That’s a spicey title, and I apologize, but I have much to say about The Nikon Zf. It’s the first time I’ve ever really had this level of pull to buy a camera I don’t need.
Of course, Nikon never shows me love, and I don’t get a sample, but for good reason: Nikon needs to play the defense a little more. We all know the first thing the Sony shills would do is compare it to a Sony A1, then talk about how bad the Nikon $2,000 camera is compared to Sony’s $7,000 flagship while never mentioning the screen resolution, screen quality, or price.
Except when Nikon came out with the Z8, a better camera than the A1 at almost half the price. Then everyone got embarrassed, so they had to compare it to the Sony A7rV, where Sony could at least pick up a win in resolution.
It’s very cutthroat out there for Nikon, but it looks like they just unleashed a truly amazing camera that is hard to find issues with—actually, I have a few.
In this article, I’ll display images I’ve made with the Nikon Z6 to understand how the sensor renders. From the samples I’m seeing, it looks like it has the Nikon Z6 sensor, softer tonality due to the AA filter, but with the Nikon Z8 extra punchy saturation and contrast. I’m very curious to see the actual RAW performance. After shooting with the Z8 for the last few months, I do kind of miss those Z6 tones a little.
I wrote an article on Nikon Z8 Color Science. If you want to know how this new processor balances colors, Remember that the Zf will still have the AA filter, producing a softer, almost more film-mick look.
Table Of Contents
The Nikon Zf – A Legend Is Re-Born
I see many people drooling over this camera, texting me, and trying to control their impulses. Comments everywhere are very positive. It looks like it’s going to be a pretty huge hit. However, a lot of the spec nerd influencers don’t seem to love it, as they don’t understand the concept.
Luckily, my autism is primarily hyper-focused on retro and usability and anything with Fuji in the name, with brass, of course (yes, I even ride a Fuji bike). So, for me, this camera is almost irresistible as I also love everything about it except the flippy screen. I’ll take the L on the flippy screen since it’s the only Nikon camera to have a real one, and it actually makes sense on this body – more on that later.
It also seems that the influencers trying to assign their opinions to their audiences aren’t working on this one, which is good to see. Generally, I see positive comments everywhere.
Also, it does look like opinions on this camera are fairly split even among content creators, and for Nikon, that’s a huge win. I guess Fro didn’t like the grip on the retro-inspired body while he was using his 1200mm lens. At least it’s good to see him hitting the gym again. I actually like Fro, by the way, even though my mom says he’s obnoxious. Just want to make that clear. Sony too. It’s just Sony never bought me off with trips to Hawaii and never will, so I get to be critical of their cameras.
What Everyone Keeps Missing
Now, on to what I keep seeing everyone miss and not mentioning –
It’s a $2,000 full-frame camera with a Z8 processor, a premium screen, and H.265 video codecs. It smokes the A7c II, it’s an absolutely amazing deal and the only thing that it compares to is the uninspiring Canon R6, also an amazing camera that doesn’t really get enough attention, even though I just said it’s uninspiring.
To be fair, I should also say that Sony’s video features, like their S-Log3 and ability to fine-tune the looks, are usually pretty good compared to what Nikon can do so far. N-Log is still poorly received, so you’ll need to find other profiles to install if you’re super serious about video. This area is usually a win for Sony, and anything they do with digital audio and mics is usually pretty good. That is Sony’s pedigree, after all.
For street and casual shooters, Nikon has really delivered with its compact lenses. The Nikon Z 28mm f2.8 is a ton of fun with its classic rendering, the 26mm f2.8 is absolutely amazing for those looking to get a little more out of image quality in a compact at the cost of focus speed, and the Nikon Z 40mm f2 was an instant classic.
So, although imperfect by design, the system overall is absolutely beautiful. It’s pretty much the perfect full-frame street camera—again, a $2,000 full-frame camera with a magnesium body, brass dials, and a 3.2″ 2m-dot screen.
Imagine when it goes on sale.
The Sensor
Does it look like a Z6 sensor? It’s good to see Nikon recycling. Now we know what they did with all those cameras from their trade-in deals. 🙂
I’ve been shooting on the Z6 since 2018, and that sensor is pretty amazing. If Nikon could also bring over the color science of the Z8, then people would be really happy. It’s looking like they did, based on some of the other reviewers I’m seeing on YouTube. Of course, AWB and Color balance aren’t written as a quantifiable number on a spec sheet, so content creators mostly ignore it. I’ll call them content creators instead of reviewers because nobody reviews cameras anymore. They just blurb out specs and do dumb AF tests.
My only complaints about the Z6 were the unrefined AWB, color balancing, and, I guess, lack of H.265. All that has been fixed with the Zf, and that’s exactly what I wanted.
It would have been nice if they could get a little more speed out of that Z6 sensor to at least give us a 4k60 full frame, but oh well – it’s a $2000 camera. You do have to just let brands segment their bodies a little.
Also, in terms of sensor image quality, we haven’t seen any improvements from any brand since around 2016. The image processors have gotten better, yielding better images, but the Sensors have mostly stuck to the same tech and performance, except with the stacked sensors.
