Nikon Z30

The Nikon Z30 is a compact mirrorless camera from 2022 built around an APS-C sensor. It weighs 405 grams and has no viewfinder, so you compose every shot on the rear screen.

That screen-led design, together with 4K recording and a flip-out display, suits vloggers, travellers and anyone who films themselves or shoots everyday footage.

Owning it is simple to plan for. One memory card slot and a battery rated at 330 shots mean a spare card and a spare battery belong in your bag on longer outings.

Stills start with a 20.9 megapixel APS-C sensor paired with the Expeed 6 processor. The sensor gives files with enough resolution for sharing online and making prints, and the ISO range runs from 100 to 51200, leaving room to keep shooting as the light fades.

Autofocus offers 209 points, and the camera can shoot bursts at up to 11 frames per second. That 11fps figure is a maximum rate rather than a promise of sustained shooting.

There is no in-body stabilisation, so handheld sharpness depends more on shutter speed and steady support. The 1/4000 second maximum shutter also means wide apertures in bright light may call for an ND filter.

The Nikon Z mount means the camera takes Z-series lenses, so you can start with one lens and change or add to it as your shooting develops.

The Z30 records 4K video, which gives footage enough detail for large screens and leaves some room to crop or reframe when you edit.

Frame-rate support includes 120fps, so quick action recorded at that rate can be stretched into smooth slow-motion playback during editing.

Files record in MOV or MPEG-4, both widely used video formats. A built-in timelapse mode covers interval work, from clouds passing to streets filling, without extra gear.

Handheld footage needs some planning because the camera has no in-body stabilisation. A tripod or gimbal can help keep clips steady, while the flip-out touchscreen makes checking your own framing simple.

Framing runs through a 3-inch TFT LCD with 1.04 million dots, and since there is no viewfinder the screen does all the framing work. Live view keeps the preview flowing as you shoot, the touchscreen provides direct on-screen control, and the display flips out for low angles, overhead shots and self-recording.

Both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are built in, so the camera carries two forms of wireless connectivity.

The body carries weather sealing, which helps guard against dust and light moisture, though it is not a waterproof housing. There is no built-in flash, but an external flash can be fitted, and with no GPS the camera itself does not tag files with location data.

Storage goes through a single SD, SDHC or SDXC slot with UHS-I support. With no second slot, you carry one card at a time, so plan capacity before a shoot, especially on video days.

The EN-EL25 battery is rated at 330 shots per charge. A charged spare makes sense for longer days away from a charger.

USB charging lets you top the battery up between sessions. For long days out, a charged spare is still useful.