Nikon announced the Z50 II, its second-generation mirrorless APS-C crop-sensor camera that adds a dedicated Picture Control button, the EXPEED 7 processor, and dramatically enhances video capability including 10-bit N-Log capture.
The Z50 II uses the familiar 20.9-megapixel APS-C (which Nikon calls DX) sensor found in the original Z50 but backs it up with the EXPEED 7 image processing engine which promises to dramatically improve its performance — including access to 3D tracking in a more advanced autofocus system. It features an ISO range of 100 to 51,200 and pre-release capture, which records images in a buffer of up to a second before the shutter release button is fully pressed (this supports between 15 and 30 JPEGs and RAW is not supported).
To go along with that pre-release capture feature, the Z50 II can shoot up to 30 frames per second with an electronic shutter or up to 11 frames per second with the mechanical shutter. The Z50 II also has nine subject detection modes: people, birds, dogs, cats, cars, bikes, motorcycles, trains, and airplanes.
The camera features a pop-up flash, mic jack, headphone jack, micro HDMI, and USB-C (for charging and PD). It is also compliant with UVC/UAC for plug-and-play live streaming as a webcam. The 2,360K dot EVF is a bright 1,000 nits (roughly twice as bright as the original Z50) and the rear LCD is a 1.04K dot, 3.2-inch vari-angle, which is significantly more useful than the fold-down design of the Z50. The Z50 II has a single UHS-II memory card slot.
One major focus of this release follows the success of Fujifilm’s film simulations and Panasonic Lumix’s LUTs: a new dedicated Picture Control button allows photographers immediate one-touch access to pre-loaded color presets, Imaging Recipes, and custom Flexible Picture Controls.
“The Z50II is the first Nikon camera to feature a dedicated Picture Control button, opening new possibilities for expressive color, with imaginative film-inspired looks,” Nikon says. “In a single press, the user can see in real-time the effects of up to 31 built-in color presets, which instantly change the color, tone, and feeling of the scene. Using this camera encourages the user to experiment and play with color settings to develop a truly distinct look and feel to images and video, using tones and color to evoke a feeling like never before.”
Imaging Recipes can also be directly downloaded to their camera as Cloud Picture Controls directly through the Nikon Imaging Cloud, which is accessible via a computer’s Internet browser — not an app. These recipes are custom presets with changes to color, brightness, hue, and more, which have been developed by “notable creators.” These are always options, but Nikon says that users are encouraged to make their own Imaging Recipes and Flexible Picture Controls, too. Images can also be sent instantly to a user’s own cloud-based storage using the Nikon Imaging Cloud, or easily share images to a phone with Nikon SnapBridge.
Nikon is clearly marketing the Z50 II toward hybrid creators because much of the improvements can be found on the video front. The camera can shoot 4K footage that’s oversampled from 5.6K and can record in multiple frame rates and resolutions at up to 4K 60p, albeit sometimes with a crop (4K 60p incurs a 1.5x crop). The Z50 II also has a Product Review Mode that focuses on objects in the foreground when they appear in frame what Nikon calls Hi-Res Zoom, which, during video recording, allows users to zoom in on their subject with no loss in image quality regardless of lens. The Z50 II also has a tally lamp.
Perhaps most importantly, the Z50 II can capture N-Log in 10-bit and also features a waveform monitor, which is extremely useful for metering a scene (especially when using log profiles). Videos have a maximum record length of 125 minutes and a new longer-lasting 9.5Wh, 1,250 mAh, 7.6V. EN-EL25a battery supports video capture for about an hour. The previous EN-EL25 battery can still be used, but battery life will be shortened (Nikon did not mention if any features would be inaccessible, so the assumption is no).
The Z50 II does not have active in-body image stabilization. It does feature digital stabilization but this incurs a rather heavy crop.
Below are a few sample photos captured with the Z50 II, provided by Nikon:
The new Nikon Z50 II will be available in late November 2024 for $909.95. It will be available in multiple kit configurations including with the Nikkor Z 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens for $1049.95 or a two-lens kit with the 16-50mm and 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lenses for $1299.95.
Image credits: Apple