Nikon Z50 II Launched

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EricBowles said:
I wonder if they are thinking ahead about a higher end DX body? Nikon likes to reuse bodies or at least minimize changes. It affects the internal components as well as the shell. If they are anticipating a higher end DX, it would have dual card slots, faster readout, IBIS, etc. - and would require a larger body. This might be that body size - or pretty close. EXPEED 7 has the horsepower to deliver whatever is needed in a higher end DX body.

The Z50ii seems to be a major update to the Z50. There is a lot being delivered using EXPEED 7.

I'm hearing that Nikon is still not reached the limit of what EXPEED 7 can deliver for any camera - including Z9. If they can deliver more via firmware, it's worth it to wait another year for EXPEED 8. The economics for Nikon work very well if they can continue to sell Z8 and Z9 cameras while introducing a bunch of other cameras.
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We could see another higher end DX body that is targeted at higher end birding and sports with one of the newer higher megapixel sensors, like the 40mp range that Fuji is using or something newer with a higher readout speed. Something like that would surpass even the Z8/9 for that purpose. Which could also be a reason why it would not be made. APS-C sensors are not that far off of full frame image quality at all these days so that could be a dangerous camera to put on the market. But it would surely sell well and instantly be one of the best birding combo's with Nikon telephoto lens range.

This Z50ii is a lower price point camera with compromises. I think people are expecting something more from it. It's a $900 camera and honestly offers a pretty good set of features at that price range. Just look at the competition at that price range. It's positioned well for its price point.
 
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Kenny88 said:
I'm tired of waiting for a D500 replacement that might never happen, and I think the Z50II should be able to provide the same or better experience the D500 did. Yes, it's the same sensor, and at the time of the D500 nobody complained about the quality of photographs that sensor can deliver, so why now?

I got amazing photos without IBIS with the D500, and I will again with the Z50ii - I don't know why IBIS is needed for action photography anyways unless it's for a different type of photography yes, but then VR in the DX lenses would take care of that...or even some FX lenses.

From an optics point of view I can't say I agree with Nikon for making this decision to stick with an old sensor if they didn't have to, but perhaps they know something we all don't, and I would imagine they anticipated all the negativity as a result of their decision.
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The 20.9 sensor is still a good sensor. People are just accustomed to more megapixels as time marches on. Image quality wise its as good as anything on the market for APS-C. Remember people are used to iPhone marketing "48 megapixels". and see 20 and think that's so low resolution. I still use two that are 16mp. All it really affects is cropping ability.

IBIS is really in its element using shorter focal length lenses in low light, that's about the only time you really want it. For telephoto built in VR is what you want in the lens or synced IBIS/VR.
 
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Kenny88 said:
From an optics point of view I can't say I agree with Nikon for making this decision to stick with an old sensor if they didn't have to, but perhaps they know something we all don't,
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it's just a R&D cost and cost issue. by not switching to a new sensor, it helps them a bit keep the cost down on the resulting camera.

Kenny88 said:
and I would imagine they anticipated all the negativity as a result of their decision.
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perhaps, but i suspect the people moaning about that aren't the people they are marketing the camera to
 
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John Navitsky said:
it's just a R&D cost and cost issue. by not switching to a new sensor, it helps them a bit keep the cost down on the resulting camera.


perhaps, but i suspect the people moaning about that aren't the people they are marketing the camera to
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Yep just pretend you have 900 dollars for a brand new camera and start looking around. People are comparing this thing to cameras double the price or more and complaining about it. It arguably has the best autofocus at its price and its competitors are using older 24/26mp sensors so 20.9 is not far off. And some of them don't have viewfinders.
 
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EricBowles said:
I wonder if they are thinking ahead about a higher end DX body?
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maybe. but i think maybe they'd look at the z6iii body for a higher end camera to align it more with prosumer controls.

EricBowles said:
Nikon likes to reuse bodies or at least minimize changes. It affects the internal components as well as the shell.
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agree.

EricBowles said:
I'm hearing that Nikon is still not reached the limit of what EXPEED 7 can deliver for any camera - including Z9. If they can deliver more via firmware, it's worth it to wait another year for EXPEED 8. The economics for Nikon work very well if they can continue to sell Z8 and Z9 cameras while introducing a bunch of other cameras.
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i for one hope they can squeeze c2pa and raw pre-capture into the 7.

but i'm also going to be first in line for an expeed8 body.
 
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John Navitsky said:
and that's the key. this is a CRAZY amount of good stuff for that price point.
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Yes if I had 900 it would be what I would buy. Other 900 dollar options:

Canon R50 24 mp
Fuji XM5 (no viewfinder) 26mp
Sony ZVE (no viewfinder) 24 mp

None of them have IBIS at this price point

I don't understand why people are comparing it to the XT-5 etc which is close to double the price or other higher priced models. Even the R7 is 400 dollars more than this camera. That's a LOT of money if you're looking for a small kit to shoot family and pets.

