Nikon Z50

In summary

The Z50 is a nice little camera that is fun to use and surprisingly capable. Its control layout will be familiar to photographers who already use Nikon DSLRs.

The Z50 does not have a sensor-shake dust removal and at this there’s a lack of dedicated lenses, however at its price point the Z50 is quite competitive when it comes to features and performance. The twin-lens kit is even better value.

Full review

Announced in October 2019, Nikon’s 20.9-megapixel Z50 is the company’s first APS-C mirrorless camera. Interestingly, like Sony, Nikon has opted to use the same lens mount for both its cropped-sensor and ‘full-frame’ Z-mount cameras, which gives both companies an advantage over Canon, which uses different mounts. The part-metal, part-polycarbonate body of the new camera resembles a downscaled Z6/Z7. It’s also noticeably smaller and lighter – and slightly less weatherproof.

Angled front view of the Nikon Z 50 with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens. (Source: Nikon.)

To date, the only two dedicated lenses available are the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR. Many re-sellers are offering the Z50 as the twin lens kit shown below and both were provided for this review and are reviewed separately. Both include VR stabilisation, making up for the lack of in-built-image-stabilisation (IBIS) in the camera body.

Angled front view of the Nikon Z 50 twin-lens kit with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lenses. (Source: Nikon.)

The only other Z-mount DX lens on the latest Nikon Z mount lens roadmap (shown below) is an 18-140mm DX ‘travel zoom’ but no further details have been provided regarding its specs or availability. No prime lenses have been listed and there’s no wide angle zoom.

Owners of other DX Nikkor lenses can use them on the Z50 body with the Nikon FTZ lens mount adapter. But it will add 135 grams to the overall weight and about 80 mm to the length of the lens, which partly negates the advantages of the smaller, lighter camera body.

The Z50 camera shown with the DX Nikkor 10-20mm VR zoom lens and FTZ lens mount adapter. (Source: Nikon.)

Who’s it For?
Nikon appears to be targeting this camera at smartphone upgraders and ‘vloggers’ (for whom it even offers a vloggers kit) but the Z50 has plenty to recommend it to other photographers, including enthusiasts, thanks to a comprehensive suite of controls. The scaled-down body and lower price of the Z50 will be attractive to users of Nikon’s D7500 and D500 cameras who want a more compact, lighter camera without sacrificing shooting capabilities or imaging performance. It will also be a better choice for those who enjoy shooting video.

If Nikon can fill out the range of Z-mount DX lenses fairly quickly, the Z50 would be a good choice for anyone looking to get into the interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) market, particularly those who want a thoroughly modern camera system with minimal compromises and an affordable price tag. Without a decent range of lenses – including some fast, high-quality primes and enthusiast/pro level zooms – this camera will lack the ability to compete with cropped-sensor cameras from other manufacturers (especially Sony).

Although the Z50 is a nice little camera, Nikon’s designers have had to implement a number of compromises to keep its size, weight and price down amd make it competitive. This, included replacing the full internal metal chassis in the Z6 and Z7 bodies with a frame that uses magnesium-alloy for most of the front and top panels but only part of the sides and base, which has resulted in reduced weatherproofing.

Some of the nicer features of the ‘full frame’ cameras have also been either reduced or lost. For example, the in-body sensor-shift stabilisation (IBIS) has been dispensed with in favour of the Dual Detect Optical VR system, which was introduced in the Coolpix P900 back in 2015.

Using algorithms optimised to specific lenses, it takes data from the two angular velocity sensors in the lens and determines how much compensation is needed to offset the camera’s shake. The resulting information is passed back to the pair of voice coil motors that move selected lens elements to compensate for the detected motion.

Without sensor-shift stabilisation, the Z50 also lacks any physical form of dust reduction. Instead, users must rely upon recording a reference frame with the Image Dust Off reference function in the setup menu. The bundled Capture NX-D software can be used to delete the dust patches in subsequent shots, provided they remain in the same position.

