Since October of last year, her well-being has dominated a huge part of my mind. We worried she showed signs of autism—there, I said it, I’m no longer skirting around it with vagueries like developmental concerns. That was our worry. The signs were all there, so we planned to move back to the UK where the healthcare and support networks are in place for children like Izzy. We sold all our belongings, I spent all my savings, and we moved halfway around the world.

I then spent the next several months setting up doctor appointments, health visitor assessments, and audiology assessments, and pushing my finances to the limit paying for a nursery placement to ensure Izzy got the structure that all the professionals—and my own sister, who has worked in childcare for over 25 years—said was essential.

Slowly, we started to see improvements: less tantrums, more interaction, more confidence. All that effort, all that sacrifice, and ultimately, it has been futile for reasons I can’t go into here.

So, in the last two weeks, I’ve really been struggling to produce any content for the website, or even pick up a camera with any meaning or intention. I’ll just be honest: I feel pretty flat and numb. Sofia is still here with me, and I know that I need to work, so after multiple attempts to get out with various cameras, I turned to the ones I often do when I hit creative ruts.

The Small-Camera Crutch

You see, it’s the smaller cameras—the ones that aren’t meant to be professional-level gear—that I tend to turn to when I want to remove all pressure to produce images of any note. My OM-3 is the epitome of this: it’s beautiful, small, lightweight, and still highly capable, but I can give myself the excuse that if I don’t produce anything decent, it wasn’t me, it’s partly the camera.

I know for a fact it is absolutely not the camera, but it’s a small mental crutch that often alleviates any sense of pressure and allows me to break out of creative ruts. It works either by simply relieving my own self-inflicted pressure to perform, or by having features like computational modes that spur me on to try shots I otherwise wouldn’t with heavier systems.

This week, I’ve been out with a camera several times. On Monday, I managed to get one shot that I had the confidence in to publish in my OM-3 and Nikon Zf article comparing the black-and-white modes.

Then on Wednesday, I went out with that same mindset for a walk in a beautiful location with my mum and the OM-1 Mark II: just enjoy the walk, the scenery, and the fresh air, and if you get any shots, great.

I failed miserably.

I had the 12-40mm f/2.8 II lens mounted—a good lens, still lightweight, so easy to carry. I was actively looking for shots, playing with the built-in ND filter mode, and yet, when I came home and looked at the photos, I honestly thought: I’m not publishing those, they’re rubbish.

Sitting Under the Dark Cloud

It’s now Friday, and unfortunately, my brain has completely failed me—not only in producing any photos, but even in thinking of a topic I can muster the interest to write about. A pretty heavy dark cloud is currently sitting over me in terms of inspiration and motivation to get out and work.

But I’m not going to let that stop me.

After years of pretty consistent stress, maybe I just need a bit of time to process everything, get used to the new circumstances, and let the creative process and inspiration slowly come back to me. If I keep getting out there, keep taking a camera through habit, and just keep looking, seeing, and pressing the shutter button, it will return.

Why am I writing this article now? Because it’s the most honest thing that I have to say right now. Out there, maybe some of you also deal with creative ruts, and perhaps by sharing this, it will help someone push through just as I have done in the past.

This one may take a bit more effort to come out the other side of, but I will. And when I do, I’ll be waiting here in Scotland, with Sofia, building something safe, secure, and welcoming for the day that Izzy returns.

And here are some of the photos I took this week. I guess it’s good to show them just to fight against the perfection we see projected everywhere these days. Failing is part of succeeding, and I definitely failed this week.

Of course, you could shoot RAW and process the files as you like, where the full-frame sensor files will be slightly easier to edit, having on paper more dynamic range and softer tonal transitions. However, if you just want to take advantage of the excellent built-in black and white modes of these two cameras, is there a discernable difference between the two in terms of quality?

I shot both cameras in JPEG only, but on the files below I have matched them in Lightroom to get exposure as close as possible to make the test fair. Both cameras meter the same scene slightly differently, but I won’t go into that until later to keep the test below fair. I’ve also cropped the Zf file to match the 4:3 aspect ratio of the OM-3.

The weather was a mixture of sunshine with intermittent cloud coverage here in Perthshire, with strong contrast across the landscape.

I’m not going to label the two shots below so that you can take a look without introducing confirmation bias.

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this website are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. This helps support the site and allows me to continue producing free content.

Which one do you prefer? Do you see a significant difference?

In my shooting yesterday, I noticed a couple of things. The Nikon Zf’s Monochrome profile is slightly more punchy than the OM-3’s default MONO 1 profile in the overall exposure, giving darker, deeper blacks SOOC, but the midtones were a little flatter and exposed darker. When viewed in isolation, I think the OM-3 Mono 1 profile with some slight tone curve adjustments looks punchy, but next to the Nikon SOOC they looked less contrasty and brighter overall.

By adding a slight tweak to the tone curve in-camera via the color wheel on the OM-3, I was able to add a little contrast. I dialed in -2 shadows, +1 highlights, and +1 midtones, and that increased contrast. However, having now had a chance to look at the files back home and then push the JPEGs around a little bit in Lightroom, I’d bring the shadows down to -3 and put the midtones back to 0 for my next outing if I wanted to match the punchy output of the Zf SOOC without crushing blacks and ensuring I preserve the highlight detail.

In terms of detail, with both having roughly 20MP sensors, it was a tie.

In my opinion, both the Zf and the OM-3 output excellent black and white files, and both cameras offer the ability to tweak the straight-out-of-camera look to adjust to your taste and the subject.

I do not see a huge advantage to the full-frame sensor in the shots here or the thousands I have taken with the cameras over the years. There are definitely differences—for instance, the tonal gradations between shades of grey in the clouds on the Zf are fractionally smoother, but it takes zooming in to 100% in Lightroom or printing large prints of 20×16″ or more to see that difference, and in a blind test, I’m pretty sure a huge percentage of people wouldn’t bet their house on which file is which.

Of course, the Zf will offer about 1.5 to 2 stops better high ISO performance so it will be better in low light too. I see this in skin tones being more natural on the Zf once the ISO level starts to climb. But then it is possible with a fairly still subject to shoot the OM-3 in Hi-Res mode, which not only gives you more detailed files, it gives you better high ISO performance and skin tones. It’s a workaround and one that is not suitable to every situation, but it is an option.

If your subject is stationary, the OM-3 offsets the low-light performance of full frame almost completely with its incredible IBIS, which allows slower shutter speeds than any other non-OM System camera that I’ve ever used. With the Zf, I may get sharp shots down to 1/4 of a second handheld; with the OM-3, I’m comfortable at 1 second.

There is also the aspect ratio to consider. If you have a strong preference for one over the other, that can influence your choice, with the Zf’s wider 3:2 aspect ratio against the OM-3’s more square 4:3.

And of course, depth of field is different, with the Zf being more easily able to create shallow depth of field while the OM-3 naturally gives you more in focus for a given aperture. One is not better than the other in my opinion. For shots like these, the extra depth of field meant I could shoot the OM-3 at f/4 rather than f/8 with the Zf. On the other hand, for black and white portraits, that shallow depth of field of the Zf can be an advantage if you want to isolate your subject.

In terms of handling, I enjoyed both yesterday, but that has as much to do with my need to get out and have some peace as it does with the cameras. I could happily use either of these for my black-and-white work. The OM-3 had the 17mm f/1.8 ii attached and the Zf had the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.8 S on it. The Nikon felt considerably heavier, yet mounted on my Peak Design Capture Clip, the extra weight made little difference. The OM-3 was slung around my shoulder on a Peak Design Leash camera strap and felt incredibly light.

