Nikon Z f Review
The Nikon Zf. Finally, an Inspiring Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera With Retro-Styled Mojo
It has been a long journey searching for a full-frame mirrorless camera that spiked my interest to the point where I could see myself actually purchasing it.
A couple of years ago I did a comparison between the Canon EOS R5, Sony A7R IV, and Nikon Z7 II. This year I have tried a Sony A7 IV, Leica SL2-S, Leica M10, Panasonic S5 II, and a Nikon Z8. In truth, they are all nice cameras in their own way.
For a while, however, I was hoping that Nikon would make a camera based on the design of my Nikon F3 HP. I wanted it to be roughly the same size and with the same quality feel.
Guess what, Nikon has now made such a camera, the Nikon Z f, based on the FM2 but in my opinion, it feels more like a mix of a Nikon FM2 and F3.
A freshly unboxed Nikon Zf
The Buzz Around the Nikon Zf
Rarely have I received as many personal questions and comments on Instagram as when I posted a few photos of the Nikon Zf and photos taken with it. Some asked if I was selling my Fujifilm gear, others just loved the look of the Zf and were debating to make a similar move and would share their enthusiasm.
In many ways, the excitement surrounding the Nikon Zf reminds me of when Fujifilm introduced the X100 and X-Pro1, now more than ten years ago.
Up to this point, in recent camera history, No other manufacturer, other than Fujifilm and Leica has successfully marketed retro-styled cameras. This has certainly changed with the introduction of the Nikon Zf.
I was visiting a photo store here in Vancouver on the weekend and the friendly young woman who helped me out really wanted to see my camera. I happily showed it to her and she was so excited.
Then a couple of minutes later, another associate came over. She had a couple of customers who had spotted the Nikon Zf around my neck and kindly asked if they could see it. Of course :)
North Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f/1.2
Time For a Change - Introducing Nikon To the Mix
I have been a Fujifilm photographer for more than ten years. It started with the X-Pro1 in 2012 and if you have visited my site in the past you would know that I predominately review Fujifilm gear and have used their products for travel, pro gigs, and personal projects.
I will continue to review Fujifilm gear and intend to keep, and use my X-Pro2 and GFX 50R alongside the Nikon Zf. Each will have their strengths in different situations.
With that said, I also want to diversify, and will attempt to expand my site with gear from other manufacturers. Nikon has been on a roll lately, releasing a string of interesting cameras and lenses such as the Z9 and Z8. I have a list on my desk with lenses I plan to try and review over the next few months.
Build Quality, Design, and Handling
Design and build quality are important to me when I pick a new camera and I am guessing it is important to you as well since you are reading this review. So how does the Nikon Zf stack up and will it evoke similar feelings as the X-Pro1 did back in 2012 and why is this important to some of us?
You can argue that a camera is just an object or tool so why not forget about aesthetics and focus solely on functionality? It just happens that we are lucky to have a vast array of choices and some of us will gravitate towards retro-styled cameras and some could not care less.
There is an element of nostalgia when it comes to a camera such as the Nikon Zf. Thousands of Nikon FM, FE, and F3 users see the Zf and have flashbacks to the eighties and younger photographers will likely admire the design from times gone by.
The wonderful thing about nostalgia is that you often forget the bad and only remember the good. So, with that said are there any valid benefits with a retro-styled design? Absolutely. If you dig the looks of a camera it can indeed inspire you to use it more often and when I pick a camera it is not only about functionality but also design and aesthetics.
The top view of the Nikon Zf with dedicated PSAM switch, ISO, shutter speed, and exposure compensation dials
Ideally, a camera has a blend of both with a good user interface and elegant design. The old design may also have flaws that you had forgotten about and at times they will not handle quite as nicely as a camera with a perfectly molded grip.
The Nikon Zf strikes a chord on the design as well as the performance fronts and while some photographers won’t mind the ergonomics others will prefer a more modern design.
With a weight of 22.2 oz / 630 g, the Zf feels solid, even hefty, and all buttons a dials have an air of quality about them. I have yet to bump into anything that feels flimsy or plasticky. The Zf has a small grip which is almost identical in size, look, and feel to the grip on the Nikon F3.
