David Ortega
Active member
Hi, im very curious about the Nikon z30 and the Nikon Z50 II. Im only interested in AF speed. Is the $500 extra for the z50 II worth it for that focusing speed.
Thanks
Thanks
-
Welcome to the new forums! Please read this first. For known issues we are working to resolve, click here.
Nikon Z30 Or Z50 II AF
- Thread starter David Ortega
- Start date
-
- Tags
- nikon
TheSoaringSprite
Senior Member
I don't have either of these cameras, but I am confident in saying that the Z50II is going to have the better and faster AF. These cameras are pretty different, even though they're both DX sensors. The Z50II is an EXPEED7 model with the much-improved AF.
I have and frequently use both of these cameras along with a Zfc, and cannot detect any real significant difference in the auto focus speed or accuracy of any of them. I actually feel that the Zfc is slightly faster at locking in on focus point under identical conditions with the same exact lens. But I stress that this is auto focus speed only, (put focus point on object, 1/2 press or BBF to lock focus or press through 1/2 to shoot in AFS single shot) with no comparing things like subject identification, focus tracking, eye focus and tracking in bursts that the Z50ii may well be better at. I do not need or use those things, so have no way to offer any comparison between models. Focus acquisition is fast enough with any of the Z DX bodies in AFS to allow single press to shoot without pause at 1/2 press for almost any case and achieve perfect focus.
TheSoaringSprite
Senior Member
He's talking about the Z30, not the Zfc. Do they have identical AF modules? The Z30 doesn't have an EVF either.
JustSomeone
Forum Enthusiast
TheSoaringSprite
Senior Member
Gotcha. A case of me misreading your comment.
rangel28
Senior Member
- Messages
- 1,216
- Reaction score
- 2,230
I have both cameras. So for pure AF speed on a static subject, you may not see a huge difference, especially if you are using the latest Z30 firmware. That being said, the Z50II has the latest Expeed 7 processor and a much improved autofocus system, so focusing on moving subjects, even subjects moving slowly, you will see a huge difference.
Bird AF is outstanding on the Z50II. The camera starts focusing the minute you point it to a moving bird, even before half-pressing the shutter button or back button (if you have back button focus set up).
monte12345
Senior Member
Such as reliably getting the image in focus. Yeah that is sort of critical. The difference between the Z50II and the Z30 is a night and day difference. The Z30 will focus on a single dice placed on the top of a table. The Z50 will focus on two dice as a squirrel is juggling them while dancing the Can Can across the table. Yes this is an imaginary image but does point out the difference between the two systems is vast. With the Z30 Eye detect will work if your subject is sitting still staring straight into the camera lens. The Z50II will maintain eye detect with someone running straight at you in a full sprint. Then there is Detect all, People Detect, Bird Detect, Animal Detect, Automobile Detect, and Plane Detect. Why they left out Train Detect I do not know but suspect that Automobile Detect may fill in for that. Then there is that Eye Level Viewfinder which allows you to see what you are taking a picture of on a Bright Sunny Day.
So Yes that 500 dollar difference is worth every penny if you intend to do anything other than take Selfies and do Faceplant. If you are into the Faceplant stuff IMO a better choice would be an iPhone, they were largely developed for that exact task. But I will admit to knowing nothing about that stuff.
So Yes that 500 dollar difference is worth every penny if you intend to do anything other than take Selfies and do Faceplant. If you are into the Faceplant stuff IMO a better choice would be an iPhone, they were largely developed for that exact task. But I will admit to knowing nothing about that stuff.
abc123brian
Leading Member
- Messages
- 793
- Reaction score
- 761
IMO, the AF system is worth the extra. It sort of comes down to what specifically you mean by speed though. If you put the camera in single point AF and that’s how you always use it, no it would not be worth $500. There would be a small speed difference in that case. The biggest difference will be in the overall AF system operation and how the speed in other modes including with subject detection. First, switching AF modes is vastly improved. You can have different AF modes programmed to custom buttons meaning you can go from wide area L to 3D as a handoff instantly or auto area to single point. Basically setup what works best for you. You can also program a button to cycle through the modes you use most frequently. These two options can be the difference from getting the shot and fumbling with the AF system while the shot unfolds in front of you. The difference between subject detection is night and day. The Z50ii detects more subjects, detects them faster, and sticks to them much better. So if you are shooting a small bird going branch to branch in a tree, the Z50ii will track it while the Z30 will require you to keep a focus box on the bird yourself. If you successfully manage to do your part, it may keep the bird in focus. It’s mostly automated with the Z50ii and it speed increase does a much better job of keeping focus. The Z50ii also adds more options like custom size AF boxes. To me, this is all enough of an overall improvement that makes it worth it but it’s more than just speed. Not everyone uses these features. There is a noticeable difference in speed alone but the speed itself in lab testing is quite fast for both cameras and is also lens dependent.
24Peter
Veteran Member
PLShutterbug
Veteran Member
The Z30, Z50, and Zfc all use the Expeed6 processor and the same sensor, so will have comparable AF.
