NIKON TARGETS NEW Z 30 AT VLOGGERS
AS YOU’LL KNOW from the new category in this year’s TIPA World Awards, cameras specifically designed for vlogging applications are now ‘a thing’. In case you don’t know, vlogging is short for video blogging, which usually involves filming yourself making a presentation of some sort that’s designed to go online. These are low-budget productions and some are done with a smartphone, but a vlogging camera, like Nikon’s new Z 30 and the Sony XV-10, offer the flexibility of interchangeable lenses, tilt adjustable monitor screens, more options for controlling focus and exposure, and better sound recording. In fact, Nikon is emphasising that the Z 30’s sensor is 14 times larger than one in most smartphones, providing much more scope for using depth-of-field.
Under the skin, the Z 30 is pretty much the same as the Z 50, but it has a more compact and lighter body mainly because it goes without an EVF Frankly, this is a bit curious as it will put the camera on the no-go list for the majority of enthusiast-level shooters who might have preferred the Z 30’s styling over the Z 50. Certainly, the neat rangefinder-type body shape actually looks very appealing, but clearly Nikon is targeting video-makers ahead of photographers.
The Z 30 is Nikon’s third APS-C format Z-mount mirrorless camera and, in fact, all three share the same platform that uses a 20.9MP (effective) CMOS sensor mated to Nikon’s Expeed 6 processor. It has native sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 51,200 with extensions up to ISO 204,800.
Obviously, the video capabilities are what will interest vloggers and Nikon says the Z 30’s heat dissipation has been designed to allow for longer clip durations – up to 125 minutes with 4K recording – and the camera can be powered from its USB connection. The camera will work with Nikon’s Webcam Utility for live streaming.
The Z 30 records 4K UHD video (3840x2160 pixels) using the full width of the sensor at 30, 25 or 24fps with MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 compression in either the MOV or MP4 formats. The Full HD (1920x1080 pixels) frame rates run up to 120 or 100fps for slow-motion effects (i.e. at up to 5x with a 24fps output).
On the audio side, the Z 30 has built-in stereo microphones – located either side of the hotshoe – with automatically or manually adjustable levels, an attenuator, a wind-cut filter and the choice of either Wide or Vocal dynamic range settings. There’s a stereo audio input (a 3.5mm minijack connection), but no output for headphones.
The rear screen is fully articulated, including being tiltable to face forward. It’s a 3-inch TFT LCD panel with a resolution of 1.04 million dots and touchscreen controls. The Z 30 also has a front tally lamp – so you can see that the camera is recording – and the record start/ stop
