Ouch. It's never nice to be told that your product didn't meet expectations, but to be told that it is flat out the worst camera of the whole year is a pretty miserable pill to swallow – and unfortunately, it's a pill that's been handed to Nikon.
The Nikon Z30 has been named the worst camera of 2022, in a scathing year-end video by our friends in the great white north, DP Review TV.
"Okay, so our worst camera of the year – it seems like Jordan and I are really shitting on the vlogging industry right now, but so many manufacturers have made vlog-style cameras hoping for a market renaissance there, I just don’t see it," said Chris Nichols in the video (embedded below).
"It's the Z30 from Nikon. So first off we don’t have an EVF – none of them do, it’s really unfortunate – but we also don’t have a headphone jack, and we really think that’s a big deal. The Sony ZV-E10 at least does have a headphone jack. We think that’s important – when you're recording levels you don't see it when you're doing the actual vlogging aspect of the Z30, I mean that’s so key.
"For photographers, it's not a good buy – go for the Z fc, it's beautiful; go for the Nikon Z50, it's functional, it's not that much more money. And for the vloggers, there's better choices out there that just give you more capabilities beyond your smartphone – and really that’s the metric you have to beat. How do you get people off the smartphone to vlog? You gotta make a full-featured camera, and the Nikon Z30 just isn't that."
Nichols' estimation is harsh, but not unfair. We made similar criticisms in our Nikon Z30 review.
"If you’re looking for a dedicated point-and-shoot video camera that won’t break the bank, the Z30 offers arguably the best build quality in its price range and several video-centric bells and whistles that make capturing content a more enjoyable experience. But if you can’t live without an EVF or predominantly shoot stills, you could always plump for the Nikon Z50 or Nikon Z fc and their near-identical innards.
"Most of what the Z30 is lacking – IBIS, EVF, 4K 60p – can be explained away due to the camera’s very affordable price tag. It is, however, a real shame it doesn’t include a headphone port for accurately monitoring audio in the field."
Make sure to watch the whole DP Review TV video for its full verdict on the best and worst cameras and lenses of 2022!
Read more:
Best Nikon cameras
Best cameras for vlogging
Best Nikon lenses
Best Nikon Z lenses