The joystick control featured on the Z6 and Z7 rear panels is missing from the Z50. Instead, you have to use the arrow pad to shift the AF point/area and press the OK button to centre it.  This can be difficult to do that while looking through the viewfinder. Other physical changes include the removal of the AF mode/selection button; you have to assign this function to one of the front Function (Fn) buttons. Also missing is GPS support.

Build and Ergonomics
Compared with the Z6 and Z7, the Z50 is remarkably small, as can be seen from the table below that compares key features of the Z50 and Z6. (The Z6 and Z7 have the same sized bodies.) It also shows shared – and diverging – features.

	Z50	Z6
Body dimensions	126.5 x  93.5 x 60 mm	134 x 100.5 x 67.5 mm
Body weight	395 grams	675 grams
Sensor size	23.5 x 15.7 mm	35.9 x 23.9 mm
Effective resolution	20.9  megapixels	24.5 megapixels
Dust removal	Image Dust-Off menu item only	Sensor-shift + Image Dust-Off
Card slots	1x SD (UHS-I compatible)	1x XQD
Stabilisation	Lens-based only + Optical VR	IBIS 5-axis, 5 stops
Viewfinder	0.39-inch OLED EVF with 2,360,000 dots, 100% FOV coverage, 1.02x magnification, 19.5mm eyepoint, -3 to +3 dpt adjustment	0.5-inch OLED EVF with 3,690,000 dots, 100% FOV coverage, 0.8x magnification, 21 mm eyepoint,  -4 to +2  dpt adjustment
Monitor	Tilting 3.2-inch TFT touch-screen with1,040,000 dots	Tilting 3.2-inch TFT touch-screen with 2,100,000 dots
Status LCD	No	Yes
Raw format options	12 or 14 bit lossless compressed	12 or 14 bit lossless compressed, compressed or uncompressed
TIFF support	No	Yes
AF points	209	273
Shutter speeds	30-1/4000 second	30-1/8000 second
Max. frame rate	11 fps	12 fps. (14-bit NEF/RAW: 9 fps)
Buffer capacity	71 Large/Fine JPEG or 35 RAW	44 Large/Fine JPEG or 43 RAW
4K Video (PAL format)	3840 x 2160p at 25p
Video profiles	Flat Picture Control only	10-bit 4:2:2 N-Log
Native ISO range	ISO 100-51200	ISO 64-25600
ISO expansion	to ISO 204800	ISO 32, ISO 102400
Battery/capacity	EN-EL25 / 320 shots/charge	EN-EL15b / 330 shots/charge
Charger included	MH-32	MH-25a
Weather sealing	Partial	Extensive
Interface connections	Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Micro-B, Micro HDMI (type D), 3.5 mm stereo mini jack (microphone)	USB Type C, HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm mini jacks for microphone and headphones, accessory terminal for MC-DC2 and other optional accessories
Average street price (body only)	AU$1550	AU$2800

The smaller body has necessitated a few design changes with respect to the placement of key controls. Nonetheless, the Z50 boasts a large and comfortable grip and most buttons are where you’d expect to find them. The front panel is almost identical to the Z6 but adds an embedded self-time/AF-assist LED between the grip and the lens mount.

Front view of the Z50 with no lens fitted. (Source: Nikon.)

On the top panel, the mode dial has been shifted to the right of the EVF housing, where it replaces the Z6’s LCD data panel. The mode dial has also been adapted to better suit the everyday photographer, with the replacement of one of the three User memories by a SCN (scene presets) mode. An EFCT (Effects) mode has also been added.

The top panel of the Z50 with no lens fitted. (Source: Nikon.)

The stills/movie lever switch has also been relocated from the top of the rear panel to beneath the mode dial on the top panel, freeing up rear panel space. Shifting it to the movie setting will reset the camera to a 16:9 aspect ratio for stills shooting as well. Otherwise, the layout is unchanged.

The rear panel of the Z50 with the monitor flat on the camera back. (Source: Nikon.)

The rear panel controls have also been simplified, enabling most controls to be reached by the fingers of the user’s right hand. More touch controls have been implemented to make up for the removal of the Z6/Z7 joystick which means the zoom in, zoom out and DISP buttons are now integrated into the right hand side of the monitor panel. (If you find that inconvenient, you can program one of the configurable buttons to take over one of these functions.)

