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| The Nikon Z50 and the entire DX Z-mount family has aged like a fine Chianti. |
I’ve long been on the hunt for the perfect take-anywhere digital camera, something I can use for a mix of street, live music and casual portrait photography. To match my lifestyle, this camera is ideally lightweight yet tough-built and excels at shooting in all lighting conditions, both in terms of image quality and autofocus. Other nice-to-haves include a touchscreen, a viewfinder and a decent selection of fast, compact primes, assuming it’s an ILC, or a fast built-in prime if it's not.
Over the years, many camera models have come close to fitting the bill, at least, for a little while. My journey started in 2012 with a Sony NEX-6 paired with an optically meh 20mm f/2.8 lens. I soon traded that for a Fujifilm X100T, which was swapped out for a Leica M6 and Rokkor 40mm f/2 combo. This ultimately led to a used Ricoh GR II, then a Fujifilm X100F, followed by an X-E4 and 23mm f/2 pairing.
And now, after eleven years of flipping, flopping and flipping some more, I finally feel satisfied with my digital setup of choice: the Nikon Z50 and a Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens. Though this may seem like an odd choice, given the Z50 is a four-year-old camera and there are plenty of fresh, new mirrorless bodies available, I assure you it's not.
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The Z50 largely delivers in all lighting conditions. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 | ISO 18000 | 1/500 sec | f/1.7 |
Four fast, affordable primes to choose from
When the Z50 first launched in the fall of 2019, a lot of photographers and gear reviewers panned it. Not because the camera was lacking in capability, per se, but because the system was lacking in lenses (and to some extent, in 'wow factor'), aside from pricey full-frame options and slow kit zooms.
But this is, thankfully, no longer the case. Sigma announced in February 2023 at the CP+ show that it would be bringing its highly-acclaimed DC DN series of f/1.4 Contemporary lenses to Z-mount, including a 16mm, 30mm and 56mm option.
At the time, representatives from Sigma also indicated an openmindedness to future Z-mount lens releases, (perhaps even for full-frame models). And given the fact Sigma already makes a 23mm f/1.4 as well as an 18-50mm f/2.8 for several other crop-sensor mirrorless systems, we may well see Z-mount versions of those lenses in the future too.
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| Sigma announced that its well-regarded trio of affordable f/1.4 primes would be coming to Z-mount in February 2023. Three months later, Nikon announced its own budget-friendly 24mm f/1.7 lens. |
Optically, the 16mm, 30mm and 56mm trio are fantastic, with the 56mm being a real DPReview favorite. They're also extremely well built – with metal mounts and weather-sealing – and reasonably compact, though a tad on the heavy side.
With the unveiling of these three additional pieces of glass, I suddenly took an interest in the Nikon Z50. And then, three months later, Nikon sweetened the deal with the launch of its own DX 24mm f/1.7. Lighter, more compact and affordable than the Sigma's, the 24mm is built entirely of plastic, mount included, and less optically pristine. But that's kind of the point. It's not quite a pancake lens but it's also not a whole lot larger than one. It also handles quite well thanks to a sizable focus ring and sturdy construction. And given the price, $275, I'm impressed with its output. But you be the judge.
By the way, none of these lenses cost more than $500, which is notably, about the price of a lightly-used Z50 on the secondhand market.
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The 16mm is the largest of Sigma's f/1.4 primes for Z-mount. Out of camera JPEG. Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN | ISO 100 | 1/2500 sec | f/4 |
A capable APS-C camera at a bargain price
On the subject, I paid $525 for a minty one with fewer than 1800 shutter actuations. Add in another ∼$300 for the 24mm (including tax), along with an extra battery, a fresh SD card and a decent filter, and we’re looking at just under $1000 for a fully equipped, everyday camera. That’s not too shabby.
One thing to note, while I’m specifically honing in on the Z50 for this article, most of these points also stand true for Nikon’s other two current DX Z-mount cameras, the Z30 and Z fc. They all use some variation of the same 20.9MP APS-C CMOS sensor, which, despite being a tad long in the tooth, can still take a pretty picture.
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| Nikon's underappreciated Z fc is a perfectly competent camera, especially now that there are more lenses available for the DX-format sensor. However, you can expect to pay a premium for one compared to the Z50. |
In fact, not everyone wants or needs 26 megapixels of resolution from an APS-C camera, let alone, 33 or 40 – heck, I was perfectly happy with 16. And one advantage the Z50 has over many of its higher-resolution peers is a slightly cleaner noise profile, particularly at very high ISOs. This does come at the expense of some detail capture, but c’est la vie.
