Capture the beauty that makes you stop with the mirrorless camera that feels at home in your hands. Bold low-light colours. A familiar pose from an unexpected angle. Shadow play when the sun is high. The light and agile Nikon Z 50 mirrorless camera delivers brilliant photos and stunning movies. It’s fast, powerful, and easy to use.
The superb image quality of the Nikon Z 50 will do justice to the way you see the world. The wide Nikon Z mount lets the camera’s large 20.9 MP DX-format sensor capture more light across the frame. And with more light, comes more detail. Day or night, colours in your photos and movies are brighter. The depth is deeper. And sharpness is spectacular.
Stay sharp. However you frame it.
Perfectly focused photos and 4K movies are yours to create. The Hybrid-AF (autofocus) system is fast, precise, and silky smooth. On-sensor AF points cover 90 % of the frame (approx.), horizontally and vertically, for superb edge-to-edge sharpness. Subjects snap into focus whether they’re dead centre, off to the side, or on the move.
Brilliant when the sun goes down
Shoot freely day or night, thanks to an automatic light-sensitivity range of 100–51200 ISO and low-light AF. From 3am city scenes to low-light portraits, you’ll catch more detail in the dark than ever before.
Great with people, and animals
Candid portraits of people, or your cat or dog, just got better. Eye-Detection AF locks on to eyes for perfect portraits of people. Animal-Detection AF does the same for dogs and cats. Focus stays sharp even if your subject moves.
Always discreet, never shy
Your Nikon Z 50 focuses quietly and has a silent photography mode. So, when friends start asking you to ‘bring your camera’ to their wedding, you can capture moments without disturbing the moment.
Timing is everything
If you can see it, you can catch it. Up to 11 fps continuous shooting with autofocus and auto exposure means you’ll get the shots others might miss.
Cinematic is easy with your Nikon Z 50. You can record 4K/UHD movies at 30p, and shoot slow-motion footage in Full HD. With no crop-factor limitations, you get to take advantage of the full width of the camera’s large DX-format sensor. You can also capture still frames while filming, and create dramatic 4K time-lapse sequences in-camera.
he ultra-sharp electronic viewfinder (EVF) lets you see everything clearly, whether you’re shooting stills or video. The EVF can display a natural image, similar to that of a DSLR optical viewfinder. Or you can view images as they’ll look with settings applied. The view stays smooth and steady, even when you zoom in to confirm focus.
Once you curve your fingers around this camera’s deep grip and start shooting, you won’t want to put it down. Thoughtfully placed buttons and touchscreen controls make operation a breeze, and the clear, simple DSLR-style menu system is easy to master. Whether you’re new to Nikon, or just new to Nikon mirrorless, there are no steep learning curves here.
Type | Mirrorless |
|---|---|
Lens mount | Nikon Z mount |
Image sensor | DX, CMOS, 23.5 mm x 15.7 mm |
Total pixels | 21.51 million |
Dust-reduction system | Image Dust Off reference data (requires Capture NX-D) |
Effective pixels | 20.9 million |
Image size (pixels) | DX (24x16) image area, (L)5568 x 3712 (20.7 million), (M)4176 x 2784 (11.6 million), (S)2784 x 1856 (5.2 million) |
Storage file formats | NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit, JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression, NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats |
Picture Control System | Auto, Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat, Creative Picture Controls (Dream, Morning, Pop, Sunday, Somber, Dramatic, Silence, Bleached, Melancholic, Pure, Denim, Toy, Sepia, Blue, Red, Pink, Charcoal, Graphite, Binary, Carbon); selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls |
Storage media | SD, SDHC (UHS-I compliant), SDXC (UHS-I compliant) |
File system | DCF 2.0, Exif 2.31, PictBridge |
Viewfinder | 0.99-cm/0.39-in. approx. 2360k-dot (XGA) OLED electronic viewfinder with color balance and auto and 7-level manual brightness controls |
Frame coverage | Approx. 100% horizontal and 100% vertical |
Magnification | Approx. 1.02x (50 mm lens at infinity, -1.0 m-¹) |
Eyepoint | 19.5 mm (-1.0 m-¹; from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens) |
Diopter adjustment | -3 to +3 m-¹ |
Eye sensor | Automatically switches between monitor and viewfinder displays |
Shutter type | Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter; electronic shutter |
Shutter speed | 1/4000 to 30 s (choose from step sizes of 1/3 and 1/2 EV), bulb, time |
