Thank you for joining in on this. The newsletter will provide you all with direct information and updates to everything that I'm doing with photography and videography. Some of the topics will be gear talk, mini reviews, question & answer, industry news with commentary, behind the scenes, featured creators/viewers (interviews), interesting links, videos/articles produced over the last month, and status updates on equipment I had featured in past articles or videos.

I finished a large 16 minute hands-on video about the Nikon Z50 camera. I'm a little surprised that they came out with the camera so soon without dedicated APS-C Z-mount lens support, but sooner is probably better than later. They did release the camera with two dedicated kit lenses and you can use the full-frame Z-mount lenses or adapt pretty much anything to the camera you'd like. It's their first APS-C mirrorless camera with the Z-mount and now the cheapest Z-mount camera in the lineup. Some of the features are great and others are a bit odd. You can check out the video on YouTube.

Check out the current price of the Z50 kit here or the body-only price on B&H Photo Video. If you are curious about the old Nikon lens I was using in the video you can visit this eBay link (searches on Nikon AF Nikkor 35-70mm f3.3-4.5) to find one on there.

There are a lot of challenges to producing online videos on platforms like YouTube. Each video usually takes a significant amount of time. I went over the process of making a video... in a video. That covers the hands-on videos like the Nikon one linked above. Right now another challenge is storage of past projects. Each video usually ends up around 15 to 80 gigabytes of data. I really want to save past projects, so the storage requirements are building fast with a few videos a week. It's also good to have duplicates in case a backup drive fails, further increasing the expense and time getting things backed up.

Here are a few recent questions on social media.

Question: Did you get aperture readout when using manual lenses on the z50?

Answer: The lens I used (35-70mm) has auto aperture, so the camera was able to change that and whatever it was set to for each picture is saved in the EXIF information along with what focal length the lens was at. I didn't actually try manually adjusting the aperture, but that should also show up in the EXIF.

Question: If you owned the Z7 would you consider the Z50 for travel? (I travel quite a bit and considering this option)

Answer: You would be saving some space, especially if you forgo a dedicated charger for USB (didn't test that). The 16-50 is very thin, but if the kit lens is the only thing you take then you could get a camera from any maker. At that point the interface and ergonomics are the main factors. The 28mm and 40mm on the lens roadmap might be a good compact trifecta (m50 + 28+ 40), but there is no info out on them. Maybe super compact cameras like Sony RX100 or Ricoh GRiii are worth considering?

Question: Thanks for the great review Scott! Got my Z50 a few days ago. What’s your opinion of the quality and sharpness of the 16-50 lens? Also, I love the grip, but it seems like I always need to loosen my grip to allow my thumb to reach the back buttons and the D-pad. Is that an issue for you?

Answer: I like the quality of the few photos I took with the 16-50, though I mostly used it at 16mm. I didn't notice the back dial problem you have. I could see an issue with the d-pad. I found pressing the ISO/EV comp buttons while trying to rotate the front dial difficult. I assume there is a setting to turn them into a toggle buttons instead, but didn't look into that. Other cameras of a similar size can be a lot worse.

Question: Would you recommend getting an 11-22mm or just 22m for ef-m?

Answer: I like both and use them for different things. Right now the 11-22mm for vlogging, b-roll, and ultra wide photos. The 22mm for videos where I am sitting down and talking to the camera. I also use the 22 for casual photos when I'm at a convention.

Question: Mirrorless, still hasn't won me over, especially (for far) with their single card slot. A double XQD slot would be nice, but I'm currently happy with my D750 and unsure if the D850 is a worthwhile investment, or wait for the next upgrade to see what becomes available! Would love focus peaking and rear button lights....but is it worth $2500.+ at the moment? For a Pro...perhaps, but for those of us that just take photo's for their own use and competition....I'm not sure.

Answer: A solid assessment of your needs. The D750 is a great camera. I personally prefer the handling of it over the D850. I'm not sure why camera companies started dropping the second card slot from mid and higher end cameras. It's a nice feature to have.

Question: What made you leave Pentax back in the day out of curiosity?

Answer: I had wanted to try out full-frame cameras and the Nikon D600 came out at price that I could afford (at the time).

Nokishita is a Japanese source of camera rumors that usually has the information correct and first. They posted a foreign WIFI certification for an upcoming Canon camera with a LP-E17 battery. That's an interesting one. Cameras that use the LP-E17 usually are mid-range such as the RP, M5, M6 (mark II), and SL3. I'm thinking it's a traditional DSLR, but you never know. Canon has said that the M6 Mark II was meant to replace the M5 and M6 together, but maybe they changed their plans.

Fujifilm in the UK opened a "House of Photography" I ran into this link while looking for news. It looks like an impressive place. Their film side of the business must still be doing well for them with the displays there.

I found this article about a woman doing photography and videography of slime molds for 7 years in China. She takes some really nice pictures and video. The video on the website is a mini documentary subtitled in English. She has an intense passion that is really great!

That's it for the first newsletter. I hope you found it interesting. Feel free to respond with feedback!

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