Dynamic range is also fantastic, up there with the best APS-C models on the market, including the Sony a6700 and Fujifilm X-T5, and better than the EOS R7. And though I mostly shoot Raw, Nikon’s JPEG output is also quite good.
Excellent build quality & ergonomics
The camera is also remarkably well-built for a beginner-oriented body. Each of my previous companion cameras required varying degrees of ‘babying’ – with the exception of my film Leica – some more than others (I’m looking at you, Ricoh GR II). But that’s not the case anymore; rarely anymore do I awake in a panic and rush over to my gear bag in the morning to ensure my camera survived the prior night’s festivities. Y'all do that too, right?
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The Nikon Z50's 20.9MP Raw files are plenty malleable. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | ISO 100 | 1/4000 sec | f/2.8 |
This means that with the Z50, unlike my Fujifilm X-E4, I don’t worry about dust getting into the EVF, moisture into the cracks, or grime into the nooks and crannies (see also: every X100 I’ve ever owned). I simply blast the camera with the occasional gust of canned air and call it good to go.
I’m also quite fond of the Z50’s ergonomics. Despite its diminutive footprint, the camera sports a comfortable and sizable grip with the majority of controls accessible via your shooting hand. Other cameras at this price may skimp out on dual front and rear control dials and/or customizable buttons, but that’s not the case here. I’ve also got mine set up so that I can quickly jump between my preferred autofocus and metering settings.
Good (enough) AF
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My biggest hesitation in purchasing a Z50 was the prospect of an unreliable autofocus system. That concern proved to be false. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | ISO 100 | 1/2500 sec | f/2.8 |
Having just come off reviewing several major APS-C mirrorless models, I can say without hesitation that Sony does autofocus best, with Canon in second place, and Nikon in a close third – Fujifilm is a distant fourth.
This may not seem like a glowing endorsement of the Z50’s AF capabilities but it is. Sony and Canon have long led the charge, in that order, when it comes to mirrorless camera autofocus reliability. However, Nikon has done a great job playing catch-up in recent years. And those who have had the pleasure of shooting with the flagship Z9, or really any Z-mount camera running the latest firmware, know exactly what I mean.
The Z50 obviously isn’t the Z9 but I’ve found the former more than capable enough at nailing focus when I need it to, including in challenging lighting conditions. I tend to rely on subject-tracking AF to lock the focus before compositing, and the Z50 (running current firmware) rarely lets me down. But this wasn’t always the case. At launch, the Z50’s AF performance was less than spectacular…
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Thanks to continued firmware support from Nikon, the Z50 has come a long way. Processed in Adobe Camera Raw. Nikon Z DX 24mm f/1.7 | ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | f/1.7 |
Continued firmware support
It’s impossible to talk about Nikon’s improved mirrorless autofocus performance without also acknowledging Nikon’s commitment to firmware support. When Z-mount first rolled out, AF performance left a lot to be desired, both in terms of usability and reliability – this goes for the original Z7, Z6 and Z50. And lots of folks made their frustrations known.
Fortunately, Nikon took the feedback seriously, making significant operational and algorithmic changes to address complaints. These software tweaks continue to roll out – the latest Z50 firmware update landed just two months ago – keeping the Z-mount competitive with other mirrorless offerings.
Both from an environmentally-conscious standpoint and a piggy bank-related one, I’m a huge fan of tech brands fixing things with software rather than pushing out new hardware. And all signs point to this approach continuing from major manufacturers, including Nikon.
The wrap & looking forward
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| It's prime time for another look at Nikon crop-sensor Z-mount, baby. |
Ultimately, great cameras – even four-year-old models – require great lenses, and when brands like Nikon and Sigma cooperate, everybody wins.
Prior to 2023, I thought of the Nikon Z50 as nothing more than an entry-level Costco kit camera, stocked between crates of aging Canon Rebels and Sony a6000s. But four fast, affordable primes changed that perception. This suggests that, at least to me, the most exciting hardware developments in 2023 are happening on the lens side rather than the camera side.
Of course, with all this access to great glass, I can't help but contemplate what I might want in my next companion camera. An AF joystick, in-body image stabilization, and better battery life all sound darn nice. But I’m thinking the Z50 may keep me satisfied for at least another couple of years. Besides, I’m looking forward to spending some quality time specifically with the Sigma 56mm.
Do you shoot with a DX Z-mount body, and if so, what are your thoughts? What improvements would you like to see in future DX Z-mount bodies? And what lenses would you like to see developed next? Let us know in the comments below!
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