Nikon has announced a new version of its entry-level Z50 mirrorless camera. He Z50II offers improved shooting capabilities thanks to a new image processing engine and a selection of 31 “movie-inspired looks” that can be quickly accessed via a dedicated button. It will be available starting in late November for $909.95 for the camera body only, but can also be bundled with lenses. Adding a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens will increase the price to $1,049.95, while a bundle with a 16-50mm and 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens will cost $1,299.95.
That dedicated image control button, a first on any Nikon camera, is the Z50II's most interesting update. Pressing it gives you a real-time preview of “up to 31 built-in color presets” so you can see how each style affects the “color, tone, and feel of the scene” before you press the shutter. The button is similar to the film simulation dial on the top of the Fujifilm have been developed by “notable creators,” says the company.
The Nikon Z50II features the same 20.9-megapixel CMOS crop sensor as the original Z50, but with improved shooting capabilities, as it is the company's first APS-C camera to use the Expeed 7 image processor that is found in the $4,000 Nikon Z8 and the $5,500 Nikon Z8. Z9. That allows the Z50II to shoot up to 30 fps with its electronic shutter, or up to 11 fps with the mechanical one.
The upgraded processor also improves the Z50II's autofocus capabilities with the ability to detect and track nine different subjects, including people, animals such as dogs and cats, cars, trains, and even airplanes.
Enhanced video capabilities increase 4K 60fps video capture, compared to 4K 30fps with the original Z50, and add the ability to record in 10-bit N-Log format, offering more flexibility when editing video. color of the footage in post-production. The Z50II also adds a waveform monitor, a “Product Review Mode” that will prioritize focusing on foreground subjects, and a continuous recording time of 125 minutes.
Other upgrades include an electronic viewfinder that's almost twice as bright as the Z50's, pre-release capture that can record up to 30 JPEG images before you fully press the camera's shutter button, an indicator light that indicates when you're capturing video and the addition of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The camera still relies on digital stabilization rather than internal stabilization, but that has helped keep its starting price below $1,000.
