You might not miss what Nikon removed from its cheaper full-frame Z5 IIC

Nikon waited five years to update its full-frame Z5 camera to the Z5 II, but today it announced a new variant of last year’s upgrade that removes features instead of introducing improvements in order to make it more affordable for novice photographers. While the Nikon Z5 II starts at $1,849.95, the new Nikon Z5 IIC is $450 cheaper at $1,399.95 with a refreshed design and all of the original’s best core features. The Nikon Z5 IIC carries forward the Z5 II’s 24.5-megapixel backside illuminated full-frame sensor using the same EXPEED 7 image processing engine found in the company’s higher-end shooters with in-body image stabilization. It can capture JPEG images at up to 30 fps using its electronic shutter with the option to capture images for up to a full second before the shutter button is pressed. It also features a mechanical shutter that can shoot up to 15 fps in JPEG mode, which is a feature you won’t find on the new $1,899 full-frame Canon EOS R8 Mark II. [Image: The Z5 IIC lacks an electronic or optical viewfinder, and its LCD touchscreen features half the resolution of the screen on the Z5 II. To get the price down, the Z5 IIC loses the Z5 II’s electronic viewfinder while the resolution of its 3.2-inch articulated touchscreen has been significantly reduced from 2.1 million to 1.04 million dots. The Z5 IIC also includes just a single UHS-II SD card slot so there’s no redundancy for captured images and videos, and it lacks a joystick requiring you to instead adjust autofocus points and navigate menus using its multi-directional controller.