Nikon Z5 II vs Nikon Z5: is it worth the extra?

With the launch of the Nikon Z5 II, is it worth paying the extra for the shiny new camera or is now the time to pick up the original Z5 at a knock-down price?

As I write this, the original camera is available for under $1,000 / £800 / AU$2,000 compared to the $1,699 / £1,599 / AU$2,699 RRP of the new model. So just how much better is the Mark II edition of the camera?

As you'll see in my first-look news story, the Z5 II looks very much like its predecessor, with only minimal tweaks to the body. The grip is a teeny bit deeper, there's a new Picture Control button, and a couple of buttons have swapped places on the back, but that aside you wouldn't know it's a different camera.

There's still no top-plate info LCD and flip open the memory card flap and you'll see it still supports a pair of SD cards for storage. Even the 'Z5 II' logo is understated. The rear LCD is the same size, though if you try and open it you will discover it is of the vari-angle variety rather than the tilting mechanism of the earlier camera.

But while the two cameras are essentially the same on the outside, things are very different on the inside, with a newer-generation processor, better sensor, brighter EVF and higher-resolution rear LCD combining to place the newer camera in a completely different league than its predecessor, as the specs comparison shows.

With far superior autofocus, a much faster shooting rate, improved ISO performance, next-generation Focus Point VR-based IBIS, Pre-Release Capture, and a whole host of enhancements for low-light photography – such as its see-in-the-dark -10EV AF and Starlight view – the Z5 II will give markedly better results no matter what you shoot, from sports and wildlife through portraiture to aviation and astrophotography.

In terms of video, it knocks the socks off its predecessor, with 4x slo-mo in Full-HD mode, uncropped 4K capture (it's a pity that 2x slo-mo 4K is cropped), the ability to record NRAW and N-LOG, and tricks like Product Review mode being a gift to influencers.

It should be a more pleasant camera to use too, with its deeper grip, brighter viewfinder, higher-res screen, easier access to Picture controls, and on-screen info that matches the orientation you're shooting in. I go into far more depth in all of this in my Nikon Z5 II first look.

So are there any shooting scenarios in which the older Z5 is just as usable as the newer camera? I'd say that if your prime interest is landscapes – when you'll be sticking the camera on a tripod, setting the lowest ISO, and your subject isn't going to suddenly start moving – then a Nikon Z5 is every bit as good. And you can put the hundreds of dollars/pounds of savings towards a new lens or two.

Not made your mind up? See our guides to the best Nikon cameras and best cheap mirrorless cameras.