Why The Flippy Screen Makes Sense On The Nikon Zf
An interesting thought I’ve had – A lot of people are thinking, “Oh dials and buttons, it’s so retro, video guys don’t need that, it’s obviously a photo-first camera.” First off, they are not “retro dials,” they are ‘heritage dials.” 🙂
But if you’re filming yourself, having all the controls on top of the camera instead of a menu that you can only access via the back of the camera makes a ton of sense.
While filming yourself, if you don’t like the ISO, look up at the top of the camera and turn the little dial – done. You can’t really do that with the other form factors as easily unless they have a dedicated ISO button, like Nikon’s other cameras. But that would still probably take two hands to operate.
Auto Focus
As a Z8 shooter, I can say the autofocus is pretty nice. How good of an autofocus system you need sort of depends on how you shoot. I still get in situations with the Z8 where I can get the AF to struggle a bit. Usually, when I’m shooting with Soft Mist filters in the rain, the camera can get a little confused. Also, sometimes I’ll get the back focus issue, but 98% of the time, it’s great. – Unfortunately, I always shoot with soft mist filters in the rain.
I think Canon still has a more constant focus system, but we’re splitting hairs here at this point in 2023, comparing autofocus.
Also, what’s often ignored is the number of phase-detection points. Canon R6 uses 1053 Phase Detection points, while the Zf uses 273. This is why you don’t quite get the focus resolution and accuracy as Canon, but you’re punching fewer holes in your sensor as a byproduct, which should give the Nikon sensors superior image quality. You won’t have as bad of issues with “star eating” or “detail eating” as you do with the Sony and Canon cameras.
You almost certainly will not get as good AF with the Zf as with the Z8 because the sensor readout speed is slower. The Z8 has a 4-ms sensor, while I imagine the Zf is probably in the 15-ms range. Also, I will remind you that different lenses perform better than others when dealing with Autofocus.
Why I Call It The Fujifilm Killer
I think Nikon did retro here better than Fujifilm has ever done. The new X-T4 and X-T5 cameras are less premium than the X-T3. I wanted to buy an X-T5 but didn’t love it after renting one. Fujifilm has shifted all the premium builds and accessories over to the X-H2 line. And even the X-T5 only looks modern, just with dials.
Honestly, I think the Nikon Zf has a much better classic “heritage” look than Fujifilm’s. However, I have to say that for modern cameras, I don’t think anything looks better than the GFX100 II right now—one of the prettiest cameras I’ve ever seen.
So, for the APS-C line, this puts Fujifilm in a tough spot. The Nikon Zf is full frame, and yes, a Fujifilm X-T5 is cheaper and does have some better specs, but a lot of Fujifilm shooters aren’t chasing specs. Also, comparable Fujifilm lenses are often more expensive and sometimes less expensive than what you can get for Nikon. So, depending on what lens kit you decide to build out, you might not save that much money with APS-C, if at all.
I say all that as a Fuji shooter. Even though I sold half my Fujifilm cameras, I still own three. I grab my Nikon gear more than my Fujifilm gear—unless it’s the X100V or X-Pro2 since I love that form factor.
It’s just starting to feel like Nikon did Fujifilm better than Fujifilm—except for film simulators, which I covered with my LR presets.
A Few Complaints
Now I have a few complaints. Only two, maybe three. The grip will be a little tough for some people, having that flat surface to hold on to. There are going to be third-party grips, in fact, Small Rig already has one, however, once this camera is a bit older these third-party companies generally stop making proprietary accessories. So, down the road, you might be stuck with the stop grip if you don’t buy this camera when it’s in production.
The MicroSD card—I mean, I get it. Everyone destroyed Nikon for not having a dual card slot in the Nikon Z6, while Sony finally released a dual card slot in the A7III just a few months earlier. It was unfortunate timing, and you never heard the end of it.
I find it hard to believe Nikon couldn’t fit dual SD card slots in this thing. We have small body cameras, the Fujifilm X-T4, X-T2, X-Pro 3, Olympus, whatever. They exist. I don’t get the microSD thing. They will be limited to UHS-I speeds, and if you shoot back up, it will slow the whole camera down. You can read more about that on my Nikon Zf Memory Card Guide or get some recommendations for some great cards.
My third complaint is I don’t feel like they did the top dials right.
Let me post a picture to illustrate real quick. Notice how you still have a PSAM dial. There may be some benefit to this, but it almost defeats the purpose of the dials.
If you shoot aperture or shutter priority, you’ll probably never use the top dials because you’ll just switch it into A, set your ISO to auto, and call it a day. At that point, pretty much all your dials will be disabled. We could at least get what Fujifilm did, where you have to physically turn the dial to set it into A, so every once in a while, you get to use your dials. It’s kind of strange.