Both lenses are available here:

Nikon Z 35mm 1.8S

OM System 17mm 1.8II

A couple of points on handling. The Zf allows you to customize the control ring on the lens to act as an aperture ring. Even though it’s clickless, I still prefer it over using the command dials on the OM-3. However, the front command dial on the Zf which you can also use to change your aperture is awkwardly placed, and on more than one occasion I flicked the on/off switch instead of changing the aperture. Of course, I’d get used to that if I wasn’t swapping between cameras so much, but it’s worth noting.

The OM-3 dials just feel better.

So which camera is ultimately better for black and white shooters?

Like always, it really depends on several things: how much weight are you prepared to carry, how much money do you want to spend, and what is your subject and output.

If I was shooting black and white portraits and quality was my ultimate goal, I’d go with the Zf.

See the latest price for the Nikon Zf here

If I was shooting general photography, often landscapes, and I wasn’t going to be printing larger than 30×20″, then I think the OM-3 makes for a more fun and enjoyable camera to shoot with, and it’s easier to get good results with its deeper depth of field and computational modes.

See the latest price for the OM System OM-3 here

In terms of image quality, the Zf is the winner in my opinion, but the differences are nowhere near what the 4 times larger sensor would have you believe. Whether those differences are worth it to a photographer are absolutely subjective.

In my black and white photography projects here in Scotland, I will shoot whichever camera suits the day and subject, but after yesterday, I’ll never feel worried that I’m somehow missing out by using a Micro Four Thirds sensor. I’ll leave you with the final edited photos from yesterday.

Photography is my salvation. To get out, to try and clear my head, to notice the beauty around me, and to try and see beyond the destruction of the life I had envisioned.

We hadn’t been out for a walk for over a week; neither Sofia, my mum, nor myself had the energy left until yesterday. We needed time to recover, to let our nervous systems return to something resembling normal, and simply to get used to living in peace again. Yesterday was the first time I’d had a good night’s sleep in months. It’s the first time a huge grey cloud of stress and exhaustion didn’t feel quite as present as it has been for the last three months, and the first time I woke up without the certainty of fighting another battle.

So, I suggested a walk along the River Earn—a beautiful spot where mature trees line a path right next to the banks as it meanders toward Crieff and beyond. Even though I was lacking inspiration, I wanted to try and get back in the swing of things and take a camera with me.

I returned to my trusty friend, the Fujifilm X-T5. This walk wasn’t about getting the shot; the camera was brought along almost as a companion, to help me rediscover myself and feel the simple urge of pressing the shutter. I chose the X-T5 instinctively as a tool I’ve owned for a long time now—one that I’m familiar with, and one that through its tactile buttons and dials gives the tangible experience of using a camera, not a computer. It’s light and unobtrusive, yet I know that in the unlikely event I actually make a decent photo, the image quality and look will be excellent.

More than any other camera I own, the X-T5 makes me feel like a photographer who makes pictures rather than takes them. It’s not the fastest, fanciest, or most expensive; it doesn’t look professional or have headline-grabbing specs. But it truly is a photographer’s camera that can inspire you, and that’s what I need right now.

In the last couple of months, I’ve been juggling multiple issues: navigating the best interests of my youngest daughter, Izzy, managing the conflict in the house, trying to remain a place of stability and support for Sofia, acting as a defender of my mother, and trying to stabilize a website that lost a large chunk of its income overnight back in late May. With growing emotional and financial pressures mounting, the emotional ones finally exploded and came to a head. The financial pressures are still with me, but at least now I can hopefully start to have a clear enough head soon to be able to address them.

As we walked down the old path at Lady Mary’s Walk in Crieff, Sofia looked carefree and relaxed as she treated every rock and obstacle as her own private assault course. We dropped off the path several times to explore the rocks strewn at the river’s edge. I took the X-T5 off my Capture Clip and started to feel something. I was still very flat, but the creative juices—while not flowing—were at least starting to trickle as I saw my mum and Sofia howling with laughter as they teased each other and feigned pushing each other into the river.

We had planned to walk the length of the path and do a circular route back to the car park. The walk is stunning, with mature Scots pines and other trees lining each side. However, once Sofia saw the sand at the riverbank, we simply sat, ate a snack, and played in the sand and amongst the rock pools like kids on a summer holiday, reminding me of being Sofia’s age and family trips to Cornwall back in the 80s and 90s.

Before we knew it, two hours had passed, and the fresh air had us all yawning. We made our way back along the river towards the car, home, and a much-needed afternoon nap. The X-T5 had done its job and left me feeling a little lighter than I have in weeks.

With the way my income and other things have been going lately, I’ve questioned what I’m doing and where I am going. I’ve considered selling off many of my cameras, even thinking at one point about removing the X-T5 and all my X-lenses. Yesterday showed me why I won’t do that.

I’ve seen the rumors of the X-T6, and I’ve even been in contact with Fujifilm UK about securing an early model. But looking ahead, I simply don’t see any camera replacing my X-T5. It offers an experience that is unmatched when you just want to make photographs and enjoy the sheer experience of doing so.

For anyone who is dealing with stress, getting out with your camera, with no pressure to get any shots at all but simply to start to notice the world around you, is probably one of the best medicines I can think of.

If you want to read more articles like this one then here are a few links:

A walk in Pethshire with the 56mm 1.2WR

A walk through Beaver country with the Fuji X-T5

Returning to the woodlands of Perthshire with the Fuji X100VI

Then I check my bank balance, look at Sofia on her Summer break and realise that for me and likely a lot of other photographers, these epic locations are beyond our reach, our budget and our time constraints.

In all honesty, I no longer feel the pull of these Instagram worthy locations. I feel that they’re overdone, overshot and overcrowded. By staying close to home, I gain something that no amount of travel can give me: familiarity, repeatability, and consistency.

I’m fortunate that I’ve travelled quite a lot in my life and perhaps that is partly why I get a much warmer, more comfortable feeling from staying near to home. Perhaps that’s why I appreciate the Scottish countryside so much and find beauty everywhere I look here.

Even if you haven’t travelled much, I’d still argue that some of the best photos that you could make are sat waiting, right on your doorstep. Maybe it’s a local park, woodland or river, perhaps it’s the daily goings on in your particular street, the development in your local town. Whatever it is, the fact that you can access it repeatedly gives you a huge advantage and a perspective that no visitor to your area will ever be able to recreate. It’s unique to you and your location and it gives you the opportunity to make photos that say something about a place, over time—something that can’t be captured from a week’s ‘epic trip’ and some one-off ‘banger’ shots.

But Summertime is a bad time of year for photography, isn’t it?

I tend to agree that Summertime doesn’t always offer the best light. A lot of the day consists of harsh, direct sun that can create high-contrast or washed-out scenes. Sunrises are early and sunsets, particularly here in Scotland, are well beyond my bedtime. But that doesn’t mean we should skip it altogether.

There are some simple ways to still get out and make photos, even in summer. Basic ideas such as trying to photograph in the shade, doing macro photography, or focusing on small details are often heard for good reason—they allow you to work within a small area where the light isn’t at its harshest. You could take up photographing birds and wildlife as they’re busy fattening themselves and their offspring up to prepare for winter.

However, all of these suggestions require a change in subject matter which you may not wish to pursue.

