After many years with various DSLRs, including the D7200, I decided to make the transition to mirrorless and started researching the market. Since there was no Nikon mirrorless body available at that time, I chose the Fujifilm XT20. In the year that I owned the Fuji, I never felt that it surpassed the Nikon despite the claims of praise from professionals and non-professionals for everything that this company offers. So when I heard about the arrival of Nikon's first affordable mirrorless camera, and considering that there would be the possibility of upgrading to a full-frame Nikon model (if conditions allow), I decided to give up the XT20 and all the lenses I had and return to Nikon, specifically the Z50, along with the two kit lenses.
In general, the camera has a very good build quality. The grip is very comfortable for its size, and the EVF and screen are both quite good. The buttons for options on the body are properly placed and convenient, with extra options on the touch screen, as well as two Fn buttons on the front of the body. What stands out, at least for me, is the absence of a selector on the body for AFS-AFC-MF. Coming from bodies that all had a selector on the body for this function, it is something that I have missed quite a bit. Of course, one can set it as an option on one of the Fn buttons, but then sacrifices another option.
Regarding image quality, the dynamic range is impressive, as Nikon is known for, with pleasing colors and improved high ISO performance compared to the D7200, although not quite at the exceptional levels of the Fuji XT20's crop sensor, which is the only thing missing from this camera in terms of image quality.
The autofocus is quite good, but there are many times in relatively low light where it struggles to focus, which may be due to the two kit lenses (both of which are dark) that I have, rather than the camera's autofocus system. Speaking of lenses, I am impressed with the 50-250. I decided at the last minute to invest a bit more and get this lens as well, and the quality it offers in all focal lengths is simply impressive. It is sharp and handles strong light sources remarkably well, both in terms of lens flares and maintaining contrast. The same goes for the 16-50 in terms of handling strong light sources, but in terms of sharpness, I find it slightly inferior to the 50-250, and all of this is until we reach 40mm. From 40-50mm, the sharpness starts to decrease to decent levels. Overall, both lenses, as soon as you hold them in your hands, do not predispose you to any particular excitement. However, both of them were a pleasant surprise for me, especially the 50-250 as I mentioned above.
In summary, the Z50 is a very good effort from Nikon. Personally, I miss some options on the body such as AF-MF (and AFS/AFC) and Bracketing. Having had two bodies with these options on the body itself and not on shortcut buttons, it is something that will take me time to get used to, as using shortcut buttons is not as immediate. However, overall, we are talking about a very decent body that will soon need support from lenses for this specific mount, especially for DX, since the current options, apart from the two kit lenses, are economically unattainable. The next solution and quite a worthy one is the FTZ adapter, which will do an excellent job with all Nikon mount lenses, but it will certainly increase the bulk and weight of the already compact body.
In a nutshell, I would recommend this body without any reservations to those who want to make the leap from a d3xxx or D5xxx model, but I would have my reservations for those who want to upgrade from a D7xxx model for the reasons mentioned above. Nonetheless, in all other aspects, the body and its performance are quite commendable and easily compete with rivals, with the great advantage of its impressive dynamic range and exceptional grip. I hope Nikon will soon offer solutions regarding lenses, and then we will definitely be talking about a body that has the potential to create a bright future because it has all the ingredients.
P.S.: The only flaw I forgot to mention regarding the build quality has to do with the battery door, which I cannot say inspires much confidence and seems like it could easily break off the base with a little carelessness.
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