But the good side of this is you could potentially preset your dials for a certain situation, then throw the PSAM into M and lock in your dials values. So it’s not all bad. I would have to shoot with it for a while to see how I like it. I often do shoot manual everything so it might still be fun,
Nikon Zf Final Thoughts
I could see myself eventually buying the Nikon Zf if I ever find a good deal on a used one or if there is a sale. But I have a Z8 and a Z6, so I don’t really need this body, but man, it looks cool.
The Z6 was one of my all-time favorite cameras, and its renderings were among my all-time favorite. Anyone who buys the Zf will likely be blown away by the colors and tonality of the images.
If Nikon were to include the Z7 sensor in this body, I would buy it immediately. I really hope they do. I bet I’m not the only one thinking that. This would make a great Landscape camera.
All in all, Nikon has really impressed me with the Zf. It exceeded my expectations, especially with its range of color options, stylish design, and modern video codecs. While I would have preferred a standard screen, the functionality of the top dials and the slimmer design make the flip-out screen work better here than in any other camera in Nikon’s lineup.
Let’s hope Nikon’s marketing team can change the opinions of all the 20-year-old bros. Their marketing materials always tend to use college-looking kids who are a little too preppy and sophisticated.
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Was excited to read your thoughts on the Zf since it was announced!
I’ve been holding out with my Z5, but nearly switched to Sony with the A7C. I don’t want two systems, and have been hoping Nikon release something better.
I think the Zf is that camera for me. But at £2500 in the UK with the 40mm lens… it feels a tiny bit steep.
Yeah, the camera is fully loaded so the price is a bit higher than the Z5. You’ll probably have to wait for a sale. Or you could always adapt any older lenses if you have any for now. See if you can find some old retro lenses for like $50.
I bought the Zf. I love it. GAS cured forever.
lol nice!
XT5 is not cheaper compared to Zf, the prices over here are the same.
Zf is much better on both the retro look and the specs.
Fuji X has lost me as a customer for a while and the only thing I am really using is their GFX system (which is not exactly X series IMO), but even GFX is not that interesting any more when compared to X2D from Hasselblad.
Fuji made terrible mistakes handling XP3 and XE4. I own both XP2 and XE3 but didn’t want XP3 for the pathetic titanium finish and XE4 for the terrible entry level design, Fuji is not good at clean modern look, if i want that i’d rather pick Sony or Sigma or Hasselblad (if it’d produce X2D-like APSC). And Fuji should really take a look of how Hasselblad does white balance and dynamic range. Fuji magic starts to fade when its color quality doesn’t stand out. It did back in 2012 to 2016 when other brands hadn’t invested much in Sony sensors.
Yes, also Fujifilm lenses have been pretty ugly lately, especially GFX. I’m really hoping Fujifilm corrects its path with the X-Pro4. Fujifilm really needs to spend more time on their rangefinder form factor other than the X100, and just make nice cameras without any weird gimmicks like they did when they were getting started with digital.
I hope Nikon continues to respond to the community and makes some prettier lenses to go with the Zf body. The body looks amazing but their pancake lenses just look whatever. Hopefully, they can bring back some of their classic styling on their lenses with a modern flare as well.
Then, I also think this will cause Fujifilm to make some positive changes in the future, I imagine their corporate guys look at Sony’s success and keep pushing them for more consumer-focused cameras. And the photo purist engineers at Fujifilm probably do everything they can to fight it.
Hey, yeah 10 months have passed, but hope you’ll answer eventually.
Firstly, I do really appreciate the content you create – from articles to lists of all available lens for systems (and for me who went from fuji x to L mount to Z mount for about 1.5 a year it is really helpful).
Secondly, I’d like to ask you, does gfx worth it for you and if so is there a point for a hobbyist with still limited, big enough for gfx though, to have fullframe and gfx in time, not for example fuji x and fuji gfx. I have Nikon Z8 and I actually like it, like raws from it (more than panasonic for example) as well as Z mount as system, but when I went for Z8 I did it because it had crazy video and stills, but now I’ve realised that I do not that video at all, and for me it’s easier to rent cinema cameras rarely on special occasions (short movies). So I’ve came to an idea that gfx 100s/ii being the same weight and not much pricier (especially gfx 100s) could be more interesting option. I’ve loved fuji colours on x-s10, but then I was blinded by ‘ff magic’. So I’ve thought about buying used x-pro 1/2 as a small camera for when I have little space or can break the camera (party) and big brother gfx 100s. Still not sure if this switch worth it, but fuji aethetics does call for me. Nikon’s does to though. Will be glad and grateful if you answer)
This is a difficult question to answer.
If I understand this correctly, you want to ditch the Full frame system for an X-Pro2 and a GFX 100s?
That’s not a terrible idea if money is no object, but consider the costs of the lenses.
The Fujifilm GFX system is amazing and the build quality and design is unmatched. However, the lens situation isn’t all that exciting. The lenses are slower and bigger and a lot more expensive, so for me that is a major weakness with the GFX system.
You can adapt lenses, but that significantly slows down the performance.
If they had more F2 lenses, it would be fun, but right now, there are only a few f1.7 lenses, just one F2 lens, and the rest are all f2.8 or slower. So there isn’t much in that f1.8 or F2 full-frame equivalent sweet spot that I like to shoot in.
