An instant hit, the Nikon is one of the coolest mirrorless APS-C cameras out there and they’re just getting started. If you’re coming from DSLRs one thing you may not know is that third-party accessory companies produce a lot of cool gear for these small mirrorless cameras that you can use to customize and make it your own.
I’ll list all the most essential accessories and add a few cool body cases or cages that I think are great and will work well with the Nikon Z50.
Best Accessories Nikon Z50 | The Essentials
Best Screen Protector Nikon Z50
One of the most important accessories you can buy that will significantly increase the life of your camera and protect it from wear and tear is a screen protector.
My favorite brand of screen protector is Expert Shield, not just because they make several styles of protectors that are the best, but because they also offer a good lifetime warranty.
Expert Shield Screen Protector Nikon Z50Available At: Amazon The Expert Shield Screen protectors come in a few styles. Crystal Clear, Glass and Anti-Glare. Crystal Clear is the standard thin screen protector you’re probably used to. These are great for protecting the screen from minor dings and scratches. Glass is a thicker material that does a better job protecting the screen from dings and also they are less likely to peel off. Anti-Glare is what I like to use on my street cameras and it’s what I’m using on my Z6. These are great but they do reduce the quality of the image. I have to say, they do make the best anti-glare. I’ve tried other brands of anti-glare screen protectors and it reduced the image too much. |
Best Batteries Z50
If you’re coming from a DSLR the first thing you will notice is how quickly these mirrorless cameras eat battery if you’re not disciplined about turning it off after each shot. Nikon has done a pretty good job in packing the right size battery in these cameras so you can usually get through a nice couple-hour session on just one battery. But it’s always a good idea to have a few backups.
The Z50 does use a different battery than the Z6 and Z7 so if you have one of those cameras you will need new batteries for the Z50. Here is what it takes.
Nikon Z50 Official Battery EN-EL25Available At: B&H The Nikon Z50 uses the EN-EL25 battery. It’s a little pricey but it’s always good to have at least one official battery since they do produce the best results and last the longest. Some people like to have several of these which is not a bad idea if you’re using your camera for video. |
SmallRig EN-EL25 Third-Party BatteryAvailable At: B&H The SmallRig EN-EL25 third-party batteries are nice in that they have a built-in USB-C charging port on the battery. No more need for carrying around extra battery chargers. |
Best Memory Cards For The Nikon Z50
If you’re looking for the fastest memory cards for the Nikon Z50, I’ve tested all the most popular UHS-I and UHS-II cards.
You can find my recommendations in my guide here.
Nikon Z50 Cases, Grips & Body Accessories
As this camera is older now, a lot of the custom cases are no longer available. Here are some great bags.
Nikon Z50 Bags & Cases
There are so many bags available now, some expensive some cheap. A popular one is the Peak Design Everyday Slim (Amazon). But instead of listing everything that might be great, I thought I would list a few bags that I’m finding very useful in my day-to-day shooting.
For about five years I’ve been using these bags by Think Tank called the Mirrorless Mover. I own several sizes and I’ve found them to be incredibly useful for packing away my gear in my backpack or suitcases. Sometimes I’ll even just carry one as a shoulder bag when I’m out shooting if I want to just bring one extra lens. The uses and versatility of these bags is great.
Think Tank Mirrorless MoverAvailable At: Amazon I have Size 5, Size 10, and Size 20. The Size 20 can be used to hold the camera and a lens, the size 10 will take the Z50 with a small lens, and the 5 I use constantly for packing lenses. Sometimes I use the 5 even to pack lenses that are too big for it, I’ll place it over the front of the lens and throw it in my backpack and this gives it a little extra padding. I almost always have one of my Z lenses stuffed in one of these in my backpack just to give it extra protection. I don’t usually carry around a DSLR-style backpack anymore, that just makes you a target when shooting street photography. |
Nikon Z50 Straps
The Nikon Z50 will allow you to attach all different styles of staps because of its friendly strap lug system.
Nikon Z50 Leather Straps
Here are some of the popular brands of leather gear that I like and have used over the years and still recommend.
