It’s hard to believe Nikon is the second camera company to have a mirrorless system with the same mount for both its full frame and APS-C models. That’s a good start for the newly announced Nikon Z50, a 20-ish megapixel mirrorless camera, that can shoot 11 fps and 4K 30p.
There are some good things about it. The ergonomics seem to be great: a deep grip, a front dial, and a touchscreen. On the downside, the display flips down to 180 degrees, which is useless if you use any tripod. The 4K has a 1.5x crop, which means the widest you can shoot with native glass is around 35mm (FF equivalent).
Speaking of glass, Nikon has also announced two lenses for the Z50: a 16-50mm pancake and a 50-250mm. Both are entry-level lenses that can be purchased together with the camera for $1349. Nikon has also revealed a lens roadmap. So far the only DX lens I see is an 18-140mm which will probably end up bundled with future mirrorless cameras. Not a lot for enthusiasts.
It’s only the beginning for Nikon and I hope they’ll invest in the mirrorless DX format. Not everybody wants a full frame camera. But having the option to upgrade without changing the mount is nice.
You can find out more about the new Nikon Z50 on DPReview.
