Big test
Nikon Z 50
PRICE: £849 BODY ONLY
NIKON.CO.UK
The new crop sensor Z 50 joins Nikon’s Z Series, adding a smaller, lighter and more affordable alternative to the full-frame Z 6 and Z 7, but includingmany of those cameras’ mirrorless advantages
SPECS
WORDS AND IMAGES BY KINGSLEY SINGLETON
› Prices £849 Z 50 body only; £989 Z 50 with 16-50mm; £989 Z 50 with FTZ converter; £1039 Z 50 with 16-50mm and FTZ converter; £1064 Z 50 with 16-50mm and 50-250mm › Sensor 20.9-megapixel CMOS › Sensor format APS-C/DX format, 23.5x15.7mm › Lens mount Nikon Zmount › ISO range 100-51,200 (expandable to 204,8000) › Shutter range 1/4000sec- 30secs plus Bulb and Time › Drive modes Single, continuous low, high and high extended, self-timer › Exposure system Multi-zone, centre-weighted, spot and highlight priority › Exposure compensation +/-5 EV › Monitor 3.2-inch 1040k dot tilting touchscreen › Viewfinder 0.39-inch, 2360k dot OLED EVF › Focusing Hybrid phase/ contrast detect with pin-point, single-point, dynamic-area AF, wide-area AF small and large, and auto-area AF › Focus points 209 points › Image stabiliser Stills, no; movies, yes, electronic › Video 3840x2160 (4K UHD) at 30p, 25p, 24p. 1920x1080 at 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p. 1920x1080 (slowmotion); 30p x4, 25p x4, 24p x5 › Connectivity Bluetooth andWi-Fi › Storage media 1xSD card (UHS-I) › Dimensions (wxhxd) 126.5x93.5x60mm › Weight 450g with battery and memory card › Contact nikon.co.uk
THE Z 50 is Nikon’s first camera to combine its newmirrorless Z mount with an APS-C format sensor. Coming after the full-frame Nikon Z 6 and Z 7 bodies, the smaller format – which Nikon has always called DX rather than FX – has a 20.9-megapixel resolution with no optical low-pass filter. Though the sensor is smaller, the shared mount means, of course, lenses can be swapped between Z mount bodies, just as on FX and DX DSLR cameras, with a crop factor applied in either case. We tested the Z 50’s twin lens kit version that comes with 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 and 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 lenses, and trying out FX Z lenses and F-mount lenses via the FTZ converter. The smaller sensor leads to a body that’s around 10% shorter and thinner than the Z 6 or Z 7 and with fewer controls, but crucially, it still handles very well. This is thanks, in the main, to its decently sized, rubberised handgrip, thumb rest, twin control dials that sit within easy reach of the forefinger and thumb, and lots of other inputs. Put simply, if you’ve used a full-frame Z series camera or a recent Nikon DSLR, you’ll find no curveballs here. The body feels solid, but no claims of weather sealing are made for it, or its accompanying Z DX lenses. It uses a single SD UHS-I card slot, and though some may expect twin slots, it’s important to remember this is an entry- level camera. On the top plate is the main mode dial, which has the usual PASM and
auto modes, as well as Effect and Scene shortcuts. There are also U1 and U2 modes where you can store favourite settings. The mode dial turns a little too easily for me, and I found several times it had snuck to an unwanted setting, so a lock would have been welcome. A lever sits next to it for switching between stills and movie mode, and this is also a bit light, I found. Oddly, the main menu doesn’t adapt to which mode you push the lever into, so in stills you can still access movie controls and vice versa. In traditional Nikon fashion, the on/off lever sits around the shutter button and this makes readying the camera and shooting a quick and fluid process. Similarly, the ISO, exposure compensation, and movie rec buttons are all within easy reach of the index finger, and the design follows the same trend as other recent Nikon bodies. On the Z 50’s front, on the opposite side to the lens release button, are two function buttons, which can be customised to access 30 different settings such as white-balance, exposure delay, AF-on, bracketing and so on. These work really well, giving extra control without menu dipping and the only frustration I had with these was that when set to
ABOVE The Z 50′s 3.2-inch touchcreen tilts up and down, allowing a selfie mode, while the controls and menus will be familiar to any Nikon users who make the leap
36 Photography News | Issue 73
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