I am so enamored by the zf that I created nikon-zf.com just for this camera.
I feel like this can bring photography back to its roots rather than photography with a computer.
Darin Marcus
November 17, 2023 11:28 am
Thank you very much for this review, Libor!
I am interested in Nikon’s Pixel Shift technology more than in the Zf – I am glad you tested its implementation in the Zf.
I hope that Nikon will continue to improve this technology in future cameras…
Brian Durell
November 13, 2023 9:52 am
Thanks for a non-gushy review. I must confess that a retro design does nothing for me. Your discussion of limitations of the Zf confirms my choice to wait for the Z6iii. I find it really odd that to get a retro look Nikon left off a decent grip but offers an add-on grip at extra cost.
Sam
November 13, 2023 12:28 am
I’ve had mine for just over a week and im really enjoying it. Massive upgrade from my Z5, and I’ve tried other brands and ultimately didn’t want to invest in them.
I had to use it for the first few days without the added grip and I didn’t find it too awkward, but now I’ve got the grip it feels like a much more substantial and comfortable camera.
It really is perfect for me and I have no desire to look for anything else for now. I’m an enthusiast, I’m 30 years old with a young family, and my main use is documenting them. The fact I feel confident taking on paid work with it too is a bonus.
Miguel Ángel García
November 13, 2023 12:11 am
Very nice and complete review. But as far as it is “made in Europe” it would be nice to see the price in €uros too.
Hi Miguel Ángel, you are right that the review was made in Europe, but on one of the last non Euro islands. Still, to add, the current price in Euros is 2,541€ for the body. The price for the 40/2 set is 2 795,20€ and for the 24-70/4 set you pay 3 181,59€. As can be seen, prices in the US are somewhat more favorable.
Ben
November 12, 2023 10:41 am
I just noticed that the Zf (body only) is sold around 2000 dollars in north america, and around 2600 (2500 euros) (body only) in Europe, given it is a Japanese brand, I wonder why…
I would also add the larger market in the US compared to the more fragmented market in Europe and the resulting better pricing conditions for customers.
Don’t forget, Jason, you have to include all those 1858 bird species, a plethora of interesting cultures and breathtaking nature in that price. That’s not free either :-)
W2W3
November 11, 2023 3:48 am
My comments about the handling of the Zf: I have the SmallRig grip and it is very helpful when using longer lenses (eg. the Z100-400 is absolutely no problem with the Zf and teh grip). It also serves as an Arca Swiss bottom plate and it is not in the way of the flip-out screen. I appreciate the advantages of an L-bracket, but I can live with a bottom plate only. Speaking of the flip out screen: For me it is a boon. I always hated the screen of the Z7 as it made me avoid taking photos in low positions in portrait orientation. For most other compositions I look through the viewfinder anyways. A configuration of AF-C, subject recognition and manual focus override yields high rates of in-focus photos. If you choose single point focus (with AF-C) the camera handles almost like in AF-S. You only have to switch to one of the area modes to activate subject recognition. Then keep half-pressed-shutter-focussing active, assign 3D-Tracking to the back-button and you have swift access to most of the focussing tools you need. That said, I agree with Libor: It is a shame that there are no banks to store a few configurations. USB-C-charging is also convenient. I can charge the camera plugged to the PC oder with any good smartphone charger. I am very impressed by the Zf. It makes me go out shooting more – perhaps due to honey moon feelings with an new “toy”. Perhaps not. We will see…
Hudson Henry
November 10, 2023 10:50 pm
I love mine. I just spent two weeks in the Scottish highlands with it and my Q3. I was testing the new Plena 135 on it, which was great and the AF in low light and IBIS performance are mind bending. That said, the lens I love most on it is Voigtländer’s 50 F1.0 Noct Z mount. With the manual focus subject detection that pair is a dream come true.
Megjegyzés : Az elektromos csatlakozóval ellátott termékeket az Egyesült Államokban való használatra tervezték. A csatlakozóaljzatok és a feszültség nemzetközi szinten különbözik, és ehhez a termékhez adapterre vagy átalakítóra lehet szükség a rendeltetési helyén való használathoz. Kérjük, vásárlás előtt ellenőrizze a kompatibilitást.
Jeff
November 10, 2023 10:05 pm
I have had a moss green ZF for a couple of weeks now. But I am using it differently than most people would. As a background, I have a Z9, Z8, Z7ii and ZFc.
I have not mounted an af lens on it and neither to I intend to. I own the following lenses that are now my ZF lenses:
Most of these have aperture rings. I set the aperture, ISO and shutter speed with the aperture ring and dials (D lenses work a little differently) and then vary the ISO as needed. This works well unless it is too bright for ISO 100 in which case I typically modify the shutter speed.
With the focus peaking, the eye detect and shooting with a monochrome picture control because the focus peaking is much more visible, I am enjoying this style of photography. It is a world of difference from my Z9.
