Nikon Z50 From dinky toy to proper camera 30 January 2020

I have been using a Z50 recently and  finding the experience very agreeable.  I will be posting more about this camera in coming weeks.

I know not why but of late it seems some reviewers and bloggers appear to be making a sport out of negative comments about the Nikon Z system.

The Z50 has not been spared with one outspoken Youtube vlogger declaring the Z50 to be a HUGE MISTAKE   presumably with more interest in clickbait than meaningful discussion.

I am in fact finding the Z50 to be a very likable little camera with most of the image quality and capability of the Z6 but half the mass, size and cost. Both the 16-50mm and 50-250mm kit lenses deliver excellent results.  The twin lens kit delivers very good value for money.

There is one thing however which prevents the user experience from being as good as it could be given the size envelope (width x height x depth) of the unit.

That is the short handle and the awkward placement and haptics of the front dial.

This is the same problem as I found on the Z6/7 and for the same reason.

The front dial is still serviceable and the handle is comfortable enough with small/light lenses but both could easily be improved without changing the size envelope of the body. This would entail raising the height of the top plate and reworking the relationship between the shutter button and front dial similar to that which is used on the Panasonic FZ1000.2 and Panasonic G9.  This arrangement with shutter button forward and control dial behind the shutter button gives a more natural position for the right index finger on both control modules and allows for better haptics. You also get a significantly higher handle which can accommodate a full five finger grip without raising the overall height of the body.

I was unable to find any commercially available grip extender so I fashioned one for myself out of plywood and polyester resin.

You can see it in the photos.

I did not expect much benefit from the accessory handle but was pleasantly surprised to find that it completely transforms the feel of the camera.

Hence the title of this post …………From dinky toy to proper camera.

This is just a one-off home made job so when it is in place I have no access to the battery and card and there is no way to fold the monitor fully down for selfies and vlogging. I don’t use the latter and am finding I can get 400+ shots per battery, so shooting for several hours at a time is generally possible.  The grip extender is easy to remove anyway when required. It just screws into the tripod socket.
It adds 17mm to the handle height.

Without the grip extender the Z50 feels…..OK, …..quite nice………….really…….

When I pick up the camera with the grip extender in place I go….AHA !! ………That’s what a proper camera feels like.

The issue is not just about feelings and preferences either. My initial tests indicate a higher percentage of sharp frames at low shutter speeds with the grip extender than without it. I will run more tests on this.

Update: 1 February 2020. I ran systematic tests using the 16-50 and 50-250mm lenses. I found no significant difference in stability with the accessory handle on or off.

I sent a message to Meike in Hong Kong asking them if they would consider making a grip for the Z50 similar to the very good one they do for the Z6/7 but have so far received no response. I guess that maybe the fold down 180 degrees monitor might be seen by third party providers as a roadblock.