Flash sync speed | X=1/200s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower; Auto FP High-Speed sync supported |
Release mode | Single frame, low-speed continuous, high-speed continuous, high-speed continuous (extended), self-timer |
Frame advance rate | Up to 11 fps, Low-speed continuous: 1 to 4 fps, High-speed continuous: 5 fps, High-speed continuous (extended): 11 fps (measured under Nikon-specified test conditions) |
Self-timer | 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s |
Exposure metering | TTL metering using camera image sensor |
Metering method | Matrix metering Center-weighted metering: Weight of 75% given to 8 mm circle in center of frame; weighting can instead be based on average of entire frame, Spot metering: Meters 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point Highlight-weighted metering |
Metering range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) | –4 to +17 EV |
Mode | Auto, P: programmed auto with flexible program, S: shutter-priority auto, A: aperture-priority auto, M: manual Scene modes: portrait; landscape; child; sports; close up; night portrait; night landscape; party/indoor; beach/snow; sunset; dusk/dawn; pet portrait; candlelight; blossom; autumn colors; food Special effect modes: night vision; super vivid; pop; photo illustration; toy camera effect; miniature effect; selective color; silhouette; high key; low key U1 and U2: user settings |
Exposure compensation | –5 to +5 EV (choose from step sizes of 1/3 and 1/2 EV) available in P, S, A, M, SCN, and EFCT modes |
Exposure lock | Luminosity locked at detected value |
ISO sensitivity | ISO 100 to 51200 (choose from step sizes of 1/3 and 1/2 EV); can also be set to approx. 1 or 2 EV (ISO 204800 equivalent) above ISO 51200; auto ISO sensitivity control available (Recommended Exposure Index) |
Active D-Lighting | Can be selected from Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off |
Multiple exposure | Add, average, lighten, darken |
Other options | HDR (high dynamic range), photo mode flicker reduction |
Autofocus | Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF with AF assist |
Detection range | -4 to +19 EV ( -2 to +19 EV without low-light AF, single-servo AF, photo mode, ISO 100, f/2.0 lens, 20 °C/68 °F) |
Lens servo | Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), AF mode auto-switch (AF-A; available only in photo mode), full-time AF (AF-F; available only in movie mode) ; predictive focus tracking, Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used |
Focus points | 209 (single-point AF, photo mode, DX image area) |
AF-area mode | Pinpoint, single-point, and dynamic-area AF (pinpoint and dynamic-area AF available in photo mode only); wide-area AF (S); wide-area AF (L); auto-area AF |
Focus lock | Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button |
Built-in flash | Manual pop-up flash raised via flash pop-up control Guide Number: Approx. 7/22, 7/22 with manual flash (m/ft, ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F) |
Flash control | TTL: i-TTL flash control; i-TTL balanced fill-flash is used with matrix, center-weighted, and highlight-weighted metering, standard i-TTL fill-flash with spot metering |
Flash modes | Fill flash, red-eye reduction, slow sync, slow sync + red-eye, rear-curtain sync, auto, auto + red-eye reduction, auto slow sync, auto slow sync + red-eye, flash off |
Flash compensation | –3 to +1 EV (choose from step sizes of 1/3 and 1/2 EV) available in P, S, A, M, and SCN modes |
Flash-ready indicator | Lights when built-in flash or optional flash unit is fully charged; flashes as underexposure warning after flash is fired at full output |
Accessory shoe | ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock |
Nikon Creative Lighting System | i-TTL flash control, optical Advanced Wireless Lighting, FV lock, Color Information Communication, Auto FP High-Speed Sync |
White balance | Auto (3 types), natural light auto, direct sunlight, cloudy, shade, incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), flash, choose color temperature (2500 K to 10,000 K), preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored), all except choose color temperature with fine-tuning |
Bracketing types | Exposure, white balance, ADL |
Movie - metering | TTL exposure metering using main image sensor, TTL metering using camera image sensor |
Movie - metering method | Matrix, center-weighted, or highlight-weighted |
