Nikon Z50 Mirrorless Camera (Body Only)

I would give this camera kit 4.5 stars, but have to round up to 5 in this review.I am a super beginner at photography, and wanted a decent camera to take to Kenya for safari. I settled on this two-lens kit, and could not be more pleased - details below.Image quality/lenses/shooting: The image quality is superb with most of the lenses I've used. I should note that I basically never use the 16-50mm kit lens - I've found that I am not really interested in this focal length (24-75 full frame equivalent), and although people love it, I've not had great results with it. To be fair though, I hardly ever use it - if this focal length is for you, I'm sure you'll find it more than adequate. I've been duly impressed by the 50-250mm (in bright daylight), with which I've ... MoreI would give this camera kit 4.5 stars, but have to round up to 5 in this review.I am a super beginner at photography, and wanted a decent camera to take to Kenya for safari. I settled on this two-lens kit, and could not be more pleased - details below.Image quality/lenses/shooting: The image quality is superb with most of the lenses I've used. I should note that I basically never use the 16-50mm kit lens - I've found that I am not really interested in this focal length (24-75 full frame equivalent), and although people love it, I've not had great results with it. To be fair though, I hardly ever use it - if this focal length is for you, I'm sure you'll find it more than adequate. I've been duly impressed by the 50-250mm (in bright daylight), with which I've shot all the attached pictures in MANUAL (again, beginner here). The level of detail that this camera/lens combo resolves is amazing - great for zoos, but if you want to shoot wildlife, you will probably want a bit more reach (even though 250mm on the Z50 crop sensor is 375mm full frame equivalent). I purchased a 50mm f1.8 prime F mount lens along with the FTZ II adapter, which I've found works well, and the autofocus is pretty zippy for the most part. I also have a Tokina 11-16mm f2.8, which is an excellent wide angle combo with the Z50, and far more forgiving than most lenses given the lack of in-body image stabilization. In general, I would recommend considering the FTZ adapter to have access to both native and third party F mount lenses, as the Z mount system still appears new and is rather more expensive. One thing I have struggled with is making sure to hold the camera very steady for the sharpest images - if you have a lens with vibration reduction/image stabilization, this isn't so bad, but it's very challenging with prime lenses. Of course at this price point and with a crop sensor, it's not surprising that the body is not stabilized. Just be aware that there is a learning curve to positioning/anchoring yourself, choosing the correct shutter speed, and programming a shutter delay if needed to get the sharpest images - probably a bit more work than a camera body with built-in stabilization. But, great practice for beginners. One thing I will note - the focus tracking for moving subjects, and the dynamic autofocus, could probably be improved - if you're truly looking to shoot wildlife in motion (especially small subjects), perhaps consider a camera with a more developed system in this realm (and maybe a full frame sensor). However, I did take the flamingo photo in burst mode with the 50-250mm - at a high shutter speed and in well-lit conditions, almost all the photos of one bird basically assaulting the other came out super sharp.Ergonomics: I didn't hold this camera before I bought it, but it is tiny and light. I am a very petite female and have small hands, but even with slightly heavier lenses I can hold the camera one-handed (wouldn't recommend shooting this way however - see above). The grip is deep and it is so comfortable to hold, the buttons and touchscreen are responsive, and with the pancake lens, this thing is almost pocketable. Even with somewhat larger lenses, this is very comfortable to wear on the same shoulder as another sling bag for several hours. One note is that the FTZ adapter (I or II) is somewhat thick, so will add a bit of length to adapted lenses. Even so, larger lenses do not feel awkward on this small body.I called this a gateway camera because about a month after I bought it, I had enjoyed shooting with it so much that I bought a second camera (micro four thirds sensor) with a ridiculous 100-400mm zoom lens (equivalent of 200-800mm full frame). Because the Nikon interface is so accessible, I didn't have any issues adjusting to the dials and settings on the new camera. Mostly I bought it because the MFT lens system is very compact, and I would have needed a second body for safari anyway. I know most beginners eventually upgrade to full frame, but I can't really see myself even doing that - this camera plus the MFT one meet my needs in small packages. The Z50 may have an APS-C sensor, but it is highly capable of producing fabulous images with great detail and warm, saturated colors. Could not recommend more.

