The Z50 should be replaced by a D500 type Z camera.

donaldejose

I say yes. Make it small and light with a higher megapixel sensor and the Expeed 7 processer and the latest Nikon AF. Would it become a favorite of birders and wildlife shooters like the D500 was? The Z50 is 4 years old. It seems like Nikon has abandoned crop sensor cameras. Should Nikon instead just produce a very high megapixel full frame body which can be shot in DX mode when more "reach" is desired?

I have been satisfied shooing a 45 mp Z9 (same would go for the Z8) in DX mode when more "reach" is desired birding.

I have also enjoyed shooting a Z50 with the 18-140 zoom as a very light walkaround camera. This combination is very easy to carry and not really limiting for general photography. Here are some Z50 18-140 RAW images taken on this morning's fall walk and processed through Nikon NX Studio. Click through to flickr to see better. What do you think? Is the Z50 outdated or still fully usable?

mhedges

I think they should refresh the Z50 but I don't think that should be a D500 type camera. That would be too high end and leave a big hole in the middle of the crop sensor body camera lineup. If Nikon thinks there is a market for such a thing it should be an entirely new model.

I go back and forth on whether it makes sense or not. I think what people would want would basically be a crop sensor Z8, and I would guess cost would be $2500 or maybe a little higher. Is there enough demand for a crop sensor body at that price? D500 had a big advantage over using D850 in crop mode in addition to price, namely a full size viewfinder. Mirrorless cameras don't have that issue; they just zoom the EVF in.

NSXTypeR

I certainly agree that Nikon should make a mid and high end mirrorless camera. I was having difficulty waiting for Nikon to make a proper mirrorless replacement for the D7500 but Nikon never did as of October 2023. I have a trip next week so I decided on getting a D7500 as an update to my D7000. I don’t think Nikon’s priority is with DX mirrorless, which I certainly think is a mistake as not every DX Nikon user would stay with Nikon if they were to migrate to mirrorless. If I didn’t have a bunch of FX lenses around and EN-EL15 batteries I’m certain I wouldn’t have bought the D7500. I am used to the reach of DX format cameras.

Although the D7500 is old, it’s a good upgrade in terms of ISO and buffer performance.

donaldejose

Yes. I had a D7000 and it was great. But I am sure you will notice improvements with the D7500.

NSXTypeR

Oh I'm already enjoying the increased resolution and ISO performance! I don't think I fully optimized and understood the AF system on the D7000 and the D7500 is another jump in AF performance that I have a lot to get used to. Especially with the muscle memory I got from just using the D7000 for so long. The ISO button swap and the toggle for the PASM dial does take a bit to get used to, but not too big a deal. I'm already using the floppy screen a lot for high and low compositions I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. Live view is somewhat slow but already a huge improvement over the D7000. Being able to use my old battery is also nice.

Overall the D7500 a solid head and shoulders improvement over the D7000. Losing the dual card slot and the aperture tab with older F-mount lenses is a nonstarter as I barely used a 2nd card and I'm keeping the D7000. Plus the only older F-mount lens I have is the 50mm 1.2 and I rarely use it.

I guess the only thing I could potentially ask for is USB-C power delivery or charging, which would optimize my travel kit to potentially one plug but again, not too big a deal. I wish Nikon had refreshed the D7500 one last time like the D780, but with Nikon iterating mirrorless cameras so slowly, waiting for one last midrange DX DSLR is beyond a lost cause. F-mount cameras are dead in the water at this point. If anything I'm looking around for cheap lenses, maybe I'll pick up a 200-500 for cheap-ish. Oh, also using the 70-300 AF-P on the D7500 has been a joy, the D7000 was only slightly compatible with it, the meter would reset each time you let your finger off the shutter which would make compositions slightly slower. Plus, the battery is still amazing. I would say I get at least 1000 images per charge at a minimum. I really can't say how many photos I get, I'd never been in a situation where I run the battery dry. I'm really happy I got the D7500 as it can be the last camera I buy.

donaldejose

"it can be the last camera I buy" Oh no! You have to experience mirrorless just to realize how much better it can be than a DSLR. You can pick up a used Z50 and FTZ adaptor so you can use all your F mount lenses.