For me, I’m not going to suddenly become obsessed with macro photography for one season; it doesn’t evolve my photography and the work doesn’t fit with the projects I’m working on. Instead, I find ways to incorporate the harsh light of summer into my photos, using the various tools we have as photographers to make the light and the scene work. If you can master the techniques we practise all year round and combine them with a mindset of just getting out and shooting, there are still great photos to be made, whatever the season and whatever the light.

I talk more about my process for creating photos with atmosphere in any light over on my personal site—you can read the full breakdown in The Architecture of Atmosphere: How I Construct an Image.

My goal here is to remove technical friction so you can focus on what matters: taking pictures. Whether you’ve just unboxed your camera or are simply eager to start shooting without getting lost in complex menus, this guide is designed to get you up and running as quickly as possible.

Getting Started: Your First Steps

The first thing you are going to want to do when you get your new Nikon Z50II is to check that you have everything that is supposed to be included. Sometimes this varies by region. My Z50II was bought in a kit with the Nikon Z 16-50mm kit lens and is official UK stock bought from Amazon. Here is what’s included:

• Nikon Z50II camera body with lens cap.
• Nikon EN-EL 25a rechargeable battery with plastic battery cap.
• NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens and white plastic rear lens cap.
• Official Nikon Camera Strap
• USB-C Charging Cable
• Official Nikon warranty paperwork

The Nikon Z50II does not come with a separate charger so unlike older models, you will have to charge it via the USB-C cable before your first use.

Both the battery and SD card fit into the same compartment at the bottom of the camera, underneath the camera grip.

Ensure that you put the SD card in with the sticker side facing towards the outside of the camera as is shown below. Don’t force the card as it should fit in perfectly and you will feel a gentle click as it correctly fits in to place.

Once you have slotted in your memory card, check the orientation of the battery by aligning the metal pins with those inside the camera.

Slot into place and you will feel the battery catch within the latch. Then close the battery compartment door and you will again feel a click as the door locks in to place.

Now it’s the bit all photographers hate, charging up the camera and being patient. Make sure you fully charge the camera before first use as that maximises the power and battery condition, ensuring it performs as well as possible.

Simply plug the supplied USB-C cable in to a USB-C compatible charger and the other end in to your camera. On the left hand side of the camera you will see a small orange light indicating that the camera is charging. When the light goes off, the camera is fully charged.

Once the camera is fully charged you will need to attach your lens to it in order to access all shooting menu options.

If you haven’t done this before then it’s a simple process. Loosen the rear (white if you have the kit lens) lens cap so that you can take it off one handed. leave the lens face down in a safe accessible place.

The best way to put a lens on your camera in order to minimise getting dust on the sensor is to have the camera held in your right hand, front of the camera facing towards the floor.

Now press the lens release button on the camera (I find using my left thumb for this easiest). It’s located to the left of the lens mount as you hold the camera (you can see it in the picture above, just above where I’ve marked up the photo saying ‘lens mount marker’) . As you press the lens release button, turn the plastic lens cap on the camera to the left (counter clockwise as you hold the camera) until the white dot on the lens lines up with the white dot on the lens mount of the camera. The lens cap will then come off if you gently pull it away from the camera body.

Now remove the rear lens cap from the lens, and line up the white dot on the rear of the lens with the white dot on the camera’s lens mount. You will know when you have them lined up correctly as the lens will sit flush to the camera lens mount. Once lined up, simply turn the lens to the right (clockwise as you hold the camera) until it clicks in to place. Your’e now ready to power up your camera for the first time. One tip, always switch the camera off before changing lenses to avoid dust being attracted to the sensor by the electrical charge of the camera.

Understanding your Shooting Modes (The PASM Dial) Before turning the camera on, set the shooting mode by turning the top-right PASM dial. Here is a quick breakdown of what they do:

• M (Manual): You have full control over Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO (if not using Auto ISO).
• A (Aperture Priority): You control the Aperture and ISO (if not using Auto ISO), and the camera adjusts the shutter speed to get the correct exposure.
• S (Shutter Priority): You control the Shutter Speed and ISO (if not using Auto ISO), and the camera controls the Aperture.
• P (Program): The camera controls Aperture and Shutter Speed, while you control ISO (if not using Auto ISO).
• SCN (Scene Mode): The camera controls all settings based on a specific scene you select (e.g., food, portraits, landscapes).
• Auto Mode: The camera controls almost everything. Note that many advanced functions—like manual White Balance or custom AF modes—are locked here.
• C1–C3: These are custom slots for your saved settings. Ignore these for now; I’ll cover how to set these up in my advanced guide.

My Recommendations: If you are just starting out, P mode is a great place to begin. The camera handles the heavy lifting of exposure, but it finally lets you make adjustments and access the menus restricted in Auto mode.

If you want to get creative but don’t want to be overwhelmed, Aperture Priority (A) is where you should head next. Controlling the aperture allows you to creatively manage your depth of field (how much of your frame is in focus) while leaving the camera to handle the shutter speed. It’s a very fast way to get the professional-looking results you want while being able to shoot quickly.

Turning the camera on for the first time

Nikon has the best on/off method in the industry. Simply flick the switch located around the shutter button to the on position. It’s the best as it allows you to quickly turn the camera off and on one-handed.

To navigate through Nikon’s menu system use the multi-selector 4-way controller located around the OK button. Of course you can always use the touch-screen if you prefer.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the controls:

Multi selector buttons:

• Enter – Right on the multi selector or press the OK button
• Back – Left
• Return to main menu – Press the Menu button
• Resume shooting – Half press the shutter button

The first thing you will need to do is set the time and date for your camera. This is located in in the setup menu denoted by the spanner icon on the left hand side of the menu page).

I’m in the UK so I set it to:

• Timezone: London
• Date format: DMY

Next, we will set up the basic camera options in the Photo Shooting Menu (denoted by the Camera Icon on the left hand side of the menu page.

I’m not going to recommend changing too many settings here initially as the aim is to get you shooting as quickly as possible. If I haven’t mentioned it below, then I don’t think it’s worth changing at this stage.

If you’re a beginner and don’t want to spend too much time editing photos after you have taken them then the settings below will get you great results.

Select Image quality > Jpeg/Heif> Fine: The best image quality straight out of the camera. By shooting in Jpeg, the images the camera produces won’t need heavy editing. They are a final product, ready to use. They will have had color and sharpening applied to them and are ready to share or print. You can still edit them in an app further if you wish with small adjustments to exposure, adding filters for film looks etc. Note: The Z50II has a dedicated picture control button on the top right of the camera where you can manually select your preferred Picture control profile. Why Nikon calls them that rather than just color profiles I don’t know. Anyway, although it’s totally subjective, I tend to use Standard for color shots and Deep Tone Monochrome for black and white images.

Why not shoot in RAW? Every “expert” will tell you to shoot in RAW format for the best possible quality. While that is technically true, when you are just starting out, the last thing you want to be doing is spending hours editing every single photo in software. Unedited RAW files look inherently flat and lifeless. Often, you will struggle to make a RAW file look better than a “straight out of camera” JPEG, so why not save yourself the time? Despite what you’ll often hear, you can still edit JPEG files if you want to apply a creative look, and they are perfectly usable even if you never touch a piece of editing software.

Select Image Size > Large: This gives you the maximum resolution from the Nikon Z50II. 5568 × 3712 pixels or 20.9mp.

