Nikon Zf：Nikon’s latest full-frame Z-series camera
The Nikon Zf looks the part, and its controls feel luxurious. That stylish retro look, and yes, lots of metal parts. Furthermore, under the hood, this camera packs some powerful specs. The Zf gains some of the high-end flagship features of the Nikon Z8 and Z9, and uses the impressive sensor found in the Z6 II. To get all that for just under $2,000 is a great value, indeed.
To be clear: Yes, the Nikon Zf does offer a few specs that are slightly more modern than the Z5 or Z6II. However, both alternatives have the much more universal, comfortable modern ergonomics and controls, which really does make a difference.Secondly, you have to be okay with the rather large, heavy body, too. Because, honestly, if all you want is a cool retro-looking camera, the Nikon Z fc is incredibly capable, and it’s significantly lighter (200g lighter, more than half a pound) and far smaller.
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Other than the weight, the handling of the Zf is excellent. The dials are easy to turn and allow you to set shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, shooting mode, metering mode, and shutter speed without even lifting the camera to your eye. Note that shutter speed is displayed on a screen. With most lenses, it will be changed via a dial since quite a few Z lenses lack aperture rings.
Nikon Zf Battery Life
Thanks to the standard EN-EL15c battery, the Zf enjoys both a decently long battery life, and the ability to charge very rapidly using USB-PD power. You can even operate the camera directly from USB power, as long as you keep in mind that the USB charging/power requires USB-PD, and not just any USB-C power source. As my personal form of measurement, I’d say that about two full batteries will get me through one entire (rather long) wedding day.
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Nikon Zf black and white mode
One very nice feature in the Zf is a black and white mode. There are two things that make this better than the black and white mode in most cameras. First, you can activate it with a switch under the right side dial—no hunting around in menus. You just flip the switch and flip it back when you’re done. This enabled me to use black and white mode as a quick way to view a scene without color, which I find helps with composition. Sometimes elements seem fine at first glance and don’t appear distracting until later, when you view the scene in black and white.
This is the thing I liked most about the Nikon Zf. The black and white images themselves are also better than most. You don’t get Fujifilm-level image customization, but there are a few options. You can shoot in three modes, plain monochrome, “flat mono,” and “deep tone mono.” There isn’t a huge difference between these three, and there’s no way to customize the profiles the way you can in a Fujifilm camera, but it’s a start. I’d like to see Nikon expand on this feature in future cameras.
The retro style design is important. You have to really like that part of the camera, in order for it to be the best choice. Compared against the budget-friendly Nikon Z5, (currently a mere $996, thanks to an active $402 rebate) and the powerful Nikon Z6 II which comes in at just $1,596, (also thanks to a $400 rebate) …the Nikon Zf is a choice you’d make specifically for the retro style.