After swearing off Nikon bodies a couple of years ago following a series of choices that couldn’t autofocus accurately, I decided that “just one lens” wouldn’t hurt. In this case, it was round seven or eight with the 300mm f/4E PF, a great lens that kept getting ditched because no Nikon body could autofocus it well enough to exploit its superb optics.

I’d used the lens as a manual focus lens on L-mount previously, due to its analog focusing, and with decent results. This time, even with smooth focus action, I didn’t have quite as much patience with the short focus throw as I’d had in the past.

In desperation, a Z50II entered the picture. What the hell, I figured. I’d been through the original Z50 and the Zfc, and neither had impressed. But reviews claimed this one to be a bit of an improvement for Nikon’s APS-C line. And so far it has been.

It is the first Nikon body I’ve owned since the D700 that can autofocus with critical accuracy. And on every shot. I haven’t yet gotten around to even trying bird eye AF yet, just the spot. And unlike some other brands, the spot is *just* a spot, not half the frame.

I like it so much that I added the only lens I missed from my Sony setup when I ditched that a year ago, a Viltrox 75mm f/1.2. And I quickly found out that even with a third-party lens with an STM motor, the Z50II’s autofocus can accurately track a motorcycle moving in my direction at 35mph. Dunno how that rates among other brands and models, but my SL2 can’t do that.

So I guess the only place I can apply “never again” is with absolutes. Yep. No more absolute statments. Never again.

Oh, wait . . . that IS an absolute!

Z50II/300mm f/4E PF VR . . .