Pistnbroke

I am now using the left overs from my wedding kit..two D7200 with 100-400 and getting the best bird photo I ever had . forget D850/200-500/150-600

donaldejose

Your happiness with a DX body and 100-400 zoom lens is why Nikon should produce a high megapixel DX Z body replacement for the D500 to fill the niche of DX bodied bird photography with the great new Z lenses. But it may be too small a niche for Nikon to see profit in. Lots of people want a 33 mp Z6III and a 60 mp Z7III so Nikon may see more profit in producing those bodies rather than a D500 replacement. Nikon has to focus on what it can sell the most.

NSXTypeR

donaldejose said:

"it can be the last camera I buy" Oh no! You have to experience mirrorless just to realize how much better it can be than a DSLR. You can pick up a used Z50 and FTZ adaptor so you can use all your F mount lenses.

I say that with tongue in cheek, I don't shoot as much as I used to and if I had restraint I could have sufficed to stay on with the D7000... but with Nikon discontinuing F-mount DX support, I had the mental gymnastics to run out and buy a D7500. If Nikon has a midrange DX mirrorless equivalent to the D7500 that uses the EN-EL15 battery I might get that later on. There's no doubt that mirrorless is an advance in technology, but the F-mount midrange DX line ends with the D7500.

donaldejose

I don't shoot as much as I used to either. The old Z50 and the old Z6II are perfectly adequate for what I do now. However, I do want to support Nikon by purchasing new bodies and lenses so they can survive and have funds to develop new products. So I buy more than I need.

NSXTypeR

donaldejose said:

I don't shoot as much as I used to either. The old Z50 and the old Z6II are perfectly adequate for what I do now. However, I do want to support Nikon by purchasing new bodies and lenses so they can survive and have funds to develop new products. So I buy more than I need.

I did my part, I bought directly from Nikon mostly because I wanted VR on the 18-140 lens. It was slightly more expensive than some of the better deals from the camera resellers, ended up being about $1500 total. To be fair the D7500 with 18-140 kit was a bit scarce to find at the resellers, so I pulled the trigger.

donaldejose

Good, as best we each can we have to help Nikon over its "rough spot" in recent years so it can survive and carry on its glorious history. I think time will prove that the Z9 body and the f1.2 lenses were a "turning point" for Nikon's fortunes. The Z8 and the 135 Plena lens are destined to become legendary.

Pistnbroke

Never been happy with the 20 MP sensor v the 24. However I do think there are good pixels and not so good so perhaps the 7500 makes up for the loss with better pixels and processing than my 7200

donaldejose

In order to offer a compelling reason to purchase a Nikon Z DX body, Nikon should offer more pixel density in its DX sensor than can be achieved when shooting any of its FX sensors in crop mode. Offer more feather detail and that will attract birders: a key target group for a D500 replacement. As far as I have seen Nikon has no plans to do so.

Pistnbroke

I agree 100% ..never had any success with D850 in crop or any other mode .

mhedges

Pistnbroke said:

I agree 100% ..never had any success with D850 in crop or any other mode .

What was the issue? If it's noise a high pixel density DX camera won't be any better.

NSXTypeR

I'm happy I took my D7500 to the Japan trip, I definitely got photos I wouldn't have gotten with the RX100 or my cell phone. Autofocus is definitely more sure footed and although I don't shoot action that much, that buffer is practically infinite for my uses, not that my D7000 was ever slow. That ISO range is no joke, I was comfortable using up past ISO6400. What a huge improvement over the D7000. I even got to use the flippy screen a couple times to shoot above and below me to get past the crowds and shoot in tight places. Live View AF is definitely way faster than the D7000 as well. I definitely just left VR on the lens and I think it's helped me a few times with slower shutter speeds. I brought my old D7000 battery with me and a fresh EN-EL15 and I never drained the batteries, I might have charged it when one battery was closer to empty twice. I'm glad I got the camera before the trip.