Nikon Z50 II Comparison Review

The Nikon Z50 II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was announced in November 2024 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.7 megapixel.

Is the Nikon Z50 II a good camera? The Z50 II has a Camera Elo of 2795. This rating puts the Z50 II among the top 30 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the Z50 II ranks among the top 10 percent. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 4.5-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

The physical dimensions of the Nikon Z50 II relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All width, height and depth measures are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon Z50 II 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 II	127 mm	97 mm	67 mm	550 g	250	Y	Nov 2024	EUR 999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R8	133 mm	86 mm	70 mm	461 g	220	n	Feb 2023	EUR 1 799	amazon.com
3.		Nikon D5200	129 mm	98 mm	78 mm	555 g	500	n	Nov 2012	EUR 809	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 Z6 III	139 mm	102 mm	74 mm	670 g	380	Y	Jun 2024	EUR 2 999	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z30	128 mm	74 mm	60 mm	405 g	330	Y	Jun 2022	EUR 799	amazon.com
8.		Nikon Z50	127 mm	94 mm	60 mm	450 g	320	Y	Oct 2019	EUR 799	amazon.com
9.		Nikon Zf	144 mm	103 mm	49 mm	710 g	380	Y	Sep 2023	EUR 2 499	amazon.com
10.		Nikon Z fc	135 mm	94 mm	44 mm	445 g	300	n	Jun 2021	EUR 999	amazon.com
11.		Sony ZV-1 II	106 mm	60 mm	47 mm	292 g	290	n	May 2023	EUR 999	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 II was launched in the US market at a price of $909. 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 II price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be associated with larger, more expensive camera bodies and lenses.

The Nikon Z50 II 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 II among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

For most cameras, data on sensor performance has been reported by DXO Mark. 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 table below summarizes the physical sensor characteristics and sensor quality findings and compares them across a set of similar 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 II	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/60p	24.3	14.1	2467	86
2.		Canon R8	Full Frame	24.0	6000	4000	4k/60p	24.5	14.7	3295	93
3.		Nikon D5200	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60i	24.2	13.9	1284	84
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 Z6 III	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	6K/60p	25.4	14.8	3318	97
7.		Nikon Z30	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.3	13.9	2230	86
8.		Nikon Z50	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.1	13.6	1963	84
9.		Nikon Zf	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.4	14.7	3243	96
10.		Nikon Z fc	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.2	13.8	2131	85
11.		Sony ZV-1 II	1-inch	20.0	5472	3648	4K/30p	22.3	12.9	965	67
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The Z50 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the Z50 II can use is 4K/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the Z50 II 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 adjacent tables list some of the other core features of the Nikon Z50 II along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

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 II	2360	n	3.2 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
2.		Canon R8	2360	n	3.0 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/4000s	6.0/s	n	n
3.		Nikon D5200	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/4000s	5.0/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 Z6 III	5760	Y	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
7.		Nikon Z30	none	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
8.		Nikon Z50	2360	n	3.2 / 1040	tilting	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	Y	n
9.		Nikon Zf	3690	n	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
10.		Nikon Z fc	2360	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/4000s	11.0/s	n	n
11.		Sony ZV-1 II	none	n	3.0 / 922	swivel	Y	1/2000s	24.0/s	n	n
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the Nikon Z50 II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One convenient feature of the Z50 II 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 II 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 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Canon R8	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Nikon D5200	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Nikon D5300	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
5.		Nikon D5500	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	Y	-	-
6.		Nikon Z6 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
7.		Nikon Z30	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
8.		Nikon Z50	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
9.		Nikon Zf	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
10.		Nikon Z fc	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony ZV-1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the Z50 II 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.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the Z50 II in practical situations. 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 why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular 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 II	..	..	..	88/100	..	..	Nov 2024	EUR 999	amazon.com
2.		Canon R8	4.5/5	+ +	4.5/5	87/100	4/5	4.5/5	Feb 2023	EUR 1 799	amazon.com
3.		Nikon D5200	4/5	+ +	..	79/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Nov 2012	EUR 809	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 Z6 III	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jun 2024	EUR 2 999	amazon.com
7.		Nikon Z30	4/5	..	4/5	86/100	4.5/5	4/5	Jun 2022	EUR 799	amazon.com
8.		Nikon Z50	5/5	..	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2019	EUR 799	amazon.com
9.		Nikon Zf	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2023	EUR 2 499	amazon.com
10.		Nikon Z fc	4/5	..	4.5/5	86/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2021	EUR 999	amazon.com
11.		Sony ZV-1 II	4.5/5	..	3.5/5	83/100	3.5/5	4.5/5	May 2023	EUR 999	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted 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. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price 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. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check Z50 II price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu 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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