Nikon's latest crop-sensor mirrorless, the Z50 II, is now on sale, with a worldwide release date of November 21, and at a cheaper list price than its predecessor (in the UK at least – in the US and Australia they are pretty much on parity). The body-only camera has a list price of $909/£849/AU$1499. The list price for the original Z50 is $899/£899/AU$1499. In the UK, most retailers still stocking the original camera were selling it at the full asking price. So savvy Brits will save £50 and get a far more advanced camera by opting for the newer model.
There are a few exceptions, with stores selling the older camera at the same price or slightly below the new camera, but the cheapest I could find the Z50 on the day of the Z50 II's launch was Amazon, which had cut the price of the body to £719. But I still wouldn't buy it.
You see, the Nikon Z50 II is by far the superior camera, thanks mostly to its latest-gen Expeed 7 processor, which improves autofocus, ISO and video performance, among other things. Handling is vastly improved too. Still, some things do remain the same in both cameras, including its overall 20.9Mp resolution and headline 11fps shooting rate. We pit both cameras against one another in our blow-by-blow Nikon Z50 II vs Nikon Z50 buyer's guide comparison.
There are also some attractive kit bundles available with the Z50 II. If you don't already have a Z-system lens, I'd strongly advise adding the Nikon Z 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, which is a steal at the bundle price. And for those who'd also like some additional telephoto reach – it's a terrific sports and wildlife camera – the twin-lens bundle that adds the Nikon Z 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR is the one to go for.
Digital Camera World will, of course, give the Nikon Z50 II the full review treatment once we've fully put it through its paces, but given that the previous camera earned the full five stars when it launched five years ago, I am expecting really big things of this little camera. You'll find everything you need to know about it in my exhaustive Z50 II report.