Movie - frame size (pixels) and frame rate | 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD); 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p. 1920 x 1080; 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p. 1920 x 1080 (slow-motion); 30p x4, 25p x4, 24p x5. Actual frame rates for 120p, 100p, 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 119.88, 100, 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively; quality selection available except at sizes of 3840 x 2160, 1920 x 1080 120p/100p, and 1920 x 1080 slow-motion, in which case quality is fixed at high. |
Movie - file format | MOV, MP4 |
Movie - video compression | H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding |
Movie - audio recording format | Linear PCM, AAC |
Movie - audio recording device | Built-in stereo or external microphone with attenuator option; sensitivity adjustable |
Movie - ISO sensitivity | M: Manual selection (ISO 100 to 25600; choose from step sizes of 1/3 and 1/2 EV); auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600) available with selectable upper limit P, S, A: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600) with selectable upper limit AUTO, SCN, EFCT (excluding night vision): Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to 25600); Night vision: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to Hi 4) (Recommended Exposure Index) |
Movie - Active D-Lighting | Can be selected from Same as photo settings, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off |
Movie - Other options | Time-lapse movies, electronic vibration reduction |
Monitor | 8-cm (3.2–in.) diagonal; Tilting TFT touch-sensitive LCD with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% frame coverage, and 11-level manual brightness controls; Approx. 1040k-dot |
Playback | Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback with playback zoom, playback zoom cropping, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, location data display, auto image rotation, and picture rating |
USB | Hi-Speed USB, with Micro-B connector; connection to built-in USB port is recommended |
HDMI output | Type D HDMI connector |
Audio output | Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter; plug-in power supported) |
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) standards | IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a/ac |
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) operating frequency | 2412 to 2462 MHz (channel 11) and 5180 to 5320 MHz |
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) maximum output power | 2.4 GHz band: 6.9 dBm, 5 GHz band: 10.2 dBm |
Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) security | Open system, WPA2-PSK |
Bluetooth standards | Bluetooth Specification Version 4.2, Bluetooth: 2402 to 2480 MHz, Bluetooth Low Energy: 2402 to 2480 MHz, Bluetooth: 1.4 dBm, Bluetooth Low Energy: –0.1 dBm; Approximately 10 m (32 ft) without interference; range may vary with signal strength and presence or absence of obstacles |
Battery | One EN-EL25 rechargeable Li-ion battery |
AC adapter | EH-73P charging AC adapter |
Tripod socket | 1/4–in. (ISO 1222) |
Dimensions (W x H x D) | Approx. 126.5 x 93.5 x 60 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.4 in.) |
Weight | Approx. 450 g (15.9 oz.) with battery and memory card but without body cap; approx. 395 g/14 oz. (camera body only) |
Operating environment - temperature | 0 °C to 40 °C (+32 °F to 104 °F) |
Operating environment - humidity | 85% or less (no condensation) |
Supplied accessories | BF-N1 Body Cap, DK-30 Rubber Eyecup (comes attached to camera), EN-EL25 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery with terminal cover, MH-32 Battery Charger (plug adapter supplied in countries or regions where required; shape depends on country of sale), AN-DC20 Strap, UC-E21 USB Cable |
Unless otherwise stated, all measurements are performed in conformity with Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards or guidelines.
All figures are for a camera with a fully-charged battery.
The sample images displayed on the camera and the images and illustrations in the manuals are for expository purposes only.
Nikon reserves the right to change the appearance and specifications of the hardware and software described in these specifications at any time and without prior notice. Nikon will not be held liable for damages that may result from any mistakes that this manual may contain.
¹ Approximately 360 F-Mount NIKKOR lenses can be used with your Nikon Z camera. See which lenses here.
The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Nikon and its Affiliates is under license.
Wi-Fi® and the Wi-Fi Certified logo are registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance®.
All Nikon trademarks are trademarks of Nikon Corporation.
