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📸 Captures photos with sharp detail and realistic colors
🎥 Record videos in flexible RAW and N-Log formats
⚙️ Flagship image processor speed and features
🤏 Incredibly pocketable, especially with collapsible lenses
👁️ Bright and large EVF
🟰 Same 20.9MP sensor as its predecessor
🫨 No in-body image stabilization
▓ The rear screen is too dim to see in daylight
✂️ 4K 60p video shooting suffers a 1.4x crop penalty
Best Buy: Nikon Z50 II kit - $1,149
Walmart: Nikon Z50 II - $ $994
Adorama: Nikon Z50 II - $1,006
The Nikon Z50 II is an impressive beginner camera. For starters, it's a $1,000 camera body that can shoot movies in 10-bit N-Log or RAW. It comes with the same image processor as Nikon’s flagship mirrorless camera, so you’ll get the same speed and full features as the higher-end Nikon Z6 III. The downsides of this camera are that it still features the same 20.9MP as its predecessor, still lacks in-body image stabilization, and the rear LCD screen is too dim.
If you don’t mind those two shortcomings, the Nikon Z50 II is a well-equipped camera for its price and is also super compact, making it ideal for everyday use.
📸 Same sensor. I was a little disappointed that the Nikon Z50 II features the same 20.9MP sensor as its predecessor and still lacks in-body image stabilization. Images from this old sensor still look great, there’s plenty of sharpness, and colors pop with very life-like saturation. There’s almost nothing to complain about in terms of image quality. Pictures taken with this camera appear sharp with true-to-life colors, and noise is barely noticeable, even at ISO 3200.
🧠 Flagship processor. Most of the Nikon Z50 II's improvements are due to the latest EXPEED 7 processor. This camera features a higher burst rate of up to 11 RAW or 30 JPEG images per second. Nikon’s pre-capture mode has also trickled down to this crop sensor camera, allowing it to capture frames as soon as you half-press the shutter.
🎯 Subject-tracking AF. The new Expeed 7 chip also expands the Z50 II autofocus system to track nine different types of subjects: humans, birds, cats, dogs, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, and airplanes. The autofocus on this camera feels fast, intelligent, and accurate; it was even able to keep track of a bicyclist who turned a corner on the trail and went behind some trees.
🎥 Better 4K movies with a crop. Video shooting has greatly improved on the Nikon Z50 II. It now supports up to 4K 60p video shooting, but at the cost of a 1.4x crop and some added noise from using a smaller subsection of the already cropped sensor. You can also avoid this issue by sticking to 4K 30p or 1080 60p shooting. Regardless of resolution, you can record 10-bit Hybrid Log Gamma footage for true HDR movies. The Z50 II also benefits from the same RAW and N-Log formats available on Nikon’s flagship mirrorless cameras for extra post-processing latitude.
🤏 Compact size. The Nikon Z50 II is an easily pocketable camera thanks to its 5 x 3.82 x 2.64-inch dimensions. You can easily fit this camera into a jacket pocket, small sling bag, or purse, especially when paired with a retractable lens, such as the 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 Nikkor. It’s still not nearly as small as the Sony ZV-E10 II, which I was able to cram into my jeans on occasion.
👁️ 2x brighter EVF. The Nikon Z50 II features a 1,000-nit bright 2.36-million-dot EVF that’s easy to see in bright daylight. Unfortunately, this camera’s 3.2-inch 1.04M-dot rear screen is incredibly dim, so you practically have to rely on the EVF whenever shooting in broad daylight.
Best Buy: Nikon Z50 II kit - $1,149
Walmart: Nikon Z50 II - $ $994
Adorama: Nikon Z50 II - $1,006
🌄 You want sharp photos full of life-like colors
🌅 You need RAW images that make it easy to recover both highlight and shadow detail
🎥 You want just as much editing latitude from RAW movie footage
⚡️ You want a fast-focusing and shooting camera with a snappy image processor
🫨 You need in-body stabilization (get the Fujifilm X-S20)
↔️ You’d rather have a full-frame sensor (get the Nikon Z5 II)
👝 You want an even more compact camera (get the Sony ZV-E10 II instead)
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