Next we are going to set up the ISO settings of the camera so that it will change this for you automatically. Think of ISO as the ability of the camera to brighten or darken the image based on your other exposure settings. It’s a little more technical than that but for now, just understanding this will be enough to get started.

We want the camera to choose the ISO setting so you don’t have to keep changing it whenever the light changes but we want to give the camera certain parameters to work within so that you always get sharp photos.

Select ISO sensitivity settings > Auto ISO Sensitivity control ON and then under Minimum shutter speed select Auto and click again. Now select Faster +2 setting. This ensures that the camera will give you a fast enough shutter speed to get sharp shots based on your focal length. I set Maximum sensititvity to 12800 as thats about the limit of what I consider to be acceptable image quality from the Nikon Z50II.

Next we’re going to make sure you have white balance set to auto so that the color of your photos will be correct even when the light changes. We’re going to make a tweak to the white balance behaviour though to keep pictures looking natural.

In the Photo Shooting Menu select:

• White balance
• Auto1:Auto
• Keep overall atmosphere

They are the only changes in the Photo Shooting Menu I would recommend making if you are brand new to the Nikon Z50II as a beginner. But next we need to take control of the autofocus because as good as cameras are these days, there are still times when you need to overide what the camera is trying to focus on or you will end up very frustrated.

Autofocus setup for beginners

I’m going to keep this section as simple as possible and offer the two best autofocus options for when you’re just starting out. This isn’t the complex “pro” setup I use, but that level of configuration simply isn’t necessary—or helpful—when you are still learning the ropes.

To focus the Nikon Z50II, simply half-press the shutter button to start the autofocus system. If you take your finger off the button, the AF system stops. To take the photo fully depress the shutter button after obtaining focus (indicated by a green AF box in the viewfinder or on-screen.

My recommendation for general photography is to start in Auto-area AF. This allows the camera to scan the scene and identify the subject, and the Z50II does an excellent job of selecting the right focus point.

To set this up: In the Photo Shooting Menu, select AF-area mode > Auto-area AF.

If the camera struggles to choose the right subject, you’ll want to take control. The easiest way to do this is by switching to 3D tracking mode.

The fastest way to switch: Press the i button, select the AF-area mode / Subj. detection icon, and use the rear control dial to select 3D-tracking. It’s just one click to the left.

How to use 3D-tracking: Once active, place the autofocus box over your subject and half-press the shutter button. While keeping the button half-pressed, you can move the camera to “recompose” your shot exactly as you wish. The Z50II will “stick” to your subject and retain focus, even as you shift your framing. It’s that simple—no complex button configurations required.

While I use other focusing modes, this setup keeps things simple and still allows you to get great results while not overwhelming with complicated setups and simply allows you to focus on taking pictures. When you eventually do want more control you can come back here to see how I have set up my own personal Z50II including the full configuration and customisations.

Viewing images

The last thing we are going to do is customise the playback operation and settings so that you can see useful information when you look back over your images.

By default, the Nikon Z50II gives very little information in when you look at the images you have taken. At the very least, we want to be able to see basic shooting information so you know what settings were used as well as ensure that your photo was correctly exposed.

To do this choose the playback Icon in the main menu. It’s a play button in a rectangle (4th from the top on the left hand-side.

Select playback display options and check the following:

• Exposure info
• Highlights
• RGB Histogram

Then press the Menu button to let the camera know you’re done.

Now when you look back through the photos that you have taken, you can cycle through the information by pressing display or the up and down buttons on the multi-selector. You will be able to see your exposure settings, any blown highlights (areas that are too bright) which will be flashing black and also a full histogram which represents the tonal values in your image, from dark on the left, to bright areas on the right.

Next, I always turn picture review off because it becomes irritating when it constantly shows you the photo that you have just taken and it interrupts your flow when taking multiple photos quickly. Select:

Playback menu> Picture review> Off

That is it for the basic setup of the Nikon Z50II. With the settings above you will be free to go out and start taking photos and get great results. To get those photos quickly on to your phone and to update the camera’s firmware to the latest version to ensure maximum performance, you should also download the Nikon Snapbridge app and connect your camera to it. I’ll walk you through that below.

Connecting the Nikon Z50II to Nikon Snapbridge

Firstly, download the Nikon Snapbridge app to your device. I use an Iphone and Ipad so I go to the App store. If you’re on Android then get it from the Google Play store.

Once downloaded, open up the app. On the home screen, you will see a cog icon at the top right of the screen, tap on this and click Add camera. Select the correct type of camera (Z50II) which is the second option under mirrorless camera section.

Next select Pairing (Bluetooth) and then:

On your camera’s menu, navigate to the Network Menu (second from bottom on the left)and select Connect to Smart device now select pairing (bluetooth) and then Start Pairing.

Your camera should now show as a bluetooth connection option in the Snapbridge app. Click on it. You will see a screen saying connecting to camera and then this screen may show for what seems like an eternity. Be patient as eventually your camera will show up on the select an accessory page.

You will eventually see your camera ( i just did mine again for this article and it took about 1 minute for the camera to show up) in this list.

Select the on-screen options to pair and also confirm the pairing on the camera and you are done. A screen should pop up in the app saying ‘pairing complete, connected to camera. hit ok and you’re app and camera are now paired.

From the app you can download photos, update the firmware and control the camera remotely. There is also a feature called Easy shooting setup where you can download settings for specific shooting scenarios where it will load what Nikon deems the best settings for that shooting scenario.

Pro tip: Keeping SnapBridge connected also allows your phone to sync GPS location data to your photos—a lifesaver when you’re out in the Scottish Highlands and want to remember exactly where you took a particular shot.

The app will automatically tell you when there is new firmware for the Z50II and you can simply press the notification and follow the on-screen instructions to update your cameras firmware wirelessly via the app. Just make sure you have plenty of battery power remaining on your device and camera. I’ve updated the firmware on my Nikon Z cameras many times and it works flawlessly.

The Nikon Z50II is a fantastic camera when just starting out. it’s light years ahead of the camera I learned photography on and as I continue using it here in Scotland, I’ll be writing more articles about it, publishing more advanced custom setup guides as well as putting it through its paces for a wide variety of subjects. I hope you found this setup guide useful but if there’s anything that I missed or that you would like to see included then please feel free to comment down below.

Last night, I’d had enough of the kit lens, so I took it off and put the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S lens on instead. Stupidly, I forgot about the Dx crop factor which results in the 50mm lens giving a 75mm field of view. Yes, my head is elsewhere at the moment. So after a couple of shots where things didn’t feel quite right, I realised my mistake and adjusted to the more narrow 75mm field of view.

The Nikon Z50II is touted as one of the best cameras for beginners, it usually comes up in people’s lists but I’m finding that while it may be a ‘beginners camera’, or at least a camera that is a good choice for beginners, it’s actually just a really capable little camera. To start to test my hypothesis about this camera, I decided that it’s time to roll out my selection of high quality Nikon Z lenses and see if the Z50II started to show any limitations.

Struggling with your Z50II settings? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the menus or aren’t sure you’ve got your camera configured for the best results, I’ve put together a dedicated Nikon Z50II Quick Start Setup Guide. It covers the essential configurations I recommend to get you shooting with confidence—minus the complex technical jargon.