PLShutterbug
Veteran Member
Since your overriding requirement is AF speed, yes. The Z30 uses the previous generation Nikon GPU, the Expeed6. The Z50ii uses the current one, Expeed7. The 7 is 12x faster than the 6 and cameras using the new chip have much faster AF. They also have more subject detection capabilities.
Yes, the Z50ii is $500 better than the Z30, for the difference in focusing speed alone.
cyuill2007
Senior Member
The Z50II has the more-capable Expeed 7 processor, an EVF, and better overall specs — in a slightly bigger body and at a higher cost. The Z30 has an Expeed 6 processor, no EVF, and lower (though still decent) specs than the Z50II — in a smaller body and at a lower price. For myself I would get the Z50II. If you want a more point-and-shoot style of body, and a tighter budget, the Z30 might be for you. Good luck with making a decision.
Thom Hogan
Forum Pro
Pure speed? No. The constraints on speed are basically lens motors and image sensor data offload, which would be identical.
That said, EXPEED7 is a better focus processor, and has many more useful options to control focus.
sirhawkeye64
Forum Pro
Simply put YES. Partially because you'll get an EVF and the AF is much better on the Z50 II (and the Z50, which is similar to the Z30). I know some people might say they don't care about an EVF, but some of those people later withdraw their comment to say they made a mistake and should have gotten one with an EVF, so in this case, I'd say it's worth it. The Z50 II is a great all-around camera and probably among the best value for the money in the $1000 price range.
PLShutterbug
Veteran Member
Thom, while what you say is technically true in the sense that a faster processor cannot make focus motors move lens elements faster, my experience with the Z50ii vs. the Z50 (David: the Z50 and Z30 are essentially identical as far as AF capabilities are concerned) is that the Z50ii AF is much more responsive than the Z50 was so in my hands it is MUCH faster AF experience. Add to that the additional options you mention and in my opinion, the Z50ii is worth the additional $500 investment. Amortize that over a five-year lifespan, with 20 uses per year, and it's $5 more per use to have that much better AF experience. Just skip your fourth latte-of-the-day twice per month and you'll make it back.
With the way people take things literally around here, I don't want David reading your words and concluding that he won't get a better AF experience with the Z50ii than with the Z30. My experience tells me the Z50ii is a huge jump forward from my Z50.
Thom Hogan
Forum Pro
It's not just the lens focus motors, it's also the focus/viewfinder stream coming off the image sensor that's the same.
Let's take a simple example: AF-S using Single point in decent light. The Z30 and Z50II should focus at the same speed.
Where the Z50II has improvements that might impact focus speed tends to only occur in low light situations, where the Z50II's focusing intelligence is applying Z9-generation logic, not Z6-generation.
Once you get to AF-C, subject tracking, and particularly with subject detection on, much of the "speed" in getting proper focus with a Z50II is indeed coming from the EXPEED7 chip, which is applying different algorithms. But these are all "more useful options to control focus."
He might not, and that's my point. In my lens reviews I've pointed out a few that have a tendency to "slide to focus" as opposed to snap. That's not going to change on a Z50II versus a Z30. Moreover, the only Z cameras that have 120 fps focus information (as opposed to 60 fps) are the Z8 and Z9, and that does make for a change in overall speed, particularly when tracking something, as not only is the focus system getting more information between frames to make decisions from, it is always doing so with no blackouts.
The focus experience is indeed far better on a Z50II than a Z50. If you're doing anything more than single servo to a single point. But a lot of that is because the controls are better, plus the tracking of moving subjects is better with subject detection.
I want to emphasize one thing: there's a big difference between how fast the camera focuses the lens, and how fast you get the focus you want. The former hasn't changed a lot. As you're probably aware, I was using a Z6 for tough action sports successfully from the get go. I never really had any focus speed issues other than perhaps in very low light. But getting those results meant I had to pay a lot of attention to what I was doing and what the camera was going to do.
With the Z9 generation cameras (Zf, Z50II, Z5II, Z6III, Z8, and Z9) the control/attention thing changed considerably. My actual hit rate didn't really go up, but the number of images I took in sequences did. I wasn't taking any long bursts of photos in the Z6 generation because I was controlling focus with when I was on and off the shutter release and AF-ON button. The Z9 generation is far different, and you can even switch priorities and control in the middle of a burst (so called Hybrid Button Focus).
One thing the Z6 generation users never got their heads around was how good (and fast) Dynamic-area AF could be, but only if they used it very specifically. It wasn't an easy thing to teach, as there were nuances and timing needs to maximize its use. Moreover, too many thought it was tracking a subject, when it technically wasn't.
Most people claiming how good the Z9 generation focus is tend to be ones who are using a lot of automation in the focus system (Auto-area AF, subject detection, 3D-tracking, etc.). Yes, those things are far, far better on the Z50II than they would be (where they exist) on a Z30.
I've owned the Z50 and now own the z50ii. I agree with Thom's main point here: the Z50ii's AF experience is not necessarily a faster one - it's still using the same generation sensor as the D500 which, while no slouch, doesn't offload data as fast as contemporary sensors do. However, it offers a better experience than the Z30 in three ways:
1. confidence. The AF processor is Nikon's best, Expeed 7, and focuses more confidently on moving subjects especially when qualitative subject identification and tracking features are employed - which is most of the time. 3D-tracking of DSLR-level competence is back and even better, working well for moving subjects. This confidence means that you're not working around the camera. If you've properly set up the z50ii you'll therefore work faster overall.
