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Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
74
Imaging
68
Features
84
Overall
74
Nikon Z50 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Key Specs

Nikon Z50
(Full Review)
  • 21MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon Z Mount
  • 397g - 127 x 94 x 60mm
  • Revealed October 2019
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Announced June 2015
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 III
  • Successor is Sony RX100 V
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Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

Let's look more closely at the Nikon Z50 and Sony RX100 IV, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Nikon and Sony. The sensor resolution of the Z50 (21MP) and the RX100 IV (20MP) is fairly well matched but the Z50 (APS-C) and RX100 IV (1") provide different sensor measurements.

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The Z50 was manufactured 4 years later than the RX100 IV and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Nikon Z50 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going into a step-by-step comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the Z50 grades versus the RX100 IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon Z50 over the Sony RX100 IV

 Z50 RX100 IV 
AnnouncedOctober 2019June 2015Fresher by 53 months
Display dimensions3.2"3"Larger display (+0.2")
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Nikon Z50

 RX100 IV Z50 
Display resolution1229k1040kCrisper display (+189k dot)

Common features in the Nikon Z50 and Sony RX100 IV

 Z50 RX100 IV 
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Selfie screen Both good for selfies

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and proportions. The Nikon Z50 enjoys external dimensions of 127mm x 94mm x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") accompanied by a weight of 397 grams (0.88 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") having a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon Z50 and Sony RX100 IV in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the Z50 compared to the RX100 IV.

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the Z50 and RX100 IV is 74 and 89 respectively.

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV top view buttons comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to picture the gap between sensor sizing only by reading through specs. The visual here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the Z50 and RX100 IV.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The Z50 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF simpler and the Nikon Z50 will give you more detail due to its extra 1MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics more aggressively. The newer Z50 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Nikon Z50
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 IV
80
you can focus manually
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
65
has manual focus
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with face detection autofocus
delivers RAW formats
can't use external flash
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Street Comparison

Nikon Z50 Street photography details
Sony RX100 IV Street photography details
73
has a tilting screen
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
has touch focus
weather proof
great high ISO (51,200)
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors in class (397g)
85
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than average (298g)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon Z50 Sports photography advice
Sony RX100 IV Sports photography advice
75
MP count decent (21 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
weather proof
has phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
68
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
high max fps (16.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
decent sensor size (1")
comes with tracking autofocus
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon Z50 Travel photography info
Sony RX100 IV Travel photography info
77
weather proof
has bluetooth
has touch focus
MP count decent (21MP)
flash built-in
screen is selfie friendly
heavier than competitors in class (397 grams)
86
lighter than average (298g)
megapixel count good (20MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon Z50 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 IV as a Landscape photography camera
79
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Nikon Z mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
MP count decent (21MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
great high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
no image stabilization
74
has manual focus
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (20MP)
decent sensor size (1")
delivers RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon Z50
Vlogging with Sony RX100 IV
71
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external mic support
no image stabilization
heavier than competitors in class (397 grams)
81
fairly wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detection autofocus
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than average (298 grams)
lack of external mic jack
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Nikon Z50 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon Z50 and Sony RX100 IV
 Nikon Z50Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon Z50 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2019-10-10 2015-06-10
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Expeed 6 Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 21 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5568 x 3712 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 51200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO 204800 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 125
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 209 25
Lens
Lens support Nikon Z fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Largest aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Number of lenses 15 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Tilting Tilting
Display sizing 3.2" 3"
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/32000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 11.0 frames/s 16.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 7.00 m (at ISO 100) -
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync - 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 397g (0.88 pounds) 298g (0.66 pounds)
Physical dimensions 127 x 94 x 60mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 2.4") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 70
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 562
Other
Battery life 320 shots 280 shots
Battery format Built-in Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL25 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes Yes
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-II supported) SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail pricing $857 $898