subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 18 April 2020 47
When it comes to autofocus, the Z 50
performs well and offers 209 AF phase
detection points that cover 90% of the frame.
As my travel photography is generally with
static subjects, I prefer to use the Single Point
AF-S focus mode with the central focus point
selected. In these conditions, the Z 50 locks on
quickly and reliably and the tiny Nikon also
includes the brand’s Intelligent Eye AF focus
technology, which is obviously useful should
you want to switch up your travel photography
to include some portraiture and people in the
scenery. What’s more, although the bright light
of Australia didn’t give me the opportunity to
put it to the test, the Z 50 can focus down to
-4EV, so locking onto a subject in low light
shouldn’t be a problem.
Substance over speed
The Z 50 is not a sports shooter and can’t be
compared to a speed king like the Fujifilm
X-T30, but even so a max burst mode of 11fps
should be sufficient for any travel photography
adventure. If your photography drifts into the
area of more urban-based street shooting, it’s
well worth exploiting the Z 50’s silent shooting
mode so you don’t attract attention to yourself- not that the small body is likely to ring
alarm bells.
Those wishing to capture video while on their
photo journeys are well catered for. The Z 50
can shoot 4K UHD footage up to 30p, but
vloggers using this lightweight camera to
document their adventures are arguably more
likely to plump for the smaller file size Full HD
setting, which can be recorded at 60p or even
at 120p if you would like to create slow motion
sequences. Movie files can be saved in the
.mov or .MP4 formats and the Z 50 offers the
option to plug in an external microphone. What
is missing though is a headphone jack, so if you
wish to monitor sound, you’ll have to pick a mic
set-up that offers an additional external
headphone slot. Although I didn’t end up
taking my DJI Ronin SC gimbal to Australia due
to baggage restrictions, I tested this
combination when I got home and the light
payload of the Nikon meant that the rig worked
beautifully. If you can work around the lack of
headphone jack, this is a very capable camera
for creating movies as well as stills.
When you weigh up all of the features and
the ergonomics of the Z 50, the appeal is
further enhanced by its pricetag. The twin lens
kit carries a street price of £1,130, with the
optics covering a zoom range equivalent to
24-375mm when you factor in the 1.5x crop.
That’s a pretty decent range for travel
adventures, enabling you to shoot landscapes,
portraits, architecture and wildlife or in my
case, beaches and kangaroos. This is broadly
similar to the Fujifilm X-T30 with 15-45mm
and 50-230mm lenses, or Sony A6400 with
16-50mm and 55-210mm zooms. Sure,
price isn’t everything, but Nikon has hit a real
sweet spot with the Z 50 and has made a great-
value camera that performs exceptionally well.
The lack of native DX lenses may steer some
photographers to more-established rivals, but
if you want an impressive and lightweight
camera that will capture memories of your
next photo trip away, the Z 50 really does nail
the job. Throughout my trip, I found the Z 50
twin lens kit easy to carry, enjoyable to use and
a fantastic combination with which to
capture memorable images.‘Nikon has hit a real sweet spot with the Z 50 and has made
a great-value camera that performs exceptionally well’