So, to get me close to f2 full frame equivalency, I could probably go with the
Fujifilm GF 63mm f2.8 R WR (about a full frame 50mm f2) $1,499.00
Fujifilm GF 45mm f2.8 R WR (about a full frame 35mm f2) $1,699.00
And if I wanted faster, my only option is
Fujifilm GF 55mm f1.7 R WR (about a full frame 43mm 1.2) $2,299.00
Fujifilm GF 80mm f1.7 R WR (about a 63mm f1.2) $2,299.00
And the only in-between is the FUJIFILM GF 110mm f/2 R LM WR Lens
which would be close to a full frame 85mm f1.4 but for $2,799.
That’s a lot of money for a casual photographer to spend on those full-frame equivalent lenses.
Nikon currently has so many fun lenses: the 40mm f2, the 26mm f2.8, and the new 35mm f1.4, all under $1000.
So that’s the main thing I don’t like about the GFX system.
I like collecting lenses, and the GFX system would be very expensive here, but if you’re just a one-lens guy and don’t mind dropping $1500 on a full-frame equivalent 50mm f2 lens, then you might have fun with the GFX.
But it looks like, for now, the GFX system is only geared towards the serious Studio photographer and maybe wedding photographer. I don’t see it being very practical for anything outside of the very professional setting because of the lens selection and cost.
The amount of smoke in one camera review is legit inspiring.
I’m a Fuji Xpro3 user and I’m so tempted to pre-order the Nikon ZF. I find it simply beautiful. I usually prefer rangefinder style cameras but this one is the first dsrl style camera that I find very attractive and catches my attention a lot. Shame there is no silver version, my favorite finish, but I must say the classic black, with the dials showing the brass underneath with time, has its charm too. I fear and feel like Fuji somehow abandoned the X-Pro line, with no sign of a possible X-Pro 4 in the horizon as well as having abandoned for years any meaningful update for the Xpro3. If I ever pull the trigger on the Nikon, will see afterwards if I will sell or keep the Xpro3. The thing is the xpro3 is the first camera I bought when I started photography 2 years ago and the only one I currently have, so there is some sort of emotional attachment to it and I think it will be hard to part with it. I also find it very beautiful in its Dura silver finish, very well built.
Good to know the nikkor 40mm f2 SE lens that comes in bundle with the ZF has 52mm filter size, same as my xf 35mm f1.4. So that means I can use all the filters I already have, like tiffen glimmerglass and black pro mist. What bothers me a bit about the Nikon Zf is the lack of a joystick at the back, so in case you need to move the focus point you would need to use the touch LCD. This is a useful feature that is missing. I like to use the viewfinder 99% of the times and keep the LCD flipped shut on my Xpro3 while shooting, using the joystick to move the focus point. I guess this cannot be done on the Nikon zf sadly, since I would leave the LCD panel shut most of the time. I wonder if the d pad could be used to move the cursor or not. Wish Nikon could also release some retro style z lenses with the aperture ring. The 40mm and 28mm SE pancakes don’t have it.
On the Z8 the D-Pad can be used to move the AF point. This is how it was on the old Canon EOS R as well which I had and which didn’t have a joystick and it was totally fine. While I appreciate the joystick, often when my camera is at my side the joystick hits my body and moves the focus point. This happens a lot.
Ultimately I think this camera will be good for Fujifilm as it really does seem their corporate bosses were trying to push the company to be more like Sony, not really understanding how much people like the ‘classic.’ So if this camera is a huge hit, it could revive the classic energy within Fujifilm. I really hope so at least.
Thanks for your reply. Yep, I had confirmation that you can you use the d-pad to move the focus point on the ZF so this is great news for me. I think I’m sold and will most likely pre-order the ZF with the 40mm SE lens kit. I read your nice review about this lens and it seems very capable. Hopefully they will release some retro style lenses with aperture ring. If not, I will simply just deal with it and program the lens ring for aperture, plus I can always adapt some vintage lenses too or get voigt or other third party lenses.
Yeah I think you’re right about Fujifilm slightly steering away from the classic recently, with the XH2, Xh2s and XS20. Even the XT5 I found it a downgrade compared to the previous xt iterations, to me looks and feels less well built and less classic somehow despite the dials. I fear if they ever release a X-Pro4, this could follow the same fate as the XT5. But we shall wait and see in the next moves from Fuji.
You know that the Nikon 40mm f/2 is made entirely of plastic right? Plastic barrel with plastic mount. All of their small primes are plastic fantastic. I used to have the 28 2.8 and 40 f/2 but sold them all and switched to Fuji. Unfortunately, modern Nikon lenses have cheapish build quality and (IMO) clearly inferior to Fujicrons. I really wanted to like this ZF, but the lack of silver version and true retro lenses made me say no. I’m sticking to Fuji.
Yes, they are not S lenses, similarly, Fujifilm XC lenses are often plastic.
But, Fujinon is the best optics company in the world and I hear that from even people in the industry that make lenses.
