The 20MP Nikon Z50 is a mirrorless camera with an APS-C sensor (no stabilization) for the first time. It also features a new, larger “Z” lens mount. According to the manufacturer, a generation of users who are not professional photographers will find the camera appealing.
The 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 standard collapsible zoom and the 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 telephoto zoom from Nikon have both been announced alongside the camera and both have built-in image stabilization (which Nikon calls “Vibration Reduction”).
Specifications:
– Dual control dial interface – Up to 11fps with AE/AF, 5fps with live view – 20.9MP BSI-CMOS sensor
– 1.5x sensor crop, up to 30p in 4K video
– OLED viewfinder with 2.36M dots
– Bluetooth-enabled Wi-Fi; rear touchscreen tilts up 90° or down 180° (via Snapbridge app)
– Modification effects innovative image management
The Z50 will go on sale in November for $860 for the body only. The price will increase to $1000 when the 16-50mm zoom is added, and the list price will increase to $1350 when two lenses with DX zoom are included.
Despite being the first APS-C mirrorless camera from Nikon, many of the components are recognizable. The D5600’s sensor is a variant of one found in the D500 and D7500, and the user interface was taken directly from a full-frame Z camera.
Conclusions: – 4K video recording will provide good detail, but with significant cropping; – 20.9MP sensor with on-sensor phase detection
– Numerous inventive modes for casual users
The Z50 differs most significantly from the D5600 by being smaller (especially when using a collapsible kit lens), having two dials, and—possibly most importantly—offering a cogent shooting experience. on stills and video capture, the active viewfinder and rear monitor.
20.9MP APS-C BSI sensor, new
A 20.9MP sensor that powers the Z50 is closely related to the original sensor used in the D500. It has a backside illumination (BSI) technology that positions the light-sensitive portion of each pixel in front of the sensor, improving the ability to capture light. It is an APS-C sized sensor that Nikon refers to as being in “DX” format.
Some of the pixels on the Z50’s version of the sensor only receive light from one or the other side of the lens due to a series of masks on top of the sensor. In order to determine the difference between the image entering the left and right sides of the lens, which supports the focusing system, data from these masked pixels is used. automatically detecting phases
The majority of the remaining cameras are recognizable aside from that. The same 3840 x 2160 pixel area of the sensor is used for the 4K video, resulting in a sizeable 1.5x crop. In addition to making wide-angle photography more challenging, this results in video with good levels of detail and significantly lower sensor noise performance.
Creative Picture Controls / Effect Modes:
According to its goal of being Instagram-friendly, the Z50 can take pictures with a wide variety of processing effects applied. Depending on whether they only modify color and contrast or the underlying image as well, they are dealt with in one of two ways.
The more traditional Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, and Plane color modes are included in the first set, Creative Picture Control. Any shooting mode, including video recording, can be used with the Creative Picture Control options.
Using the in-camera Raw conversion interface, Creative Picture Control options can also be applied retroactively to Raw files.
Control, handling, and body
With a noticeable viewfinder hump protruding from the center of the camera and a sizable grip extending forward from the body, the Z50 never looks like a DSLR camera. Instead, it resembles a slightly shrunk-down Z6 or Z7. The dual control watch faces make it simple to control your photos; the weather sealing requirement is a highlight in this class; the overall great grip and ergonomics;
– When using the electronic viewfinder, there are no restrictions on on-screen tap and drag for controlling autofocus.
– The built-in flash is a nice addition, but it cannot control the Nikon external flash.
– Battery life; microphone port present but no headphone jack
The camera isn’t much smaller than its big sensor brother thanks to the Z-mount, which is oversized even in full-frame format, but the absence of an LCD screen on the top makes them awkward right away. distinct from one another. Although not quite on par with the Z6 and Z7 due in part to its pop-up flash, the camera’s build quality feels about the same, and Nikon describes it as weatherproof.
Multiple Fn. buttons and two dials
The Z50 offers more direct control than the company usually does, despite its name, price, and synopsis suggesting D5600-level ambition (or perhaps D50 memories that are bare-bones but still functional). available at that level.
Compared to D5x00 DSLRs with a single control dial, the dual control dials are immediately noticeable and make controlling important exposure settings much simpler. Without pressing any other buttons, exposure compensation can be accessed in Shutter- or Aperture-Priority modes with the optional Nikon “Easy Exposure Tool.”
Between still and video modes are switched using a tiny switch next to the mode dial. For the two modes, separate exposure settings are maintained (and other settings can be set separately, if you wish).
The Z50 has a pair of programmable function buttons nearby, to the right of the lens mount, just like the Z6 and Z7. In addition to a number of other buttons on the body, they can be programmed to perform a variety of toggle, hold or hold, and scroll functions. The ‘My Menus’ tab on your camera’s provides an amazing level of customization for cameras like this, allowing direct control of any menu options you’ve set there.
Absurd viewfinder
A 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder is used by the Z50. Of course, viewfinder panels with much higher resolution are now readily available, but this is pretty much the standard for a camera at this price point.
To highlight its in-house design of the optics that are between the panel and your eye, Nikon is keen to emphasize this. Additionally, they offer a clear distortion-free view of the screen and a respectable 1.02x magnification ratio (0.68x full-frame equivalent). The eye point is a little short (20mm), which might make it difficult for some people wearing glasses to see the screen’s outermost corners, but it is still significantly larger than the D5600, which can only achieve 0.82x magnification and 95% coverage.
The power source
The new EN-EL25 battery is used by the Z50. The camera’s USB port can be used to charge the tiny 8.5Wh battery.
According to typical CIPA tests, the battery is good for 320 shots when using the rear monitor and 280 shots when using the viewfinder. According to your shooting style, taking more photos than this is entirely normal when using these figures. We frequently find that we receive twice the rating.
The figures are still generally comparable between cameras, and we discovered that the 300 shots per charge rating was adequate for a weekend photo shoot but not quite enough for a period of photography-focused shooting. Naturally, using flash or using Wi-Fi a lot will significantly help this number rise.