At the moment, there is a fair amount of turmoil in our house as we are navigating visa options for my wife, so my focus wasn’t really on subjects, so much as the beautiful evening light we were getting. Sofia and I have taken to regularly walking a neighbour’s two dogs in our local park as she is sadly, no longer capable of doing so herself. As well as doing something nice for the dogs and their owner, which I always feel is a good example to show Sofia, it gives me the perfect excuse to get out a little later in the evening and witness the beautiful late summer evening light that we get here in perthshire.

Teddy (Yorkshire terrier) and Poppy ( Cairn/Yorkshire terrier cross) happily walked alongside Sofia and my mum while I had the Z50II + 50mm 1.8S attached to my Peak Design Camera Leash. The 50mm is substantially larger than the 16-50mm kit lens but it pairs well with the Z50II and the balance feels excellent thanks to the camera’s decent grip.

As I followed behind the dog walkers, pockets of light amongst the woodland kept catching my eye. Patches of woodland spot-lit by the Sun breaking through, huge Scots Pine tree trunks partially lit, partially in shadow and open fields with sheep grazing amongst patches of light. It was the perfect evening to capture the warm, Instagram esque colors of summer.

However, my youngest daughter Izzy, who we have developmental concerns over and have been having assessed since she arrived in Scotland, and in fact was the whole reason that we moved here, is leaving Scotland tomorrow with my wife, at her insistance.

My wife has to obtain a long term visa from her home country. A rule implemented by the UK Government that seems totally illogical in our situation,. So both the frustration and exhaustion of dealing with this over the last few months, as well as the conflict over what’s best for Izzy between my wife and I meant I was in no mood to capture pretty colors or the beauty of summer. I shot in dark, moody black and white using Nikon’s Rich Tone Monochrome picture profile, reflecting my mood as I prepare for Izzy to leave for an unkown length of time.

The Z50II and 50mm 1.8S combination easily coped with the harsh highlights and shadows of the evening. I found myself often reaching for the exposure compensation button, which is placed exactly as it is on my full frame Nikon Z cameras. The only ergonomic annoyance was the lack of a joytstick, which thanks to my muscle memory being used to having one, on a few occasions slowed me down. But for this kind of shooting, it didn’t really matter that much.

In this kind of light, with heavy shadows, the lack of IBIS (in body image stabilisation) was a factor that meant I had to keep my shutter speed at 1/100 or more. That’s not usually the case for me, but I tested how low I could go with the 50mm giving a 75mm field of view and as I dropped the shutter speed to 1/60, I found I was introducing motion blur. I think someone with a steady hand could manage slower shutter speeds than I did last night, their blood pressure may be a little lower than mine currently is.

As we sat by the now empty lake on the estate, the evening light raked across the landscape and after taking a few shots of Sofia, we just sat there for perhaps half an hour. I put the camera down, and we just enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation with the Sun warming us, dogs by our side. ‘So this is what it feels like to simply be‘, I thought to myself. I need more of that and photography, again, along with Sofia, act as the facilitators for that.

So how does the Nikon Z50II perform when you put a high quality lens on it like the Z 50mm 1.8S? Exceptionally well. Over the coming months I anticipate having a lot more time to dedicate to this website and photography as Izzy leaves us for 6-12 months. My images may well become darker for a time, but I hope that through photography, I can start to see the light again and bring more value through articles, photos and, if I can gather enough energy, Youtube. If you are interested in what’s next then you can subscribe to my newsletter down below. I don’t send out emails very often as I value your inbox.

As I wanted the day to be about her and not photography, I took the Nikon Z50II and the diminutive 16-50mm kit lens to keep things small, light, and unobtrusive. In the morning, I checked the camera over; everything was fine, the battery had only one bar depleted after it’s last outing, and the memory card was inserted and formatted. I attached it to my Peak Design Leash camera strap, and we headed out to Auchingarrich Wildlife Park.

I thought I was prepared for a relaxed day of shooting. It didn’t quite turn out like that.

Struggling with your Z50II settings? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the menus or aren’t sure you’ve got your camera configured for the best results, I’ve put together a dedicated Nikon Z50II Quick Start Setup Guide. It covers the essential configurations I recommend to get you shooting with confidence—minus the complex technical jargon.

As we walked around the park, shadowed by two particularly greedy young goats, Sofia’s mood seemed to lighten. I could tell she was really enjoying the interactions with the animals as she fed them the contents of the little animal snack bag we had bought.

After around 10 minutes of walking, I’d estimate I had taken 20 photos when, to my surprise, the camera’s battery warning light started flashing at me. How could that be? At home, it had shown only one bar depleted. I turned it off and on again; the indicator briefly returned to white, but within seconds, it went back to flashing red. Despite the battery issues, I still rate the Z50II as a great camera for beginners. You just have to be aware of your battery level throughout the day and perhaps buy a spare.

‘Okay, it’s Sofia’s 10th birthday. It’s important, and I want some memories of the day‘, so I switched into battery management mode. I reduced the number of photos I took and picked my moments a little more, making sure to switch the camera off after every single opportunity.

I only have the battery that came with the camera, so I knew it was unlikely I’d be able to shoot through the day unless I seriously restricted my shot count. Instead, I decided to focus on the experience and spend time with Sofia, even more than I’d planned.

I watched on as my little girl—now a ‘big girl’ at 10 years old, as she likes to tell me—smiled as a meerkat approached her until it was literally on the other side of the glass. Sofia moved her hand slowly towards it, I’m certain wishing she could stroke it. She has an unbreakable love of animals, and this was exactly the kind of medicine she needed today.

We continued around the park, seeing owls, searching for the elusive Scottish Wildcat (who never made an appearance), and walking amongst wallabies and emus in the Australian section, before heading for a delicious lunch at the restaurant. Sofia’s mood had perked up, and I’d still managed to avoid the dreaded black screen of death by carefully managing the battery level.

At lunch, I remembered I had an Anker Nano powerbank with an integrated USB-C cable in the car, so I nipped back and retrieved it. I expected to have to leave the camera and powerbank in my pocket for at least half an hour, but in the end, I managed to rig it up so that the camera could remain around my neck and the powerbank could stay in a chest pocket of my waterproof jacket, allowing the cable to reach without having to put the camera away.

After lunch, now with me feeling more relaxed knowing I could continue capturing moments, we enjoyed wandering the park, which is actually half wildlife experience and half working Scottish farm. The highlights weren’t actually the exotic animals but the interactions Sofia had feeding sheep, donkeys and Fallow deer which shes dreamed of seeing up close for a long time. Our day ended with Sofia spending plenty of time stroking and fussing the beautiful resident sheepdog of the farm before letting her choose a soft toy in the giftshop to add to her collection.

So how did the camera perform for a day of family photography?

I actually found the camera really good; it was light and fast to focus, although I miss a focus joystick as using the rear 4-way controller is not as intuitive. Autofocus with my setup—which I’ve configured to replicate my Nikon Z8 and Z6III—worked well.

The 16-50mm lens is competent and sharp in the centre, but it feels a bit meh. It’s interesting, actually: you can’t use shallow depth of field as a crutch, which makes you work a little harder for compositions. On a day out where spending time with family is the priority, that resulted in fewer keepers, as I didn’t want to keep re-taking shots and delay the day. Having to always unlock the lens is also irritating, but the incredibly small size and weight is a trade-off I think is fair.

I didn’t use the rear LCD screen even once during the day. I found the viewfinder adequate for shooting; it’s not the best at 2.36 million dots, but it never felt like a deal-breaker. It does the job well enough to function, and that’s what I care about. A better viewfinder is always nice, but I’d take this over not having one at all.

