Z50, the most important Nikon?

[Thorkil]

I certainly would not mind having a Z50 with the compact 16-50 as a even more compact walk-about-camera...if money wasn't an issue.. I would most likely certainly do, while the function, form and output from the Z's are so satiesfying, likeable and tempting..
but for now I will have to save my ressources for the 20/1.8S..etc..

 

[pegelli]

except maybe IBIS, but the competitors don't offer that either, except for MFT.

Another mistake in your logic Jorgen! Sony A6500 and A6600 are both APS-C and both have IBIS :lecture:

 

[rayyan]

+1

Just look at the Z mount and then putting a cropped sensor with it!
And as mentioned in another forum, don’t video bloggers use tripods!
Whoever thought of that downward flippping screen must have been on high octane saki.

Maybe (or for sure) it will appeal to the die hard Nikon fans, but looking at it a bit different I think it's too big, too late and too much copy cat of similar cameras with a much longer track record. Very little innovation (just like the Z6/7) I see in there, only following the other mirrorless brands with something similar.
I like the fact there is one more choice for consumers to choose from, but other than the Nikon logo and the body shape it's really not a new choice.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Another mistake in your logic Jorgen! Sony A6500 and A6600 are both APS-C and both have IBIS :lecture:

Z50: $860
A6500: $1,200 (39% more expensive)
A6600: $1,400 (63% more expensive)

And this is in spite of the fact that the Z50 was launched yesterday and will probably fall somewhat in price after a few months, while the A6500 was launched 3 years ago.

For those who need to count their pennies, it's about the Z50, A6400 or X-T30.

 

[iiiNelson]

Another mistake in your logic Jorgen! Sony A6500 and A6600 are both APS-C and both have IBIS :lecture:

That or one could pick up a new XH1 for ~$1k give or take. You can probably add the excellent 18-55/2.8-4 for another few hundred... or go with the XT30 if IBIS isn’t important... or the XT3... etc.

If I were to go to an APS-C System then Fuji is clearly at the top of my list. If I want a “one mount solution” then Sony and L-Mount would be my top choices. For the person that wants to stay with Nikon ecosystem then this camera makes a lot of sense. Outside of that I agree there’s not much to entice people starting off fresh.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

You're exactly proving my point Jorgen, nice camera but nothing new under the sun except the body shape. Some will like that, some won't.

Btw, where did you read about the weather sealing? The only thing I find on the spec-sheet is this:

I don't really care if there's a lot of new stuff under the sun, as long as ergonomics and image quality are first rate. The only things I'm going to use it for is shooting stills and video. It's the way it does it that makes it a go or no-go for me.

Weather sealing has been mentioned at several sites, dpr among them. Must have been talked about during the press conference. Nikon is conervative when it comes to promisses about that, so when it's mentioned, it's probably good.

 

[pegelli]

Z50: $860
A6500: $1,200 (39% more expensive)
A6600: $1,400 (63% more expensive)

I don't know where you get your data from (maybe also where you got that the Z50 is weathersealed ) but over here (CamraNu in Urk, Netherlands) the A6500 is 999 € and the Z50 949 € (both body only)

And for those 50 euros you get IBIS, double the AF points and a 3.3 MP more sensor

Also I prefer a rangefinder style body but that's just a personal preference and carries no real weight in the comparison like price and specs.
Every time someone on a forum mentions "good ergonomics" I just chuckle, I find that good or bad ergonomics is either marketing speak or a personal opinion and also carries no real weight in an objective comparison.

And I can get a new A6400 with lens for 989 € there

Bottom line, for me all these cameras are in the same price range and spec differnces are almost insignificant. Choose what you like but this new Nikon for me feels like a Sony or Fuji clone in Nikon cloak. Nothing wrong with that but to try and call it anything more is an overstatement in my mind.

 

[Godfrey]

I'm many far lands away from when Nikon was the center of my photo equipment kit so the Z50 has little relevance to me now. But it looks like a good piece to me, hopefully it will prove to perform well too.

I'll continue to cruise on my current boat regardless...