I actually am with you in that I wish Nikon would make better, prettier pancake lenses.
Fujifilm will be totally fine. It’s just nice to see someone make a full-frame camera with a little style for once.
As of now, Fujifilm for APS-C and GFX! Nikon is my preferred FF system.
Plenty of Voigtlander Z mount lenses – take a look.
Fujinon doesn’t make the best glass in the world.
Having owned and shot almost every APS-C Fuji in the past as well as the GFX MF rig, it’s great but not earth shattering. Shit, even some of the best Canon RF glass I’d rate higher.
For me, the best glass period is Leica, followed closely by Zeiss and it’s offshoot brand Cosina (Voigtlander) whose new APO lenses are as good as anything I’ve ever shot with.
This depends on whether you prioritize rendering or build quality and precision. Voigtlander lenses lack precision, and have a pretty high copy-to-copy variance and a lot of quality control issues. Same with Zeiss. I own a lot of them and usually have to send 1/3 of them back, at least, because of bad copies. I hear they are still using older machines that are not as precise as what’s available in Japan. Honestly, Cosina is probably on the same level as something like TTAtisans at this point and some of these Chinese brands are actually better at manufacturing now.
Leica is a different beast, because of the extreme level of quality control they have, and from the way they do their aspherical elements. Their lenses are very good for the M mount. But for L you might just be getting an OEM Panasonic lens with a Leica logo slapped on it with little design tweaks.
Canon, Sony, Fujinon, and Nikon are all great. Probably better than any of the above when it comes to precision and design. But for rendering, I like the Zeiss lenses a lot just because the rendering is always so great. Voigtlander’s rendering is hit-and-miss depending on the lens, some of their lenses are amazing.
The Sony G and GM lenses that use the hybrid polymer elements often lack something in rendering in my opinion, but produce smaller and lighter designs, so that’s a trade-off you have to consider. Sony lenses all look great though. Probably my favorite-looking lenses from modern designs.
Canon L and Nikon S lenses are typically always going to be very good. Canon has been throwing IS into all their Zooms though which does look like it reduces the max sharpness when comparing all the MTF charts. But the IS is nice and can benefit you in other ways.
Fujinon sits up there as well and Fujinon can match the precision and build quality, I also think they sometimes render a little nicer with a lot of their lenses compared to the general stock of Canon Nikon lenses. But it depends on the lens and the person as it’s subjective. The best rendering Fujinon lenses are their older lenses that don’t have all the nice build upgrades. Fujinon needs some faster GFX lenses before that system will impress. Fujinon’s modern designs are the ugliest of all the brands in my opinion.
The more I look into the Nikon Zf the more I’m tempted…Us Fuji users were always in it for the experience over the sensor size and other aspects. But if I can have the experience AND a full frame sensor with better autofocus, why not? If Fuji lens prices are often on par with full frame ones, why not? If Fuji’s gonna force us to go PASM if we want the best of their lineup…
Very tempting camera….Might be time to see what Nikon has cooking.
I’m with you Alik. I have used my Z6 exclusively since day 1 and there is something about that softer look that I really love. It has that certain magic I guess. I had a X100F before, and while I loved the form factor, the Z6 images just look so much better!
The Zf wll retain all of that AND will give me that elegant, minimalistic styling I loved about the Fuji. And while the AF on the Z6 is nowhere near as bad as some people think, I cannot wait to check out the improved Z8 tracking. Even on my Z6, I barely used the focus joystick anymore, so it’s not a problem to lose it.
I love your website by the way. The best written reviews on Nikon by far. At least for my taste. And you seem to be a really nice guy … unlike … nah, I won’t go there …
Cheers man!
The only problem is that I might have to trade in my 24-70 2.8s to finance it 😉 Yes, it’s big and bulky … but seriously awesome as well.
The other thing about the Z6 is that it’s a low light monster.
Nice write-up and great pics. I agree across the board. After using an X-T2 and then an X-T3 for years, I switched to using Nikon DSLRs, because Nikon’s image rendering and output is so beautiful. They really get the most out of the sensor. Even my 15-year-old D700 produces way richer colors and tones and more life-like images than the Fuji X cameras. Like you, I’ll hold off on the Zf for a while but will probably cave and get one eventually.
I’m already starting to cave.
This is bad Alik, very bad indeed. I actually dreamt about this camera last night. I was not even expecting the Zf to be released but here is it, a full-frame beautiful retro. My XT3 and F2 trinity are getting nervous. A camera hasn’t called to me like this in a long time.
Indeed. I had no plans on buying it but every day my subconscious mind is slowly trying to convert me.
Nah. It uses a different exposure control system that is basic PASM with dials for the M mode. More companies need to adopt dedicated dials where exposure and the auto hierarchy are more direct, less abstract, and faster. Then maybe they can work on making it more ergonomic and modern for things like one handed operation. PASM is just suboptimal for anything even though it’s mediocre for everything. Cinema cameras understand the need for preset based workflows and abandoned the restrictive dial for button and software based non-restrictive and faster control schemes. For manually expressing the exposure picture to picture Fuji’s dials with auto in each makes this faster and less abstract. You could easily design a control scheme that plays to both strengths, but most companies will just make more revenue keeping old PASM around for familiarity.