When I got home, after eating a slice or two of the cake my mum had made for Sofia, I took the opportunity to view the photos I’d taken. I shot 117 photos throughout the day and ended up with 12 that I thought were worth editing. Some are nice; others I edited simply because I liked Sofia’s expression or because they serve as a record of the time we spent together—especially during what has been the hardest three months of our lives. A few were edited specifically to give me more insight into how the Z50II RAW files behave in post.

Overall, considering the lens used, I was happy with the files. They felt like Nikon files in terms of color and dynamic range, and I was even able to shoot a couple of indoor shots at ISO 12800 that turned out to be perfectly usable—one of which I converted to black and white just to see how the result looked.

Would I have gotten ‘better’ images using a full-frame Nikon Z camera with a prime lens? Almost certainly. But would I have even taken it with me on a day meant for Sofia? I doubt it. That is what I took away from today regarding the Z50II: it’s just like a Nikon, only smaller.

Nikon Z 35mm 1.8S vs 24-120mm f/4S

Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S vs 24-120mm f/4S

Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend equipment that I have personally used and tested.

Today was my Mum’s birthday ( I wont say her age or she will kill me) so I took her out for lunch at a lovely pub not so far from where I live. For those visiting Perthshire I can highly recommend the Smiddy Haugh (great food and service). I brought along the Z6III (full Nikon Z6III review here) and 85mm 1.8S (for more details see my Nikon 85mm 1.8S review) to get some memories. I chose the Z6III over the Z8 for its smaller size and weight as photography wasn’t the point of the outing but still, when you’re a photographer the camera always comes along.

I’ve shot the 85mm 1.8S in the Philippines and here in Scotland. I’ve always been impressed with its optical quality. Today was no different. But given that I own the 24-120mm f/4 (see my Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S review for more details) and most of my portraits these days are for family projects, is it really worth having an $800 lens in addition to the zoom or is the zoom good enough?

To test the lenses fairly, I set up my Z8 (which I reviewed in full here) on a tripod, found the minimum focusing distance of the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S and shot a test subject from wide-open to f/8. I then swapped lenses and mounted the 24-120mm f/4S and zoomed to 85mm and replicated the same process. I then shot the 24-120mm at its minimum focus distance to show the difference and I also shot both lenses wide-open from approximately 6 feet away to give an idea of the look you can get from typical portrait distances.

Size and Weight

The Nikon Z 85mm 1.8s is noticeably larger than both the Nikon Z 35mm 1.8S and 50mm 1.8S that have featured in the previous comparisons. The weight of 470 grams feels fine when shot on any of the Nikon Z bodies with a decent grip (see my roundup of the best Nikon Z cameras). It’s more the size that is noticeable in terms of its length. Nikon have opted for a lens that is longer and thinner than something like the Fuji 56mm 1.2WR for example. I have two thoughts on this, one is that I prefer a chunkier but shorter lens in terms of looks but the extra length of the 85mm 1.8S does give plenty of room for your left hand to support the lens from and space to manually focus comfortably if you wish (I never do). While the 24-120mm f/4S is hevaier at 630 grams and takes a larger 77mm filter compared to the 85mm’s 67mm filter ring, it doesn’t feel like it’s in an altogether different size and weight category. In my opinion, size and weight savings aren’t substantial enough to choose the prime over the zoom in this case. Both lenses feel well made, are weather sealed and focus quickly and accurately.

Image Quality

When both lenses are shot wide-open two things are apparent, one is that the depth of field of the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S at f/1.8 is very narrow and secondly, at f/4, the Nikon Z 24-120mm is sharper. Both lenses are more than sharp enough for any normal use.

When the 85mm 1.8S was stopped down to f/2.8 it sharpened up a little and the depth of field became more manageable, allowing for more of the subject to be in the critical plane of focus. Both lenses are now very comparable in terms of sharpness and when viewing the photos at full screen, both look pin sharp. When zooming in to 100% crops, the zoom still has a very slight edge in terms of sharpness.

At f/4 both lenses are essentially identical in terms of sharpness. Even zoomed in to 100% I cannot meaningfully tell the difference in terms of sharpness.

When stopped down from f/4 to f/5.6, the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 at 85mm doesn’t really show any improvement in terms of sharpness. It’s already bitingly sharp at f/4.

After shooting these test shots at the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S’ minimum focusing distance of 80cm, I moved the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S in until I reached its minimum focus distance of a claimed 35cm. I then took a shot to show the difference between the two, which is not insignificant.

At this point I should note that there is a differrence between the marked 85mm position and what the camera states is 85mm on the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S. I found that I had to zoom in past the position marked as 85mm on the zoom lens in order to obtain what the camera and Lightroom reports as being 85mm focal length. Even with the additional zoom, at an indicated 85mm as shown in the Lightroom screenshots, the zoom shows a slightly wider field of view than the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S prime lens at this focus distance.

After these tests, I then paced out approximatley 6 feet from the subject and shot both lenses wide-open in order to give a more realistic real-world shooting distance and show the difference between f/1.8 and f/4.

At this distance, it is now the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S lens that is giving a slightly wider field of view. The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S is exhibiting some variable focus breathing which is depending upon the distance to subject.

When shooting close in to the subject, the f/4 aperture of the zoom lens gives decent subject separation, that for a lot of people will be more than enough to give their subjects enough pop to separate them from the background, once the distance to subject increases, as in the shot above, the background at f/4 becomes quite distracting. The larger aperture of the prime lens starts to show its advantage in scenarios like this. If you can’t control your background, distance to subject or you simply want the ability to use shallow depth of field creatively, the prime lens starts to show its value.

Verdict

If you shoot portraits, family photos creatively or value depth of field control highly, then yes, the prime lens is worth adding to your kit as it truly can create photos that stand out. It’s very sharp, has excellent bokeh and is in my opinion, the best portrait lens for most people, for the Nikon Z mount. Not to mention the low light benefits of f/1.8 vs f/4, which for portrait subjects where you usually need a minimum shutter speed of 1/160 or more can be critical.

But what if you own the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S, are a general photographer who shoots a bit of everything, including your children and family. Is it worth buying the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S too?

It really depends on how much value you put on those photos. For me personally, shots like the one above make it worth keeping the 85mm in my bag because in confined spaces, where I don’t have total freedom to move subjects, my position and the environment, it gives me the ability to capture moments and keep them looking special. Would I buy the prime again, now that I have the 24-120mm f/4S, probably not as it’s not a focal length I use that often so I would either work within the zooms constraints in terms of aperture or opt for a more flexible prime in the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S which can capture a wider variety of subjects and therefore represents a better value proposition. Let’s not forget that you can also zoom the 24-120mm f/4S in to 120mm which will naturally give you more subject separation if you have the distance to move back and still frame your shot as you want to. If i was shooting portraits for a living or as my main subject, then yes, the prime is absolutely worth it.

You can check out the latest price for the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S here.

You can see the latest price for the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S here.

For a bit of context, if you have not read my site before, I shoot with the Nikon Z8 (full Z8 review here) , Z6III (full Z6III review here), and Zf (full Nikon Zf review here). I’ve been using Nikon cameras for over 10 years, dating back to the DSLR days, and I’ve also shot a lot of different systems, including Fuji, Canon, Sony, OM Systems, and Panasonic, as well as the Ricoh GR series. I started off with entry-level cameras before moving to my first full-frame Canon 5D MK II while working as a professional landscape photographer before moving toward travel photography. My writing comes from the point of view of someone who is used to using professional-level tools.

