Nikon’s entry-level Z50II adds a dedicated button for color styles

Nikon has announced a new version of its entry-level Z50 mirrorless camera. The Z50II offers improved shooting capabilities thanks to a new image processing engine, and a selection of 31 “film-inspired looks” quickly accessible through a dedicated button. It will be available starting in late November for $909.95 for the camera body alone, but can also be bundled with lenses. Adding a 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens will boost the price to $1049.95, while a bundle with both a 16-50mm and a 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens will be $1,299.95.

That dedicated Picture Control button — the first on any Nikon camera — is the Z50II’s most exciting upgrade. Pressing it enables a real-time preview of “up to 31 built-in color presets” so you can see how each style affects the “color, tone, and feeling of the scene” before you press the shutter. The button is similar to the film simulation dial on top of the Fujifilm X-T50, and the Z50II’s styles can be expanded by downloading “Imaging Recipes” to the camera through Nikon’s cloud services that have been developed by “notable creators,” says the company.

The Nikon Z50II features the same 20.9-megapixel CMOS crop-sensor as the original Z50, but with improved shooting capabilities as it’s the first APS-C camera from the company to use the Expeed 7 image processor found in the $4,000 Nikon Z8 and the $5,500 Z9. That allows the Z50II to shoot at up to 30 fps using its electronic shutter, or up to 11 fps with its mechanical one.

The upgraded processor also boosts the Z50II’s autofocus capabilities with the ability to detect and track nine different subjects including people, animals like dogs and cats, cars, trains, and even planes.

Improved video capabilities boost 4K video captures to 60 fps, up from 4K at 30 fps with the original Z50, and add the ability to record in the N-Log format at 10-bit offering more flexibility when color grading footage in post-production. The Z50II also adds a waveform monitor, a “Product Review Mode” that will prioritize the focus on subjects placed in the foreground, and a continuous record time of 125 minutes.

Other upgrades include an electronic viewfinder that’s nearly twice as bright as the one in the Z50, pre-release capture that can record up to 30 JPEG images before the camera’s shutter button is fully pressed, a tally light indicating when video is being captured, and the addition of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The camera still relies on digital stabilization over in-body stabilization, but that has helped keep its starting price under $1,000.