Products
Tested using Methodology v0.12.1
Updated Sep 01, 2026 02:38 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Tested using Methodology v0.13.1
Updated Sep 04, 2026 05:53 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Body Type
SLR-Style
Mirrorless
Yes
Sensor Size
Full Frame
Body Type
SLR-Style
Mirrorless
Yes
Sensor Size
Full Frame
Our Verdict
Nikon Z 6
Nikon Z 5
The Nikon Z 6 is a bit better overall than the Nikon Z 5, but the Z 5 still offers a lot of value for those just getting into full-frame photography. The Z 5 is Nikon's entry-level full-frame camera, while the Z 6 is a higher-end enthusiast model. Because of that, the Z 6 has a faster continuous shooting speed, can shoot 4k video without a crop and more frame rate options, and has a CFexpress card slot. However, it does have a shorter battery life than the Z 5.
Variants
- Z 6 (Body Only)
- Z 6 (w/ NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens)
- Z 5 (Black (Body Only))
- Z 5 (Black W/ 24-50mm lens)
Check Price
Body Only
Z 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black (Body Only)
Z 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon
w/ NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens
Z 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black W/ 24-50mm lens
Z 5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
Main Differences for
Travel Photography
Travel Photography
Threshold
Travel Photography
7.9
7.5
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/8 s
1/30 s
Battery
7.4
9.3
Full Comparison
Design
Portability
3.7
3.5
Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Height
4.0" (10.2 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)
Width
5.6" (14.1 cm)
5.6" (14.1 cm)
Depth
3.3" (8.5 cm)
3.5" (9.0 cm)
Volume
74.6 in³ (1,222.5 cm³)
79.0 in³ (1,294.4 cm³)
Weight
1.50 lbs (0.68 kg)
1.52 lbs (0.69 kg)
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Body
Body Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Body Type
SLR-Style
SLR-Style
Water Resistance
Weather-Sealed
Weather-Sealed
Mirrorless
Yes
Yes
Rugged
No
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Yes
Command Dial
2
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Yes
Lens Mount
Z Mount
Z Mount
Built-In Flash
No
No
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/8,000 s
1/8,000 s
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Ergonomics & Comfort
9.0
9.0
Hand Grip Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Viewfinder
EVF Menu Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Viewfinder Type
Electronic
Electronic
Advertised Coverage
100%
100%
Advertised Resolution
3.69 million dots
3.69 million dots
Advertised Magnification
0.8
0.8
Screen
7.8
7.1
Screen Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Screen Articulation Type
Tilting
Tilting
Screen Max Brightness
770 cd/m²
524 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
2.10 million dots
1.04 million dots
Size
3.2" (8.1 cm)
3.2" (8.1 cm)
Touchscreen
Yes
Yes
Menu System
9.0
9.0
Screen Menu Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Guide Mode
Yes
Yes
App Name
Nikon SnapBridge
Nikon SnapBridge
Built-In Lens
0.0
0.0
Aperture Vs Focal Length
Maximum Aperture
No built-in lens
No built-in lens
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Minimum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Maximum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Optical Image Stabilization
No
No
Light Falloff Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Luminance
N/A
N/A
Light Falloff
N/A
N/A
Sensor
Sensor Type
BSI CMOS
CMOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
24.5 MP
24.3 MP
Processor
EXPEED 6
EXPEED 6
Sensor Size
Full Frame
Full Frame
Extended ISO Minimum
50
50
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
100
100
Native ISO Maximum
51,200
51,200
Tested Firmware
3.20
1.40
Battery
7.4
9.3
Battery Type
Nikon EN-EL15b
Nikon EN-EL15C
USB Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
Yes
Yes
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
310 photos
470 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
98 min
154 min
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
7.2
5.7
Low Speed Continuous
1 fps
1 fps
High Speed Continuous
8 fps
5 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
8 fps
3 fps
Raw Buffer Size
36 Photos
100 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
200 Photos
100 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
2 s
1 s
Photo AF-C Tracking
7.7
6.8
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
66%
56%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
81%
70%
Photo AF-C Center Point
10
9.7
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
100%
96%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
100%
Photo Image Stabilization
8.3
6.6
Stabilization Slideshow
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/8 s
1/30 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
Yes
Yes
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
8.9
8.9
Dynamic Range Scene
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
11.1 f-stops
11.3 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
9.8 f-stops
9.8 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
8.0 f-stops
7.5 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
7.4 f-stops
6.9 f-stops
Photo RAW Sharpness
8.7
8.4
Sharpness Scene Crop
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
MTF Graph
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
2,389 LW/PH
2,287 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,926 LW/PH
1,788 LW/PH
Photo RAW Noise
8.1
8.0
Noise Scene Crop
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Noise Vs Exposure Time
Preview Graph
Preview Graph
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
35.3dB
35.2 dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
33.1 dB
32.7 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
29.0 dB
28.6 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
24.0dB
23.4 dB
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
Yes
4k Video
Yes
Yes
6k Video
No
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
Not Advertised
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
10 bits
N/A
Log Picture Profile
Yes
No
Recording Light
No
No
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes
Yes
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
Yes
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
No
All-I Compression
No
No
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
8.5
5.8
240 fps In 4k
No
No
120 fps In 4k
No
No
60 fps In 4k
No
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes, with a Crop
24 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes, with a Crop
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
1.58 x
4k Video Internal Recording
7.8
7.8
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
120 Mbps
129 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
120 Mbps
128 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
30 min
30 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
0
0
4k Video Autofocus Performance
6.9
6.7
4k Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In 4k
5.3
5.3
4k Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In 4k
9.2
8.7
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
No
No
4k Video Quality
8.8
4k Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In 4k
8.5
4k Test Scene Extract
Test Scene Extract In 4k
9.0
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
6.1
3.8
Rolling Shutter Video in 4k
4k Rolling Shutter
6.3°
10.0°
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
9.5
8.5
240 fps In FHD
No
No
120 fps In FHD
Yes
No
60 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
24 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
1 x
FHD Video Internal Recording
7.8
7.6
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
124 Mbps
56 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
24 Mbps
29 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
30 min
30 min
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
7.3
7.7
Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In FHD
6.3
8.3
FHD Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In FHD
9.1
8.1
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
No
FHD Video Quality
7.8
FHD Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In FHD
7.5
FHD Test Scene Extract In FHD
Test Scene Extract In FHD
8.0
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
8.2
7.0
Rolling Shutter Video in FHD
FHD Rolling Shutter
2.0°
4.0°
Video Image Quality
Video Dynamic Range
6.4
Base ISO Video Dynamic Range Waveform
Strict SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
8.92 stops
Lenient SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
9.33 stops
Background Floor Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
9.33 stops
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card Slot Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
Card 1 Slot
CFexpress
SD Card UHS-II
Card 2 Slot
No 2nd Card Slot
SD Card UHS-II
Inputs / Outputs
9.5
9.5
Input Picture
Compare High-Res
Compare High-Res
USB
USB-C
USB-C
HDMI
Mini (Type C)
Mini (Type C)
Headphones
Yes
Yes
Microphone
Stereo
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
Pictures Sample Gallery
Check Price
Body Only
Z 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black (Body Only)
Z 5
SEE PRICE
Amazon
w/ NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S lens
Z 6
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black W/ 24-50mm lens
Z 5
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
To access
Become a member
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices, and
other exclusive site features
Nikon Z 6
Nikon Z 5
Comments
Nikon Z 6 vs Nikon Z 5: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Members have direct access to buying advice on our member forum.