To the right of the monitor you’ll find the regular arrow pad with four buttons below it. The top pair operate the Info and Menu functions, while below them are the Play and Delete buttons.

Pressing the Info button opens a 12-item ‘quick’ menu which, by default, accessed the following settings: Picture Control, white balance, image quality, image size, flash mode, metering, Wi-Fi connection, Active D-Lighting, release mode, Optical VR, AF-area mode and focus mode. Individual items can be replaced with other options via Custom Setting f1 in the main menu.

The AF/AE lock button is in the usual place at the top right corner of the monitor screen, while the EVF/LCD switch lies to the left of the EVF housing. This button can be used to protect an image while it is being displayed in playback mode.

This illustration shows the approximate tilt range of the D50’s monitor screen. (Source: Nikon.)

The monitor remains hinged, as it is on the Z6/Z7 bodies. But it extends a little further, as shown above, tilting up by a little over 90 degrees for waist-level shooting and, even though it’s supposed to tilt down by 180 degrees and point forward, on the review camera the best we could manage was about 170 degrees. Either way, you can’t tilt the screen down when the camera is on a tripod, monopod or gimbal.

Tilting the lens down automatically sets the camera up for self-portrait shooting. In this mode, users can adjust the exposure compensation and self-timer settings via the touch-screen buttons and also focus and trigger the shutter using touch controls. Tilting the screen up disengages self-portrait mode.

As usual in an entry-level camera, the battery and memory card share a compartment in the base of the grip moulding. We found it a pretty tight fit. Unlike the Z6/Z7, the Z50 relies upon SD cards and is only compatible with UHS-I media. The battery is charged via a supplied MH-32 travel charger and USB 2.0 cable (which can also be used to charge the battery while it’s in the camera via a USB power source).

Sensor and Image Processing
The 23.5 x 15.7 mm, 20.9-megapixel sensor is essentially the same chip as Nikon has used in the D500 and D7500, although some minor tweaks have been required to adapt it for the mirrorless body. Phase-detection pixels have been integrated into every 12^th row in a similar way to what Nikon has done in the Z6 and Z7 to augment the contrast-based AF system.

The sensor is paired with the latest EXPEED 6 processor, which also appears in the Z6, Z7, D780 and up-coming D6 camera. It largely accounts for the wide ISO range (natively ISO 100-51200), fast (up to 11 fps) burst speeds and relatively high buffer capacity in the new camera.

Like most of Nikon’s basic ILC cameras, the Z50 supports two recording formats for stills: JPEG and NEF.RAW, although with only 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 aspect ratios selectable, achieved through cropping the native 3:2 aspect ratio frame. Three JPEG image sizes (large, medium and small) are available plus 12- or 14-bit lossless compression for raw files. Typical image sizes for the three aspect ratios are shown in the table below.

Aspect ratio	Image size
	Large	Medium	Small
3:2	5568 x 3712	4176 x 2784	2784 x 1856
16:9	5568 x 3128	4176 x 2344	2784 x 1560
1:1	3712 x 3712	2784 x 2784	1856 x 1856

Unlike the Z6 and Z7, the Z50 doesn’t offer a choice between Optimal Quality and Fixed Size for JPEGs and there’s no option to record uncompressed NEF.RAW files, only the choice of bit depths (with the assumption of lossless compression). The table below shows approximate file sizes and buffer capacities for images recorded with the 3:2 aspect ratio.

File format	Image quality	Image size	File size	Buffer capacity
NEF.RAW	12-bit		19.9MB	35
	14-bit		24.7MB	30
JPEG	Fine	Large	9.2MB	71
		Medium	6.3MB	100
		Small	3.5MB	100
	Normal	Large	5.5MB	100
		Medium	3.3MB	100
		Small	1.8MB	100
	Basic	Large	2.3MB	100
		Medium	1.6MB	100
		Small	1.0MB	100

Sensitivity options are also restricted, with a native range of ISO 100-51200 but no downward extension, although upward extension extends a stop further than for the Z6 to a maximum of ISO 204800. As expected for an entry-level camera, the Z50 provides a wide range of both Scene and Effects modes, although serious enthusiasts will likely avoid them.

