Nikon Z50ii review: a hot little mess

I have a personal mission to spread the gospel of APSC cameras. In a world dominated by full-frame, open gate, and expensive camera bodies.. do affordable crop sensor cameras still make sense? Today's test subject is the newest member of Nikon's APSC lineup: the Z50ii, a raw photo, log video shooting camera with a lot of marketing promise. Does it live up to the message of the APSC gospel? Grab your SD card, a drink, and let's dive in.

📹 My Camera Gear
◆ Travel Backpack:

🎤 My Audio Gear

🖥️ My Desk Gear

⌨️ Favorite Editing Tools

💛 Join the Mayfam

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which allow me to earn income without any additional cost to you. Thanks for the support fam!

Video Chapters
0:00 - Intro
0:20 - Tarion Sponsor
1:41 - Nikon Z50ii sample images & footage
2:07 - Context
3:01 - Build quality, body design, sensor
5:46 - Photography performance
8:05 - Video performance
12:18 - Overall thoughts

#nikonz50ii #nikon #nikonphotography

[EcchedinStone]

For thoes looking for a sub €$£1, 000 hybrid camera please read.

1. This is a non-IBIS hybrid aps-c (sub $/£/€1000). It should be compaired more to the a6600 & XT-30ii which are it's direct competitors and target demo.

Some other good options with compromises are XT-4 (used ofc) and the EV-10 (which has no EVF and the worst jpeg colour)

2. 3:55 If any company is like Apple it's Canon. Overpriced monopoly who has a closed mount system (not that their cameras are bad).

3. 4:15 You know you can also use all EF & Z mount lenses.

Recently there is an adapter for E mount sony lenses which is insane but im sceptical of support and quality (It is litterally one brand that makes this).

4. Sony 6700 is far superior but it's 1.5x the price.

5. 12:44 The fact you recommend an R50 over this... it doesn't have a mechanical shutter.
The R10 would be a better but that is the same price as an a6700. Again different league. Canon has no inbetween.

[Shuan-th]

WTF! it says what it does and a little more but it's not enough, then you suggest a camera that is twice as much? You are out of your mind.

[bobjohnson]

Sony fan boy I will say that I have had Sony from the Nex series to the Alpha series along with Fuji, Canon, Olympus, LUMIX and Pentax. All these years later I decided to give Nikon a try after talking to a camera repair shop owner who told me that Nikon was the brand that he would choose if he were buying a new camera as they were the most reliable cameras and built like tanks and I bought the Z50 Mk2 and honestly feel like I’ve finally arrived. This camera is the best all around camera that I’ve ever owned and for the price there is no better camera for me. I still use all of my other cameras but my EDC camera is my Nikon and I have zero regrets as I’ve already tried and currently own the other brands. So I guess that makes me a Nikon fan boy. We’re all different with different needs and I’m happy that there is so many different makes and models for us all. So I am now happy with my camera system and now it’s time to get out there and make some great photos and videos on my adventures in photography.

[sethratliffphoto]

I have the Z50ii and use it as my personal family camera and back up for the Z8 for professional work, on the 1% chance the Z8 fails on a wedding day, this camera could 100% finish the day

[babyboy]

I just bought a Z6III and I’m saving up to get a Z50II by summer, as a fun second body, probably with the little kit lens. I’m going to just use it for stills, though I will say that the Christmas footage you shot looks pretty dang good. I think if you don’t push it too hard, and are just playing around, it’s a decent video camera and a very good stills camera.

This camera will also be used by my girlfriend who learning photography. I’m a working pro, specializing in portraits and headshots. I would feel comfortable using this camera as a second body to my Z6III, and my native Z lenses will gain a second life as new focal lengths. Yes, the A6700 rocks, especially for video, but for stills only and a little video, especially if someone is already invested in the Nikon Z ecosystem, I think this is a great choice. You can’t beat Nikons ergonomics and I’m finding the SOOC JPEGS to be quite good on my Z6III. And this is coming from a guy who is also a Fuji shooter.

[pauka]

Sold my A6400 and got this instead. Absolutely great camera for stills, I rarely shoot videos. This 20mpx sensor still rocks! And the ergonomics are like heaven after the Sony. . .

[GrainOnTheGo]

So since this seems to just be completely flying over the head of nearly every non-Nikon shooter reviewer, the Z50ii is made for APSC Nikon shooters. Who make that population up? The older Japanese population, much of Southeast Asia and Latin America. The 5000 series F-mount cameras have been and still are HUGE in these areas. The Z50ii is definitely an attempt to start bringing those shooters over to the Z-mount.

