The Nikon Z50 is a mid-range mirrorless camera that was released by Nikon in 2019. As Nikon’s first DX-format mirrorless camera, the Z50 offers an APS-C sensor in a compact and lightweight body. With a 20.9MP CMOS sensor and EXPEED 6 image processor, the Z50 delivers good image quality and performance for its class. But how well does it perform specifically for wildlife photography? Here we’ll examine the Z50’s key features and capabilities for shooting wildlife.
Autofocus Performance
Autofocus performance is critical for wildlife photography, as it’s important to be able to quickly and accurately track moving subjects. The Z50 utilizes a hybrid AF system with 209 phase-detect AF points covering around 85% of the frame, along with an additional 209 contrast-detect points.
While not as sophisticated as the AF systems in higher-end Nikon mirrorless cameras, the Z50’s AF is reasonably quick and accurate. It’s able to lock focus and track subjects at up to 11fps continuous shooting. This isn’t blazingly fast, but sufficient for many types of wildlife. AF also works down to -4EV in low light, which helps when shooting in dense forests or at the golden hours of sunrise and sunset when wildlife is active.
For photographing birds in flight, the Z50 may struggle compared to higher-end cameras. But for relatively slow-moving mammals, reptiles, and similar wildlife subjects, the AF capabilities allow you to capture sharp images. Enabling settings like AF-C mode and 3D tracking can further optimize AF performance when shooting active wildlife.
Burst Shooting Speed
The Z50 offers a maximum continuous shooting speed of 11fps with AF/AE. This allows you to shoot short bursts to capture fleeting moments of wildlife action and behavior. While 11fps isn’t groundbreaking, it’s a solid spec for a mid-range mirrorless camera. The buffer depth is also decent, allowing you to shoot about 23 RAW images in a burst before the frame rate slows down.
Faster shooting speeds of 14fps are possible by fixing the focus and exposure with the first frame. The Z50 also has a sports mode that will automatically use these faster shooting speeds when enabled. So while the Z50 may not offer blistering burst rates for intensely fast action, it provides respectable performance for most types of wildlife photography.
ISO Performance
Good high ISO performance is another important consideration for wildlife shooting. Animals are often most active at dawn and dusk when light levels are lower. A camera that can shoot cleanly at high ISOs allows you to use faster shutter speeds to freeze motion while maintaining adequate exposure.
The Z50 delivers fairly good ISO performance for its class thanks to the APS-C sensor and EXPEED 6 processor. Noise is well-controlled up to ISO 3200, with ISO 6400 still very usable. At ISO 12800 noise and loss of fine details becomes more prominent but images are still serviceable. The native ISO ranges from 100-51200, giving you flexibility in dim conditions.
While the high ISO capabilities aren’t going to match full-frame cameras, the Z50 produces very competitive results for an APS-C sensor. The noise levels at typical ISO ranges used for wildlife should allow clean images. Just be prepared to deal with some more visible noise at the extreme high end ISOs.
AF Lens Options
An important factor in wildlife photography is having lenses with fast, quiet autofocus suited for moving subjects. Fortunately, with the new Nikon Z mount the Z50 has access to Nikon’s growing lineup of Z-mount lenses.
For wildlife shooting, some top options include:
– Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR – A lightweight telephoto zoom covering portrait to telephoto lengths, offers good AF speed and VR image stabilization.
– Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR – Compact kit lens with useful wide angle for landscapes to standard zoom range.
– Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S – Higher-end standard zoom lens with fast, virtually silent AF motor and weather sealing.
– Nikkor Z 70-200mm f/2.8 VR S – Top-tier telephoto zoom with excellent optics, blazing fast AF, and VR stabilization. Ideal but expensive.
The Z50 can also utilize any of Nikon’s F-mount lenses via the FTZ adapter, greatly expanding your lens options. This includes telephoto primes and zooms that are well regarded for wildlife photography.
AI-Powered Animal Detection Autofocus
An exciting autofocus capability the Z50 brings to the table is animal eye/face detection. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, this allows the camera to automatically detect and focus on the face and eyes of various animal species.
Animal detection AF is available for both stills and video shooting. Supported animal subjects include:
– Dogs
– Cats
– Birds
– Reptiles
– Fish
– Insects
– Amphibians
This allows you to more easily lock focus and eye AF on your wildlife subjects for tack sharp results, especially whenpaired with a lens like the Z 70-200mm f/2.8. Animal eye AF helps take the guesswork out of focusing and lets you concentrate more on composition and capturing the decisive moment.
4K Video Recording
In addition to stills, the Z50 provides quality 4K UHD video recording up to 30fps. 4K allows extra flexibility for cropping and editing wildlife footage while providing higher resolution results. Focus peaking and zebra stripes are available when shooting 4K, helping you nail critical focus and ideal exposure.
