Big test
PERFORMANCE: EXPOSURE LATITUDE
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To assess the exposure latitude of the Nikon Z 50II’s Raws, I shot exposure brackets to +/-3EV in 0.3EV steps. In this example, the metered exposure was 1/100sec at f/11 and ISO 100. The exposure correction of the resulting Raws was done in Lightroom. With overexposure, Raws up to +2.3EV recovered nicely with a full tonal range and clean highlights, which wasn’t the case with the files overexposed by +2.6EV and more. Raws underexposed by -3EV recovered with no problem at all, but if you look closely, noise was evident in shadow areas. This was still the case with the -1.6EV shots. By -1.3EV, the corrected Raw was almost identical to the correctly exposed shot.
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PURR-FECTING THE DETAILS While the camera’s sensor is a few years old, its high-ISO performance still impresses. This shot was taken with the Z 26mm f/2.8 lens using an exposure of 1/1000sec at f/3.5 and ISO 6400. The Raw was not treated with any denoising in software
One feature under threat in this market sector is the EVF, as we’ve seen hybrid models from Fujifilm, Panasonic and Sony that rely solely on a monitor. While this design choice might not bother those moving up from smartphones – and it does help to reduce size and weight – more experienced camera users may find EVF-less cameras a bit less intuitive. Perhaps that’s why Nikon has stayed loyal to the EVF, equipping the Z 50II with a 2.36-million-dot screen “NIKON HAS STAYED LOYAL TO THE EVF, EQUIPPING THE Z 50II WITH A 2.36-MILLION- DOT SCREEN OFFERING UP TO 1000 NITS OF BRIGHTNESS”
offering up to 1000 nits of brightness – twice as bright as its predecessor. The viewing image is crisp, high- contrast and detailed, leaving no room for complaints on this front. In terms of control design and layout, the Z 50II will feel familiar to existing Nikon users. The right- side on/off switch and adjacent ISO, exposure compensation and movie record buttons are well-placed, while the lock-free exposure mode dial includes three user settings along with PSAM and fully auto options. Around the base of the mode dial is a stills/video switchover selector, but since it lacks a lock, it’s easy to unintentionally switch functions – something to watch for. A firmer action would have been better. The two front-mounted function buttons, Fn1 and Fn2, are seriously
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The Z 50II boasts impressive continuous shooting credentials if you need to rattle through lots of pictures quickly. In Continuous High (extended) mode with the mechanical shutter, I got 96 Raws or 81 Raws/ Fine JPEGs at 10fps – not quite the 11fps Nikon quotes. Once the buffer was full, it took around 25 seconds for the write LED to extinguish. For faster shooting, there are C15 and C30 modes, which provide 15fps and 30fps respectively. These settings work with the electronic shutter and yield JPEG files only. Using a Sandisk Extreme Pro SD 200MB/s card and holding my finger down on the shutter button until the buffer read
but there’s no focus lever. Shifting the focus point is done with the four- way thumb pad or by touch. Using the thumb to move the AF point when the eye is up to the viewfinder eyepiece is quick and more direct than using a focus joystick. While, when using the monitor, touching the screen moves the AF point and takes a shot as well. I needed a slight hand adjustment to reach the thumb pad when using the monitor or with the camera up to the eye – the same goes for accessing the cluster of buttons below. Pressing the i button brings up a virtual panel of 12 controls and features, and you can edit the items on offer.
useful, with each giving the option of 65 different settings or features. However, accessing them proved a bit tricky due to how close they are to the lens barrel. Given the camera’s small stature, the back panel is busy with controls,
SHOOT YOUR WAY Refine looks to your taste with various Picture Control settings
Issue 120 | Photography News 21
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