Canon EOS R5 Mark IIvsNikon Z 30: Which Should You Buy?

The Canon EOS R5 Mark II pairs a 45 MP stacked full-frame sensor with 8.5 stops of in-body stabilization. That combination is what lets you hand-hold slow shutter speeds in dim rooms and still crop deeply into a file without it falling apart. The Nikon Z 30 carries a 20.9 MP APS-C sensor with no published stabilization figure, so every shot depends on lens stabilization or a steady hand.

If you print large, crop hard, or shoot indoors without flash, the Canon's extra pixels and stabilization are worth real money. The Z 30's smaller sensor is easier to design compact lenses for, which is exactly why the whole kit stays small.

The Canon records 8K and hits 59.94 fps in 4K at full sensor width, with 10-bit color and a log profile for grading. It also does internal raw recording, and ProRes RAW goes out over HDMI to an external recorder [ProRes RAW is recorded via HDMI to an external recorder]. That matters if you deliver to clients who want latitude in post.

The Nikon tops out at 4K/30p in H.264 with no published bit depth, log support or raw output. For vlogging, casual YouTube uploads and social clips, that is entirely adequate. For anything that needs heavy color work or high frame rates, the Canon is the only one of the two that gets you there.

The Canon shoots 12 fps with the mechanical shutter and 30 fps electronically, and it can buffer up to 15 shots before you fully press the shutter, roughly half a second of pre-capture at 30 fps [Up to 15 shots can be buffered before you fully press the shutter]. Subject detection covers people, animals, birds, cars, trains, airplanes and motorcycles.

The Nikon manages 11 fps mechanically by its own measurement, with no published electronic rate and no published subject-detection list. For birds, sports or any moving subject where the first frame is often too late, the Canon's pre-burst and stacked sensor give it a clear edge. The Z 30 is a fine everyday camera but not a burst-shooting tool.

The Canon has a 5.76 M-dot electronic viewfinder, two card slots, dust and drip resistance, a full-size HDMI port and a headphone jack. Its 630-shot battery rating means a full day of stills without swapping cells. It weighs 746 g before you add a lens.

The Nikon has no viewfinder at all, so you compose on the 3-inch rear screen [The Z 30 has no electronic viewfinder; compose on the rear LCD]. It gives you one card slot, a mini HDMI port, no published headphone jack and a 330-shot rating [Figure is for the EN-EL25 battery; shot count differs with EN-EL25a]. In exchange it weighs 405 g and is smaller in every dimension. USB charging on the Nikon also needs an optional adapter [In-camera USB charging/power needs Nikon's optional EH-7P or EH-8P adapter].

The Nikon Z 30 wins this one outright. At 405 g and 59.5 mm deep it slips into a bag in a way the 746 g Canon never will, and the missing viewfinder is one less thing to break or drain power. For walking around a city, shooting family events or recording yourself talking to camera, that size advantage is the whole reason to pick it.

What you give up is low-light headroom, reach when cropping, weather sealing and a viewfinder for bright outdoor days. If your shooting happens mostly in good light and you rarely push files hard in editing, that trade costs you little.