The Z50 also supports interval recording for creating smooth timelapses – very useful for illustrating motions like a flower blooming. Powerful video features like 10-bit N-Log recording (8-bit internally, 10-bit to external recorder) allow advanced color grading for professional-looking results straight out of camera.
LCD Screen and EVF
When composing and reviewing your wildlife shots, it’s important to have a high-quality display. The Z50 provides both a 3.2” tilting touchscreen LCD as well as a 2360k dot OLED electronic viewfinder.
The LCD screen tilts downwards for waist-level shooting as well as upwards for high angle and selfie-style shots. Touch functions like touch AF and touch shutter allow quick targeting of subjects without moving the camera.
The high resolution EVF provides a crisp, natural view that makes it easy to track moving subjects and shoot precisely. The EVF sensor automatically switches between the LCD and EVF when you put your eye to the viewfinder, allowing seamless viewing.
Overall the Z50’s screens offer excellent visibility even in bright daylight. This helps you accurately compose, focus, and review your wildlife images. The vari-angle LCD also facilitates shooting from more creative angles and perspectives.
Size and Weight
One significant advantage of the Z50 for wildlife photography is its compact size and light weight. Weighing just 14oz (397g) body only, and measuring 4.7 x 3.5 x 2.4” (120 x 84 x 60mm), the Z50 is highly portable. Pair it with the 16-50mm kit lens and you have a very capable yet lightweight wildlife photography kit.
The small camera body helps reduce fatigue when hiking and traveling to photograph wildlife in the field. You can also carry additional lenses and accessories without overloading your gear bag or backpack. Yet despite its diminutive size, the Z50 still delivers solid weather sealing and a deep hand grip for secure handling.
If you want a capable but compact system for wildlife shooting, the Z50 hits a nice sweet spot. The small footprint lets you explore remote areas and get closer to reclusive animals much easier than with bulkier systems.
Battery Life
Battery life is always a consideration with mirrorless cameras. When you’re out in the field from sunrise to sunset waiting for those perfect wildlife moments, you want your camera to hold up.
Nikon rates the Z50 at around 320 shots per charge when using the rear LCD, or 280 shots with the EVF. This relatively short battery life is typical for a mirrorless camera.
Serious wildlife photographers will definitely want to pack extra batteries and consider an AC adapter for extended outings. Getting the optional MB-N10 battery grip which holds two batteries is also a good idea to maximize shooting time. But the Z50’s battery performance is comparable to similar mirrorless cameras, so just be prepared with spare power.
Weather Sealing
Wildlife photography often means shooting outdoors in dusty, humid, or wet environments. Weather sealing ensures your camera holds up in less than ideal conditions when trying to get the shot.
While not fully waterproof, the Z50 does offer decent protection against the elements. The main body structure incorporates weather and dust sealing at key points like button controls, battery compartment, memory card slot, etc.
When paired with a weather-sealed NIKKOR Z lens like the 24-70mm f/4, the Z50 can withstand light splashes and showers. Just don’t expect it to survive submersion or highly wet conditions. But the sealing gives you some peace of mind if shooting coastal areas, rainforests, or other tougher environments.
WiFi and Bluetooth Connectivity
The Z50 incorporates Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for wireless communication with mobile devices and image transfers. This allows several useful capabilities for wildlife photographers:
– Remotely control the camera from your smartphone or tablet using the SnapBridge app – helpful for triggering the shutter when camera position is fixed on a tripod.
– Automatically transfer images wirelessly to your mobile device as you shoot for instant backup and sharing.
– Tag your photos with GPS data from your phone for cataloging your shooting locations via SnapBridge’s Location Stamps function.
– Use a smart device screen as a large monitor for live view or reviewing your shots in more detail.
These wireless functions help streamline your workflow in the field and allow more creative shooting. The connectivity functions work smoothly and extend what you can accomplish with the camera.
Conclusion
The Nikon Z50 makes for a very capable wildlife photography camera considering its mid-range price point and APS-C sensor format. It delivers fast enough AF performance, burst shooting, and processing power to handle most types of animal subjects in action. Respectable high ISO output allows clean images in the marginal lighting wildlife is often most active in. And Nikon’s growing lineup of Z-mount lenses provides stellar optics to capture fine details and behavior.
While not a direct replacement for high-end full frame cameras and lenses, the compact and lightweight Z50 gives you a lot of power for hiking into remote areas. Creative features like animal detection AF and wireless connectivity extend your shooting capabilities in the field. And the weather sealing provides reasonable protection for outdoor photography. If you want quality wildlife images without the size or price of pro full-frame gear, the Z50 packs substantial performance into a travel-friendly mirrorless body. It’s arguably Nikon’s most attractive DX format option yet for enthusiasts and semi-pros shooting wildlife.