Much more than a beginner camera! Surprisingly excellent.
Bought it and the 2 lens kit as a stopgap replacing a damaged D500 and to get more video capability. Performance-wise, it exceeds the D500! Focus and exposure with the kit lenses and f mount lenses with the FTZ II adapter is amazing. Video capability at 4k@30fps or 4k cropped @60fps, and overall results, is superior to my DSLRs. This is far from what I think of as a "beginner camera"! Pre-capture release, and a processor that can handle it, allows me to get shots that were impossible with DSLRs. Up to 30fps with jpegs is a revelation for bird and sports photos. The 20mb "crop" sensor provides the same resolution as my D500, and allows for superb images. The 16-50 and 50-250 lenses are outstanding for the price, with great VR that compensates for their optical slowness. A small bag with the body and the lenses is almost weightless, a revelation on long hikes. What could be better? Battery life is short, abysmally so for video. In body recharging is frustrating and finicky about what charger it will accept, and the battery life readout is unreliable dropping to zero very quickly. The electric viewfinder is only acceptable, with stutter in some situations. I find myself using the led display more than I thought I would, and it works great, even outside in sunlight. Not having a top plate led readout for basic settings is taking some getting used to. IBIS would be nice for video, but the electronic stabilization helps in its absence, and the crop effect is not too severe. A second card slot for overflow primarily, especially considering how much data vids produce, would be nice. In sum, my only real complaint is that Nikon doesn't make a D500 pro level replacement using the Z50 as a starting point!