G

 

[Thorkil]

From
https://www.cameralabs.com/nikon-z50-review/
"The body looks like a smaller, simpler version of the Z6 and Z7, but Nikon’s not compromised on handling or build quality: the Z50 has a magnesium alloy shell and is weather-sealed to the same extent as the D7500 and mirrorless full-framers, while the grip and controls feel comfortable in your hands."
from
https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/nikon-z50/nikon-z50A.HTM
"Although the Z50 is not weather-sealed to the same degree as its full-frame brethren, it's still sufficiently weather-sealed to handle some rain."
and a small rehearsal from the Z7:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2018/10/teardown-of-the-nikon-z7-mirrorless-camera/
Roger Cicala: “The best built mirrorless full-frame camera we’ve taken apart” and for weathersealing: "I’m impressed, and I will say for future cut-and-paste blurbs: this is as robustly weather sealed a camera as we’ve ever disassembled"
So while the Z 50 might not be as well sealed as the super-constructed Z7, it might be better than most mirrorless, I would guess.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

I don't know where you get your data from (maybe also where you got that the Z50 is weathersealed ) but over here (CamraNu in Urk, Netherlands) the A6500 is 999 € and the Z50 949 € (both body only)

And for those 50 euros you get IBIS, double the AF points and a 3.3 MP more sensor

Also I prefer a rangefinder style body but that's just a personal preference and carries no real weight in the comparison like price and specs.
Every time someone on a forum mentions "good ergonomics" I just chuckle, I find that good or bad ergonomics is either marketing speak or a personal opinion and also carries no real weight in an objective comparison.

And I can get a new A6400 with lens for 989 € there

Bottom line, for me all these cameras are in the same price range and spec differnces are almost insignificant. Choose what you like but this new Nikon for me feels like a Sony or Fuji clone in Nikon cloak. Nothing wrong with that but to try and call it anything more is an overstatement in my mind.

The prices came from B&H.

 

[Photon42]

Good to see the pace, Nikon is coming out with new products. White the Z50 isn't for me, I can see lots of uses. Nikon APS-C owners of older and simpler cameras now have an upgrade path. If the Bluetooth implementation works as with the Z7, you can have this thing streaming photos to your phone at 2MB / each, with little additional power consumption (THIS would have been the solution for Leica's MD family - swithoffable, of course ). This is wonderful for Generation Instagram.
Size comparisons often forget the lens factor. This kit lens looks interesting from a portability stand point. No IBIS ... not so good but Fuji seems to get away with it and in the end it may not be that important for everybody.
There were lots of Nikon Z lens details in my area recently. I snatched up a new 50 / 1.8 for 300 USD. That lens is m43 comparable Nocticron territory.
I am pretty sure Nikon did their homework regarding market research. It will sell well.

 

[pegelli]

The prices came from B&H.

OK, seems prices and price differenentials are very different between Euope and the US. I checked several other Benelux on-line retailers and get the same results as CameraNu.

 

[iiiNelson]

OK, seems prices and price differenentials are very different between Euope and the US. I checked several other Benelux on-line retailers and get the same results as CameraNu.

True but Sony has lots of sales that brings the prices in line throughout the year with regard to US prices.

 

[biglouis]

I'm a bit confused and disappointed by this product. I've seriously thought about the Z6 for bird photography. Especially with the use of the new 500 pf. Small, light and to some extent powerful. But crop sensor cameras are in some cases a lot more useful, e.g. the D500.

My thought processes are prejudiced by the ridiculously high price for the Fujfilm XF 200/2. For the 5K price tag of that lens I keep looking at the cost of alternatives and in the Nikon, Canon and Sony space that nearly always includes a body and a lens for the same cost (if you are willing to sacrifice the fast aperture which in my experience with modern sensors, you can).

My ideal would be a mirrorless Nikon with the 500 pf and possibly the 300 pf, as a second lens.

The Z50 just falls short on performance compared to my existing X-T3 body.

It is only my opinion and it only related to wildlife but at the price point/feature point for mirrorless in this space the camera to beat is imho the Fuji X-T3.

