Looking for a mid-range mirrorless camera to kickstart a photography hobby? This one is so easy to use and gets the thumbs up from amateur and professional photographers alike
If you’re keen to get into amateur photography in 2026 you’re going to need a good camera, and if you’re not sure which one to go for, Nikon’s latest mirrorless camera, the Z5II, comes highly recommended – and is currently reduced by £340.
With the body usually retailing for £1,599, you’ll currently find it for £1,259 on retailers such as Jessops and John Lewis, as well as Nikon’s own online store. We currently also found it for £1,192 from the Nikon store on Amazon, although at the time of writing there were only two units available, so you’ll need to be quick if you want to make this extra saving.
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Key features of the Nikon Z5II include a 24.5MP sensor, a powerful EXPEED 7 processor and 7.5 stops of stabilisation, as well as AI-powered subject detection, 3D tracking and -10 EV autofocus sensitivity. Outside of all the numbers, this model delivers faster shooting and autofocus and improved noise performance compared to its predecessors, and subject detection across nine categories, including people, animals and vehicles.
Over on Wex, where it’s also on sale, one happy customer called it: “Overall such a wonderful camera for the price, it delivers amazing autofocus and outstanding picture quality! I use it all the time for portraits, landscapes and street photography and it excels in all of these.”
A second five-star review from a hobbyist reads: “This camera is a real game changer for anyone thinking of stepping over to mirrorless for the first time.”
Over on Amazon, shoppers are also praising how easy it is to use, even if you don’t venture off its automatic mode. “I put everything in auto mode and that suits me…the camera seems to take pictures effortlessly and smooth, also with the Nikon apps you can transfer photos to it easily or connect your phone,” one person wrote.
“It’s got a lot of functions on it of which I don’t understand but watching lots of videos on this model it’s clearly a high end bit of kit,” they added.
Here at The Mirror, we’ve also had a go on one of these models are can confirm that it is indeed super-easy to use, taking impressive photos whether you play around with the different settings much or not. We were thrilled with the professional-looking (we thought) images we snapped, from close-ups of flowers to longer-range shots of landscapes.
Remember that you will also need to buy a lens to fit onto this; the Nikon Nikkor Z 24-50mm f/4-6.3 lens is a good entry level one, or it’s £159 for a used one from Jessops.
If you’re after a smaller, cheaper, more fashion-focused camera, we’ve also reviewed the Fujifilm X-Half here, which is half the price at £629 from Argos.