2. customizability. The Z50ii user interface is almost completely programmable to your taste. This allows for quick mode shifting in the field as the situation demands. The Expeed 7 UI also permits shifting AF mode on the fly during the capture process, which can deliver more keepers in rapidly changing situations.
3. coherence: The Z50ii adopts the Expeed 7 generation user interface and button programming capabilities of the rest of the Nikon bodies. If you have more than one Expeed 7 generation body (say an FX primary body and a DX secondary body) you can operate them in pretty much the same way. Unlike in years past, the entry level bodies are not arbitrarily de-contented. The bodies differ in performance but not in functionality. This creates a very harmonized photographic system.
The Z50ii does pay a price for this, however:
1. compactness. The body is no longer tiny (but still small).
2. duration. Battery life has dropped about 20%. The Expeed 7 processor is more power hungry, and most of the body is given over to heat sinking and such, leaving no more room for a bigger battery.
3. initial complexity. You'll need to spend some time learning the various AF modes and understanding when to use them so that you can set up the camera properly for quickest operation. This is a camera that rewards a high level of operator involvement. Actually, all Nikons are.
If you want the fastest focusing Nikon body, those are found only in their FX line, in the Z6iii, Z8, and Z9.
Last edited:
chunkomatic
Active member
i've owned a Z30 since Aug '22 and just acquired a Z50 II about four weeks back. additionally, i own a Z6 II. i have enjoyed using the Z30 as a stills camera (i do not care about video at all) for the entire time i've owned it EXCEPT under the harshest mid-day light where the screen is all but unusable. every time i shoot under those conditions, i just hope i got something worth processing. the Z50 II back screen is significantly brighter at max vs the Z30, plus it has the viewfinder. i don't know about you, but i require a viewfinder for following action and grabbing moving subjects quickly. the EVF was worth the price of admission alone, not to mention the upgrade to the Expeed 7 processor and all of the new subject detection modes.
the Z30 and Z50 II do have the same sensor, so from an imaging standpoint, i think they are equal in output and i do love the photos that both cameras produce. i'm also repeatedly reminded of how much better the mirrorless systems and especially the new glass is compared to the F-Mount lenses and DSLR bodies i've owned in the past. yes, there are great F-Mount lenses to be had, but the Z kit lenses are light years ahead of anything considered "kit" in the F-Mount world. like, it's not even a question.
if i wasn't wanting to capture BiF, or pan cars, planes, athletes, i can assure you that the Z30 AF is quick, accurate and totally on par with expectations at the price point. it equals, if not exceeds my D7000 and D750 in snappiness. that being said, i will be unloading the Z30 soon to cover some portion of the cost to move to the Z50 II. With the Z6 II and Z50 II, my needs as a hobbyist are complete and it is not necessary to hold onto the Z30.
in closing, let me leave you with this effortless capture on the Z50 II and Expeed7. AF was full sensor, AF-C, back-button focus and subject detection was set to Birds. the lens is the 50-250 DX kit lens. it's a terrible composition and incredibly boring, but look at how many obstacles the processor had to overcome to focus on that little pine siskin's eye and not get hung up on the branches. i had a second to capture this and it pulled it off, and did so all weekend.
i have never actually spent any time trying to shoot birds, and i know these are boring, but look how easy the Z50 II made it for me ...
--
www.bradwhitefotograf.com
the Z30 and Z50 II do have the same sensor, so from an imaging standpoint, i think they are equal in output and i do love the photos that both cameras produce. i'm also repeatedly reminded of how much better the mirrorless systems and especially the new glass is compared to the F-Mount lenses and DSLR bodies i've owned in the past. yes, there are great F-Mount lenses to be had, but the Z kit lenses are light years ahead of anything considered "kit" in the F-Mount world. like, it's not even a question.
if i wasn't wanting to capture BiF, or pan cars, planes, athletes, i can assure you that the Z30 AF is quick, accurate and totally on par with expectations at the price point. it equals, if not exceeds my D7000 and D750 in snappiness. that being said, i will be unloading the Z30 soon to cover some portion of the cost to move to the Z50 II. With the Z6 II and Z50 II, my needs as a hobbyist are complete and it is not necessary to hold onto the Z30.
in closing, let me leave you with this effortless capture on the Z50 II and Expeed7. AF was full sensor, AF-C, back-button focus and subject detection was set to Birds. the lens is the 50-250 DX kit lens. it's a terrible composition and incredibly boring, but look at how many obstacles the processor had to overcome to focus on that little pine siskin's eye and not get hung up on the branches. i had a second to capture this and it pulled it off, and did so all weekend.
i have never actually spent any time trying to shoot birds, and i know these are boring, but look how easy the Z50 II made it for me ...
--
BRAD WHITE | fotograf
www.bradwhitefotograf.com
Similar threads
Keyboard shortcuts
- f
- Forum