Nikon Z50 II: First Impressions

In the Nikon wildlife photography community, it has become a dead-horse topic of pub discussions whether we’ll ever see a successor to the legendary Nikon D500. Some have succumbed to skepticism and whispered despairingly, “There’ll never be anything like it again.”

But would we recognize a Z-mount successor of the D500 if it appeared? I had a day in the field to see if Nikon’s latest APS-C camera, the Z50 II, could replace the D500. Here are my first impressions.

The D500

Before I dive in, let me say why the D500 was so special. It came from an entire evolutionary branch starting with the D100, which was a more affordable and compact alternative to professional cameras like the Nikon D1. Similarly, Nikon released the D200 and D300 to match the D2x line and D3 respectively. There was a brief hiccup in this process with the D4, with no corresponding D400.

But with the release of the D500 in the same year as the D5, Nikon’s professional APS-C line regained enormous strength. The D500 has a professional build, large battery, great ergonomics, uncompromising autofocus, and exceptional image quality for its APS-C format. Many consider the D500 to be the greatest APS-C DSLR ever made.

Then came the blow. With the advent of Nikon’s new Z-mount, APS-C was relegated to the realm of entry-level. Full-frame cameras became the only choice if one wanted all of Nikon’s advanced features. The APS-C line became limited with a small battery and weak autofocus performance.

But at the end of 2024, Nikon gave us the Nikon Z50 II. Although those expecting a clear successor to the D500 may be a bit disappointed, I will show you that the Z50 II is actually closer to the D500 than a lot of people think.

Z50 II: Design and Handling

Design-wise, the Z50 II is much different than the Z50. The rounded shape of the Z50 has been replaced by a more mature design, similar to the Z6 III. The speaker is now located on the left side of the viewfinder, and the position of the stereo microphones has also shifted slightly. For vloggers, there is a REC lamp at the top of the camera.

The back of the camera has also changed. Now, the rear controls are similar to those of the Z6 III and Z8, and thus more usable. Indeed, the only differences are the positions of the monitor mode button and the photo/video switch and, of course, the absence of the joystick (sub-selector). You can also customize the behavior of individual buttons. For example, you can have three autofocus modes instantly available under three different buttons (in my case, AE-L/AF-L, DISP and Fn1) like I have on my Z9.

Near the shutter button, in place of the former microphone, a picture control button has been added. Essentially, this is similar to the BW switch on the Zf, except that you can choose from a whole range of preset profiles.

The mode dial has also been upgraded. The EFCT (effects) mode is gone, being replaced by a third custom setting (U3). Having three positions for custom settings is something I find much more useful. Only the Nikon Z8, Z9, and D500 have three or four. However, the SCN position for switching scene modes remains.

The rear display has not changed in size (3.2 inches) nor in its resolution (1.04 million dots), although it’s now fully-articulated. Personally, I preferred the previous tilting design for ground- or water-level shooting, because a side-flipping display is hard to see and gets in the way. However, the articulating display will help with vertical shooting angles and vlogging.

Unlike the D500, the Z50 II does not have a joystick. However, like the Zf and Z6 III, you can select a focus point or zone by sliding your finger across the screen, and it works well even with your eye to the viewfinder. As a bonus, you probably won’t have to replace the joystick after five years like I did with my D500.

Overall, I like the ergonomics and design of the Z50 II. It may be small, but it’s a mature camera that any photographer can tailor to their own preferences and needs. However, I would have appreciated backlit and slightly larger buttons (especially the AE-L/AF-L), as well as a different design for the tilting display.

Z50 II: Autofocus in the Field

Of course, I was most curious about the Z50 II’s autofocus performance! So, I eagerly dashed through the gates of the Prague Zoo, ready to subject the autofocus to my usual torturous tests. For most of the day, the sun remained hidden behind a thick blanket of low inversion clouds, leaving little light to work with. So how did the camera handle the difficult mix of animals and low light?

The Z50 II performed surprisingly well, and definitely beyond my expectations. Not even the most bizarre bird could confuse the Z50 II’s algorithms. It locked on to the eyes of herons, ducks, and even a Palm Cockatoo with the confidence of a systematic biologist from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In this regard, this camera is no less capable than my Z9! Even during continuous shooting, the focus point stayed glued to the eye.

The camera even performed admirably with subjects for which its algorithms weren’t explicitly trained: reptiles. It surprised me to the extent that I found myself wondering if my Z9 would have recognized that particular lizard or snake. I’ll have to check next time.

