z50ii (2 Viewers)

[capdegat]

Trying to save weight I decided to get rid of my big and heavy stuff. As I'm a nikon nut ( after had every other brand ) I went for the z50ii knowing it has nearly the same AF as it's big brothers . To save more weight I went for the 600 pf even though I prefer a zoom . After a couple of days I'm reasonably impressed even if its not as good as my z8/180-600 combo .A couple of pics taken today with thez50ii/600pf and 1.4 extender .






As weight saving was the main aim , I'm very happy with these 1260mm equiv length and my shoulder is even happier

 

[Hermann]

The Z50II may well be my first mirrorless camera - if I can convince myself to part with my trusted D7500. I'd probably use it with some of my DSLR lenses+FTZ adaptor at first though.

Hermann

 

[capdegat]

Definitely worth trying for you Hermann
Having had 7200,7500 and d500 the z500ii is as good as those slrs. I never really liked the 20mg sensor but modern software makes a huge difference.

 

[Hermann]

Definitely worth trying for you Hermann
Having had 7200,7500 and d500 the z500ii is as good as those slrs. I never really liked the 20mg sensor but modern software makes a huge difference.

I actually quite like the sensor. Developing the RAW files in NX Studio rather than Lightroom makes quite a difference IME. I'd actually stay with the D7500 but I really need to cut down on the weight.

Hermann

 

[HasseBF]

Been using the Z50ii since almost two months now. It’s a nice little camera but you have to manage your expectations because it’s not at Z8/9 level no matter what you see and hear on YouTube. Its seems it’s mostly its rather slow readout speed sensor that is hampering the auto focus when movement comes into the equation resulting in quite a large number of shots that slightly miss critical focus. Especially if there’s a lot that can distract the auto focus like branches near the subject or a busy background. For subjects not moving it’s fine for the most part.
Be sure to get at least one extra battery because the battery life is nothing to write home about.
All in all I’m somewhat disappointed with the cameras af but must at the same time say that the subject recognition and tracking is really good. Just wish there was a way to make the af as fast and reliable.
With time and more practice one will probably find workarounds to maximize the output even though I strongly doubt that it will ever come near the likes of the Z8/9. You get what you pay for I guess holds true here.
For me the Z50ii will be a backup for my OM-1 Mk ii which is in another league when it comes to af speed and accuracy.

 

[Jimmy G]

Trying to save weight I decided to get rid of my big and heavy stuff. As I'm a nikon nut ( after had every other brand ) I went for the z50ii knowing it has nearly the same AF as it's big brothers . To save more weight I went for the 600 pf even though I prefer a zoom . After a couple of days I'm reasonably impressed even if its not as good as my z8/180-600 combo .A couple of pics taken today with thez50ii/600pf and 1.4 extender .


View attachment 1635573

View attachment 1635574

As weight saving was the main aim , I'm very happy with these 1260mm equiv length and my shoulder is even happier

Hi capdegat,

Nikon noob here (coming off Panasonic FF/MFT gear, started out the year with a Z6III/28-400mm and added Z50II then grabbed a 400/4.5 for my sweetie and she picked a Z50II for herself!), and, while I understand one wishing to lighten their load, it surprised me to read your downsizing from the Z8 (which was my initial desire when deciding to go Nikon). Your "1260mm EFL" images confirm what we've discovered ourselves...Nikon didn't pull any punches, the Z50II is quite the performer!

To share our experiences, so far, with these new-to-us Nikon bodies is their user-friendly layout/operation/ergonomics, and, simply, the AF performance for birds in motion/flight (something woefully inadequate with my 2x S1's and GH6 and her G9II)...we're both feeling quite liberated with this transition! That my sweetie's shoulder weren't so problematic we'd have considered the 180-600 (4.3 lb / 1.95 kg) or 600PF (3.24 lb / 1.47 kg) for her, but that 400/4.5 (2.7 lb / 1245 g) w/1.4x TC (7.76 oz / 220 g) is proving to be a much better solution for her (600mm EFOV @ 400mm/4.5, 840mm EFOV @ 560mm/6.3 w/TC).

And, speaking to weight-savings...her former G9II/100-400 weighed in at 3.6 Lbs/~1630g, where the z50II/28-400 comes in at 2.8 Lb/~1270g. And though she's still in the same weight ballpark with the Z50II/400 @ 3.9 Lbs/~1770g that extra .3 Lb gives her f/4.5 with a larger sensor that performs much better at higher ISO's vs f/6.3 with the poorer high-ISO performing MFT sensor in the G9II.

Thanks for sharing your report, we feel in good company!

Jimmy G

 

[capdegat]

I'm not having a go at MFT but having tried them over the last few years I have to say that while af on the new breed is great the sensor ( for me ) is still c----. Unless you have someting longer than the 100-400 the results are not something I can do anything with . The longer ( and greatly ) heavier lenses may work but why go for equioment that is heavy and more expensive than the big 3 . I just can't understand the reasoning behind these choices . It may be I'm just to old

 

[Ühltje]

Very interesting read this.
Husband and I are hikers and like to spend our holidays in mountainous terrain (often15-20 km, 850 m heigth difference). We plan our trips not only for the scenery, but also for wildlife. Birds but also deer and marmots. We shoot on the move and rarely ever go and wait or sit in a hide for hours. We currently shoot with Nikon D7200 + Nikkor 18-300 and Sony RX10iv and would love to improve our photography but don't like the idea of weigthlifting. The 18-300 lacks reach and sharpness and the Sony RX10iv is soo slow to wake up that I miss all the unexpected action.
The Nikon Z50ii combined with the 28-400 sounds very good, but I do worry about bad light situations. I could see myself go for the Tamron 50-400 if that would mean a considerable difference in quality with the 28-400, but I can't find a lot of comparative reviews.
The images that I can find online seem to focus more on the versatility of these lenses and less on the wildlife qualities.
Can anybody here give us a clue?
ps anything heavier than the Tamron 50-400 is out of the question.

 

[HasseBF]

You can check out this review:

Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Review

A hands-on lab review of the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3, a supertelephoto zoom available for Sony E and Nikon Z. See how it measures up.

photographylife.com

 

[Ühltje]

You can check out this review:

Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3 Review

A hands-on lab review of the Tamron 50-400mm f/4.5-6.3, a supertelephoto zoom available for Sony E and Nikon Z. See how it measures up.

photographylife.com

Thanks.