at up to 7.5 stops at the center of the frame. Stills shooters get 14fps continuous in RAW, 15 to 30fps in the High-Speed Frame Capture+ mode, and a Pre-Release Capture buffer of up to one second. The battery is the familiar EN-EL15c, rated at 390 shots with energy saving on, 350 with it off, and 85 minutes of video by CIPA measurement.

Connectivity and the creator features

Ports are USB-C SuperSpeed, a Type D micro HDMI connector, and 3.5mm mic input with plug-in power and headphone output. The micro HDMI is a weak point on a camera that will spend time on gimbals and in cages, but it is the same connector Nikon uses on the Z5II and ZR, so it is at least consistent. UVC and UAC support turns the camera into a webcam over USB without additional software.

The features Nikon leads with are the ones aimed at newcomers. Fifteen Scene Modes sit on the mode dial, Imaging Recipes get a dedicated quick-access button, and there is a new Film Grain function for a nostalgic look. Product Review Mode shifts focus smoothly between a face and an object held up to the camera, a REC lamp and red frame display make recording status obvious, and the whole package is designed to make a full-frame camera feel approachable to someone coming from a phone.

Who is this for?

We see two audiences that Nikon’s marketing does not quite name. The first is the solo creator who wants full-frame N-RAW and 10-bit N-Log without paying Nikon ZR money, and who does not need the ZR’s R3D NE codec, 6K or 4-inch monitor. The second is the existing Z shooter looking for a compact B-camera or crash cam that shares batteries, lenses, N-Log and N-RAW with a Z6III or ZR A-camera. At $1,399.95, the Z5IIC is cheaper than most cine-oriented cages and monitors it will be rigged with.

There are limits. The DX crop for 4K60 means intercutting with a full-frame A-camera at high frame rates requires matching focal lengths, and the single SD slot rules out dual-card redundancy. We would also like to see Nikon’s Z6III partially stacked sensor here for rolling shutter, but at this price it is not a realistic ask. Our Z5II coverage will give you a good idea of what to expect from the image, since the sensor and processor are unchanged.

Pricing and availability

The Nikon Z5IIC body is $1,399.95, and the kit with the NIKKOR Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 is $1,699.95. Nikon is also offering bundles with the NIKKOR Z 26mm f/2.8 pancake and the 40mm f/2, with pricing to be confirmed by regional Nikon channels. Both the black and silver finishes are due to ship in mid-October 2026. Full details are on Nikon’s product page.

A full-frame camera with 12-bit internal RAW and 7.5-stop IBIS for under $1,400 would have sounded absurd a few years ago. Is the missing viewfinder a dealbreaker for you, or is the Z5IIC exactly the compact B-camera your Z-mount kit has been waiting for? Let us know in the comments below!