Nikon Z50 hands-on: A quick look at Nikon's entry-level mirrorless camera

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Note: This article was first published on 1 Nov 2019 and it's republished on 7 Nov 2019 because that's when the Nikon Z50 goes on sale.

Meet Nikon's latest Z-series camera - the Z50. This has Nikon's latest Z-mount, but comes with an 20.8MP APS-C sized sensor instead of the full-frame offerings in the Z7 and Z6. As such, the camera is a lot smaller and lighter too. It measures just  126.5 x 93.5 x 60 mm and weighs just 450g.

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As you can see, it comes with a flip down 3.2-inch, 1,040k-dot TFT LCD screen for selfies. This has a 170o ^viewing angle and allows for touch so you can easily set the focus point or to start capture.

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It has to be noted that the camera only takes one SDXC/SDHC card for storage. It doesn't support the faster UHS-II cards though, so that's one thing you'll definitely lose out on compared to the Z6 or Z7. Still, continuous capture goes up to 11 frames per second; sufficient for most situations.

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On the top the differences become more apparent. Compared to the Z7, the Z50 is much slimmer. However, you lose the top LCD panel in the process. All controls have also been shifted to the right of the camera. 

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The i menu is once again available, and this is fully customisable so you can have your favourite menus at a touch. Worth noting is that the Zoom in, Zoom out and Disp buttons are now capacitive ones on the LCD instead of physical buttons. 

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With the Z50, you can use touch to navigate menus as you would your smartphone. This is works well, and is much appreciated considering how closely packed the physical buttons are. 

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Here's the regular shooting screen in Live View mode. Hit the OK button at any time to activate a tracking point you've placed, and let the system do its work. The face-tracking on the Z50 does really well, holding focus even when you shift the frame.

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Now for some quick sample images. The Z50 seems to do a pretty good job of exposure, with true-to-life colours. As you'll see from the crop that follows, it does well with the text in the foreground but there's a bit more noise than we'd expect at ISO 720. Check the next image for the close-up crop.

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50mm at f/6.3, 1/80s, ISO720. (100% crop) 

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This shot shows off the high ISO capabilities of the camera. Surprisingly, even at ISO 10,000 the capture looks fairly clean, with little signs of colour noise in the picture. 

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16mm at f/8.0, 1/100s, ISO10,000 (100%crop)

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The Nikon Z50 will be available from all authorised retailers from 7th November in two configurations.