I should mention I do think Fuji has been making poor decisions and causing hurt to the loyal customers who got them here. Go ahead and make some PASM cameras but don’t kick out the main core group from the top tier of features and build quality. It’s getting ridiculous. The Nikon zf is beautiful and pulls on the heart strings because of my old FM2 that I took all my pictures on starting out. Pretty much the Leica q design is the only thing I fully like right now but don’t want that focal length and not crazy about the price/value
I’m a long time Fuji shooter but stopped at the XT3 which I still use as well as my XT1/XPro1 but I’m seriously tempted by this. Retro styling, full frame & superior AF, who would’t be tempted. I had zero intention of buying into another system until this dropped. I lost interest in the newer Fuji offerings, the XT3 is good enough for me, the XT4 didn’t inspire and the XT5 even less. here are many times I prefer the first generation Fuji over my XT3 but the Zf looks like it ticks all the right boxes without giving me a hefty 40 megapixel file to deal with. I’m trying to resist pre-ordering without having held one tbh!
Great Writeup. I preordered it almost immediately, although I own too many cameras and my wife will kill me probably. But it is so beautiful, I am afraid I will not use my A7C after all due to the nice screen and EVF of the Zf. Maybe I can adapt some Sony G Masters to the Nikon?
You can adapt glass to Nikon I did this for years since I still have a lot of Sony lenses. It’s not super awesome with AF reliability and you just have to make sure you have an adapter that feels secure. Some of the adapters are not amazing as there is not a lot of space or metal there to really secure the lens. So I don’t fully trust the adapter, especially with heavy lenses, and generally don’t let the camera hang by my side freely. But some new adapters might be better. I have that first-gen TechArt, and I think they’ve released a few updates since then.
You mentioned that you’re picking Nikon more than Fujifilm these days. I’m curious to know how you compare the SOOC JPEG files between the two brands. As a casual shooter, I get nice skin tones with Fuji SOOC, but I’m wondering if I’d get similar results with a Nikon ZF.
I’m not a professional photographer, but I’ve been shooting with Fujifilm cameras for a few years now. I’m generally happy with the skin tones that I get, but I do think that Fujifilm has a slight edge in this area. Fuji’s SOOC JPEG files tend to be more flattering and film-like, with warmer tones and richer colors. How does Nikon compare?
The latest Nikon colors from the Z8 and Z9 are some of the best I’ve seen. Although they are a bit punchier than what Fujifilm is doing. However, if you’re shooting JPEG, you can’t really compete with the customization of the looks with Fujifilm, nothing comes close. I love the Fuji simulators and still shoot on my X100V a lot and still shoot almost all of my product shots or sample shots for this blog on Fujifilm.
I posted some straight-out-of-camera samples of what the Z8 is doing. It’s just a totally different thing that what Fujifilm does right now.
https://alikgriffin.com/nikon-z8-new-improved-color-science/
oh ok…I was thinking Nikon was close now(Z8 or z9) with Fuji for their sooc jpeg..good to know it isnt…Classic Chrome and cl Neg is my favourite…
Yes, still love Classic Chrome. Lately I’ve been shooting Reala Ace. It’s also very nice for a stable general look.
The nice thing about the Fujifilm simulators is you can also load them when shooting RAW in Lightroom. So I use those as my base looks and switch them around when doing photo editing. With Nikon I mostly just go between Standard and Portrait, or Neutral when I want a flat look.
Not much else you can do with them, although you can install custom curves with an external tool, but it’s just not the same. It just sort of tweaks the curves and saturation effects, but you can’t really tweak colors. Check it out. https://nikonpc.com/
I’m in a similar boat. I’m a casual shooter using an x100f and I do everything SOOC. The things that want improved from the x100 are lowlight capability and better autofocus. My dream would be a truly weather sealed x100 with a full-frame sensor and digital zoom for the pancake lens (blasphemous, I know, but I love it on the x100f). Is there no way to set up presets in the camera to get the Chrome look that I love in the x100?
It’s a great first step by Nikon, the camera itself is almost perfect, just maybe a higher res sensor and EVF and I’d have no complaints. The build quality and styling is spot on. My main concern is with the lens selection for the camera, but that can improve with time. For now I’ll stick with my X-Pro 3, hoping this gives Fuji a kick up the as* to go back to building beautiful unique cameras with good build quality (a x-pro 4 with the styling from the GFX 100 II anyone?)
While I hope this inspires Fujifilm to do some more retro bodies, they are on fire right now with sales, so this might not phase them. it’s one of those things where they kind of respond to what people buy and they try to do some more classic designs like the X-Pro3 or the X-E line but aside from the X100 series, they don’t do as well as the X-T the X-H and GFX.
