Nikon Z50 II Launched

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I don’t see this camera as any way a replacement for a d500 which was basically a pro body aimed at semi professional and up shooters. It won’t be as durable with a pop up flash and for me only 21mp is a deal breaker. I would like to see at least 26mp in a DX body to gain reach over a z8-9. No ibis sucks and The cost is only half of a d500 new. It’s clear that it’s aimed at beginning shooters.
there is one thing though that it would be excellent for. People who do macro and photograph things like caterpillars that often require holding the leaf with one hand and using the pop up flash to take the shot. This comes in really handy. It’s probably a good starter camera. It will also be light weight.
 
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Sensor readout speed is a critical variable. It determines how the electronic shutter records fast moving subjects.
"...the Z8 and Z9 arguably do quite well with this test, effectively giving you the same result as you'd have with a mechanical shutter. The second best camera in this regard is the Z6 III, with the Z50 being the surprising third best..."

Z50 — 24.6ms (1/41)
Z5 — 100ms (1/10)
Z6, Z6 II — 50.8ms (1/20)
Z6 III — 14.4ms (1/69)
Z7 — 66.7ms (1/15)
Z7 II — 65.6ms (1/15)
Z8 — 3.7ms (1/270)
Z9 — 3.7ms (1/270)
Zf — 50.5ms (1/18)

Source: https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-cameras/z-camera-articles/sensor-read-out-speeds.html
 
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Fcotterill,

Well done finding that info.

That means that the readout speed is about the same as a Sony A74, not as good as the Canon R5 @ 15.5ms but considerably better than the Canon R7 at 32.3ms. It has been reported that the R5 (15.5) rarely suffers from rolling shutter while the R7 (31.3) sometimes does. My interpolation is that rolling shutter will occasionally be an issue with a Z50-2 which is really great for a sub $1K camera. The electronic shutter will have some value after all.

Tom
 
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It will some time before we have robust information about how the Z50 II performs in the wild. Finding the thresholds to rolling shutter effects - compared against a Z6 III particularly. This is an important question.

To repeat, the tabulated features of this camera are seriously impressive at its price. A glass half-full situation, which fills up when the Z50 II is evaluated as a Traveller's and Outdoor camera.

What Did I Want in a Z50 II? | Thom Hogan

What features did we all want in a Z50 II?
www.zsystemuser.com
 
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The original Z50 was not designed as an Entry level camera (a product Nikon stopped making at the D3*00, D5*00 lines) - explain by @EricBowles link below. The Z50 approximated the D7*00 designs as the affordable Hobbyist - Enthusiast Tier. The just announced upgrade repeats the design of a capable Enthusiast aka Hobbyist camera, and it now has powerful Pro features.


At its launch, similar in some ways to the D300, the D500 was unique as a fully Pro DSLR, albeit DX. Nikon designed it as the Baby D5. Arguably, the Z equivalent will need be similar to the Z9 in body chassis, menus and not least the stacked sensor.

D5 / D500 | Works | Nikon About Us

Introducing the design of Nikon's SLR cameras "D5/D500", our pride in a flagship model and our tireless pursuit of the best design.
www.nikon.com

With its improved haptics, the expanded Custom menus and Autofocus push the Z50 II into the Pro-Hobbyist Tier, even though it lacks IBIS and vertical grip. In terms of capabilities, the Custom menu options with Z9 AF far exceed the feature sets of a Z6 II and Z7 II (or the D7*00) designs.

 
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The only reason I would buy it is for the weight, for travel purposes. However, even though it's lighter than my Z6iii and Zf though, put a long lens on it and I'm not sure I'd really be served as well as I could be by instead bringing my Z6III, investing in a lighter Nikon lens and engaging the crop sensor mode. See how I'm trying to talk myself out of a new purchase?? ;)
 
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I've been shooting primarily birds with the Z50 / 200-500 f5.6 for several years now and definitely have been itching for new gear and feeling like I've squeezed everything I can out of this combo. I was debating about the Z6iii but the Z50ii looks interesting to try for the price point. I am not too optimistic the bird mode AF on the Z50ii is going to be a huge game changer for this camera, and suspect that even without the dedicated bird mode, the Z6iii has a more reliable AF system for birds. There are some other nice upgrades I am noticing about the Z50ii: More buttons and customization options, additional AF modes, addition of a U3 slot on the mode dial, UHS-II card support, and the new file system. Not a big deal, but I am wondering if the 11 fps requires using the high-efficiency format, similar to how the Z50 requires 12-bit instead of 14-bit raw to reach 11 fps, but maybe not and the combination of the new UHS-II sd card compatibility with the Expeed 7 processor can handle it without all the caveats.
 