You can purchase a grip or cage from SmallRig which may be a good idea if you want to use the Zf with bigger lenses. Nikon also has a grip, ZF-GR1, which to my eyes looks as if it may be a better fit when it comes to design and ergonomics. Unfortunately at this point, it is only available in Japan.
The Nikon Zf shown with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AI-S mounted using a K&F Concept adapter
For now, I am happy to use the Zf without a grip but may entertain the idea of the Nikon grip at a later date if and when it becomes available in other parts of the world.
We have to talk about the dials on the Zf for a second. They turn with satisfying clicks and are of a very high quality that feels almost identical to my Nikon F3 HP.
Nikon Zf Specs
24.5MP FX-Format BSI CMOS Sensor
EXPEED 7 Image Processor
ISO range: 100-64,000
5-Axis In-body vibration reduction, 8 stops
Up to 14 fps, mechanical, 30 fps electronic shutter
UHD 4K 30p video and full HD 120p video
96MP high-res mode
Memory: Slot 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Slot 2: microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC
Battery: EN-EL15c rechargeable lithium-Ion
3.69m-Dot EVF
3.2" vari-angle touchscreen
Weight: 22.2 oz / 630 g (Body only)
Price: $1,996.95 (at the time this review was posted)
In Action
I will include Nikon’s menu system in this segment which at first can be daunting when you come from Fujifilm but I would say that even an old dog can learn new tricks and I am surely and steadily getting the hang of it.
My friend, Julian, reminded me of the “?” (question mark) feature on Nikon cameras where you simply press the “?” and you instantly get an explanation of some of the features. It’s like a built-in manual. Cool.
Another friend, Kyle, helped me set up the Auto ISO function properly. It is however a tad convoluted in comparison to the setup I have on my Fuji cameras.
The “i” function is super handy as you can access your most common features quite easily.
I managed to set up a favorites menu where I keep and will add a few more settings that I frequently access, such as formatting your cards, changing shutter types, and Auto ISO settings. I then chose the front camera function button to access the favorites menu. I quite like this setup.
At first, I was not over the moon about the shutter sound but I think I am getting used to it. The shutter is very responsive but the actual sound has a slightly high-pitched click. You can shoot completely silently also using the electronic shutter.
A size comparison between the Nikon Zf and Nikon F3 HP
A feature I have used extensively with all my Fujifilm cameras is the exposure compensation dial and while it is a bit firm on the Nikon Zf, you can change it with your right thumb without having to use two fingers. I shoot in aperture priority 90% of the time and this quickly gives you access to a manual override.
One of the dial changes I made was to move the aperture adjustment from the front to the rear command dial. The front dial is what I have been used to, and while the front dial feels okay, the back dial feels much better with a wonderful tactile feel.
More often than expected I have used the camera with the rear LCD flipped to the fully closed position and expect to do this more so once I have the camera set up to my liking. The texture of the camera wrapping (not sure if it is real leather) feels quite premium.
The rear LCD fully closed
Almost all sample images in this initial review are captured with manual focus lenses. I never use the AE-L/AF-L button so instead I changed this to a punch-in zoom button and found it to work quite well.
Only, I have to push it twice, once to zoom in, and once to zoom out. On my Fujifilm cameras, I punch in, then half-press the shutter and it will zoom out again. There may be a workaround that I haven’t figured out yet.
The viewfinder, although only a 3.69M-dot is very good and I find that I can manually focus almost all images without having to punch in. I also like how customizable it is so you can remove clutter.
My impressions of autofocus performance are very good with excellent eye-tracking.
It is my intention to update this review as I venture into trying more native Z lenses but with the Expeed 7 processor and similar autofocus performance to the Z8 and Z9 I expect it to be excellent.
Nikon Zf - Image Quality
Having used the Fujifilm GFX 50R extensively over the past year I did not expect the image quality from the Nikon Zf to blow me away. Going from the larger-than-full-frame 50-megapixel sensor to a full-frame 24-megapixel sensor was bound to make a difference.
