# Nikon Z50II
The **Nikon Z50II** is an entry-level APS-C (DX-format) mirrorless camera announced by Nikon on November 7, 2024, as the successor to the 2019 Z50, built around the same 20.9-megapixel sensor but adding the flagship EXPEED 7 processor from the Nikon Z9.[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) • [2](https://amateurphotographer.com/review/nikon-z50ii-review/) It went on sale in late November 2024 at a suggested retail price of $909.95 for the body alone, $1,049.95 with the NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 VR zoom, and $1,299.95 in a two-lens kit adding the 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR telephoto zoom.[3](https://www.nikonusa.com/press-room/nikon-z50ii)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Announced / available | November 7, 2024; late November 2024[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) • [3](https://www.nikonusa.com/press-room/nikon-z50ii) |
| Sensor | 20.9 effective megapixels, 23.5 × 15.7 mm CMOS (Nikon DX format), Nikon Z mount[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) |
| Processor | EXPEED 7, the same engine as the flagship Z9, enabling nine-type subject detection[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) |
| Burst rates | 11 fps mechanical shutter; 15 fps and 30 fps electronic-shutter High-speed frame capture+ (JPEG/HEIC only)[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) • [5](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review) |
| Video | 4K UHD up to 60p (with crop), full-width 4K/30p oversampled from 5.6K, 10-bit internal N-Log and HLG, Full HD/120p[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) • [4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) |
| Stabilization | None in-body; relies on lens Vibration Reduction and electronic VR[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) |
| Size and weight | 127 × 96.8 × 66.5 mm; approx. 495 g body only, 550 g with battery and card[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) |
| Price at launch | $909.95 body; $1,049.95 with 16-50mm; $1,299.95 two-lens kit (US SRP)[3](https://www.nikonusa.com/press-room/nikon-z50ii) |
## Positioning and design
Nikon aimed the Z50II at first-time camera buyers stepping up from smartphones, positioning it alongside the retro-styled Z fc in the DX line while giving it more current technology.[2](https://amateurphotographer.com/review/nikon-z50ii-review/) The body keeps the Z50's hybrid SLR-style shape with a central electronic viewfinder, twin control dials, a fully articulated 3.2-inch 1.04m-dot touchscreen, and a built-in pop-up flash.[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) • [6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) The electronic viewfinder is a 2.36m-dot OLED unit rated at 1000 cd/m², which Nikon describes as roughly twice as bright as the Z50's, making it easier to compose in direct sunlight.[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/)
The Z50II is the first Nikon Z camera with a dedicated Picture Control button, giving one-touch access to the camera's color profiles, and the first model to offer "flexible" Picture Controls: it ships with 31 profiles and can download additional Creator Recipe profiles from Nikon Imaging Cloud.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) Imaging Cloud also supports automatic photo upload to third-party services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Lightroom, plus firmware downloads, directly over Wi-Fi without a phone.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/)
## Autofocus and burst shooting
The headline upgrade is the EXPEED 7 processor, previously reserved for the Z9, Z8, Z f, and Z6 III. It brings the same nine subject-detection categories as the flagship: humans, birds, cats, dogs, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, trains, and airplanes, up from three categories on the Z50.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) • [7](https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z50II/en/18-02.html) The camera offers 209 focus points in single-point AF and a detection range down to −9 EV in photo mode with an f/1.2 lens.[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) It also gains the 3D-tracking AF mode from Nikon's higher-end bodies.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/)
Reviewers found the system dependable but not literally flagship-grade. DPReview noted that the Z50II shares the user interface and headline AF specifications of the Z8 and Z9 without matching their performance, rating its autofocus good rather than excellent.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) Digital Camera World's reviewer, by contrast, described the subject-detection AF as super-responsive and locking onto multiple subjects snappily.[5](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review)
Burst rates run to 11 fps with the mechanical shutter, with new C15 and C30 High-speed frame capture+ modes reaching 15 fps and 30 fps using the electronic shutter. These fast modes record only JPEG or HEIC files, and the electronic shutter's scan rate produces visible rolling-shutter shear with fast-moving subjects.[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/) • [5](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review) A Pre-Release Capture mode buffers images from up to one second before the shutter is fully pressed, but is available only in the High-speed frame capture+ modes.[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/)
## Video
Despite reusing the Z50's sensor, the Z50II records substantially better video. It captures 4K UHD at up to 60p (with a crop), full-width 4K/30p oversampled from 5.6K, and Full HD at up to 120p for 4x slow motion, all in 10-bit H.265 with internal N-Log and HLG recording, which the 8-bit-limited Z50 and Z30 lacked.[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) • [8](https://gzreviews.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) RTINGS measured a 4K recording time limit of 125 minutes with zero overheating interruptions.[9](https://www.rtings.com/camera/reviews/nikon/z-50ii)