Picture Controls are a different matter and the standard Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape settings are provided, along with a Flat control, which reduces contrast to record a wider dynamic range and is useful for recording video that will be post-processed. The additional Creative Picture Controls are probably best avoided by serious photographers.

Video
A lever beneath the mode dial switches between stills and movie modes, engaging Live View when the movie mode is selected. Movie recording is triggered by pressing the little red button just behind the shutter button. A second press ends the recording.

Like other current Nikon cameras, the Z50 provides a choice between MOV and MP4 recording formats with two quality settings: high and normal. Users can choose from the recording options shown in the table below:

Frame size	Frame rate	Max bit rate		Max. Recording time
		High quality	Normal quality
3840 x 2160	30p	144Mbps	Not applicable (fixed at High quality)	29 minutes 59 seconds
	25p
	24p
1920 x 1080	120p
	100p
	60p	56Mbps	28Mbps
	50p
	30p	28Mbps	14Mbps
	25p
	24p
Slow motion	30p x 4	36Mbps	Not applicable (fixed at High quality)	3 minutes
	25 x 4
	24 x 5	29Mbps

Interestingly, all video recordings are made by downsampling pixels from the full width of the sensor; not by cropping the frame, so the same focal length settings are retained for stills and movies. Peaking and zebra displays are available for monitoring focus and exposure levels, while both optical VR and electronic VR can be enabled to ensure minimal shake during recording.

A 3.5 mm stereo microphone jack is provided for accessory mics, which can be fitted to the hotshoe atop the EVF housing. But there’s no headphone jack for monitoring audio recordings while shooting. The HDMI port supports uncompressed video out and the Atomos Ninja V automatically recognises the Z50 when it’s connected.

Still frames can be recorded when the camera is in movie mode by simply pressing the shutter button when the default Release mode (save frame) is selected in the movie shooting menu. Up to 40 fine-quality JPEG stills can be recorded with a clip. The frame size and resolution are the same as selected for the current movie setting, although we found the resulting JPEGs were recorded at 300 ppi, which is better than the usual default 72 ppi JPEG setting.

Playback and Software
The Z50 offers the same basic playback settings as other Nikon cameras with similar touchscreen capabilities and in-camera retouching options to the D850. The review camera was supplied without a printed user’s manual and, as usual, the software must be downloaded from Nikon’s download centre, where you can also download a PDF version of the user’s manual.

The standard Nikon software is the ViewNX-i browser/basic editor and Capture NX-D, the recommended raw file processor. Also available are Nikon’s Camera Control Pro 2 and Picture Control Utility 2 programs. NEF.RAW files from the Z50 are supported by the latest versions of Adobe Camera Raw (v12.1 on), our preferred raw file converter.

A Network Guide is also available to help users with the camera’s Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions and provide advice on using the optional WT-7 wireless transmitter. There’s also a downloadable guide to N-Log video recording, even though the camera doesn’t support it.

Performance
Overall, we were impressed by the performance of the Z50 camera and its two kit lenses. JPEGs recorded with both lenses were able to exceed expectations near the centre of the frame and, while JPEGs from the 16-50mm lens came close to expectations towards the edges of the frame, with the 50-250mm they met, and at times exceeded expectations. NEF.RAW frames were converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw (our preferred raw file converter) and, in each case, produced higher resolution.

Resolution for both file types peaked at the ‘native’ ISO 100 setting, after which they declined gradually, as shown in the graph of our Imatest results above. Colour accuracy was generally very good and JPEGs showed restrained saturation.

Long exposures at night contained plenty of detail, with noise only becoming visible at ISO 25600. By ISO 51200, noise was obvious in highlights and shadowed areas had begun to block up. The two highest ISO settings were obviously noise-affected and showed granularity coupled with a reduction in dynamic range and deteriorating colour fidelity. Interestingly, we also found some apparent noise in indoor shots taken under artificial lighting at ISO 3200, which suggests that noise is likely to be more visible in low-contrast situations than when there is a more ‘normal’ contrast range.

