Over decades as a professional photographer, I’ve developed all kinds of neck, shoulder and back pain from carrying pro gear. And while I’ve found ways to cut back on how much I carry, taking that kind of kit with me on vacation doesn’t sound like vacation. On the other hand, I still want to make high-quality pictures, better than I’d get from my phone. I thought my solution came with the introduction of the Nikon Z50II late last year, and now I’m sure of that. Over a two-week tour of Cambodia and Vietnam with my wife and some friends, it did everything I asked of it.
I could pack the entire kit into the small Think Tank PressPass 10 for our flights (and it then went inside my backpack as a carryon). But while on tour, I normally had just two lenses inside the bag, leaving room for a water bottle, sunscreen and a few other small items.
Utilizing an APS-C sensor (not “full frame”) means the camera can be smaller and lighter, especially paired with a small battery and an SD card slot. But while the camera has to make some sacrifices to stay small, it doesn’t sacrifice on features or image quality. The sensor is the same one used in Nikon’s popular D500, which helps keep the price down. But that older sensor is paired with a new image processor, meaning even better quality. That also means the addition of multiple options in subject detection as well as 3D autofocus, plus loads of other features inherited from it’s big brothers in the Nikon Z lineup (like the amazing “Starlight view”).
The small size of the body is only part of what allows me to carry a lighter bag. Using the compact Z-model DX lenses means that bag can be smaller as well. The two “kit” lenses (often sold as a package with the camera) are relatively slow (no fast apertures), but give an impressively large range of focal length possibilities (equivalent to 24mm-375mm). And image quality, for an inexpensive “kit” lens, is very good. Since those lenses don’t offer me any fast apertures to work with, I added a Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens (super small, with an effective focal length of 36mm). Finally, I added a small third-party lens that I only used occasionally, in special situations (more about that at the end).
Talk about a compact kit! The Nikon Z50II body has a ton of features, and paired with these three lenses let me shoot almost anything: the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3, the Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 and the Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7.
Here’s how I used each of those lenses. You be the judge of how well the camera and lenses performed:
Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7: By far my favorite of the lenses, it gave me the ability to work in very low-light situations and have very shallow depth of field.
I photographed this man on a visit to the village of Dinh Yen to see how tofu is made. He was feeding fires under the pots of tofu, and cooling off by splashing water on himself. Almost every time we went inside someplace, I put this lens on the camera, both to avoid super high ISOs and also to have shallow depth of field. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 1250, 1/160 at f/1.7 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens.
Same village, only this time learning how they produce colorful straw mats. Using 3D autofocus and subject detect, the camera locked onto her face easily. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 800, 1/80 at f/2 in Matrix metering, -1.3 EV, Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens.
Sometimes I chose to use this lens in plenty of light, simply because I wanted a very out of focus background. That was especially effective with the flowers behind this statue in the Jade Temple in Saigon. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, 5630K, ISO 100, 1/160 at f/2.2 in Matrix metering, +0.3 EV, Nikkor Z DX 24mm f/1.7 lens.
Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3: This is what was on the camera most of the time. Great all-purpose lens for general photography. If I could only have one lens to use with this camera, there’s no question it would be this one.
Women at an outdoor market in Tan Chau getting a kick out of our interest in them. The little 16-50mm DX lens was on my camera more than the other three, being a great walk-around lens. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 160, 1/250 at f/5 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 16mm.
A young monk shares the stairs with a dog and cat as he heads out to collect donations in the village of Angkor Ban. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 200, 1/500 at f/8 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 24mm.
While the rest of the group was watching a silversmith at work in a small shop in the village of Koh Chen, I was outside waiting for someone to pedal through this scene. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 250, 1/1600 at f/8 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 22mm.
Street scene during a walk through the village of Angkor Ban. The people in both Cambodia and Vietnam were incredibly friendly and gracious. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 200, 1/40 at f/7.1 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 50mm.
Traffic in Phnom Penh. With the crazy number of scooters zipping around the city, I couldn’t resist a slow shutter speed pan shot. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, ISO 100, 1/10 second at f/10 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 16mm.
Visiting a Buddhist temple in Saigon, I only had a few seconds to make this photo before a crowd of people walked through the scene. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, ISO 320, 1/500 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 16mm.
Night along the Mekong River in Phnom Penh. With pretty good image stabilization built into the lens, I knew I could shoot at a show shutter speed and avoid using a really high ISO. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Auto white balance, ISO 2000, 1/13 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 50mm.
On an early morning “cyclos” tour of Saigon, we rolled past a fashion shoot in progress. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 400, 1/400 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens at 47mm.
Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3: I didn’t use this lens as much as the first two, but having that kind of reach in such a small package was a great addition.
This man was cleaning his… chicken, on Tiger Island. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 640, 1/250 at f/5.3 in Matrix metering, +0.7 EV, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens at 145mm.
We spent a week traveling the Mekong River on a boat, where the heat and humidity outside and the air conditioning inside made taking my gear from inside to outside a challenge (condensation). So I left my little bag of camera gear outside on our room’s small balcony most of the time. That way it was ready anytime I wanted to shoot outside, like this scene of a small market in progress. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 320, 1/640 at f/6.3 in Matrix metering, -0.7 EV, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens at 155mm.
Early morning activity along the Mekong’s edge. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 200, 1/320 at f/10 in Matrix metering, 0.0 EV, Nikkor Z DX 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 VR lens at 165mm.
Pergear Z 12mm f/2.8 lens (manual focus and exposure): I bought this because I really like super-wide lenses, and without it I’d be limited to 24mm. While sharpness was good, the color and contrast aren’t the same as Nikon, and the manual focus slowed me down. While I didn’t carry it much, when I needed it, I needed it. I look forward to Nikon coming out with a super-wide Z mount DX lens.
One of the few times I used the Pergear lens, braced on the railing atop the 21st floor of the Renaissance Hotel Saigon. Nikon Z50II, Aperture Priority, Sunny white balance, ISO 100, 1.6-seconds at f/2.8 in Matrix metering, -0.3 EV, Pergear 12mm f/2.8 manual lens.
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