The beautifully made Z 50 is the beginning of a new era for Nikon but can it catch up with the competition?

The Z50 might look just fine on paper, but it is mightier in the hand. It borrows some of the best features from the Z6 without both the physical and financial heft. Many might see this as the perfect travel camera, especially with the addition of the super slim pancake lens, which makes the whole package an absolute joy to use and so light too, making this a camera to take everywhere. No longer will you bore your holiday chums with the dreary quagmire of the ‘Do-I-Don't I-take-my-camera-today?’ debate. But it’s also so much more than this. It could be your first ‘proper’ camera and with the lenses on offer it’s only going to get better as your photography skills do too. Testament to Nikon’s great optics, the two new lenses are an immense starter kit, and for its first foray into the APS-C market, it’s quite impressive.

Excellent handling ; Good dynamic range; Decent value;

Not particularly high resolution;

The Nikon Z50 is an excellent debut for the company in the crowded APS-C mirrorless market. It’s an ideal travel camera, and it’s also a great option for those looking to move from a Nikon DSLR, or who just love the brand. Offering great handling, excellent value and a set of enticing features, there’s a lot to like about the Z50, even if it does fall a little short in a few areas.

Great handling; Good value; Impressive viewfinder and screen; Great for travel; SD cards more common than XQD;

Tilt screen can’t be used with tripod; No joystick for selecting AF points; Just a single UHS-I card slot; Limited native lens range

The Z50 is a capable and comfortable camera to use, for a wide range of photography. The autofocus system is a little more awkward than it needs to be, but generally it's a hugely competitive camera. If the lenses you want to use exist, it should be on your list of cameras to consider.

Travel and everyday photography.;

Landscapes and high resolution imagery. Team sports;

Bringing a revitalised approach into its mirrorless line-up, the Z50 represents the entry/mid-level entry point - complete with DX sensor and access to the Z mount lenses - in a package that's feature rich, easy to use, and capable beyond its years.

With the Z 50 ($859.95), Nikon is putting the mirrorless technology developed for pricier full-frame bodies into a more portable—and more affordable—camera, built around the DX (APS-C) sensor format. It drops some features, notably in-body stabilization, but still offers an outstanding viewfinder, wide autofocus coverage, and 4K recording. Its autofocus system isn't quite as advanced as similar cameras from Fujifilm and Sony, though, and there are fewer dedicated mirrorless lenses available for the Z 50, so it's more appealing to photographers already invested in Nikon equipment, or family photographers who don't need loads of lenses. Nikon's First DX Mirrorless The Z 50 matches the looks of its full-frame siblings, with a prominent EVF hump on the top and Nikon's iconic red stripe on the handgrip. But, despite sharing the same wide-diameter lens mount, it's smaller all around. It comes in at 3.7 by 5.0 by 2.4 inches (HWD) and 13.9 ounces—the full-frame Z 6 is 4.0 by 5.3 by 2.7 i...

The Nikon Z 50 is a good mirrorless camera with a lot of appeal to photographers already invested in the system, but isn't quite as capable as its rivals.

Light and compact; Big, crisp EVF; Speedy response; 11fps continuous drive; Strong 4K video quality; Built-in flash; Compatible with Nikon SLR lenses via adapter

Few native lenses; Subject tracking not as good as competitors; Touch features could be more robust; Lowest resolution in class; Selfie screen design is a little awkward

There are cameras for photographers, and then there are cameras for pre-photographers. The Nikon Z 50, Nikon’s smallest DX camera yet and first APS-C mirrorless camera, falls largely into the second category. Marketed towards Instagram users ready to upgrade from a smartphone, the Z 50 incorporates in-camera video editing and wireless video transfer while keeping to a design that channels an entry-level DSLR. But the Z 50 also launches with a built-in audience — casual Nikonographers with a stash of F-mount lenses that can be easily adapted to the mirrorless Z mount. Lacking the in-body stabilization of the full-frame Z 6 and Z 7, the Z 50 makes up for its shorter feature list with a lightweight, 14-ounce body and a tiny kit lens. After the failed Nikon 1 series, it’s good to see Nikon putting some real effort into a mirrorless camera that targets casual photographers. It’s not perfect, but the Z 50 does a lot right. The Z 50 ditches some of the high-end features of the Z 6 and Z 7, li...

Weather-sealed, ergonomic design; Excellent image quality; 11 fps burst speed; Wireless video transfers;

Autofocus struggles in low light; Few native DX lenses at launch;

Excellent handling ; Good dynamic range; Decent value;

Not particularly high resolution;