Although the output from the built-in GN 7 flash was relatively weak, it managed to deliver well-balanced exposures at a focal length of 50mm between ISO 400 and ISO 51200. Flash exposures at ISO 100 were about 1.5 stops under-exposed, while those taken at the two highest ISO settings showed a strong cyan cast.

Slight softening appeared at ISO 12800 and increased through to ISO 51200, although shots taken at these settings would still be usable. We wouldn’t recommend using flash with the Hi1 and Hi2 settings.

Like its ‘full frame’ siblings, the Z50 has three auto white balance settings. The default A1 setting ‘keeps the overall atmosphere’, while the A0 setting is designed to keep whites by reducing warm colours and the A2 setting keeps ‘warm lighting colours’.

All three settings delivered neutral (or close to neutral) colour rendition under fluorescent lighting and with the camera’s built-in flash. However, the A0 setting failed to remove the warm casts from shots taken under incandescent and warm-toned LED lighting, while the A2 setting appeared to enhance them.

There’s no white balance pre-set for LED lighting and the presets for tungsten and fluorescent lighting tended to over-correct. Like most modern cameras, the Z50 provides plenty of in-camera adjustments for tweaking colours on-the-fly and they are straightforward to use, particularly when accessed through the i button’s quick menu.

Autofocusing was mostly quick and accurate in normal light levels and lighting conditions – including indoors under artificial lighting. As long as an edge could be found to focus upon, it was also quite fast for our night shots, including for the 30-second exposures.

We found little or no change to autofocusing in movie mode. Even though there’s no way to  adjust the AF system to different conditions, we found it able to keep track of subjects as they moved across the frame and reasonably quick to pick up on new subjects as they entered the frame. The only blurring we found was with subjects that were moving faster than the recording’s frame rate.

Our timing tests were carried out with a 32GB SanDisk Extreme SDHC U3 memory card, which was supplied with the review camera and claims a data transmission speed of 90 MB/second. Once the lens was unlocked and in a shooting position, it took roughly 1.5 seconds for the camera to power-up ready for shooting.

Capture lag averaged 0.35 seconds but was reduced to an average of 0.15 seconds when shots were pre-focused as well as in manual focus mode. On average it took 0.45 seconds to process each JPEG and a fraction more for a 14-bit NEF.RAW file.

Shot-to-shot times in the single-shot mode averaged 0.5 seconds. We found no instances of the camera pausing while shots were processed.

The Z50 provides two high speed continuous shooting settings. The regular setting can record at five frames/second with autofocusing supported but exposure locked on the first frame. We recorded 21 frames in 4.2 seconds, which is close to specifications. Processing was completed within 13.6 seconds of the last frame recorded.

In the Continuous High (Extended) mode the frame rate increases to 11 fps and focus and exposure are locked on the first frame. Flash and flicker reduction aren’t available.

In our tests, we recorded 65 Large/Fine JPEG frames in 8.6 seconds with no signs of hesitation.  This equates to approximately eight frames/second, which is well below specification for this mode. It took almost one minute to complete the processing of this burst.

There was no significant change to the frame rate when we swapped to 14-bit raw file capture and the buffer capacity was reduced to 33 frames, which were recorded in 4.7 seconds. Once again, processing took just under one minute.
With 12-bit RAW+Large/Normal JPEG capture, the same frame rate was maintained but the buffer capacity increased to 36 frames, which were recorded in 4.9 seconds.  Once again, processing took just under one minute.

The continuous low speed mode allows users to select frame rates between one and four frames/second with focus and exposure adjustments between frames and flash and flicker-reduction available. Buffer depths extend to the limit of card capacity.