Adding the Zf to my camera mix is more about slightly better portability, speed of operation, and performance with some of Nikon’s Z autofocus lenses and Z-Mount lenses from Voigtländer. I may even gander at a couple of my favorite older AI-S lenses or pair the Zf up with some of the latest AF-S lenses using the FTZ II adapter.
The images in this first week of testing did however slightly exceed my expectations but the new camera unfortunately did not make me a better photographer overnight. Funny how that is.
If you come from an APS-C-based Fujifilm camera you may notice a slightly different look from the full-frame sensor with the Nikon Zf but I am finding this jump in sensor size less noticeable than going from full-frame to Fujifilm GFX cameras.
The sample images in this initial review are processed from RAW files in Lightroom Classic. For the past few years, I have used Capture One Express for Fujifilm and now I am curious if there is a noticeable difference between the Nikon Zf files from Lightroom to Capture One. Maybe I will explore this at some point. Please leave a comment below if you have tried both.
In Lightroom, you can pick specific camera-matching presets (thanks for the heads up, Kyle) and I have used this feature, for some of the black-and-white images in this post. At this point, I have mainly adjusted curves, exposure, and white balance, and often reduced contrast and sharpness slightly.
The Nikon Zf picture profiles are okay but I find Fujifilm’s film simulation nicer, and more organic looking. In fairness to Nikon, I do need to explore their presets a bit more before dismissing them.
So far my favorite color profile is the “Rich Tone Portrait” and the three black-and-white presets are all very good. Most often I use the standard Camera Monochrome but the Flat Monochrome and Deep Tone Monochrome settings are also usable depending on which look you are after.
The colors from the Nikon 24-megapixel sensor are rich and very pleasing and I would probably leave these untouched for the most part.
The sample images in this review can be viewed up to 2500 pixels wide depending on your monitor size. Please click to view larger photos if viewed on your PC or laptop, or pinch-zoom if you are viewing on your phone.
Summary After a Week With the Nikon Zf
After one week with the Nikon Zf, this is not a definitive review and I plan to drop updates on this page as I take the Zf through its paces in different scenarios. I haven’t even mentioned the Pixel-Shift mode, which allows for combined stills into a 96-megapixel file, and have yet to turn the dial to video. Stay tuned for updates.
To a certain degree, I find that Nikon, with the Zf, is filling a gap and has continued a trend that Fujifilm started with the X-Pro and X-T Series cameras.
It’s the retro-styled vibe that initially got me onboard with Fujifilm and here I am again, repeating a pattern, except this time the camera has “Nikon” written on the front.
The Nikon Zf differs as we now have a solid retro-styled full-frame option that isn’t priced in Leica territory. It is a wonderful time for photographers who enjoy a bit of nostalgia thrown into the mix without having to spend between six and eight thousand dollars.
I wrote to one of my Instagram contacts who asked about the Nikon Zf, that there isn’t a magic bullet when it comes to cameras, and that is partially how I feel about the Zf at this point.
I am excited about the Zf but also find that it is important to mention that it is not a Z8 which has a deeper feature set, larger grip, and stacked sensor for super-fast readout and more megapixels if you need to make large prints or crop your wildlife photos (The Z8 is also twice the cost).
Nor is it a Fujifilm X-T5 which is lighter, has a 40-megapixel sensor, and Fujifilm’s excellent film simulations and costs $300.00 less.
From the the get-go, the Nikon Zf does however feel like a well-rounded and solid performer in the 24-megapixel full-frame segment.
It works great with manual focus lenses and has the latest processor for fast operation and excellent autofocus performance. I look forward to spending more time with it.
For more specs and features of the Nikon Zf please check my preview:
Please see more sample images below.
The Nikon Zf and Nikon F3 HP side by side
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Nikon Zf - Sample Images
Please see the sample images below. Editing was done in Lightroom and some of the images are slightly cropped.
Please click to view larger images.
West End, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
West End, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Robson Square, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Downtown, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Granville Street, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Downtown, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Downtown, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Downtown, Vancouver, Nikon Zf, Voigtländer Ultron 40mm f/2 SL IIs and K&F Concept adapter
Alexandra Park, Nikon Zf, Viltrox AF 28mm f/1.8 Z @ f/5