So sure, this thing isn't meant for you. It isn't designed with you in mind. If you were a 5000 series enjoyer, then yep, this ones for you. Simple as.

[matthieuzglurg]

I think you're unfair whit this camera. You complain about the fact that it doesn't get stabilization with 3rd party lenses : well DUH, they don't have optical stabilizers in them like the NIkon DX lenses do (not the 24mm f/1.7). It's not the camera limiting 3rd party lenses, it's simply 3rd party lenses not baving a stabilizer.

At this pricpont, unless you step into micro four thirds cameras, absolutely no one has IBIS. Not Sony with the A6400, not Canon with the R10, not Fuji with the X-M5 and subsequently, not Nikon with the Z50. This is par for the course for a sub 1k camera.

Second thing, you complain about the 4K60 crop, but that's very par for the course (again) in this kind of price range. The only camera in this price that will have no crop in 4K60 is the X-M5, but that camera lacks a viewfinder, has worse AF, etc. The X-S20 is the same story and it's $1300. Only the A6700 will give you good uncropped 4K60 with good AF (for $1400), as even the EOS R7 ($1500) need to go in a "soft" line skipped mode to do uncropped 4K60, otherwise it also has a crop.


Rolling shutter is also on par with competitors, it's basically on par with the IMX 571 sensor used in both the X-M5/S20 and A6700 for scan rate. It's not better, but it's not worse either.

No APS-C camera short of the X-H2S really have fast scan rates that can eliminate rolling shutter the way the Z8 (or the way Sony cameras with teh full frame 12MP sensor : A7SIII, ZVE1, FX3, or any otehr camera with a stacked sensor) does

Also, pretty much EVERY camera at this pricpont (or even higher) has a micro HDMI port. Even the $2500 Canon R6 mark II still uses a micro HDMI port. Mini HDMI is straight up a rarity at this point, you either get micro or full size nowadays.

In my opinion Nikon really only wanted to make a follow-up to the Z50, not an evolution of it. If you add IBIS, if you add the bigger battery... you enter another kind of price bracket entire, and I think Nikon is cooking up another camera (maybe called a Z70? To finally take after the D7000 line like the Z50 takes after the D5000 DSLR line?) that would release in a similar kind of procepoint as the A6400, X-S20 and EOS R7.

But of course, this camera isn't out here yet, and it is not the kind of expectations that should be put in the Z50II either. You mentionned the Canon R50 as being a "better option". Well, the R50 has all the problems you mentionned about the Z50II, because it's similar. But it also has a shit ass battery life, a worse EVF, similar AF, piss poor burst performance (shoots 12fps but can hold 6 RAW files in the buffer, thanks Canon) and it doesn't have any kind of 10bit Log video.

As for the A6700, sure it's a better camera, but it's almost $500 more expensive ($440), and at this point this is a completely different price bracket in which Nikon isn't competing yet.

[matthewatchinson]

I just traded in my first gen Z5 for a Z50ii, couldn't be happier. The expeed 7 processor blows the expeed 6 away. The small form factor and good build quality are amazing. I don't really miss IBIS, because aside from video IBIS has very little actual practical use. Any shot with movement in it IBIS doesn't matter, it's blurred below 1/100. Even for landscapes on breezy days. Want stability? Get a tripod or a pole mount. Keeping it 20mp was also a great call: with all the craze for higher mp people forget that much pixel density packed into a small sensor equals poor low light performance, and terribl pixel pitch. Lower mp gives more pleasing and varying color. Nikon figured that out 10 years ago when they lowered their 24mp apsc camers down to 20mp: it's widely accepted to be the best resolution to performance/color compromise. Same reason he 12mp of the FF D700, combined with panasonic sensor, is still beloved.

[Bringmethehorizon]

Another Sony fanboy trying to bash Nikon..."oh Sony is better oh canon is better"...maybe Sony apsc are better than z50ii but canon apsc? If you try too hard to find negatives you are going to find... Sony and canon apsc cameras don't have rolling shutter? And don't they miss shots? Are you sure? I can get any Sony camera and make them look bad... Specially build quality and greenish colours... If you love Sony stay there... If you review other brand stay open minded... Not always " oh Sony camera does it better on this and that"...if I started photography today I would think Sony is just this perfect camera brand that isn't...just the one with more money into marketing

[philippeguiot]

To begin with, there are no longer bad cameras, but bad photographers! Everyone chooses the camera that suits them according to their use. A Cartier-Besson worked wonders with film cameras. Even the most expensive camera will never take great pictures if the user does not know any of the rules of shooting. I have been taking pictures for 63 years and most of the specialists or their parents were not yet born.

