Nikon cameras are some of the best on the market, whether that's mirrorless or DSLR cameras. If you're considering splurging on one, we've found plenty of early Black Friday deals to soften the blow on your wallet, like the Nikon Z7 II which is $1,000 off at Amazon right now.
Our expert reviewers have tested the cameras in this guide themselves, giving their honest reviews of the pros and cons of each model. We've considered a range of budgets and different types of cameras to help you find your perfect Nikon match. From entry-level models to the best cameras suited to professional use, we've tested DSLRs, mirrorless, compact and larger cameras to help you make an informed decision.
If you're not quite sold on Nikon yet, be sure to check out the best cameras for astrophotography, best cameras for photo and video and camera deals.
The quick list
Skim through our top picks below, or scroll down to see our full reviews of each product.
Best overall
Our top pick, the Nikon Z8, has pretty much everything any amateur or professional could want, including 45.7MP stills, 8K video and burst images at 120FPS. You can shoot absolutely anything with this camera.
Best professional mirrorless
Nikon's flagship mirrorless camera offers 8K video, 120FPS stills shooting, six stops of in body image stabilization, fast autofocus and intelligent subject tracking.
Best under $3,000
Featuring many of the same capabilities as the Z9, but with a lower price tag, the Nikon Z7 II offers speed, precision and great dynamic range.
Best classic style
A vintage-style camera that still houses impressive mirrorless technology, the Nikon Zf particularly excels in low light, with sensitivity right down to -10EV.
Best value for money
Coming in at a more affordable price, but still offering reliable Nikon quality and features, the Nikon Z6 is an excellent mirrorless option for enthusiasts.
Best for casual users
With an attractive retro design, straightforward controls and a compact body, the Nikon Z fc is a great everyday camera for travel or street photography.
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Best full-frame DSLR
Able to compete with the top-level mirrorless cameras, this full-frame DSLR is an ideal pick for traditionalists who enjoy using a bright optical viewfinder.
Best for low light
The Nikon D780 excels in low-light conditions and is brilliant at handling high ISO noise, making it a perfect choice for astrophotography.
Best crop sensor
A DLSR camera that offers high-end features at an affordable price, with impressive ISO handling and a 4K resolution time-lapse function.
Best professional DSLR
Nikon's flagship DSLR camera offers high speed, extreme weatherproofing and a huge expanded ISO range, but at an eye-watering price.
Best for vlogging
With a vari-angle screen that unfolds and rotates 360 degrees, the Nikon D5600 is an ideal choice for vlogging or taking selfies on your travels.
Best for beginners
Nikon's first APS-C mirrorless camera still makes a great all-rounder for beginners, offering 20.9MP stills, 4K video and in-camera creative effects.
Best zoom range
With an enormous 125x optical zoom and an effective focal length of 24mm up to 3000mm, the Coolpix P1000 takes incredible shots of the Moon.
The best Nikon cameras we recommend in 2025
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Best overall
✅ You want the best image quality: The huge 45.7MP sensor produces rich and detailed images as well as 8K video.
✅ You shoot sport or wildlife: This camera has incredible autofocus that works even on tricky subjects, and it can do burst shooting at a blistering 120FPS.
✅ You're an astrophotographer: Low-light sensitivity reaches as low as -9EV and a dedicated night vision mode preserves your night vision.
❌ You're on a budget: Although it's significantly cheaper than the Nikon Z9, it's still an expensive camera with elite features that may be overkill for beginners and intermediates.
🔎 Nikon Z8: An elite all-rounder with a 45.7MP sensor and incredible autofocus that handles any style of photography with ease, we class this as one of the very best cameras available. ★★★★★
Currently sitting at the top of our overall best cameras guide, the Nikon Z8 is easily crowned the best Nikon camera as well. It combines the very best aspects of the Nikon D850 and the flagship Nikon Z9 models to create a camera with unrivaled versatility and performance across all fields of photography. Whether you're a professional or an enthusiastic amateur, this camera is an absolute treat to use and offers stunning results.
The 45.7MP sensor delivers highly detailed still images and 8K video. It offers RAW images and captures a wide variety of video codecs such as N-Log, ProRes Raw HQ and more, making it an excellent choice for videographers. There's also an unbelievable burst shooting rate of 120FPS for sport and action photographers, although you will sacrifice some image quality when shooting at this blistering speed.
The autofocus is fast and reliable, detecting human and animal subjects even in darker conditions. Enabling Starlight View will drop the detection range right down to -9EV. This, combined with a night vision mode that dims the rear screen and electronic viewfinder and uses only red pixels to preserve your night vision, makes it a fantastic camera for astrophotography, too.