LuigiCasesAvailable At: LuigiCases Luigi makes the best leather camera straps and cases period. His deluxe leather strap is awesome. I love mine and have had it for years. His site is a little stressful to navigate, but they are legit. This is the best camera accessory leather company out there period. This is what the real deal Italian leather looks like. 🙂 |
Tap&DyeAvailable At: Tap&Dye Another great leather strap company I use is Tap&Dye. An American company this time. They use a lot of top-grain or full-grain leather and even make products from the legendary Horween leather which is one of the best brands of American leather. Their stuff is really cool. |
Gordy’s Camera StrapsAvailable At: Gordyscamerastraps Another company I have no affiliation with is this cool little artisan that goes by Gordyscamerastraps. I really like their wrist straps, they are great for small and light cameras like the Nikon Z50. They use really nice leather that ages over time which gives a cool broken-in leather patina. They make my favorite light leather wrist strap. |
HardGraft Camera StrapsAvailable At: Hardgraft Another cool leather designer company is HardGraft. They started out doing a lot more camera accessories, but for the last few years, they branched off into designing more designer bags, shoes, and wallets. I have several of their products, but they’re always changing their inventory. They can be a little expensive, but it’s worth going to their site and browsing to see what they have. Again, no affiliation, although they used to send me stuff to review. |
Modern Straps
There are a million different straps out there, and my favorites are from the brands listed above. But if you don’t want leather, I’ll show you a cool setup that’s been great for how I’ve been shooting. It involves using a peak design clutch (hand strap) with a shoulder strap for a cool modular kind of setup.
Peak Design ClutchAvailable At: Amazon This is the hand strap from Peak Design that I love for everything. I don’t like to use a strap when I’m actively shooting because it gets away, but this hand strap gives me a little extra support so that I don’t have to always hold the camera tight. This hand strap has an Arca-Swiss base plate that also has four spots to connect the Peak Design ties, so you can connect your strap directly to this hand strap. |
Peak Design Slide StrapAvailable At: Amazon I’ve been using the peak design strap a lot more over the years since I have several cameras that I like to shoot with. This allows me to switch around my strap between cameras quickly. But also, the main reason I use this is that it works well with my peak design clutch system, so I can take the strap on and off easily as I shoot throughout the day with street or landscape photography. There are a bunch of sizes and styles to choose from. |
Cleaning Accessories
If you’re new to mirrorless you have to get a little more hands-on with sensor cleaning, but don’t worry, it’s super easy. Don’t let people scare you with these wet methods or sticky wands. You just need some air and a brush.
Here are a few essential cleaning accessories every photographer should have.
I’ll list some cleaning accessories I use frequently, but if you really want to nerd out on cleaning gear I have a full list of gear and tips on camera and sensor cleaning.
Rocket Air BlasterAvailable At: Amazon Rocket air blasters, or any blasters, are a must-have. This is your first line of offense for removing dust from your sensor. It works 90% of the time. Other blasters are fine, I just like this because I can stand them up on the fins on the back and they don’t go rolling away. |
Micro-Fiber Cleaning Cloths 6-PackAvailable At: Amazon If you’re out shooting, you can use your T-shirt to clean your rear LCD screen or your UV filters. However, UV filters and lenses will hold onto the lint from your T-shirt. I always like to clean my UV filters, ND filters, and lenses well before going out to shoot, and the only way to do that effectively is with microfiber. This is a nice six-pack. I’ve bought them a few times because I like to replace them after a while. They get dirty and collect oil over time. |
Sensor BrushAvailable At: Amazon This is your second line of offense for cleaning your sensor from dust. Use your sensor brush if your rocket air blaster doesn’t remove the dust. Keep these in their tube and bag, and never touch the brush. Keep it meticulously clean. Blow off the bristles with the air blaster before you clean your sensor, and it will work great at removing the dust stuck to the sensor that didn’t come off with the air blaster. Since I’ve started using this, I haven’t had to use the wet method once. |
Best Accessories Nikon Z50 Conclusions
While the Z50 was a great camera for its time, the third-party accessory options were always a little limited. There were some cool rigs and cages by SmallRig and you might still be able to find some out there today. If you’re still shopping around for Z50 accessories, you can still find some great stuff; it just might take a little digging.