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Z50 - Z50ii
- Thread starter Bob A L
- Start date
On the Z50, I understand that you can disable the touchscreen, but does that include the three touch controls down the side of the screen also? This still seems unclear to me from the comments. some still complain about accidentally moving things.
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On your comment about your nose hitting soft buttons. Do I understand that these three buttons cannot be disabled like the touch screen can? This would be a no way deal for me also. Could one tape over them maybe?
Ryan Schwartz
Senior Member
The three buttons are always active regardless of the touch control setting in the setup menu, at least that's how it works on my Z50 copy.
So, I think you have one of two options: Tape over that part of the display or look for a Z50II.
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Ryan
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Ryan Schwartz
Senior Member
Can disable touch functions on the live view display, but not the three buttons themselves.
The Z50 screen works like the Z8/Z9. Just pulls out - not a flippy screen. For the Z50II, Nikon wanted to cater to video creators as well with improved video specs (10-bit N-Log & front tally light), so they made it a flippy screen.
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Ryan
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Always active. I must also confess that I more or less got used to it, or more correctly learned to deal with it. Also the Z50 was my secondary small travel camera with the Z6 being primary. Thus it wasn't a day-to-day problem.
I'll also confess that I traded away the Z6 & Z50 for the Z6iii & Z50ii primarily for Expeed7. The soft buttons were not the primary reason I traded it, but I am also very happy to not have that issue anymore.
KayakMark34
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Bob, I tried one early this year/winter, and I returned it. I really didn't care for the (Minimal) size difference, and the complexity of it. I compared the auto focus abilities, and thought they were actually the same and maybe even slower in certain situation? Granted, I didn't have it too long, but I really didn't want to deal with the learning curve. Plus, I noticed my copy would get hot, something I never noticed on the original. I prefer the Z50 to the point I was going to maybe buy another before they are gone (I haven't yet). I'm sure I will eventually upgrade, but for now simplicity is for me. I was a "semi-pro" shooter for over 30 plus years, but now I shoot for FUN!
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monte12345
Veteran Member
Read the headline again. I stated that the Z50 is just fine for his use case. However most of do want to improve and the Z50 is distinctly limited once you break out of that Focus and Recompose box.
Suppose I'll find out next week. The Z50ii came back up as available yesterday afternoon, and I took the bait. Just decided like a lot of other things, I just had to find out for myself, first hand under my personal use standards. Can't loose too much if I decide to sell it or one of my others or just add to the collection. You can never have too many toys.
Ryan Schwartz
Senior Member
Enjoy your new Z50 II, Bob.
It will be interesting to hear your experience. I had the Z50 and now have the Z50II. I didn't have them at the same time so no direct comparison. I do have a Zfc which is nearly identical in performance to the Z50.
I too used center point focus and recompose as necessary. One thing is that the Z50II is snappier (pun intended) to lock on focus. The whole camera just seems more responsive, less hesitant - especially in comparison to the Zfc or even Z6/7. Yes the camera is heavier, but again I think it feels better ergonomically maybe better balanced with some of the lenses. And the button placement is bette as well. My impression (and just that, an impression) is that it is a very competent, well put-together piece of equipment and that makes it much more fun to use.
I was a confirmed center point focus and recompose type of shooter. But I urge you try setting up the camera for face/eye detection and subject tracking. I have mine set up in 'dual' mode where BBF is AI/face/eye detection and the shutter button is does center point with subject tracking. It took me a week or so to get used to it but now the Zfc feels clumsy in comparison.
We'll see down the line. Doubt that I move to subject id and tracking. I do have more cameras and my FF one that should be very capable in this regard, but it still does not interest me. I simply do not have problems with my methods and seldom have throw-a-ways over focus problems. On a 200 shot several hour session or activity I am very unhappy with myself if I have over 10 shots that are out of focus. But we'll see how it goes. I am hoping that maybe it is quicker than my Zfc, and some say better at high iso, but I will have to see either as without personal experience I don't see how it could be. I was out shooting a while today and noticed how often I glance at the top of my Zfc to check what iso I have set and wondering how I was going to miss that with the Z50ii. I hate menu diving for something as simple as iso and exposure compensation, but that's progress I suppose.