Struggling with your Z50II settings? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the menus or aren’t sure you’ve got your camera configured for the best results, I’ve put together a dedicated Nikon Z50II Quick Start Setup Guide. It covers the essential configurations I recommend to get you shooting with confidence—minus the complex technical jargon.

Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you

My Nikon Z50II + 16-50mm lens arrived from Amazon on Monday; I paid £851.44 (just over US $1100). I don’t remember the exact price of my Canon 450D, but I recall it was somewhere in the region of £400 (just over US $500) back in 2008. These are my initial thoughts, from my notes, after having unboxed it, set it up, and taken it out for a couple of hours on a local walk in the countryside. I’ll be writing much more on the Nikon Z50II as I continue to use it as I did at Sofias birthday recently and when I finally took the kit lens off.

It doesn’t, for the most part, feel like a beginner camera; it feels more like a miniaturized proper Nikon Z camera, almost like a miniature Z6III. The ergonomics feel familiar, with only a few things noticeable, one being the smaller battery, which on a two-hour walk with intermittent shooting, dropped one bar. Other differences include the memory card slot not being on the side of the grip but within the battery compartment, and the Z50II having a dedicated picture mode button on the top of the camera. The PASM dial also has an extra scene mode and is located on the right-hand side of the top plate where, on my Z6III and Z8, the top LCD screen would normally be.

Handling Impressions

In terms of handling, it feels incredibly light and compact. Combined with the 16-50mm kit lens, I hardly even noticed it when it was clipped onto my Peak Design Capture clip, attached to my backpack. At a combined weight of 685 grams (or about 1.51 lbs), it’s getting into compact camera territory.

First thoughts about the ergonomics are that they are way above what I was expecting; the grip is deep, really ergonomic, allowing my hand to get great purchase on the camera. The on/off switch is in the usual Nikon place, wrapping around the shutter button, and the top plate features the familiar 3-button setup just behind the shutter button—Record, ISO, and exposure compensation—exactly as my Z8 and Z6III. There are some other slight variations in button feel; they are not quite as solid as the higher-end cameras, but it feels very similar and coherent with the rest of the Nikon Z line.

Setup

I already did an initial custom setup to replicate my Z8 (I detailed my Z8 settings for wildlife here) as closely as possible in terms of button functions so that I can swap pretty seamlessly between my full-frame Nikon Z cameras and the Z50II. The fact that this is even possible surprised me, and it shows Nikon’s intent to make the Z50II more than just an entry-level camera.

I initially set the display button on the rear of the camera to activate single-point AF but found that the button is slightly awkward to activate due to the position my hand sits in. So, I am changing that customization and swapping that function to the AE-L/AF-L button instead, as that’s easier to reach more naturally. In terms of ergonomics, this is a world away from how I remember my beginner camera, the Canon EOS 450D. It feels refined, well-built, and capable. Surprisingly so, if I’m honest. I didn’t expect quite this level of customizability and feel from a camera aimed at this level.

My First Outing

For my first outing, I took the Z50II with just the 16-50mm kit lens on a walk where beavers are located. We knew we wouldn’t see them in the daytime, but I wanted to show Sofia their lodges. The walk there initially cuts through some farmland with beautiful ancient trees lining a narrow path before entering woodland and signs of beaver activity all around.

We got slightly off-track due to the incredible amount of fern growth which has sprung up since the last time I was here. We ended up having to find our way through dense woodland, across the pools and bogs that the beaver activity has created. Eventually, and after pushing through foliage that dwarfed Sofia, we got back on track and made our way toward the lodges. All along the walk, I was picking out shots and getting a feel for what this camera and lens combination could do.

I’ve set the autofocus up exactly as I have it on my other Nikon Z cameras for familiarity. A couple of things immediately impressed me with the Z50II, the first being that it was even possible to so closely replicate the functionality and setup of professional-level Nikon Z cameras. The fact that Nikon has allowed this, rather than differentiating the Menu system between a beginner-level camera and pro-level cameras, is an inspired choice in my opinion. It allows someone like me, who uses top-of-the-line gear, to pass down my experience from those cameras and use it with the Z50II. I never got the feeling that the camera had been dumbed down, which in turn gave me a feeling not of “ah god, this is restrictive and basic,” but more so that Nikon genuinely set out to make a smaller, cheaper version of their pro-level bodies. It feels every bit a Nikon Z camera of this generation.

My subjects were mainly trees, farmland, and the odd shot of Sofia, so I didn’t get to test out autofocus tracking, subject detection, or the more advanced AF elements yet. My default AF mode is Wide-Area AF S on all my Z cameras and so I set the Z50II up in exactly the same way. It feels responsive in my limited testing so far, but I will dig deeper into that in future outings.

A lot of the time I used my custom setting button to activate Single-point AF to ensure accuracy when photographing the landscape and ensuring the correct depth of field in shots. Speaking of which, due to the smaller APS-C sized sensor, depth of field is naturally deeper than my full-frame Z cameras which makes it easier to get front-to-back sharpness with larger apertures, something quite useful for landscapes. So instead of shooting at my usual f/8, I found myself at f/5.6 more often. One issue of course is the variable aperture of the Nikon Z 16-50mm kit lens, which when zooming through the focal range, sometimes makes f/5.6 impossible. At the long end, you’re at f/6.3.

Another factor I had to keep reminding myself of was that the Z50II does not have In-Body Image Stabilisation, so I had to remain aware of shutter speed so as to not introduce any camera shake into images. I rarely dropped below 1/30–50 of a second for this reason, and so on a couple of shots, the camera was at a higher ISO than I would normally have chosen.

Image Quality: Initial Impressions

Still, the image quality seems excellent, especially considering this is a kit lens. My initial instinct, although I will test this properly later, is that the lens is sharp in the centre, may soften slightly as you zoom towards the extreme end of its focal length, but as someone who uses some of Nikon’s top Z lenses, I never felt like the lens was terrible; in fact, for its tiny size, I was pleasantly surprised.

I should mention that the weather for this walk was pretty grey and overcast for the most part with drizzle turning to more persistent rain as we headed back towards the car. The Z50II has weather sealing and so I simply left it out in the elements, either on my Capture clip or in my hand, and continued to shoot.

When I got home, I went through some of the files and applied my usual editing style in Lightroom on my iPad. The files look good; they seem to offer the same ability to edit in terms of colour, dynamic range, and malleability that I’ve come to expect from Nikon. Technically, I haven’t tested them side-by-side to the full-frame photos coming off my Z6III or Z8, and will do so in due time, but as an initial impression, they seem to be in the same ballpark, if you allow for the sensor size difference. Overall, so far, my initial impressions of the Nikon Z50II are that it’s every bit a modern Nikon Z camera, in a smaller package, not a stripped-down beginner camera. That’s what impressed me the most when I first unboxed it and after taking it out on an initial shoot.

You can see the latest price for the Nikon Z50II kit I bought here.

In the first article, I ended up concluding that for general shooters, the Nikon Z 35mm 1.8S probably isn’t worth the expense as that focal length doesn’t really take advantage of a primes benefits in terms of depth of field. If you are interested in how the Nikon Z 85mm 1.8S performs against the 24-120mm f/4S see my latest article in the series.

