Nikon’s Z50 is the corporate’s first try at an APS-C format snapper with the intention of making some recent noise within the crowded system digicam scene.
To barely confuse issues Nikon calls this ‘DX format’, however the intention is just construct on the success of the Z6 and Z7 by providing its largest 55m Z mount on the comparatively tiny physique of the Z50.
A 20.9MP sensor is joined by an Expeed 6 processor, one other function carried over, which facilitates 4K video recording in addition to a powerful ISO mild sensitivity vary from 100 to 51200. Lucky sufficient to already possess a Z6 or 7? You can use your entire present lenses, plus feast on two new ones designed particularly for the DX format – a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 pancake lens and a 50-250mm telephoto – and there’s more likely to be extra introduced all year long.
The Z6 and Z7 is likely to be overkill for the burgeoning fanatic who doesn’t want one thing so heavy-duty and that’s the place the Z50 is available in – a correct digicam in a shelter type for these trying to step up their images expertise.
A fraction of the value of its dad and mom, trusty Nikon ergonomics and spectacular picture high quality, albeit with compromised decision from its pro-level counterparts, it nonetheless manages to face out. Late to the occasion but once more, however Nikon’s gamble might nicely have paid off.
Let’s get acquainted.
Build and dealing with: Sturdy punk
The all-plastic digicam weighs 450g with battery and card, it’s a snip of Nikon’s pro-level Z cameras and simply as dinky too at 9.4cm x 12.7cm x 6cm, making it nice to make use of one-handed. It’ll simply slot in a bag and with the pancake lens mounted too, in truth it’s so neat and tidy we had been content material with sporting it round our neck your entire time.
The deep textured grip on the best gives a slice of Nikon confidence and it turns into extremely helpful to choose up the digicam this fashion. You’ll discover a 0.39in, 2360k-dot EVF and a 3.2in tilting, touch-sensitive LCD which takes up many of the again of the digicam, and you’ll even faucet the display to take a photograph.
The zoom show capabilities are additionally included on the touchscreen as an area saving tactic. The structure of the controls are a lot the identical because the Z6 and seven, and regardless of it being loads smaller they don’t really feel too shut collectively and are simple to manage together with your thumb.
It’s unlucky the display doesn’t articulate sideways. With vloggers in thoughts it’ll be an actual bind when attempting to self-shoot utilizing a gimbal because the display will probably be blocked when it’s flipped. Alas, Nikon have promised there’s a deal with within the works.
There’s a mic-input, however no headphone jack situated on the other aspect of the grip. You may discover the absence of a high LCD and a joystick which might be discovered on the Z6 and seven, once more one other value saving train and we don’t miss the additional LCD, however the lack of joystick is a disgrace contemplating it’s our favorite approach to choose focus factors.
A mode dial high proper lets you swap seamlessly between image mode and video. Next to the lens are two ‘Fn’ buttons so you possibly can handle pre-sets and simply hop to them.
Image Quality and efficiency: Straight to swell
The 20.9MP DX sensor borrows the hybrid AF system from Nikon’s full-frame Zs, and there are 207 AF factors protecting 90% of the sensor width and top. With 11fps steady capturing vary the Z50 matched many pro-level DSLRs and performs nicely in low mild, producing some pretty outcomes at nighttime utilizing with the 50-250mm telephoto lens. See pic of the moon within the photograph gallery.
The ISO vary is 100-51200 and as much as –4EZ, but it surely begins to get extremely grainy when you get into the upper ISOs.
Eye AF locked onto a topic’s eye instantly and continued to take action, even when the topic began to maneuver. Sadly, it doesn’t work for animals or wildlife, so that you’ll must focus in your pet’s eyes manually, which is completely high quality.
We spent an entire day capturing with the Z50 and nonetheless had one bar of battery by the point we acquired residence. Nikon estimate a moderately secure 300-shot battery life, we discovered it to be over that, however had been solely capturing stills and never video.
So how do our pictures look? The colors are vibrant but nonetheless true to actuality, providing wonderful dynamic vary and the metering does a stellar job at balancing exposures. The Z50 had no hassle discovering element of clouds when photographing structure set towards shiny skies.
The digicam was adept at capturing probably the most awkward of sunshine and is testomony to the superb processor and optics we love a lot from the Z6 and seven. If you had been to essentially zoom in on a few of the images, they begin to look a contact grainy, however you then bear in mind this isn’t a excessive decision digicam and the Fujifilm X-T30 gives barely extra at 24MP, however there’s not loads in it. The silent mode is mighty helpful while you need to sneak about on road images missions too.
Easily flip the swap on the dial to video and shoot 4K throughout the total sensor width, there’s additionally the choice for a 4K time-lapse sequence, which might be a profit for ‘content material creators’. There’s additionally a grin-inducing slow-motion footage mode to play with.
Nikon Z50 verdict
The Z50 may look simply high quality on paper, however it’s mightier within the hand.
It borrows a few of the greatest options from the Z6 with out each the bodily and monetary heft. Many may see this as the proper journey digicam, particularly with the addition of the tremendous slim pancake lens, which makes the entire bundle an absolute pleasure to make use of and so mild too, making this a digicam to take in all places. No longer will you bore your vacation pals with the dreary quagmire of the ‘Do-I-Don’t I-take-my-camera-today?’ debate.
But it’s additionally a lot greater than this. It could possibly be your first ‘correct’ digicam and with the lenses on supply it’s solely going to get higher as your images expertise do too. Testament to Nikon’s nice optics, the 2 new lenses are an immense starter package, and for its first foray into the APS-C market, it’s fairly spectacular.
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