What about birds in flight? Success in capturing birds in flight depends not only on reliable autofocus, but also on the viewfinder. The Z50 II lacks a stacked sensor (no surprise at this price point), so capturing fast wing movements requires using the mechanical shutter.

This results in the viewfinder going dark during continuous shooting, but at least there’s no display lag, a common problem with earlier Z models. The shortest shutter speed of 1/4000s may seem limiting, but this is more of an issue when using fast prime lenses on a sunny day than when photographing birds in flight.

When it comes to shooting action, buffer depth also plays a crucial role. While the original Z50 had a buffer capacity of 35 images, the Z50 II can store up to 200 RAW files. At 11 fps, this is more than enough. I can’t recall a situation where I held the shutter down for more than 18 seconds in real-life scenarios. In addition, the supported SD UHS-II card standard guarantees that the buffer will empty as fast as your stomach during an Amazonian ayahuasca ritual.

Z50 II: Other Usability Remarks

Regarding the viewfinder, I was pleased to see the d12 option, which is familiar from the Nikon Z9. This feature is especially useful for night photography, as it uses red tones to turn down the blinding brightness of the display and viewfinder. This small but welcome addition makes it less likely that you’ll walk nose-first into a tree after checking your camera’s settings in the dark. For long exposures, you’ll also appreciate the ability to set shutter speed up to 900 seconds.

Unfortunately, like its predecessor, the Z50 II doesn’t have in-body image stabilization (IBIS). However, with a stabilized lens like the Nikon 180-600mm, I didn’t miss IBIS too much. At 600mm, with a steady hand, I found 1/60s to be relatively safe. With IBIS, I might have achieved 1/30s, maybe even 1/15s. Fortunately, most Nikon DX lenses and longer full-frame lenses are stabilized.

While I can live without IBIS, there is one thing about the Z50 II that really bothers me—the battery. I understand that the compact design of the Z50 II necessitated a small battery, but I still wish it used the EN-EL15. Its capacity is 45% higher than the EN-EL25a of the Z50 II, and it’s been the standard battery for the majority Nikon DSLRs and full-frame mirrorless cameras since 2010.

Indeed, although I managed over 800 shots per charge with my typical shooting style, just setting up the camera to my liking drained an entire battery. The larger EN-EL15 would make the Z50 II far more practical as a second body to a full-frame camera.

The Z50 II’s image quality is excellent but not revolutionary. The sensor remains the same as the previous generation and is, in fact, shared with the entire current DX (APS-C) Nikon Z lineup. That doesn’t mean the image quality hasn’t improved a little.

Indeed, the Z50 II is the first DX camera to get the powerful EXPEED 7 image processor, which may affect its dynamic range and noise handling somewhat. Although I won’t offer a direct comparison of noise performance with the original Z50 or the D500, a head-to-head comparison may appear in a future article. Nevertheless, the sample images should give you a good idea of what the Z50 II is capable of.

While shooting, I deliberately pushed the ISO higher than usual in the dimly lit zoo enclosures, and to avoid masking the camera’s true performance with advanced software, I’ve left the noise in the photos untouched (except for two images, as noted). In my opinion, even images taken at ISO 20,000 are quite usable.

Conclusion

Many of us still look up to the amazing D500 and expect its successor to make a grand, triumphant entrance. But perhaps it’s worth considering whether that successor is already here, sneaking in without fanfare.

Yes, there are some aspects of the Z50 II that make it less than what we might expect from a D500 successor. Compared to the D500’s rugged magnesium and carbon-reinforced construction, the plastic Z50 II feels delicate. The Z50 II also has a smaller battery, and it doesn’t have some of the advanced features of the flagship full-frame cameras like the Z8 and Z9.

Still, the handling of the Z50 II is not far away from the flagships. The button layout and the near-total freedom of customization mark a massive leap forward. In this respect, the Z50 II not only holds its own against the D500, but even surpasses it in some areas.

But most importantly, the autofocus performance of the Z50 II is so good that I was honestly surprised. The mere fact that I’m comparing a $907 enthusiast camera to the $5,497 professional Z9 means something. No doubt about it, the Z50 II is an appealing second body for any of Nikon’s current full-frame cameras, and for the first time, we have a Nikon APS-C mirrorless camera that can keep up with the D500.