Well if it isn't broken . . .
Maybe jpeg is better at higher ISO (which I don't shoot so I couldn't comment), but I haven't seen any difference in raw files between the Zfc, Z50, and Z50II.
I think you'll like it. I sold my 5 year old Z50 to get mine. Definitely worth the upgrade IMO. In fact, I like the Z50ii so much that I sold my D7500 and a bunch of lenses to help fund a new Z6iii.
No, but it was rarely an issue for me either. It all depends on your habits and how you hold the camera. I'm not impressed with Nikon's touchscreen implementation for controls, so I usually have it disabled anyway. I recall Canon's being better than Sony and Nikon as well. IMO, no camera company is doing anything really innovative with these beautiful large touchscreens. There is so much wasted potential when it comes to them.
Doesn't matter for me at this point as I didn't go for a Z50, but from all indications and reports, even if you shut down the touchscreen these three items are always active as they are not part of the actual touch screen. This was the nail in the coffin for me and the Z50.
It doesn't sound like you need quicker if your hit rate is that high. I wouldn't expect a 100% hit rate from any camera. I would be shocked if you didn't notice any improvement between the Zfc and Z50II.
I think there is always room for improvement when it comes to rendering and noise processing. I wouldn't expect a big enough difference to warrant an upgrade, but it isn't like the Z50/D500 were awful anyway.
ISO is always displayed in the EVF/LCD. Unless you run a clean/empty view when shooting. I'm in the habit of using U1/U2/U3, and switching between them often to reset them. I could sure use a few more modes for all day projects or temporary settings.
I saw that you ordered the Z50II, so it will be interesting to see what you think of it.
Well, after a few hours with the Z50ii, I hadn't given your post here a lot of thought, but when re-reading it today, realized you had some points. I'm ok with it so far, it's a compact package and feels solid in the hand. But finding differences between it and my Zfc and Z30. Picture controls do not mimic the same control with the same setting on the Zfc and Z30 which mirror each other. And agree with you on the focusing. No equipment in my house to test, but it seems that af is simply not quite as quick as the Zfc, and struggles to focus on small items at 30 ft or so when starting from something at infinity. I have to manually move the focus closer to the object. This is not the case side by side with my Zfc. And I really will have to get used to making sure camera is on so I can look in the viewfinder to see what iso and aperture I have set when in aperture preferred or manual, as opposed to them being visible on top of frame on the Zfc. Overall with the 28-400 mounted it is more compact and easier to manage over the Zfc though. Anyway, thanks for the input, and off to learn more about this beast.
rangel28
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I have found that AF for me is way faster than anything I ever experienced with the original Z50, and I enjoyed using that camera very much. I find that the Z50II locks in immediately, specifically for birds or dogs in motion, often before I press the focus button. It has allowed me to get photos of birds like this, which appeared out of nowhere and flew right over my head. It uses the latest processor, so it is faster.
The Z50II has a dedicated Picture Control button. Are you finding that the colors don't match from camera to camera?
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Richard Angeloni
Photography website featuring the work of photographer Richard Angeloni
Have not noticed a difference in colors, but have noticed a difference in sharpening, noise reduction, and clarity when compared with the same picture control used in my Zfc and Z30. The other two match to the letter. The af just seems slightly slower to lock on than my Zfc when compared side by side, same lens, same targets, most noticeable when the starting focus distance is quite different than the current target. This is af only, I don't use subject id, tracking, etc. or let my camera decide what to focus on. I pick my subject, then initiate auto focus myself. I have been able to adjust the picture control parimeters to make the results match pretty well though. I am a jpeg shooter, and if you shoot raw you might never notice the difference in the different camera as picture control probably does not affect raw that much.
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