Nikon announced the Z5 IIC on Sept. 24, 2026, at 5:08 am EST, introducing a cheaper full-frame mirrorless camera based on the Z5 II. The biggest change is easy to spot: the Z5 IIC removes the electronic viewfinder and uses a flip-out display instead.
That tradeoff gives the camera a different balance of size, weight, and features. The Z5 IIC weighs 537 grams, while the Z5 II weighs 700 grams, making the new model nearly 25 percent lighter. It still keeps a 24-megapixel resolution, RAW video support, and a body built around a full-frame sensor.
A lighter body built around a flexible screen
The Z5 IIC has a fully articulating 3.2-inch 1040K dot touch display. The screen can serve as the camera’s main way to frame photos and video, while its flip-out design adds flexibility for different shooting positions. Nikon also includes a REC light up front, giving the camera a clear recording indicator.
The missing electronic viewfinder separates the Z5 IIC from the Z5 II, but the two cameras still share a focus on speed and subject recognition. The Z5 IIC supports detection for fish, human, animal, bird, and vehicle subjects, which gives photographers a way to keep focus tied to the subject they are tracking.
In-body stabilization provides 7.5 stops of shake reduction. The camera also has an expanded ISO range up to ISO 64,000, along with scene modes for 15 different types of scenes. Those features give the Z5 IIC several ways to handle changing shooting conditions without adding extra equipment or complicated setup.
Video features make the smaller camera stand out
Video is one of the Z5 IIC’s strongest areas. It supports 4K video at 30 fps by supersampling from the full 6K sensor width, a process that uses the wider sensor area to create the 4K recording. It can also record 4K at 60 fps with a 1.5x crop, or capture 1080p video at 120 fps.
For advanced recording, the camera supports Nikon’s N-RAW format with N-Log and also supports H.265. These options give video users different recording choices, from RAW video to a compressed format. The Z5 IIC also includes a waveform display, focus peaking, and zebras, placing useful exposure and focus tools on the camera itself.
Nikon added a “product review” mode that switches focus between a presenter and objects. That feature is designed around a simple need: keeping focus on a person, then moving it to an item shown to the camera. The Z5 IIC also includes “imaging recipes,” including some from RED, giving users built-in looks to choose from.
There is a practical limit to the camera’s storage setup. The Z5 IIC has a single SD UHS II card slot, so recording relies on one card at a time. That detail matters for anyone planning video sessions or long stretches of shooting.
Pricing and the gap between the Z5 IIC and Z5 II
The Z5 IIC is available for preorder at $1,400 for the body only. A bundle with the Z 24-50mm f/4.3-5.3 kit lens costs $1,700. Those prices place the camera as a cheaper alternative to the Z5 II, with the lower cost tied to the removal of the electronic viewfinder.
The Z5 II supports 14 fps burst speeds with continuous autofocus and can reach 30 fps in JPEG only in electronic shutter mode. The Z5 IIC’s listed features focus on its lighter body, articulating screen, video tools, subject detection, and stabilization, while the Z5 II’s burst figures show where the two models differ in shooting speed.
That makes the Z5 IIC a clear choice for people who can work without an electronic viewfinder and want a lighter full-frame camera with strong video controls. Its 537-gram body, 24-megapixel sensor, 4K recording options, RAW video support, and 7.5 stops of shake reduction give the camera a broad feature set without matching the Z5 II’s 700-gram weight.
