Nikon Z8 vs Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Z8 and the Canon PowerShot SX50 HS, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon Z8 was introduced in May 2023 and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS was introduced in January 2013. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Z8 over Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Canon PowerShot SX50 HS over Nikon Z8.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon Z8 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,100k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a 2.80" Fully Articulated screen with 461k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon Z8 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Fully articulated screen makes Canon PowerShot SX50 HS selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Nikon Z8 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality allowing users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording.

Viewfinder

Nikon Z8 has a built-in 0.5" Electronic (OLED) viewfinder with 3,690k dot resolution and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 202k dot resolution. They both have 100% coverage.

Nikon Z8 features a 45.7 megapixel Full Frame Stacked CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 64 - 25,600 and expands to 32 - 102,400 in boosted mode. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 80 - 6,400.

Nikon Z8 has Stacked CMOS sensor. The key feature of such sensor is its three-dimensional structure, which consists of multiple layers of semiconductor material and circuitry stacked on top of each other. This allows the sensor to have dedicated layers for image capture and signal processing. This separation allows for faster data readout, reducing rolling shutter effects and enabling high-speed shooting and video recording. It is also more power-efficient.

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Nikon Z8 is equipped with EXPEED 7 processor and can take pictures up to 8256 x 5504 resolution. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS is equipped with DIGIC 5 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 4000 x 2248, 4000 x 2664, 2992 x 2992, 2816 x 2112, 2816 x 1880, 2816 x 1584, 2112 x 2112, 1920 x 1080, 1600 x 1200, 1600 x 1064, 1200 x 1200, 640 x 480, 640 x 424, 640 x 360, 480 x 480 with 1:1, 5:4, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Nikon Z8

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon Z8. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in image stabilization (6 stops of compensation in Nikon Z8). On Nikon Z8 it means that you are still getting vibration reduction when it is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Z8

Nikon Z8 has a built-in Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi 5, 802.11ac/b/g/n, 2.4/5 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Nikon Z8 and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS have built-in Bluetooth (version 5 on Nikon Z8) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon Z8 has a Full Size HDMI and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Z8 comes with EN-EL15c battery pack with battery life of 330 shots and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS comes with NB-10L battery pack with battery life of 315 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon Z8 has two card slots - one for CFexpress Type B / XQD and one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II). Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Nikon Z8 has Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/32000 sec on Nikon Z8, and up to 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. Nikon Z8 can shoot continuously up to 30.0 fps. Canon PowerShot SX50 HS can shoot continuously up to 2.2 fps.

Focusing

Nikon Z8 has Hybrid phase-detection/contrast AF system with 493 focusing points and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has 9 focusing points. Nikon Z8 has detection range from -9 to +19 EV. The ability to focus at as low as -9 EV is a feature exclusive to top-tier professional cameras.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon Z8 ranges from -3 to +17 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range on Nikon Z8 and ±2 range on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon Z8 and exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

Flash

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS has a built-in flash with maximum range of 5.50 m and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Shoe Mount. Nikon Z8 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon Z8 and 1/2000 sec on Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

Nikon Z8 body has dimensions of 144 x 119 x 83 mm (5.67 x 4.69 x 3.27") and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS body has dimensions of 123 x 87 x 106 mm (4.84 x 3.43 x 4.17"). Nikon Z8 weighs 910 g (2.01 lb / 32.10 oz) and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS weighs 595 g (1.31 lb / 20.99 oz).

Nikon Z8

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

144 mm

119 mm

123 mm

87 mm

119 mm

87 mm