Competent & Surprising

Nikon Z50 is the company’s first Z mount APS-C mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. It is the first in this format, ending all doubt about Nikon’s seriousness about this segment. K Madhavan Pillai put it to the test.

- K Madhavan Pillai

Things have begun to get interesting. On a personal level, I am an advocate of the handling finesse, durability, and functionality of DSLRs over mirrorless systems, even though many are now predicting the doom of DSLRs. The distinct DSLR-type styling, familiar grip, and menu systems of the Z series was very welcome to any Nikon user. The Nikon Z50 takes a step away from this. Even though the camera is very much DSLR-styled and Nikon-esque in that regard (especially the grip), the very different mount-to-body ratio makes its presence felt.

Features

The Nikon Z50 sports a 20.9MP DX (APS-C)CMOS sensor that is similar to the one in the D500. It is characterised by fast phase-detection AF system, 5fps continuous shooting speed (11fps with AE/ AF locked), and ability to record video at 4K 30fps without any crop (Full HD at up to 120fps or in slo-mo). The video features, in particular, is a leap ahead for Nikon APS-C sensor cameras (the D500 and D7500 used a heavily-cropped region of the sensor to deliver video), allowing better wide-angle capabilities and improved low light performance. While 20.9MP might seem a little low in terms of resolution (primarily affecting detail), in reality, it hardly makes any difference when compared to the 24MP standard, and yet, this is an advantage if it is able to deliver a better dynamic range and AF performance.