Nikon Z50 Comparison Review

The Nikon Z50 is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in October 2019 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.7 megapixel.

Is the Nikon Z50 a good camera? The Z50 has a Camera Elo of 2675. This rating puts the Z50 among the top 40 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the Z50 ranks among the top 20 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4-star performance rating.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Nikon Z50 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon Z50 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon Z50	127 mm	94 mm	60 mm	450 g	320	Y	Oct 2019	EUR 799	amazon.com
2.		Canon M50	116 mm	88 mm	59 mm	390 g	235	n	Feb 2018	EUR 779	ebay.com
3.		Nikon 1 V3	111 mm	65 mm	33 mm	381 g	310	n	Mar 2014	EUR 749	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D5300	125 mm	98 mm	76 mm	480 g	600	n	Oct 2013	EUR 749	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D5500	124 mm	97 mm	70 mm	470 g	820	n	Jan 2015	EUR 799	ebay.com
6.		Nikon Z30	128 mm	74 mm	60 mm	405 g	330	Y	Jun 2022	EUR 799	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z fc	135 mm	94 mm	44 mm	445 g	300	n	Jun 2021	EUR 999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic G90	130 mm	94 mm	77 mm	536 g	290	Y	Apr 2019	EUR 999	ebay.com
9.		Sigma fp	113 mm	70 mm	45 mm	422 g	280	Y	Jul 2019	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A6300	120 mm	67 mm	49 mm	404 g	400	Y	Feb 2016	EUR 1 099	ebay.com
11.		Sony A6400	120 mm	67 mm	50 mm	403 g	410	Y	Jan 2019	EUR 1 049	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon Z50 was launched in the US market at a price of $859. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check Z50 price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the imaging sensor is a crucial determinant of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Nikon Z50 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon Z50 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service assesses and scores the color depth ("DXO Portrait"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports") of camera sensors, and also publishes an overall camera score. The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon Z50	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.1	13.6	1963	84
2.		Canon M50	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/24p	23.8	13.3	1684	81
3.		Nikon 1 V3	1-inch	18.2	5232	3488	1080/60p	20.8	10.7	384	52
4.		Nikon D5300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.9	1338	83
5.		Nikon D5500	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.1	14.0	1438	84
6.		Nikon Z30	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.3	13.9	2230	86
7.		Nikon Z fc	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.2	13.8	2131	85
8.		Panasonic G90	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.2	13.0	1273	75
9.		Sigma fp	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	25.2	14.2	2829	94
10.		Sony A6300	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.4	13.7	1437	85
11.		Sony A6400	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	4K/30p	24.0	13.6	1431	83
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The Z50 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the Z50 can use is 4K/30p.

Feature comparison

Beyond body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the Z50 has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 2360k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.68x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Nikon Z50 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon Z50	2360	n	3.2 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon M50	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	10.0/s	Y	n
3.		Nikon 1 V3	optional	n	3.0 / 1037	tilting	Y	1/4000s	60.0/s	Y	n
4.		Nikon D5300	optical	n	3.2 / 1037	swivel	n	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
5.		Nikon D5500	optical	n	3.2 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/4000s	5.0/s	Y	n
6.		Nikon Z30	none	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
7.		Nikon Z fc	2360	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	n
8.		Panasonic G90	2360	n	3.0 / 1240	swivel	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Sigma fp	optional	n	3.2 / 2100	fixed	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	n
10.		Sony A6300	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	n	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
11.		Sony A6400	2359	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Nikon Z50 is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD can be tilted vertically to facilitate odd-angle shots in landscape orientation. This tilting design is often preferred, for example, by street photographers to a fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment, as it is more unobtrusive during shooting than a screen that flips out to the side.

One convenient feature of the Z50 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon Z50 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon Z50	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon M50	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
3.		Nikon 1 V3	-	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
4.		Nikon D5300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Nikon D5500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Nikon Z30	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Nikon Z fc	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic G90	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
9.		Sigma fp	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.1	-	-	-
10.		Sony A6300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony A6400	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	Y

It is notable that the Z50 has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the Z50 can be found in the free online Nikon Z50 Manual or on the Nikon support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the Z50. At times, user reviews, such as those published at amazon, address these issues in a useful manner, but such feedback is on many occasions incomplete, inconsistent, and unreliable. This is where reviews by experts come in. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Nikon Z50	5/5	..	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2019	EUR 799	amazon.com
2.		Canon M50	..	+	4/5	79/100	..	3.5/5	Feb 2018	EUR 779	ebay.com
3.		Nikon 1 V3	3/5	..	..	76/100	4.5/5	4/5	Mar 2014	EUR 749	ebay.com
4.		Nikon D5300	4/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2013	EUR 749	ebay.com
5.		Nikon D5500	5/5	+	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2015	EUR 799	ebay.com
6.		Nikon Z30	4/5	..	4/5	86/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2022	EUR 799	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z fc	4/5	..	4.5/5	86/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2021	EUR 999	amazon.com
8.		Panasonic G90	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2019	EUR 999	ebay.com
9.		Sigma fp	4/5	..	4/5	..	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2019	EUR 1 999	amazon.com
10.		Sony A6300	4.5/5	+	..	85/100	5/5	5/5	Feb 2016	EUR 1 099	ebay.com
11.		Sony A6400	4/5	+	4/5	85/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jan 2019	EUR 1 049	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings were established in reference to similarly priced cameras that were available in the market at the time of the review. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check Z50 price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you would like to check on the differences and similarities with other camera models, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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