The Nikon Z50 is a 20.9MP mirrorless camera: the first time the company has put an (unstabilized) APS-C sensor behind its new, larger 'Z' lens mount. The company says the camera is designed to attract a generation of users who don't consider themselves to be photographers.
Alongside the camera, Nikon has announced two lenses designed for this sensor size: a 16-50mm F3.5-6.3 collapsible standard zoom and a 50-250mm F4.5-6.3 telephoto zoom - both with built-in image stabilization (which Nikon calls Vibration Reduction).
Key specifications
- 20.9MP CMOS sensor
- Twin control dial interface
- Up to 11 fps shooting with AE/AF, 5 fps with live view
- 4K video at up to 30p
- 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder
- Rear touchscreen tilts up by 90° or down by 180°
- Single UHS-I SD card slot in battery compartment
- Bluetooth-enabled Wi-Fi (via Snapbridge app)
- Creative Picture Control effects
The Z50 will be available for sale from November, with an MSRP of $860, body-only. Adding the 16-50mm zoom takes the price to $1000 and a two-lens kit with both DX zooms takes the list price to $1350.
The Z50 is compatible with the FTZ mount adapter, allowing it to use F-mount DSLR lenses. The adapter is not included in any of the kits announced so far.
What's new and how it compares
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The Z50 is Nikon's first APS-C mirrorless camera. We take a look at what it offers and how it squares up to its rivals.
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Body and controls
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We take a look at the new camera and how it operates.
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First Impressions / Shooting Experience
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Reviews editor Carey Rose spent a couple of hours shooting with a near-final Nikon Z50.
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Image quality
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The Z50 is based around an updated version of the 20.2MP sensor we fist saw in the D500. It still looks pretty good against the competition.
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Autofocus
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The Z50's AF system is pretty effective, but is a little fiddly compared with its peers.
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Video
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The Z50's video looks good and it's one of the easiest cameras to shoot both stills and video with.
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Conclusion
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We found a lot to like about the Z50 but it has some very capable rivals in better-established systems.
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Sample Galleries
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We've been shooting with the Z50 for a while and have plenty of real-world shots to show you how the camera performs.
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Aug 26, 2020
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May 20, 2020
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Nov 27, 2019
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Aug 13, 2019
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