Maybe they give the X-T40 a little more love this year, that’s all they would really have to do. Push that camera even more classic, and add some brass with a beefier build, dual cards, and a nicer leatherette 🙂
This is an excellent write up on the Zf with great comparisons. In the last week I received both the Zf and Fuji X100V which I pre-ordered about 10-12 weeks ago. I wasn’t expecting the Fuji to come in so quickly so it was a pleasant, although expensive, surprise to receive it at the same time as the Zf launch. Coming from a Z6ii, the Zf focussing system is light years ahead and it’s an exceptional camera all round. My plan is to use the X100V daily as a light carry anywhere camera. Whether the Zf replaces my Z6ii is yet to be seen but so far it’s looking promising. On a final note, I’m deciding whether to let my D750 go as it seems ridiculous to have 4 cameras and I’m not sure I’ll get much use out of it when I have newer cameras at my disposal. That’s an emotional decision though as it’s such a beast with exceptional colours. I still have mainly f-mount glass with only the 40mm f2 Z and 24-70 f4 Z on the newer bodies. It’s going to be a longer journey to replace my lenses.
How do you find the Nikon ZF compared to the Fuji X100V, regarding the AF, low light and high iso, and sooc jpeg colors and b&w?
Man I cannot wait for this camera, I’m loving everything I read about it and it seems like the perfect upgrade to my Z6. I likely won’t get it right away, rather I’d like to wait a bit and see how it does on the used market (I almost always buy excellent or like-new used). I haven’t used a retro camera since the X-T3 and I loved that camera for it’s dials and easy JPEGs, it’s a shame that since then Fuji hasn’t been the same. I only wish that Nikon had an in-camera RAW editor and profiles as good as Fuji’s.
If you want an OVF/EVF combo though, there’s still only one brand option. That’s what I love about the x100 and xpro.
I thought the Zf was the ultimate camera for me coming from my trusty old Z6 that I bought right when it was launched in 2018. So I traded in the Z6 (made in Japan!) and my 40mm f2, got out the credit card and went for it.
But it just wasn’t for me.
Right from the get go, I missed the ergonomics of my Z6. I noticed that I had no real use for the manual controls. I missed the dedicated AF-On button, the second function button and a lot of other things. I felt that even with the grip added, I was about to drop it whereas with my Z6 I rarely used a strap at all. The controls and buttons on the back felt cheaper. The AF performance was marginally better but not worlds apart. The images looked exactly the same to be honest. I missed the super fast XQD card. Putting in an SD card felt so “lofi”.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a terrific camera. But so is the Z6 with the newest firmware. Yeah, the Zf looks WAY cooler. But the Z6 is a reliable bullet proof tool – which has an appeal of its own.
In the end, I was able to return the Zf – phew – and somehow managed to get my old Z6 back. Which now looks brandnew because Nikon changed the rubber for free! The 40mm was already sold though 😉
So I got the 35mm 1.8s lens for a REALLY good price … which is actually the lens I always wanted.
I now have the 35mm, the 85mm (both 1.8) and the terrific 24-70 2.8s. And for now, I am a happy camper again!
Good to hear your feedback on this. I also have this issue, where I now shoot on the Z8, but there is something special about the Euro and the simplicity of the Z6 that still makes it more fun. I still have my Z6, and even though the Eurgo is nice on the Z8, the Z6 feels like it was designed for my hands.
Omar put out an interesting video on the Zf vs the X-T3 it kind of looks like the way Nikon is doing the dials is not as useful as how Fujifilm does it. Seems like it wasn’t super well thought out. Still looks amazing though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=9FA_cwCMs22_1rcK&v=r54xICbQ00Y&feature=youtu.be
If this had a Z7 sensor, oh baby. Incidentally, there was a one-day only sale on these in Germany and some lucky buggers got them for 1700 EUR.
Boy oh boy, Nikon Zf gave me ‘SPASM’, I twitched and bought one. Very happy so far as it opens up the world of manual focus lenses to me to experience. I finally found the right camera body to use my dad’s old manual Nikkor lenses, and I got myself Voigtlander 40mm f1.2 to utilise Zf’s face/eye detection capability with manual lenses.
I was a long time user of X100, in fact your articles and compilation of reading materials on Fujifilm introduced me to Fujifilm world and X100. I started with T, then F, and finally settled with V after Fuji upgraded the lens. I also got XT-2 so I can use those tiny yet excellent Fuji prime lenses.
After a while, I realised that I prefer the OVF/EFV implementation and ‘rangefinder’ style of X100 over the ‘traditional’ XT viewfinder and wanted to trade my XT2 to XPro 2 when the rumour for XPro 3 was out so I held on. I tried the XPro 3 when it was out and for odd reason I just could not get clear view through its viewfinder. I am wearing glasses but did not have this issue with XPro 2. The ‘odd’ back LCD was another thing that bugs me. Long story short I held on my XT2.
I was so eagerly hoping for XPro 4 with IBIS, truly!
And out of the blue came Nikon Zf. I was intrigued but managed to rationalised myself out few times – it’s another system, it’s big, no small lenses ecosystem, etc. I didn’t even read your article on Zf when it was out. Until I made a mistake and tried it last week.