It's on the market with the two lens kit for about the price of the R7 body alone. You can add a few very inexpensive primes via Viltrox/TT artisan and the others for not much money and that's all you'd ever need for general photography.

I feel like the market here in this forum wants a stacked sensor 40 megapixel version of this camera that shoots 30 FPS RAW for 2000 dollars with precapture. That would likely nuke the sales of the Z8/9, Canon R5ii and A1 and some Nikon executives would disappear via Canon and Sony sponsored hit men in short order if that camera happened.
 
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A short note, cited below, on how the inbuilt flash of the Z50 II relates to official reports of inferior battery life. It's unfortunate the media so often fails so dismally at checking out sources before publishing.

Obviously, the detail in the small print about the CIPA test regimen has some real world relevance, particularly for photographers who rarely use flash.

"2.5 Flash photography Full illumination flash shall be used for one of every two pictures taken. For the other pictures, the flash shall not be used. (Any given shooting condition for the full illumination flash may be used.)..."

CIPA - Camera & Imaging Products Association: CIPA Standards

www.cipa.jp www.cipa.jp
 
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fcotterill said:
Gray's in London are usually reliably informed by Nikon UK, which is why I take the sound bite seriously in their above video. Nikon's subsidiaries, including Nikon USA are not necessarily in the know about arcane technical details.
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Grays of Westminster in this weeks podcast have clarified
1/ Some Grays staff attended a pre-release meeting with an NDA and only written note-taking possible
2/ The "new" used relates to more AF points on the sensor than on the current Z5.

Unlike the Z6 III, it seems not to have a newly designed sensor.

Additional information

A bit long-winded at times
has pictures taken with the Z 5II from about 3 minutes in - impressive in the right light.
At around 20 minutes example A3 prints are described as close to indistinguishable; Z 5II with a DX lens compared to Z8 with an S lens, followed by an observation differences start to become detectable at A2 print size.
Ricci was present - I speculate Z 50II were jpg images as no release so far of a RAW converter.

I would anticipate a similar result from 24 MP Z6III though as yet I have not attempted a similar comparison though I own both these FF cameras.

Interesting at about 23 minutes (from memory) there is a very large print that seems to exceed Z 8 single shot capability - taken by stitching 8 images taken by a drone.

Off topic for those wanting to get into high resolution drone shots there is initial feedback toward the end of the video.
 
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Tom Reynolds said:
At $1000 it is worth the upgrade just for subject ID and the EVF. The big problem for me with the D-500/500pf is that I wasn't good enough to use SP AF and focus on the bird's eye. I had to use GRP AF. The focus was usually on the near wing.

Tom
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Besides the added weight and size, I count 24 things about the Z 50II that are upgrades. I sold my Z 50 and pre-ordered the II. I love it for travel and just walk-around. My Z 6III doesn't have Bird Detection, yet.
 
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Sunny said:
Today I shot a few pictures with the Z50-ii. Feels nice in the hand. A bit slow with the pancake zoom lens. Unfortunately, lightroom does not accept the nefs at the moment.
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I’m certain Adobe will support Z50II RAW images soon since the camera should be shipping in a few weeks.
 
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DBalaur said:
Yea, it is a far cry from the D500 in many regards, although a lot of your opinions can be directed to Z50 so we know how well it performs in the field. The build material is still the magnesium alloy but the weather sealing isn't the best, and, per the laws of physics, having less material (aka smaller body) around all your electronics means it is more prone to impacts. It is slightly beefier than mk1 with an unremovable eye cup - both welcome changes from mk1. Rolling shutter is expected because the shutter speed is still capped 1/4000s and the sensor tech is 8 years old, although I hope the expeed 7 will remedy it somewhat in the mk2.
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Are you sure the eye cup is not removable on the 50ii? I had to replace the eyecup on my 50i with a deeper one so that my nose would not contact the LCD in the upper RH corner and set off the screen magnifier (+) button. So this could be a deal breaker for me on upgrading. Tks
 
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tomcat said:
Are you sure the eye cup is not removable on the 50ii? I had to replace the eyecup on my 50i with a deeper one so that my nose would not contact the LCD in the upper RH corner and set off the screen magnifier (+) button. So this could be a deal breaker for me on upgrading. Tks
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The eyecup on the Z50II is secured by two screws. Until there’s a public disassembly analysis or disassembly and repair documentation from Nikon, it’s unknown how easily replaceable the eyecup is. My guess is that it shouldn’t be difficult, but that’s unverified at this time.

Also, if the stock eyecup doesn’t work for you, you’ll need a third party option. Of course, that isn’t going to be available soon.

I suggest waiting until you can see and hold one at a retailer when they’re available.
 