The Z50II is the first Z-series camera with a Product review mode, which overrides face-detection AF when an object is held up to the lens, aimed at vloggers demonstrating products; RTINGS found it focuses simply on whatever is closest to the lens, less effectively than Sony's equivalent Product Showcase mode.[1](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/) • [9](https://www.rtings.com/camera/reviews/nikon/z-50ii) A headphone socket, rare in this class, allows audio monitoring, which DPReview called one of the camera's biggest video distinctions.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/)
The main video weakness is stabilization and rolling shutter. There is no in-body image stabilization, so the camera depends on stabilized kit lenses and an electronic VR crop; RTINGS measured 8.0° of 4K rolling shutter and described the distortion as very noticeable during pans, though much less pronounced (2.3°) in Full HD.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) • [9](https://www.rtings.com/camera/reviews/nikon/z-50ii)
## Image quality
RTINGS measured 11.6 f-stops of dynamic range at base ISO, falling to 9.7 f-stops at 1/500 s, and found noise well managed in low light, rating the RAW image quality 9.1 out of 10.[9](https://www.rtings.com/camera/reviews/nikon/z-50ii) The 20.9MP sensor is carried over unchanged from the 2019 Z50, which drew criticism given that rivals such as the [Canon EOS R10](https://www.edgepedia.org/canon-eos-r10), Sony A6400, and Fujifilm X-T30 II offer 24MP or more, though DPReview judged the resolution not meaningfully behind its 24MP peers in practice.[5](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review) • [6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) Standard sensitivity runs ISO 100 to 51,200, extendable to an ISO 204,800 equivalent.[4](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/)
## Reception and comparisons
DPReview awarded the Z50II 88% and a silver award, calling it a really solid all-rounder that does a wide range of things well but excels most clearly as a hybrid video camera, held back by limited battery life, the absence of IBIS, and a still-limited DX lens range.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) Its closest like-for-like competitor is the Canon EOS R10; the two perform similarly, with Canon's stills AF slightly more reliable and the Nikon's video toolkit (waveforms, headphone socket, 10-bit capture) stronger.[6](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/) The German magazine Digital PHOTO scored it 82.6% ("GUT") in its December 2025 group test, just behind the Canon R10's 82.8% and well behind the Fujifilm X-S20's 89.7%.[10](https://static.shop.digitalphoto.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DigitalPHOTO_1225.pdf) The camera later received an iF Design Award.[11](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/firmware/nikons-most-powerful-aps-c-mirrorless-camera-gets-new-firmware-but-dont-expect-dramatic-changes)
## Firmware
Nikon has issued a steady series of firmware updates. Version 1.03 (November 2025) added support for the Z TC-1.4x and TC-2.0x teleconverters, and version 1.10 added manual aperture control while recording video in shutter-priority mode, along with menu renaming of Cloud Picture Controls to Imaging Recipes.[12](https://www.nikonusa.com/c/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/firmware) • [13](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/firmware/new-nikon-z50ii-firmware-puts-more-creative-control-in-filmmakers-hands-when-recording-in-shutter-priority) Firmware C version 1.11 was released on August 5, 2026.[14](https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/637/Z50II.html)
## References
1. [Nikon releases the Z50II APS-C size mirrorless camera, Nikon News, November 7, 2024](https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/1107_imaging_01/)
2. [Nikon Z50II review, Amateur Photographer](https://amateurphotographer.com/review/nikon-z50ii-review/)
3. [The Nikon Z50II press release, Nikon USA](https://www.nikonusa.com/press-room/nikon-z50ii)
4. [Z50II product page and specifications, Nikon](https://imaging.nikon.com/imaging/lineup/mirrorless/z50_2/)
5. [Nikon Z50 II review: pro power in a baby body, Digital Camera World](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/nikon-z50-ii-review)
6. [Nikon Z50II review: fun on a budget, but it's no baby Z6III, DPReview](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/)
7. [Z50II online manual: Focus and subject detection, Nikon](https://onlinemanual.nikonimglib.com/z50II/en/18-02.html)
8. [Nikon Z50II review, GZ Reviews](https://gzreviews.com/reviews/nikon-z50ii-review/)
9. [Nikon Z 50II Review, RTINGS.com](https://www.rtings.com/camera/reviews/nikon/z-50ii)
10. [TEST & TECHNIK Spezial, Digital PHOTO 12/2025](https://static.shop.digitalphoto.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DigitalPHOTO_1225.pdf)
11. [Nikon Z50 II firmware news, Digital Camera World](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/firmware/nikons-most-powerful-aps-c-mirrorless-camera-gets-new-firmware-but-dont-expect-dramatic-changes)
12. [Nikon USA mirrorless firmware page](https://www.nikonusa.com/c/cameras/mirrorless-cameras/firmware)
13. [New Nikon Z50II firmware expands S Mode video controls, Digital Camera World](https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/tech/firmware/new-nikon-z50ii-firmware-puts-more-creative-control-in-filmmakers-hands-when-recording-in-shutter-priority)
14. [Nikon Download Center: Z50II firmware](https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/products/637/Z50II.html)
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