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The main advantage of the Z50ii is its small size but the Z30 is smaller and apparently just as good. The two DX lenses for the cameras are very small, lightweight and give acceptable images. For wildlife photographers who want the best possible images, I believe one of the FX cameras is a better choice.
 
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Rodamu said:
The main advantage of the Z50ii is its small size but the Z30 is smaller and apparently just as good. The two DX lenses for the cameras are very small, lightweight and give acceptable images. For wildlife photographers who want the best possible images, I believe one of the FX cameras is a better choice.
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Just s good? It's a totally different camera that doesn't even have an EVF, for example. Really apples and oranges here, IMO.
 
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I’d give up a lot for a lighter weight camera, but not IBIS. No IBIS, no sale.

If it had IBIS, I’d probably order one and downsize to a 100-400+1.4x, assuming its tracking AF is closer to Z9 than Zf, as the early reviews claim.
 
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Hooligans Imagery said:
Maybe except the ones in this thread calling in the new D500 maybe?? How’s that for a hedging a bet.
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folks truly shopping for a d500 replacement hopefully will not be thinking the z50ii is their camera.

i do think the z6iii could be considered a d500 replacement, but i have to be careful not to say that out loud for fear of starting another war :-D
 
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DougC said:
I don’t speak German but my take on this is that the AF doesn’t appear to stick to BIF as well as the Z8/Z9. Hopefully we will see some better field testing videos soon.
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Hmmm! The Z50II AF for BIF might not be as good as the Z8 or Z9 AF, but it appears to be better than the Z50 AF. I did notice that there was often a small square around a bird’s eyes in video shots where the bird was on the ground or water.

Even though I don’t speak German, the video footage and photos were much more useful to me than what Fro, Chris and Jordan, and other influencers have so far presented in their Z50II “previews”.
 
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Craig Yuill said:
Hmmm! The Z50II AF for BIF might not be as good as the Z8 or Z9 AF, but it appears to be better than the Z50 AF. I did notice that there was often a small square around a bird’s eyes in video shots where the bird was on the ground or water.

Even though I don’t speak German, the video footage and photos were much more useful to me than what Fro, Chris and Jordan, and other influencers have so far presented in their Z50II “previews”.
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You can turn on captions + translation to English, works very nice.
 
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fcotterill said:
Well, a Z90 looks unlikely, particularly considering the cost-returns on a new high performance DX sensor

Given the Z50II, Wither the Z70/Z90? | Thom Hogan

Will there be a higher DX camera model from Nikon?
www.zsystemuser.com
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Honestly it doesn't make a lot of sense. I'm sure we'll see a ZFC ii, which does make a lot of sense and will sell really well, and probably the Z30ii refresh which also makes sense.

But a higher performance DX camera? The Z6iii is that camera.

A high megapixel stacked sensor DX would be amazing for wildlife but what would the return on that investment be? I can't imagine the wildlife crowd is that large and how many would turn it down for the already existing full frame 45+ mp cameras. Wildlife shooters are one of the most demanding for image quality and spend big money to get every last drop of it they can. I just don't see how a DX camera, unless they spend big money on a stacked sensor 40+ megapixel version fits into that equation. Then how many 2500+ dollar DX cameras do you actually end up selling?

When the D500 was launched it made sense for the time. I don't think it does these days.

The Z50ii on its own merit is really a good camera for $900 dollars. A lot of people want it to me something much more for much less than the full frame options, like a budget Z8 I guess, but that doesn't make a ton of sense for Nikon to make if it cuts into Z6iii or other camera sales.

Under 1000 dollars though, what actually looks more attractive than the Z50ii right now? Paired up with something like a Tamron 150-500 and you have a honestly quite nice wildlife combo for @ 2000 dollars. Pair it with a used FTZ and older 150-600 Tamron or Sigma and you have a nice wildlife combo for probably $1500 or less.
 
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