Nikon Z50 review: Click sharp daylight images with natural colours

Nikon Z50
Highlight: Ease of use
Get it for: Rs 72,995 (body only)

The Z50 is the latest mirrorless camera from Nikon and is targeted at semi-pro photographers who want something more than an entry-level device. Compact and free of flab, the Z50 is lightweight and the buttons are easy to reach. One-handed operations are ideal and the overall handling experience is fine.

The Z50 is equipped with a 20.9MP APS-C (DX-format) sensor and has an ISO range of 100-51200. The camera is designed around the company's Z mount. At the top of the body is a 0.39-inch, 2360k-dot electronic viewfinder. Below the viewfinder is a 3.2-inch touch-sensitive TFT LCD screen that can be tilted and used to take selfies too.


Backing the 20.9MP sensor is the Expeed 6 image processor, which allows 4K UHD (3840 x 2160p) video recording with up to 30fps.

The camera lens can zoom in and out in the range of 16mm to 50mm, with markings of 24mm and 35mm on the side of the lens. In daylight shots, at 16mm and 24mm, the camera takes crisp and sharp images with the natural colours intact. At 50mm and more zoom, the objects in focus came out to be slightly less sharp and there is the blurriness of the surroundings.

From about 5 metres, the camera shots come out with clarity but they lack sharpness. The colours, however, are retained regardless of the distance. When aiming for the shot, the autofocus of the lens adjusts within a few seconds.

At night, in poorly-lit environments, at 16mm also, the camera clicks reasonably good images with acceptable levels of details and clarity, but appear slightly grainy. In well-lit market areas, the image quality is better with less grain. Close-range shots are sharper with very little grain.

The Z50 has built-in Wi-Fi and files can be transferred using Nikon’s SnapBridge app but downloading photos and especially videos from the camera is time-consuming.

The camera comes in a robust and compact design and gives a great handling experience. The low-light shots could have been captured with more clarity but this is a balanced camera in the mirrorless segment.

(The writer is with gadgetsnow.com)

Picture Perfect: Try Trick Photography With Your Smartphone

1/5

Your phone camera is a lot more capable than you think.

While it may not offer as much control as a DSLR yet, you can use you phone to capture photos with amazing trick effects.

ET tells you tips and apps to get unique captures using your phone camera.

Your phone camera is a lot more capable than you think. While it may not offer as much control as a DSLR yet, you can use you phone to capture photos with amazing trick effects. ET tells you tips a..

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The idea behind HDR or High Dynamic Range is to enhance detail in an image (especially the shadows and darker areas) and make it appear more vibrant.

Typically, this is done by taking multiple photos with different exposure level and then combining them into one. On a majority of smartphones today, the HDR feature is built into the camera interface so you don’t need a separate app.

In case your smartphone does not have HDR feature, try an app called ‘A Better Camera’ by Almalence — it offers HDR for both stills and videos. iPhone users can enable or disable Auto HDR in the camera settings.

Head to Settings > Camera and you will see the option of Auto HDR along with the option to save the normal photo in addition.

The idea behind HDR or High Dynamic Range is to enhance detail in an image (especially the shadows and darker areas) and make it appear more vibrant. Typically, this is done by taking multiple phot..

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Tilt Shift lets you take miniature photos and is ideal for shooting cars or a cityscape from atop a building. It is important that you find the right place to shoot and make sure that the area you keep in focus has lots of bright colours to make it stand out.

Android users can try the Tilt-Shift Camera app by mrgnpza. This free app lets you adjust the focus area and lets you choose between linear or circular zones.

Various apps such as Instagram, Snapseed and Pixlr also offer the option to add the tilt-shift effect. If case you are an iOS users and want better control, you can get the Glass Tilt Shift app which costs US $2.99.

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You’ve probably seen photos with beautiful light trails or a photo of a waterfall/river in which the water appears to be in motion. This is done by a technique called long exposure which requires control over the shutter speed.

In auto mode, any camera (including a DSLR) will tend to keep the fastest shutter speed that freezes everything in place. You will need to slow the shutter down with a manual mode. The first thing to keep in mind is that your camera needs to be steady — placing on a flat surface or stand/tripod is best.

Android users can check if the smartphone has a Pro/Manual mode. If yes, then open it and increase the shutter speed (make it a second or more). Next, go to the ISO setting and select the lowest available value. That’s it, you just need to find a subject — you can use a highway, shoot stars or even do light painting by pointing a light towards camera and moving it around in the air.

You will need to experiement with different shutter speeds for different scenarios. In case your Android phone does not have a manual mode, you can use apps like Long Exposure Camera 2 or Camera FV-5 Lite.

iOS users can use the Live Photo feature to create long exposure photos. Just enable Live in the camera interface and take a photo. Head to the Gallery, tap the photo you have taken and swipe-up — you will see four options including long exposure. Select it and your photo will be converted to one with a long exposure.

This might not give you the best results each time as the shutter speed is not that long. Alternatively, you can try out third party apps such as LongExpo, Slow Shutter Insta and Ultra Slow Shutter Cam.

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In a panorama sequence, you can take a wideangle panorama with your subject appearing multiple times in the frame for a cool looking shot. Since almost all smartphones today come with a panorama mode, you don’t need to install any extra app.

Start shooting a panorama from one corner with your subject standing in one pose. Once you have panned enough to have the subject out of the frame, stop moving and let your subject circle around behind you to a new position in the frame.

Repeat this process a few times in a single panorama photo and you will get a panorama sequence. Your subject will appear in different poses in a single panorama photo.

In a panorama sequence, you can take a wideangle panorama with your subject appearing multiple times in the frame for a cool looking shot. Since almost all smartphones today come with a panorama mod..

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