New Camera Built For Vlogging - Nikon Z 30 First Look

This is the new Nikon Z30, and this is a small, compact camera that's perfect for creators. Now, in this video, I wanna go through all the features around this camera, but I also wanna show you how I use these features and how I create a story out of one of my videos when I'm up here exploring the Santa Monica Mountains. All right, let's get into it. So I wanna say a special thanks to Nikon for sponsoring this video and giving me a chance to play around with this camera before it was released. Now, I only had one day to test this camera, so I decided to use the Z30 to make a video for my second channel, and it's a story about the Cold War shot in the vlog style. I'm keeping my gear simple with a Z30, a lightweight tripod, small gimbal, and the additional creator pack that Nikon is offering with this camera. So when I make these styles of videos, I really like to give that sense of like the vlogger aesthetic, but also telling a story. It's kind of that blend of storytelling mixed with vlogging. You'll see that a lot of times, I'm gonna be just filming the hand with the camera stretched out away from me, but I'm also gonna take the camera off and I'll put it on a tripod or put it at a distance away. So I like using this blend of styles when I'm out filming to kind of give that aesthetic, and it's also super easy to film in this way. All you need is a little vlogger setup and then a tripod, and that's it to be able to create some awesome looking videos. So this camera was designed with video creators in mind. It's super compact and lightweight, and it's just really easy to use. Now, one thing that a lot of video creators are gonna really like about this camera is now you have a flip out screen, so you can see yourself when you're doing vlog style content and you're filming yourself. So for this video, I wanna get some different hiking shots, getting to the location to kind of show the approach. And so what I'm doing is I have the Z30 tripod, and I'm just gonna get some different angles of this hiking trail and the cool area that we're at because we're up above LA. And I'm using the Rode VideoMicro, which just plugs right into the audio input on the side of this camera. And I'm gonna get some ambient sounds of like the birds, the wind, and just the sounds of hiking. It's always a good idea when you're out filming these kinds of videos to be able to get some of that ambience because you'll use it when you're actually in the edit to just paint the picture of where you're at and have those sound effects and that ambience in the background. Now, this is an interchangeable lens system. So you can use any of Nikon's mirrorless lenses with this camera, and it has an APS-C size sensor. So if you're newer to content creation and you've only been using something like a cell phone, well, having a bigger sensor is gonna give you better low light capabilities. And you can do things like get the blurry background so you can have that shallow depth of field. All right, so I'm gonna switch over to do more vlog style content as I tell the story for this video. And I'm using the little vlogger tripod that comes in the Creator Kit. It has a remote so that you can control your camera if you were to put the camera like away from yourself, but it also just makes it easy when the camera's just an arm reach away, you can record and control all your camera just from your thumb. Now, on the camera itself, there is a stereo microphone. So you could get good audio even if you don't have an external microphone plugged in. Right now, I'm just using the internal microphones that are built into the Z30. And you can hear how clean my sound is out here. There's few sounds in the distance, some birds and whatnot, and you could still get super clean audio even if you don't have an attached microphone. But there also is of audio input. So even if you wanted to add on something like a wireless microphone or a shotgun microphone, you can just attach it right to the top of the camera and be able to get clean audio in any situation that you're in. So when you're shooting handheld and vlogger style in this way, well, your image is probably gonna be shaky. So when you're using this camera, you pair it with a lens like the 16 to 50 that comes in the kit. It has VR optical stabilization. So you'll always make sure that you have a stable shot when you're handholding the camera. One of the things that makes this camera really easy to use is that the mic input is right here on the side. So when you pull the screen out and you flip it to rotate facing you, well, you're not hitting that mic input. And so that's a little thing, but it does make a difference when you're constantly flipping the screen back and forth to shoot what's in front of you and then turn the camera around and film yourself. You don't wanna have a mic input that's being hit by the flippy screen. So I'm at a kind of higher vantage point and you just have this like epic view of the valley back here. What I'm gonna do is not shoot everything on a 16 millimeter wide open. With this lens, the 16 to 50, I've punched into