However in this second article, we are starting to get in to the type of focal length where depth of field naturally becomes more important. Often 50mm is recommended as the best first prime to start with as it gives a natural field of view that closely replicates the human eye, is much more flattering for portraits and allows you to focus on subjects with less context. All these types of shots are areas where depth of field control can be important.

I grew up in a time when primes were considerably better than zooms optically. I remember seeing the difference between Canon professional zooms such as the 17-40mm f/4L and primes like the Zeiss Otus line. However with Nikon in particular producing some incredibly sharp zooms in their Z lens lineup, does this still hold true or not?

This article contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear that I have personally owned and used extensively.

Methodology

Because I own both of these lenses, this comparison is based on thousands of frames shot in the real world. However, to provide a fair, head-to-head comparison, I headed to my local testing ground to conduct controlled tests.

For these, I mounted my Nikon Z8 to a tripod to ensure total consistency.

• Mid-Distance Sharpness: I shot my standard test scene with the Z 24-120mm f/4 set to an indicated 50mm, stepping through its aperture range from f/4 to f/8. I then swapped to the Z 50mm 1.8S, shooting from its wide-open aperture of f/1.8 through to f/8.
• Minimum Focus Distance: To evaluate close-range performance, I repeated the process at the minimum focusing distance for each lens, again ranging from wide-open to f/8.
• Portrait Distance & Depth of Field: Finally, to illustrate the practical difference in subject isolation, I shot both lenses at a common portrait distance of approximately 6 feet, with each lens set to its respective maximum aperture (f/1.8 for the prime and f/4 for the zoom).

Size and weight and Handling

The Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4 is not a small lens. At 630 grams, it feels substantial and is well-matched to my Nikon Z8; it also handles well on my Z6III. On my Zf, however, it’s horrible. That said, it remains below the point where I feel the size and weight become a major factor. When mounted on the Z8, it balances well, doesn’t feel front-heavy, and I happily clip it onto my Peak Design Capture Clip when hiking. It features a telescopic zoom design that extends the barrel as you zoom, but even fully extended, it never feels unwieldy. It also uses a 77mm filter thread, a standard size that lets me use my existing filter kit.

The Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S is a different story. At 415 grams, it is lighter than the zoom, though it’s worth noting it is roughly 45 grams heavier than the 35mm 1.8S I tested previously. It is quite a substantial lens for a 50mm f/1.8; it is definitely not a “plastic fantastic” like the old Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 I bought many years ago. However, the performance is in a completely different league compared to those older lenses. While it’s not as compact as some legacy primes, it still feels relatively compact on Nikon bodies like the Z6III and Z8.

I won’t dwell on this too long, as it’s clear that you are paying a size and weight penalty in return for the flexibility of the zoom. Whether that trade-off suits your shooting style is subjective; neither lens is “too heavy” or “too small,” they are simply designed for different priorities.

Image Quality

The first thing to note is that unlike in the 35mm comparison, the Zoom at 50mm and the prime give effecteviely the same field of view.

At 50mm, the shallower depth of field of the 50mm 1.8S is quite noticeable, giving a much smoother background which I find less distracting. There is some noticeable vignetting at 1.8 on the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S. It’s easily corrected in Lightroom with the use of lens profiles though.

When I look at the images side-by-side in Lightroom’s comparison tool, without zooming in, both look very sharp, with good contrast.

Once I zoom in to 100% , both lenses give sharp crisp details with a slight edge going to the zoom at f/4 over the prime at f/1.8.

Once the 50mm 1.8S is stopped down to f/4 to match the zoom, it becomes slightly sharper than the 24-120mm f/4. It’s not a night and day difference though. For normal use, I’d honestly say the difference is essentially irrelvant.

Once both lenses are stopped down to f/5.6, I struggle to see any meaningful difference, even when zooming in to 200% in Lightroom.

When I have to zoom in to a 200% crop to be sure of the differences, it shows just how close in performance the two lenses are in terms of sharpness in the centre of the frame.

At f/5.6 the extreme edge, performance from both the 24-120mm f/4 and 50mm 1.8s is essentially identical. So for landscapes and general use, I really see little difference between them in terms of pure sharpness.

It’s the same story when both lenses are stopped down to f/8 and beyond so I wont bore you with further examples at those apertures.

Next up I wanted to test how each lens at minimum focus distances. Nikon quotes the 24-120mm as having a 35cm minimum focus distance compared to the 40cm of the NIkon Z 50mm 1.8S. So to compare, I shot both lenses at the closest focusing distance I could obtain with the prime lens, from wide open to f/8.

At this point I want to note that Lightroom is telling me I hit exactly 50mm on the zoom lens this time and it does result in a marginally tighter field of view than the 50mm 1.8S prime, due to focus breathing in the 24-120mm f/4S as it focuses closer.

When shot wide open, the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4s is slightly sharper than the 50mm 1.8S. The differences are tiny but can be seen once you crop in 100% on the images.

In my opinion the difference in subject separation and background blur is fairly significant. The background blur on the 50mm 1.8s lens is significantly smoother and less distracting. The definitiion of the highlights in the background on the 24-120mm f/4s image are distracting. However, subject placment, distance between the background and subject will all have a major effect on this and to be quite honest, the background on the 24-120mm image is already out of focus to a degree where it is already sperating the subject well. Just how out of focus do I need my backgrounds is the question I’m asking here.

I then took a test shot with the 24-120mm f/4 at its minimum focus distance to show how it affects things.

The comparison above shows that the zooms closer minimum focus distance makes quite a difference and a side-effect of this is that it pushes the background more out of focus compared to the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S.

Finally, I took shots with both lenses wide-open at their respective apertures from a distance of 6 feet to show the difference in subject separation and bokeh from a fairly standard shooting distance.

The larger aperture of the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S shows much more subject separation at f/1.8 than the f/4 of the zoom.

Verdict

Honestly, as I’m writing this I am really torn on the value of the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S lens if you already own the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4. For landscapes and general shooting, the zooms flexibility combined with excellent sharpness are basically a no brainer. I’m genuinely surprised that the 50mm 1.8S didn’t easily beat the 24-120mm f/4 in terms of sharpness. If you’re simply looking for better image quality than the Zoom, in the real world, where we aren’t pixel peeping, I just cannot recommend spending the money on the prime lens if you aleady own the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4.

Is there still a case for owning the prime? Absolutely, but it has little to do with sharpness any more. Nikon with their Z line, seem to have really closed the gap that used to exist between primes and zooms. The conventional wisdom that primes are significantly better optically than zooms, no longer seems to hold up. So what’s the point in the prime? Well beyond the ability of teaching you to see in a certain way, which I’ve talked about many times before, and giving creative constraints which can help your photography improve, I was genuinely struggling to justify the prime lens.

The saving grace is the last test image showing shots at a fairly standard portrait distance. The prime is not a little better here, it is orders of magnitude better if you really need the ability to isolate subjects and throw backgrounds out of focus. Not just that, but it allows greater depth of field control which can be used as a way to guide viewers around a photo.

But these are either quite advanced or quite niche use cases and so, even though the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S is one of my favourite Nikon Z lenses, and the one where I thought the primes would start to justify themselves more, I have to conclude by saying that if you own the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4s lens, are a general photographer rather than a specialist, then unless you absolutely want that f/1.8 aperture, to isolate subjects, or you simply prefer working with primes, then it’s simply not worth spending the money on the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S.

You can see the latest price for the Nikon Z 24-120mm f/4S here.

You can see the latest price for the Nikon Z 50mm 1.8S here.