With the Nikon Z8, you'll get all this for around $1500 less than their flagship Z9 model, which really clinches the deal for us. It's still pricey and primarily aimed at professionals, but if your budget can stretch to it, we think any photographer would be thrilled with this camera.
- Read our full Nikon Z8 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | 45.7MP sensor and outstanding build quality |
| Functionality | 8K video and 120FPS burst shooting |
| Performance | Exceptional autofocus, even in low light |
Best professional mirrorless
✅ You're looking for premium features and performance: There's really nothing that this camera doesn't do well with its incredible 45.7MP sensor and ISO range.
✅ You enjoy burst shooting or videography: You can shoot stills up to 120FPS and video up to a whopping 8K at 30FPS.
❌ You're on a budget: The only real downside to this camera is the price — it's incredibly expensive and probably overkill for astrophotography alone.
🔎 Nikon Z9: Losing half a star purely on the basis of price point, this is an absolute powerhouse of a mirrorless camera that offers premium features right across the board. ★★★★½
The Nikon Z9 is Nikon's flagship mirrorless camera, outstripping every other Nikon camera's spec sheets. Outstanding, fast autofocus is powered by deep-learning artificial intelligence that cleverly tracks subjects from people, animals, and vehicles, focusing on the eyes of living subjects even when framed upside down.
This is a mirrorless camera designed for professionals, but it would be equally welcome in the hands of an enthusiast, should they be able to afford it. We'd give it five stars, but it's missing half a star as it'll be out of the price range of some.
A blisteringly fast 120FPS electronic stills capture, 8K30p video, and detailed 'real-live' electronic viewfinder, which is the brightest in the world (at 3000-nit), show that Nikon isn't messing around here. It also has dual CF Express Type B card slots for twice the speed of Type A and ultra-reliability with dual card backup.
You'll be spoiled by the numerous functions the Z9 offers. As a still image shooter, you can customize almost every aspect of the process, and have the ability to use this body just as easily in landscape or portrait mode. The stand-out options are the vast array of options on the camera body itself.
- Read our Nikon Z9 review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | 45.7MP sensor in a robust weatherproof body |
| Functionality | Impressive burst shooting and video |
| Performance | Fast focusing and exceptional clarity |
Best under $3000
✅ You're looking for a high-level all-rounder: Featuring the same 45.7MP sensor as the pricey Z9 model, this camera offers detail, precision and speed at a more affordable price.
✅ Your main focus is astrophotography: With its tilting touchscreen, weather sealing and excellent low-light performance, this camera is ideal for astrophotographers.
❌ You're a beginner: You may want to look at some more pocket-friendly options like the Nikon Z5 if you're just starting out.
🔎 Nikon Z7 II: This camera is a great pick for those looking for high detail and performance without the huge price tag of the Z9 model. Its features also make it a particularly attractive option for astrophotographers. ★★★★½
Sitting nearly two-fifths cheaper than the Nikon Z9, this camera has much of the capability without the enormous price tag, though it is still a sizeable investment.
In our Nikon Z7 II review our verdict after putting it through its paces is that it offers the perfect balance of speed and precision and can master most styles of photography.
It boasts great dynamic range and an expandable ISO that boosts up to 102,400 and is stabilized by a five-axis in-body image stabilization technology that can steady shots by up to five stops.
10FPS stills shooting at maximum resolution may not sound ground-breaking, but when you consider it's capturing a huge 45.7MP, 14bit photos, it's pretty eye-watering. A dual card slot makes the 7 II compatible with XQD (or super fast CF Express) and SD/SDHC/SDXC (up to UHS-II) cards for ultimate flexibility. 4K UHD video shoots smooth 60FPS but can go as high as 120FPS when dropped down to full HD resolution for slow-motion effects.
The exposure preview on the Z7 II is fantastic, probably the best of all the cameras we’ve used. Composing scenes on any camera in low light is difficult because less light means a darker view, making it more difficult to level horizons and ensure focus is where it needs to be. However, with the Z7 II there’s hardly any image noise when viewing on the rear screen or EVF, horizons are clearly visible and so are stars, making it easy to compose scenes and zoom in on stars to manually focus.
- Read our Nikon Z7 II review
| Attributes | Notes |
|---|---|
| Design | 45.7MP sensor, tilting screen and weather sealing |
| Functionality | Controls across the body within easy reach |
| Performance | Superb handling of high ISO image noise |