Nikon Z 5

£1719/$1699 with kit lens $1399 body-only (not available in UK)

For an ‘entry-level’ full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z 5 is surprisingly well specced. Fully weather sealed, featuring five-stop in-body image stabilization, a 24.3Mp sensor that goes up to ISO51,200 in native settings, and a classleading electronic viewfinder, it seemingly matches the more upmarket Z 6 feature for feature in all the important places.

Indeed, the control layout is exactly the same, offering an absolutely identical handling experience, with a thumbstick, D-pad and array of buttons to access vital controls at the back along with a touchscreen rear LCD, finger- and thumboperated control dials in easy reach, and a pair of well-positioned programmable function buttons on the front.

For those making the move from a DSLR, though, the lack of direct access buttons can take some getting used to. While Nikon DSLRs typically allow you to change between single, continuous and self-timer shooting modes by turning a dial, or between AF-S, AF-C and Manual focus with a button, here you’ll need to select these options from on-screen menus. Likewise, there are no dedicated buttons for oft-used functions like metering, white balance or selecting between Raw and JPEG.

But things aren’t the same as its Z 6 and Z 7 brethren. There’s no top-plate display to give at-a-glance info on all the vital settings. Instead, the exposure mode dial has been shifted over into its place, and while this has the same Auto, P, A, S, M modes, plus three user-definable presets, it’s