around a 30 millimeter. And so it's gonna give me a little bit more compression of the background and give a different look to the scene. But also it allows me to like step away from camera and shoot these shots where I can be in the landscape. And when I'm shooting, it's a mix of I wanna be close to camera talking directly to you guys. But also I like these shots where it feels like a landscape photo and then you're just a person in that shot. So right now I'm grabbing some additional B-roll shots. So I flipped over the camera to 1080p 120 frames per second and I'm getting some slow motion pans of some different spots throughout this location. And in this camera, you have access to 4K 30. And then if you wanna get more slow-mo, you have access to 120 and when you get down to HD. All right, so we just got up to the radio tower and I wanna get a tripod shot where I'm walking off in the distance talking about this location. And one of the cool things about the Z30 is that you can connect to Snapbridge, which is Nikon's app, and you can use it as a remote. So you can go a distance away and control your camera from your phone. Another really cool feature about Snapbridge is that your camera can be connected to it and then automatically be sending the photos and videos when you're filming. So you don't even have to think about it and they're gonna be downloaded onto your phone. So if you don't wanna carry a bigger tripod, this little vlogger stick is actually also a tripod as well. So just to grab a quick walking shot, you can easily set this up, get a shot of yourself walking through frame. All right, so I've switched over to the Z30 and I have the Rode shotgun on top. It's just a super easy way to shoot vlog style content. But the tracking in this camera is set up so that you could use eye autofocus and be able to always just lock on to you when you're out filming. So if I like walk away from camera, well, I'm gonna stay, you know, sharp and in focus. And as I come forward, you could see that it locks onto my face pretty quick. So when you're a solo creator out filming by yourself, you don't wanna be worried about things like making sure that the autofocus is on all the time. So having a camera that's reliable just gives you a peace of mind. Now, one really cool feature that I personally really like is there's a tally light on the front of the camera. So when you're looking directly at the lens, you could see that you're recording. It's just right on the edge of the lens. So you don't actually have to look at the screen and look for the record symbol on the screen. So I've switched over to using a small gimbal and the size and compactness of the Z30 makes it so you can work with these small, tiny gimbals. And a gimbal is basically just gonna allow me to get some smoother shots of this location. So I wanna get those shots where it almost feels like you're floating through the space. So I'm gonna use this setup and just walk through all of these different locations. And I'm gonna shoot a few different ways. I'll shoot it in real time, but also shoot it in slow motion. Now in this camera, there's no log setting, but Nikon does have a flat setting, which makes your image a little bit flatter so that if you are someone who is interested in color grading, well, you have a little bit more room to push around your footage. So one thing that's great about this camera is that you don't have a 29 minute limitation when it comes to recording. You can record up to 125 minutes in one continuous stream. And if you're someone that does live streaming or you just wanna connect it directly to your computer, well, you could use the USB-C on the side of the camera and you have no limit when it comes to record time. It can go as long as you need to. And the camera pairs perfectly with Nikon's free web streaming utility software. Now the USB on the side also delivers continuous power. So if you're recording for these longer takes, you can have power plugged into the side, or if you just need to charge your battery, you can do it right from the USB-C. Now for me, one of the things I really like about this camera is how simple it is to use. On the top, you have basically all the controls that you need to access all the features to control your video, but you also have three user profiles. So you could set up the different ways you like to shoot and have them just set right here on the top. And then on the back, Nikon cameras have a switch that goes from photo to video mode. And so this camera, even though it is geared towards video creators, it still has all the features that you'll typically find in a Nikon camera. And so when you need to take your thumbnails or any other photos when you're out filming, this is gonna be a great option. You don't need to bring another camera along. Now, if you wanna see more information about the Z30, make sure you head down the description. I'll include a link to where you can see more about this camera. And next, you should check out this video right here, which goes through my entire process on how I make adventure videos from beginning to end. So make sure you check that out.