The X-T3 offers up to 30fps (admittedly at a 1.25 crop) and a more modest and I would say everyday useful 20fps without crop and with electronic front curtain. It can stop-dead motion accurately. It also has some other nice features like twin SD card slots etc etc.

The Z50 does not provide an alternative. I am not a Fuji 'fan-boy' in the APS-C space but at present as I do not want Sony or full frame sensors the X-T3 is the only solution (with apologies to m43rds users), as far as I am concerned.

I really am intrigued about the product marketing philosophy behind the Z50 as an APS-C camera. Given that the D500 and D850 are drop dead fantastic in the wildlife/action space and Sony are already way down the track with FF mirrorless products which encroach on this market you would have thought Nikon would have as a high priority a product which could compete and attract wildlife/action photographers who want mirrorless. I repeat that it seems weird to me that with the PF lenses they have the lens products but they don't have the mirrorless bodies to go with them.

I still live in hope that before I get too far in my dotage Nikon will produce a mirrorless D500. If Fuji can produce as a fast capture, accurate AF mirrorless APS-C body then I'm sure Nikon can outgun them. I just wonder if they have the product management expertise to understand the market.

Just my two cents.

LouisB

PS It is interesting to see that Morten Hilmer produces a lot of fine wildlife photography with the Z6 and Nikkor 500/4 but for me the cost and weight of that solution is too much hence my interest in the 500 pf.

 

[Thorkil]

Louis, it's a long time since I have seen so beautiful birdpictures like these with the Z7 and 500 PF, (and dark background provide the more moody picture, like here)
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1549025/143 (but he's a skilled man)
I'm sure the Z6 could have done it just as well too, but for bird in flight, isn't just the D500 that camera that will be the master, then? (but the IQ from the Z7 and 6 are just so good, I think)
Don't know if the Z50 are able to live up to the IQ of the 6 and 7, but soon we will see, I'm sure..

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

As much as I like the Z50, a mirrorless D500 it is not, and the latter is around twice as expensive. The Fuji X-T3 is also 75% more expensive, so it isn't really a direct competitor.

If I were you, Louis, I would go for the D500 and 500mm PF. When the mirrorless D500 appears, you already have the lens

 

[biglouis]

Louis, it's a long time since I have seen so beautiful birdpictures like these with the Z7 and 500 PF, (and dark background provide the more moody picture, like here)

Those are awesome. I am quite surprised at the quality of the gull in flight with the shell in its beak.

As much as I like the Z50, a mirrorless D500 it is not, and the latter is around twice as expensive. The Fuji X-T3 is also 75% more expensive, so it isn't really a direct competitor.

If I were you, Louis, I would go for the D500 and 500mm PF. When the mirrorless D500 appears, you already have the lens

Jorgen, a good suggestion but I am still inclined to wait until I get the product I want. I am sure Nikon will do it at some point in the next couple of years.

I should make it clear that I am getting excellent results with the X-T3 and 100-400 so I have to be careful that I am propelled by real need and not GAS

LouisB

 

[Thorkil]

If I were you, Louis, I would go for the D500 and 500mm PF. When the mirrorless D500 appears, you already have the lens

Yes :thumbup: (..or just very quiet spoken: take the chance/risk, save up a bit for next spring, and go for the full "arbitrage-equipment", the Z7 + the 500PF for details and cropping-ability :shocked
PS perhaps one should note that the arbitrage-pictures seems to be done laying down (in the mud?) on the belly - but it seems to be rewarding and worthwhile (..?)

 

[faberryman]

I didn't think people were buying entry level ILCs with kit lenses any longer.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Jorgen, a good suggestion but I am still inclined to wait until I get the product I want. I am sure Nikon will do it at some point in the next couple of years.

LouisB

Never be sure about anything Nikon will or will not do in the future. Just look at how long it took them to launch the D500. When it finally arrived, most potential buyers had moved on to other solutions or passed away. It's still a great camera, and I'm sure the "Z500" will be greater still... greater than sliced Tri-X on Leica rye bread.