Conclusion

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SPECS

Image sensor: 23.5 x 15.7 mm CMOS sensor with 21.25 million photosites (20.9  megapixels effective)
Image processor:  EXPEED 6
A/D processing: 12- or 14-bit
Lens mount: Nikon Z mount
Focal length crop factor: 1.5x
Image formats: Stills: JPEG (1:4, 1:8 and 1:16 compression ratios), NEF.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies: MOV/MP4 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC), Linear PCM, AAC (Stereo)  audio
Image Sizes: Stills – 3:2 aspect: 5568 x 3712, 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856; 16:9 aspect:  5568 x 3128, 4176 x 2344, 2784 x 1560; 1:1 aspect: 3712 x 3712, 2784 x 2784, 1856 x 1856; Movies: 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) @ 30/25/24p, 1920 x 1080 (FHD) @ 120/100/60/50/30/25/24p; Slow-motion FHD @  30p x4, 25p x4, 24p x5
Aspect ratios: 3:2, 16:9, 1:1
Image Stabilisation: No
Dust removal: Image Dust Off reference data (requires Capture NX-D)
Shutter (speed range):  Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter; electronic shutter; 30-1/4000 second plus Bulb and Time; X-sync at 1/200 second
Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV and ½ EV steps (+/-3EV for movies)
Exposure bracketing: Max. 9 frames across -1.3 to +1.3EV range in 0.3EV steps
Other bracketing options: White balance, ADL
Self-timer: 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds delay;  1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 seconds
Time-lapse movies: Yes; interval timer shooting also available
Focus system: Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF with AF assist; detection range -4 to +19 EV
AF points & selection: 209 points; Pinpoint, single-point, and dynamic-area AF (pinpoint and dynamic-area AF available in photo mode only); wide-area AF (S); wide-area AF (L); auto-area AF
Focus modes: Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), AF mode auto-switch (AF-A; available only in photo mode), full-time AF (AF-F; available only in movie mode) ; predictive focus tracking; Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used
Exposure metering:  TTL metering across -4 to +17EV range using camera image sensor; Matrix, Centre-weighted average and spot metering patterns; highlight-weighted metering available
Shooting modes: Auto, P, S, A, M, Scene modes, Special effect modes, U1 and U2: user settings
Scene presets: Portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colours; food
Picture Control modes: Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat plus Creative Picture Controls (Dream, Morning, Pop, Sunday, Sombre, Dramatic, Silence, Bleached, Melancholic, Pure, Denim, Toy, Sepia, Blue, Red, Pink, Charcoal, Graphite, Binary, Carbon); selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls
Other shooting modes: Multiple exposure (add, average, lighten, darken); HDR (high dynamic range), photo mode flicker reduction
Special effects: Night vision; super vivid; pop; photo illustration; toy camera effect; miniature effect; selective colour; silhouette; high key; low key
Dynamic Range functions: Active D-Lighting; can be selected from Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off
Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB
ISO range: Auto (ISO ) with extension to ISO  and ISO  available; adjustable in 1/3 or 1 EV steps
White balance: Auto (3 types), natural light auto, direct sunlight, cloudy, shade, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), flash, choose colour temperature (2500 K to 10,000 K), preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored), all except choose colour temperature with fine-tuning
Flash: Manual pop-up flash, GN approx. 7 (m/ISO100), i-TTL flash control with Nikon Creative Lighting System
Flash modes: Fill flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, rear-curtain sync, auto, auto + red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync + red-eye, flash off
Flash exposure adjustment: -3 to +1 EV in 1/3, ½ EV steps
Sequence shooting: Max. 11 frames/sec. with locked AF
Buffer capacity: Max. 71 Large/Fine JPEGs, 30 14-bit RAW files. 35 12-bit RAW files
Storage Media: SD, SDHC, SDXC cards (UHS-I compliant)
Viewfinder: 0.39-inch, 2,360,000-dot OLED EVF with 100% frame coverage, 19.5mm eyepoint, 1.02x magnification, -3 to +3 dpt adjustment, eye sensor
LCD monitor: 3.2-inch tilting TFT LCD touch-screen 170-degree viewing angle, 1,040,000 dots, 100% frame coverage, and 11-level manual brightness controls
Playback functions: Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback with focus point/exposure info, movie playback, retouch (incl. crop and resize, D-Lighting adjustments, red-eye correction, straighten, distortion and perspective control), NEF(RAW) conversion to JPEG, photo and/or movie slide shows, brightness/RGB histogram display, highlights, photo information, picture rating, image rotation and image overlay of 2 NEF.RAW images
Interface terminals: Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Micro-B, Micro HDMI (type D), 3.5 mm stereo mini jack (microphone)
Wi-Fi function: Built-in (IEEE 802.11b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2
Power supply: EN-EL25 rechargeable Li-ion battery; CIPA rated for approx. 280 shots/charge with EVF or 320 shots/charge with LCD monitor
Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 126.5 x  93.5 x 60 mm (excluding protrusions)
Weight: Approx. 395 grams (body only); 450 grams with battery and card

