Nikon doesn’t make an advanced compact camera anymore, but the Nikon Z30 almost feels like one

The demand for compact cameras with large sensors has risen so much that cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI and Canon G7X Mark III are nearly impossible to find. But not every major camera brand makes a compact camera. Case in point: Nikon has zoomy bridge cameras but currently doesn’t have a large-sensored point-and-shoot in its lineup. What Nikon does have, however, is a mirrorless camera that feels almost like a compact camera: The Nikon Z30.

Nikon is no stranger to compact cameras with large sensors. The Nikon Coolpix A, launched in 2013, had an APS-C sensor, for example. But Nikon’s current model point-and-shoot cameras are only the small sensor but big zoom Coolpix P cameras, the latest of which is the Nikon Coolpix P1100.

But while Nikon currently doesn’t have a compact point-and-shoot available new in box, there is a camera that comes to my mind when I think of the words “compact” and “Nikon” in the same sentence: The Nikon Z30. While technically a mirrorless camera, when I first tried out the Z30, I thought it felt like a cross between a point-and-shoot and a mirrorless camera.

The Nikon Z30 feels like a compact camera with one of the brand’s mirrorless grips slapped on it. The camera weighs just 12.3 oz / 350g and, while compact, the grip makes the camera measure 2.3 inches deep. That grip is worth the space for the comfortable hold. Yet, the camera is still compact, sitting at just under three inches tall, in part, because it lacks a viewfinder.

I understand the appeal of a compact camera that can go everywhere, but I’d consider a mirrorless camera with a small pancake lens before I’d spend four figures on a point-and-shoot. The Nikon Z30 fits that description in both size and price. Besides being compact, the mirrorless lists for under $900 / £850 / AU$1,500 even with a kit lens. Despite the low price point, I didn’t think the Z30 felt like a cheap camera when shooting, and the 20.9MP images didn’t leave much to complain about.

My biggest complaint with the Nikon Z30 is that the camera doesn’t have a viewfinder, only an LCD screen. Viewfinders are far easier to use in bright sun than an LCD screen, and holding the camera up to your face encourages a more ergonomic grip than using an LCD screen. The Nikon Z50 is the compact mirrorless for Nikon fans who need that viewfinder, but it comes at both a higher price point and in a slightly larger body to house that viewfinder.

The Nikon Z30 isn’t the camera for me because I need that viewfinder. But I think anyone shocked at the high cost of advanced compact cameras with large sensors should consider a compact mirrorless camera with a pancake lens. The price, durable build, and image quality make the Nikon Z30 a serious contender, along with other compact mirrorless systems like the Sony a6700, the Fujifilm X-M5, or the full-frame Panasonic Lumix S9.

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