I started out upgrading my full-frame D750 to the Z6 ii, a really great choice! Now my next move was onto getting a smaller crop body to put in my kit that can still get good images, while reducing the weight I am holding due to worsening arthritis and tendon issues in my shooting hand. I currently have the D500 and I love it, although it has missing features I wished it had, I decided to upgrade but am holding onto the D500 because I will definitely have use for it still. But for my main gig work, I needed something that can do the job. I decided on this kit lens set as I don't have other Z mount lenses yet so for the bundle cost it's well worth it. I've just shot my first event with it this past weekend, and it's a usual ultra low light concert gig that really let ... MoreI started out upgrading my full-frame D750 to the Z6 ii, a really great choice! Now my next move was onto getting a smaller crop body to put in my kit that can still get good images, while reducing the weight I am holding due to worsening arthritis and tendon issues in my shooting hand. I currently have the D500 and I love it, although it has missing features I wished it had, I decided to upgrade but am holding onto the D500 because I will definitely have use for it still. But for my main gig work, I needed something that can do the job. I decided on this kit lens set as I don't have other Z mount lenses yet so for the bundle cost it's well worth it. I've just shot my first event with it this past weekend, and it's a usual ultra low light concert gig that really let me see what this one is capable of. I used the FTZ 2 mount and my 70-200 2.8, when lighting was partially decent I got great shots, just as I normally would. When the lighting was even worse, I found the focusing struggled a bit, I had to really bump up the iso in many shots and it was on par with what I would expect from my D500. Meaning noise, but was able to fix some of it in post. Where the Z6 ii handles the low lighting much better, there are times I need that additional focal length from my 70-200mm which the crop of the Z50 provides. And yes, you can change the image size on the Z6 ii from fx to dx, but you end up shooting at 10mp instead. The difference on the Z50 from the D500 and Z6 ii for controls on camera will definitely take some time to get used too. Plus there is no LCD control screen top to show your camera settings at a glance, you need to do that from the back LCD or through the EVF. I like that this camera is a lot smaller and the LCD flips down and faces forward so you can use it for selfies or vlogging. I wish Nikon would have done a fully articulating LCD like my sony has, the flip down is a bad location and unusable on a tripod unless you buy some after market attachment that allows used without blocking the screen. Who at Nikon thought this was a good placement? I also like that this camera comes with a built in flash! Sometimes you just need a little fill light. I also grabbed a sb-500 speedlight. For $250 it gives just enough light when you need it plus has a built in LED front facing light that has 3 light strengths so you can use it for video. I can say that flash is really bright to the eyes and is a cooler temp. I am looking for some sort of strap on diffuser that wraps around the flash now. But with that said, the flash weigh along with the body and either of the kit lenses will be super light in hand and easily fit on a smaller gimbal if you use one. When it comes to video, the kit lenses have their own vibration reduction, the video I've tested with it so far is pretty clean and not too shaky. I'd definitely pair it with a gimbal for optimum quality video. The Z6 ii is superior for the less shaky video due to built in IBIS. One thing I do not like about this camera, the one SD card option and that the card is located in the bottom where the battery is located. I have that same set up with my Sony ZV-E10 and it's often hard with arthritis to remove the SD card. The battery life on the Z50... it is horrible to be honest. I am definitely going to get a few extra batteries. I lost juice in the one I have at my gig in 2 hours just doing stills. The battery is a little bigger than my Sony battery so I didn't have a lot of hope it would be as good as the full-frame model batteries. Outside of that, it's still a worthy camera for many users, from beginners to pro's. You don't always need or want a giant camera and this fills that space plus has an EVF, something my Sony does not, but my sony is aimed more for content creation over stills, but still... a viewfinder is ideal for me. All in all, this camera is a good addition to my kit. I will be able to use it for almost everything I have before while getting an upgrade to video abilities with continuous autofocus, something not available on the D500.

Downsizing from DSLR kit. The Z50 is much smaller and lighter, but results are just about equal to my D750, maybe better at high ISO.The two kit lenses are amazing. Small, light, and picture quality as good as some of my far more expensive F-mount lenses. Get the two lens kit. No brainer. Incredible value.Still learning some of the features, but menus and settings are very similar to every other Nikon DSLR.There are a few annoyances, but none outweigh the overall value and ease of use of this kit.Best of all, I've reduced my 20lb backpack kit to a 4lb shoulder bag kit. It also means I can use smaller, lighter tripods and heads. All good for an old man tired of hauling around a bunch of heavy gear.P.S. I got the FTZ 2 F-mount adapter in case It wanted to ... MoreDownsizing from DSLR kit. The Z50 is much smaller and lighter, but results are just about equal to my D750, maybe better at high ISO.The two kit lenses are amazing. Small, light, and picture quality as good as some of my far more expensive F-mount lenses. Get the two lens kit. No brainer. Incredible value.Still learning some of the features, but menus and settings are very similar to every other Nikon DSLR.There are a few annoyances, but none outweigh the overall value and ease of use of this kit.Best of all, I've reduced my 20lb backpack kit to a 4lb shoulder bag kit. It also means I can use smaller, lighter tripods and heads. All good for an old man tired of hauling around a bunch of heavy gear.P.S. I got the FTZ 2 F-mount adapter in case It wanted to use any of my previous lenses. I've only tried it with one lens, and it works perfectly. AF, exposure, etc. works the same, no distortions, falloff or anything like that.