Distributor: Nikon Australia, 1300 366 499.

 

TESTS

Based upon JPEG files recorded with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens.

 

Based upon 14-bit NEF.RAW files recorded simultaneously and converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.

 

SAMPLES

Auto white balance A1 setting (keep overall atmosphere) with incandescent lighting.

Auto white balance A0 setting (keep white) with incandescent lighting.

Auto white balance A2 setting (keep warm colour) with incandescent lighting.

Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

Auto white balance A0 setting (keep white) with warm-toned LED lighting.

Auto white balance with flash.

30 second exposure at ISO 100, 37mm focal length, f/5.3. 

10 second exposure at ISO 800, 37mm focal length, f/6.3. 

2.5 second exposure at ISO 6400; 37mm focal length, f/9. 

1.6 second exposure at ISO 12800; 37mm focal length, f/10. 

1 second exposure at ISO 25600; 37mm focal length, f/11. 

0.6 second exposure at ISO 51200; 37mm focal length, f/13. 

0.5 second exposure at ISO Hi 1 (ISO102400); 37mm focal length, f/14. 

1/4 second exposure at ISO Hi 2 (ISO 204800); 37mm focal length, f/16.

Flash exposure at ISO 100, 50mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/6.3. 

Flash exposure at ISO 800, 50mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/6.3.

Flash exposure at ISO 6400; 50mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/8. 

Flash exposure at ISO 12800; 50mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/10. 

Flash exposure at ISO 25600; 50mm focal length, 1/60 second at f/11. 

Flash exposure at ISO 51200; 50mm focal length, 1/80 second at  f/14. 

Flash exposure at ISO Hi 1 (ISO102400); 50mm focal length, 1/125 second at f/16. 

Flash exposure at ISO Hi 2 (ISO 204800); 50mm focal length, 1/160 second at f/20.

50mm focal length; ISO 800, 1/800 second at f/14.

Crop from the centre of the above image at 100% magnification. 

16mm focal length; ISO 800, 1/125 second at f/5.6. 

Indoor close-up; 50mm focal length, ISO 4000, 1/30 second at f/6.3. 

45mm focal length, ISO 6400, 1/60 second at f/8. 

28mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/3200 second at f/4.5. 

Crop from the above image at 100% magnification. 

30mm focal length, ISO 110, 1/250 second at f/5.6. 

46mm focal length, ISO 2800, 1/25 second at f/8. 

16mm focal length, ISO 3600, 1/30 second at f/6.3.

Wide brightness range subject shot with Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens; 50mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.

Still frame recorded in movie mode with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 V lens; 16mm focal length, ISO 220, 1/100 second at f/8. 

The following video clips were all shot from the same position with the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 V lens. 

Still frame from 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) video clip recorded at 25p. 

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded at 100p. 

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded at 50p. 

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded at 25p. 

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded in slow-motion mode at 25p x4.

Additional image samples can be found with our reviews of the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lenses.

 

Rating

RRP: AU$1999; US$1349.95 (for the twin-lens kit, as reviewed)

• Build: 8.9
• Ease of use: 9.0
• Autofocusing: 8.8
• Still image quality JPEG: 9.0
• Still image quality RAW: 9.0
• Video quality: 8.7

 

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