Nikon Z50 II - Honest Preview

Nikon Z50 II vs d500 vs z50 I

[vparikh]

It has the Z8 autofocus system and 11fps - it is absolutely a wild life beast of a camera. The AF is far superior to a D500 and it has a continuous burst rate faster than a D500 with the same sensor. Sure no IBIS - but then neither did the D500 and everyone was okay with that! D500 release price $1999 which is $2500 adjusted for inflation. The Z50 II is selling for $909 -- thats like almost 1/3 of the price of the D500 on release day (adjusted for inflation - $909 today would have been $701 in 2016). If the autofocus is of Z8 level and and we get continuous 11fps, really guys - this is a baby D500. Especially with something like a 100-400 Z VR lens (150-600 4.5 to 5.6 in Dx) - this will be a hell of a sports/wild life camera. You want IBIS -- get the Zf for double the money. Or move upto a Z8 for 3.5 times the money. I get that you would miss IS for primes -- but if you were a prime user, I suspect you wold be getting a Zf / Z8 anyways. But the Youtubers - will bitch and moan - no ibis, does crappy video, yada yada. This is a D500 like camera for wildlife / sports shooting - NOT VIDEO. You want to do video - Nikon has the Z30, Z5, Zf, Z8, Z9 -- not every camera is made for YouTubers! This thing is going to be an amazing camera for sports shooters / wildlife shooters. I have mine on order!

[steevewhitehead]

I have a question for the person reviewing the Nikon Z50 mark 2 camera. I am trying to find out whether this camera works well on F to Z adapted lenses, particularly, Sigma 150 to 600mm F mount, Sigma 100 to 400mm F mount, Sigma 18 to 35 mm F mount apsc. Also EF to Z adaptor with autofocus, so I can add my canon EF glass to my Nikon set up?

[webmuir]

35 years experience and not constrained by budget, so I’m neither of the markets you describe this camera for but I’ve preordered one.

My Z50i has been to Vilnius, walked the West Highland Way, Motorcycled across the Pyrenees, walked the Black Forest and motorcycled the Wild Atlantic Way this year alone. That’s what these cameras are for, getting out and using, not navel gazing about IBIS and sensor readout speed. And if it gets smashed, stolen or lost, hey ho.

At night, I can hear it boasting to my Z8 about the adventures it’s had. 😆

[pascalhibon]

I own the original Z50 and am very happy with it. It's my take anywhere / travel camera. IQ is fantastic, battery life is ok, size and weight is great. The new version is packed with lots of new features. Looks like a great camera to me.

[mjcatto]

Let’s never loose focus (pardon the pun) that the top 10 camera gear reviewers “YouTubers” / “content creators, are not jobbing photographers. They put food on the table-make a living influencing and not selling gallery prints from a storefront. You guys are a breath of fresh air. IBIS, VR, sensor tech. Who has sold more photographs to clients or customers through MAGNUM. Bresson or Tony Northrup?
I photograph to loose myself in the moment and to improve mood. At no time have I thought about tech standing in front of an epic landscape. I enjoy Loz’s perspective. Cheers
Mark

[lxdesign]

I'm planning to sell my Z50, and 24-70 f/4S lens.... to help fund a new Z50ii .... for me, it would be my new companion for the 50-250 and my 200-500 f/5.6VR lens with FTF adapter. Like others have said - it will be a game changer for wildlife - which is what I do a lot of.. I spend a lot of time in the canoe chasing loons around, and on ATV adventures looking for moose in the woods of HFWR in Ontario, Canada.

[bobmorse]

I have a D500, which I love. I also have a Z6 and just recently a Z6III. I'm still not replacing my D500. This camera sounds like a viable upgrade to the D500...for a song. I'm not in that market, but it seems like a good choice for those who want an affordable, capable mirrorless crop sensor camera. If I didn't have a surplus of bodies available, my wife might use this as an upgrade from her D7100.

[ericerickson]

Just got the z50.2 this weekend. So far there is not that much difference between the 2 and the original. I will say that LR can’t open the raw files unless they are in RAW lossless compression or JPEG. I spoke with Adobe and they pleaded ignorance. I am sure that will get fixed but at least there is a workaround.

[adrianvanleeuwen]

You would need the Z 12-28mm power zoom which has VR, but not a constant aperture. Primes might be used mostly for photo, or for low-motion video ie. interviews. Or try the 24-70mm F4 for constant aperture in video. The superlong teles like 100-400mm have VR.

[sandrathomas-pkkq]

Amazing review.. very beautifully shot video.. Can you please tell which camera and lens did you use to shoot this episode??? its beautiful..

[petertindall]

As someone who doesn’t shoot video I really don’t care about IBIS that much. My main interest is birds and my long lenses have VR and for shorter focal lengths I use the kit lenses with VR or in low light I have the Viltrox bright primes. If the D50 II autofocuses like my Z9 I am interested. I will probably rent one to try it out.

[JohanTalk]

I have already ordered it, it is perfect for travel

[robertmulligan]

If nothing else, the Z50 II's headphone output makes it a winner for video.

[steveboys]

Hi Gents, I agree with much of what you say, but truly there's only one way to know if the new version of the Z50 is any good, and that's to give one a run out.

[Ece]

Would you say the Z5 is obviously better than the new z50ii? Especially with the sale? Or wait for a z5ii or z80/90

[MB-dqgz]

I agree with you about nikon releasing a zf-c II I would have gotten it since I always wanted the first one, but since I already had a Z50 I couldnt justify the purchase. I like the z50 and always leave it in my car with both kit lenses and the 40mm F/2 for a quick kit on the go.

I was positively surprised (although the lack of IBIS was one of the reasons why I sold my Z fc as I was expecting that the new generation DX would get IBIS). A D500 replacement must have IBIS and a faster sensor (I would be happy with the 20.9MP sensor if it becomes fully or partially stacked). I will wait. For now my mirrorless (Z8) backup remains a DSLR.
I am also waiting for my dream lens - a light weight (around 1.5kg) 300mm 2.8 TC (if Nikon would put a 1.7 built-in TC would be amazing!).

[clancydubh]

I wish we could somehow eliminate the "mine is bigger than yours" mind set of camera reviewers. Not everyone is a pro, and my old Z50 has provided me a wealth of fun photography. I am looking at the Z6iii, but the extra cost and the diminished reach for bird photography are definite cons. My Nikon glass has built in VR and the lack in the Z50ii is not really an issue. And the DX kit lenses have built-in VR anyways. I have always used full frame lenses and I have only owned crop sensor cameras. And I have never attempted to sell a picture. It comes down to it's all about me in photography, and the Z50 has been a great tool for me. And the Z50ii appears to improve on that without breaking the bank. I'm happy that the new Z50ii has shown up.

[skattejag]

I bought a Z50 a couple of years ago as stand in while my Z6ii was out of commission. I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. It's compact size just feels good in my hands, it's great if space/weight is at premium and pictures have real punch (it has no AA filter on it I think). It serves as a great platform to experiment with 3rd party manual focus lenses. The Z50ii upgrade is fine I think, but probably not worth it if you already has original. Still I would recommend for anybody who wants a compact and effective mirrorless camera.

[Fred-wbnz]

Which lens did you use to record the video? You both are separated very nicely from the background.