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JAJohnson said:
The eyecup on the Z50II is secured by two screws. Until there’s a public disassembly analysis or disassembly and repair documentation from Nikon, it’s unknown how easily replaceable the eyecup is. My guess is that it shouldn’t be difficult, but that’s unverified at this time.

Also, if the stock eyecup doesn’t work for you, you’ll need a third party option. Of course, that isn’t going to be available soon.

I suggest waiting until you can see and hold one at a retailer when they’re available.
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🙏 thanks
 
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tomcat said:
Are you sure the eye cup is not removable on the 50ii? I had to replace the eyecup on my 50i with a deeper one so that my nose would not contact the LCD in the upper RH corner and set off the screen magnifier (+) button. So this could be a deal breaker for me on upgrading. Tks
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Eye cup comes off by removing two screws. Won't fall off accidentally.
 
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Woodyg3 said:
To me, this isn't an "upgrade" from the D500. It's a small step forward here or there, and more steps backward.

Concerns and observtions vs the trusty old D500:

Old 20.9 mp sensor, it is probably time for an increase in MP.

11 vs 10 FPS with mechanical shutter = basically the same. Electronic shutter15-30 but will there be rolling shutter problems? Also, if I am reading correctly, top resolution files can only come from 11fps or slower.

No XQD or CFExpress card slot, only one SD slot.

Tiny battery instead of the EN EN15 format

Doesn't look like it's built very robustly, but obviously I haven't held it in my hands.

Real world focusing feedback will be interesting. Can those of us who shoot fast action get the performance we need? It certainly looks promising.

No IBIS is disappointing, that would have been an important upgrade.

Looks like the control buttons are very customizable, which is great.

No top LCD, I know they aren't "necessary" but I like them

Controls can't light up in dark as on the D500.

SO while this looks like a great camera for the price, it sure isn't a replacement for the venerable D500. The again, how could we expect that at this price point? :)

Just some rambling opinions. :)
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I agree - will we ever see a "real" D500 replacement? IMHO - don't bet on it, but there is always hope
 
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Ado Wolf said:
For me it is a big disappointment, that no IBIS is included.. when smaller compact cameras like the X100 or Lumix GX9 have it..
I will not be upgrading.. In fact, I was about to purchase the Nikon 70-180 mm (lacking VR) in hope that the Z50 II gets IBIS.. now I will wait / hope that Tamron will release their G2 version that has VC to use it on my existing Z50.

Having said that, Bravo Nikon for offering the same AF and Subject tracking as the big guns, and pre-capture.
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Z50 doesn't make sense for my personal use either and totally agree. I have the GX9 and was hoping Nikon could provide someday a rival - a smaller, street photography friendly (tilt-screen) camera. For wildlife, I have the Z6iii and Zf back up, so I won't be buying. That said, I will be recommending it to beginning wildlife shooters! It's got everything for starting out and generic photography.
 
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I have not used my D500 with 500PF and 500F/4.0 since I got my OM1 a couple of years ago. Since then I have realised that a mirrorless D500 was not really what I wanted. I have become sensor size agnostic since my micro 4/3 does perfectly well for my needs - noise, DR etc. The OM1 ticks nearly all my (new) boxes: fast readout, fast fps, no blackout, pre-capture, bird ID, IBIS (great for still birds in low light). It's limitation for me is the number of pixels; when I struggle to keep a fast moving bird in the frame, a 45MP sensor would be great to allow a bit of cropping. That brings the Z8 into consideration but it's very big and heavy. The Z50 ii is nice and small and light but quite apart from giving no advance on my remaining issue (shortage of pixels) probably has significant rolling shutter (which might make pre-capture unusable for getting a bird as it takes off or lands) and no IBIS.
That highlights a bit of a gap in the Nikon range at present: the only cameras with a high MP count are big and heavy apart from the Z7ii. Maybe there will be a Z7iii (Z8-lite) to fill that gap. Don't know if I'll hang on to my Nikon lenses long enough to find out though.
 
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The OM-1 is more than double the price of the Z50-2 based on the current $2000 price of the mark 2 so comparing the OM-1 to the Z50-2 seems unfair.

More importantly, as both you and I had a 500pf if the Z50-2 was available when we decided to upgrade our D-500 what we have chosen? That, I think is the key question for a current D-500/500pf owners.

My answer, based on what I know now, is different from what it would have been then.

I now know powerful pre-capture is when the camera has excellent bird ID and a deep buffer. Today, I would spend the money and sell the Nikon gear as I did. Back then, however, I did not have experience with pre-capture and would reason there was no point to spending the extra money and move on from Nikon.

The difference, I think, is that if you haven't experienced pre-capture the feature is "nice to have", but once you have experienced pre-capture, in RAW with a fast readout speed and a deep buffer, pre-capture is required.

Regards,

Tom
 
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