Although we couldn’t take any shots away
with us from a pre-production model, this
was one of the showcased images taken
on the Z 50 by travel and adventure
photographer Alex Stead. The dynamic
range looks pleasing, and the tonal range
captures colours, both vibrant and muted,
in a natural way. We were told that this is
a newly designed sensor, though given
the similarity to the D7500 and D500 pixel
counts, this could be more of a case of
tweaking what’s already available. This
has already proved to be a popular chip
with shooters, and definitely has the
ability to produce greatness. The light
build offers weather-sealing for added
peace of mind, especially for those
braving the elements for the perfect shot.
A file that holds
tonnes of tones
IMAGE
QUALITY
Performance
Refining the solid performance
of the Z 6 and 7 means the Z 50
is no slouch. The 209 focus
points in our pre-production
model had a workhorse
mentality, even though they
don’t quite match up to the
likes of Fujifilm and Sony’s
higher point count. You can
shoot down to -2EV, or -4EV
using the low-light AF mode,
and the face and eye tracking
seemed snappier than the
full-frame alternatives. This is
great news for anyone relying
on the front-facing screen,
or shooters who are looking
for a portrait-ready CSC.
Initial indications of handling
a dimly-lit room were positive,
though we will reserve final
judgement until we can give it
a proper test.
One area that has beencut
in the transition to the Z 50
is image stabilisation. To
counteract this, the newly
announced lenses both feature
IS. It will mean that using
the FTZ adapter with older
F mount glass, or even the
newer Z mount FF lenses,
may not be stabilised, which
could turn out to be a turn-off
fo r some potential users,
particularly when vlogging.
Filming is possible at 1080p
Full HD at 120fps, as well
as 4K at 30fps. There is an
el ectronic stabilisation feature
on offer, though we’re unsure
if this applies a crop to your
final output. You can, however,
take advantage of zebra lines
to show blown highlights,
focus peaking and time-lapse
movies, which are useful
additions for creative video.
Although we weren’t
allowed to take away images
to review, the back-of-screen
shots looked sharp and punchy,
and we will take a closer look
at this as soon as possible. If it’s
anything like the D500, which
shares a similar 20MP sensor,
we have high hopes.
One area that’s noticeably
different is the control layout.
You don’t get a joystick, though
you can touch the rear screen
or use the D-Pad to select
focus. However, the ‘i’
menu remains,and
al lows you to use 12
settings for quick
access. The virtual
controls on theside
of the LCD work
well, and allowyou
to zoom in and out,
as well as changethe
di splay settings.
Verdict
The Z 50 appearsto havea lot
going for it. There’sa solidAF
system, video specsandgreat
er gonomic layout.We can’tyet
ju dge image quality,whichis
a big factor in anyreview,but
the inclusion of a tilting LCD
screen, handy microphone jack
and nippy 11fps continuous
shooting are all good signs.
AboveThe
Z 50features
a 3.2inflip-down
to uchscreenin an effortto
entice vloggers and content
creators to the system.
AswiththeZ 7, Nikonhasusedthe‘i’ menubuttonto virtually
housethemost-usedsettings,givingthesmallerformfactorof
th e mirrorlessbodiesroomto breathe.Thisis a smartwayto
ensureyoudon’tneedto rummagethroughmainmenusto get
toyourfavouritefeaturesor everydayessentials.As standard,
you’llfindfeaturessuchas autofocusmodesandtheAF area
se lection,as wellas bracketinganddrivemodes,whichwere
tr aditionallycontrolledvia physicalon-camerabuttons.Youcan
al socustomisethemenuto fit yourneeds,whichis greatif
you’renevergoingto usecontinuousshooting,or arehappyto
st ayin autowhitebalance,butwouldloveto be ableto choose
pi cturestyleson thefly.
Tech Focus How handy is the ‘i’ menu?
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