[Northern-Winds]

im sorry but your not very good at your reviewing process. first off im not a nikon fanboy...but I am a professional photographer and videographer....i would NEVER use an ENTRY level camera like this for work. this is for youtubers like you who want everything for nothing. you cant expect a sub $1000 camera to be perfect to do so it just plain stupid. my gear cost $10K+ for a reason, this camera is for armatures NOT professionals so dont treat it as such. its an OK camera, but great for who its designed for. VERY POOR REVIEW based upon your lack of understanding.

[AnthonyMarkPhotography-keld]

There are only a few third party long zoom lenses for the z mount that have stabilization built-in. Without the lens stabilization, the only option is electronic and that is only available for video, and yes it’s not very good. The way you say that you can’t access those stabilization modes(“sport” etc) makes it sound like it’s a camera limitation, when it’s really a lens limitation. For beginners, they will likely start with the Nikon DX crop lenses, most of those have the stabilization and work pretty well for basic video. I’m mostly a stills shooter so stabilization is not quite as important to me. I do really hope Nikon puts out a crop sensor camera with built-in stabilization sometime soon. Also, perhaps Nikon mirrorless focusing requires more practice than other cameras, but many people and reviewers that are familiar with Nikon mirrorless can achieve excellent autofocus with the Z50ii rather than the good autofocus that you demonstrated here. I also see reviews just like yours where the focusing is just ok. Nothing against your experience as everyone’s experience will be somewhat different. I appreciate you making a review of the z50ii as many reviewers don’t pay much attention to “entry level” gear.

[japonskibrulionik]

It is the same sensor as D500, not just z50, but updated processor. It could be actually good. there was nothing wrong with d500 quality, but the new processor will give a plethora of modern features.

[ghalibsworld]

Yes, the Z50ii has many limitations. It is not a hybrid camera, and it is directly comparable with the Sony ZV-10ii, which is a video-centric camera. The Canon R10 is a tiny entry-level wildlife photography camera with excellent video features. The Canon R10 could be unavoidable if Canon included C-log3 and a headphone jack, along with a good kit lens.

[Bethos-Arne]

As most of my other cameras have 1/8000 shutter speed I first felt uncomfortable with 1/4000 on the Z50 II but so far it never was an issue in practice. Action autofocus, which mode did you use? 3D-tracking or standard AF? Bigger battery: That would be a different model with a bigger grip.

Is the Z50 II worth the money? Yes, if used correctly. You get rewarded with Nikon ergnomics and Nikon color science which is unbeaten for landscape. Now with the Rich Tone Portrait profile, even portraits look good.

[MandrakeCigars]

Jan Wegener has many videos on how to dial in your Nikon's AF system if you want to learn how to get a high hit rate with your burst shots.

[starbase]

This camera doesn't have IBIS, and that's no surprise given the price, so I feel you're overly critical considering you're using it with non-stabilised lenses. At least for video I'd say test it with the 16-50 or 12-28. Those are slow lenses but at least they're stabilised. You can criticise Nikon for not having more interesting DX lenses (esp zooms) and I feel the same way, but that's a different matter.

I think, also, you're forgetting about a potential target market for this camera: those that already have a fullframe Z5 or Z6 I or II, and are interested in wildlife photography. Your typical wildlife lens has its own stabilisation, and IBIS doesn't work that well at longer focal lengths anyway, but you do get very good animal and bird autofocus. And the crop factor will be welcome. Basically you're getting Z8 pixel density and autofocus (at least in terms of the AF system itself) at a much lower price.

[stephanweiskorn]

There is nothing like it the ASP-C world for below USD 1000. What's more it competes up to the USD 1300. Unfortunately it lacks more lens and fast prime with vibration reduction.

[abfutrell]

For a sub-$1, 000 camera body, the z50ii is probably the best budget friendly wildlife camera for those who don't require weather sealing, IBIS or an extended battery life. Pair this with a Tamron 150-500mm, you have a camera that can shoot macro and get you close to birds for a combined price of $2, 100 (pre-tax).

While I rarely shoot video, I do know IBIS is pretty much mandatory for today's market.