The rest is history. The body feel reminds me of XPro – just large enough, with some heft and right proportion. The retro style arguably nicer than XT series (reminds me of my dad’s Nikon F3).
But the significant revelation is the focus assist for using manual lenses. This seals the deal for me. I did get an adapter to use Nikkor manual lenses on my XT2 but I was struggling to get a focus and the whole experience was a let down. Zf does it for me.
I am keeping my X100V, and still hoping for the next XPro with usable viewfinder, ‘normal’ LCD and IBIS so I can upgrade my XT2, but for now Zf would do.
Funny, you’re in the exact same mindset as me. Still have my X-Pro2, hoping for something special with the 4. X100V as my everyday family cam, and I’m really staying away from testing the Zf in person because I know what will happen. 🙂
good analysis!
Well, I bought a Zf, right before I head back to Fukuoka for a few weeks. I was very tempted by the X-T5, since the price is not too far off, but the majority of my “best” lenses are Nikon Z at this point. The few Fuji lenses I have work OK on my X-T10.
I wholeheartedly agree that Nikon should make some prettier lenses. The Zf is gorgeous, and the lenses… well, they’re not. Of course, they’re still subjectively prettier than what Canon’s been pumping out.
Now, if Fujifilm could put out some lenses like their old ones but with modern focus motors and sealing… I’d probably add a modern X camera to my collection. 23/1.4 MKII? Yes! 35/1.4 MKII? Yes! Their updates on these ones didn’t meet my hopes. Or maybe a line of XFC lenses? C for classic. Modern coatings and focus, but classic styling and rendering.
I’ve been seeing people calling for updated (old) Fujinon lenses. Rather than these new high-end ones they’ve pumped out. Would be nice as I love that 56mm f1.2 and the way it renders. But the AF is too slow for me to use it confidently at night.
The biggest strength of the ZF is in manual focus with modern lenses that have the correct electrical contacts.
I just returned from a trip to Japan and Okinawa with my new ZF, Voigtlander 35mm F2 and 50mm F2 APO lenses as well as the SE 40 F2 and 28 F2.8.
I very quickly changed to shooting it 100% manual focus, like the Leica’s I used to own but with the huge advantage of having AI driven eye detect and confirmation working with MF lenses.
This is a huge game changer, making it possible to shoot street photography pretty easily and capture subjects moving with relative ease. Yes, it’s not quite as fast as AF-C and back button focus, but it’s faster than just using focus peaking.
Being a left eyed shooter, I find the position of the AE-L button too far over to the left near the EVF is a problem, forcing my right thumb onto my right cheek and forcing my eye away from the view finder.
This is an epic fail for the ZF for me as an AF camera, but it is OK, I prefer it as a MF rig and the APO Voitlander glass is outstanding an “indistinguishable” from their Leica APO equivalents (according to a Leica reviewer I respect).
This is interesting, I’ll have to try some manual focus lenses on the Z8 to see how this works.
Awesome post! I don’t know if it’s the Fujifilm killer, but what I am pretty sure about right now is that I have used X100V (and owned multiple ones), mostly because of its looks.
But now when we have a FF retro camera, with awesome hardware/software, I wonder if your title is pretty much correct 🙂
My short “Mini Review” of the Nikon Zf.
Yeah probably not a killer because Fujifilm cameras are still amazing, but like you said, so nice to have a retro full frame.
Excellent to read your thoughts! I have the Zf on order and happy to hear that the build quality of the Zf is top notch.
I think the control lay out of Nikon cameras with analogue dials is unfair. It seems quirky at first, but give it a year and it comes into its own. This system was developed for the FA and F4 cameras 40 years ago and is an elegant and flexible solution to an analogue machine with program auto.
I had the X-Pro2 for 4 years and the Fuji controls are more intuitive, but ultimately less powerful. As you point out, the Nikon system is effectively like a memory setting, preserving your, for example, manually set outdoor exposure. One flick to P going inside and then back to M when in normal light. With Fuji one has to potentially manipulate multiple dials and remember the original setting when coming back out.
The Nikon system also means you have two cameras in one – both the F5 and F4 control lay outs.
Agree Nikon should put some aperture rings on their lenses.
GFX100 II? Seriously?
Not agreeing on PASM defeating the purpose of the dials. I shoot FUJI as a disclaimer. PASM on M and all the dials work as advertised. PASM on any other setting allows the appropriate dial to function as advertised. How can this possibly confuse anyone?
I’m so tempted by this and some Voigtlander lenses to get that Nikon FM feel in a digital camera
We all are! 🙂 It takes all my power not to get one. Although, I recommend trying one in a store before ordering it. The ergonomics and the way it feels in the hand are not my favorite, but it might be something you get used to. I’ll write some more on this when I gotten to spend more time with the camera.
It’s way too big and too heavy for street photography! For whom this camera is for? For heavy lifters turned photographers?
It’s thick boy for sure, but I use a Z8 for street photography. 🙂 It’s fine for street but depends on your style I think.