subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020 45
easy-to-reach flick lever to switch between
stills and video and three more buttons south
of the shutter button. But here’s where the
Z 50 gets really clever; because to save space,
two more function buttons are placed around
the lens housing so you can operate them
while holding the camera to your eye. Finally,
Nikon went even further and integrated three
buttons (Magnify In/Out and Display) within the
large 3.2-inch LCD, which offers touch-
sensitivity, 100% frame coverage and a
resolution of 1,040k-dot. The LCD isn’t
vari-angle, which I would have preferred, but it
does flip down for vlogging and selfies, and the
brightness performed very well in the glare of
the Australian sunshine. Having cut my teeth
using DSLRs, I still like to compose using the
viewfinder and the Z 50’s 2,360k-dot (XGA)
OLED EVF performs well and offers seven
levels of brightness, but there is also a button
to select between the EVF/LCD if you prefer to
use one or the other.
In short, there’s nothing missing on the Z 50
that you’d find on a DSLR of equivalent value,
but the gains from the small design are perfect
for travel photography. You don’t look like an
invasive professional, shooting stock that will
make you money, you look more like a tourist
and I prefer this as it means I’m less likely to be
stopped or bothered when shooting. This style
of shooting is further complemented by the
super compact 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 kit lens
that features an incredibly slim profile. Even the
50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 lens is light enough not
to make the camera feel too front-heavy or
unbalanced. The 75-375mm equivalent focal
length of the telezoom is especially versatile
and I was able to capture imagery of wild
kangaroos and parrots from afar without
disturbing the subjects. Granted, my adventure
was blessed with high levels of light, which
meant the maximum f/6.3 aperture didn’t
cause shutter speeds to drop down to levels
that would introduce camera shake – this may
of course be different in environments where
it’s not as bright or sunny. What did
surprise me was the level of pleasingColour rendition and image quality from the
Z 50’s raw files are very impressive, as this shot
of Crawley Bay’s boathouse illustrates
Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR,
1/500sec at f/6.3, ISO 100The tiny Z 50 is weather-sealed,
so you won’t have to worry
about spray from the ocean
Nikon Z 50, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm
f/4.5-6.3 VR, 1/1600sec at f/6.3, ISO 100