I do not use the B&W setting. I like full colour in my black and white. I spend more time on colour processing my black and white images than I do my colour images.
What you say sounds absolutely awesome, but to be clear, the B&W switch on the Zf also only sets a monochrome picture control. If you’re shooting RAW, you can still convert that photo to color in post-processing. Likewise, it lets you do color channel processing on your B&W photos taken this way, because they’re not really B&W photos.
I wondered about that but have not tested it yet. Thanks for saving me the trouble Spencer. And thank you for all of your efforts with Photography Life.
PS: You can see some of my results if you Google “westendfoto flickr”. But I have to get my Yellowstone/Teton road trip series done before I start posting any pictures I took after August.
Another benefit to what you described is that I can flip back and forth between colour and black and white without assigning it to any quick memos or doing any menu diving. I suppose I might think of this switch as an F2 button that can only have one setting.
That’s a really impressive collection of lenses that must be happy on a new camera like the Zf right now. By the way, very interesting tip for MF to shoot with B&W mode active. It is true that the red focus peaking sometimes fades a bit in other colors. Enjoy your new camera, Jeff.
Abhinav
November 10, 2023 8:35 pm
If this camera is setup exclusively for wildlife photography, paired with 180-600 lens, how would it perform both in terms of handling (with small rig grip) and autofocus reliability? There is no other camera currently in Nikon line up at this price point with Subject detection for animals/birds. I also own a z30 and it has been really amazing for travel photography with 40mm and 10-20 af-p lens.
After the Nikon Z9 and Z8, I find the Zf to be the most suitable candidate for a wildlife photographer. The AF is of a very high standard (although the Z9 is still better, at least for birds). The ergonomics with a grip should also be good (I personally haven’t tried a camera with a grip). Probably the only thing I can think of as a drawback at the moment is the inability to set shooting menu banks or C1 and C2. That’s the price you pay for the classic design. If that doesn’t bother you, you should be happy with the Zf for wildlife photography.
I am so enamored by the zf that I created nikon-zf.com just for this camera.
I feel like this can bring photography back to its roots rather than photography with a computer.
Thank you very much for this review, Libor!
I am interested in Nikon’s Pixel Shift technology more than in the Zf – I am glad you tested its implementation in the Zf.
I hope that Nikon will continue to improve this technology in future cameras…
Thanks for a non-gushy review. I must confess that a retro design does nothing for me. Your discussion of limitations of the Zf confirms my choice to wait for the Z6iii. I find it really odd that to get a retro look Nikon left off a decent grip but offers an add-on grip at extra cost.
I’ve had mine for just over a week and im really enjoying it. Massive upgrade from my Z5, and I’ve tried other brands and ultimately didn’t want to invest in them.
I had to use it for the first few days without the added grip and I didn’t find it too awkward, but now I’ve got the grip it feels like a much more substantial and comfortable camera.
It really is perfect for me and I have no desire to look for anything else for now. I’m an enthusiast, I’m 30 years old with a young family, and my main use is documenting them. The fact I feel confident taking on paid work with it too is a bonus.
Very nice and complete review.
But as far as it is “made in Europe” it would be nice to see the price in €uros too.
Hi Miguel Ángel, you are right that the review was made in Europe, but on one of the last non Euro islands. Still, to add, the current price in Euros is 2,541€ for the body. The price for the 40/2 set is 2 795,20€ and for the 24-70/4 set you pay 3 181,59€. As can be seen, prices in the US are somewhat more favorable.
I just noticed that the Zf (body only) is sold around 2000 dollars in north america, and around 2600 (2500 euros) (body only) in Europe, given it is a Japanese brand, I wonder why…
I’d guess it’s the VAT, which is included in Europe. Plus the extended warranty of 2 years.
I would also add the larger market in the US compared to the more fragmented market in Europe and the resulting better pricing conditions for customers.
In Brazil you would pay approximately $5000 USD. Europeans are lucky….
Don’t forget, Jason, you have to include all those 1858 bird species, a plethora of interesting cultures and breathtaking nature in that price. That’s not free either :-)
My comments about the handling of the Zf: I have the SmallRig grip and it is very helpful when using longer lenses (eg. the Z100-400 is absolutely no problem with the Zf and teh grip). It also serves as an Arca Swiss bottom plate and it is not in the way of the flip-out screen. I appreciate the advantages of an L-bracket, but I can live with a bottom plate only.
Speaking of the flip out screen: For me it is a boon. I always hated the screen of the Z7 as it made me avoid taking photos in low positions in portrait orientation. For most other compositions I look through the viewfinder anyways.
A configuration of AF-C, subject recognition and manual focus override yields high rates of in-focus photos. If you choose single point focus (with AF-C) the camera handles almost like in AF-S. You only have to switch to one of the area modes to activate subject recognition. Then keep half-pressed-shutter-focussing active, assign 3D-Tracking to the back-button and you have swift access to most of the focussing tools you need. That said, I agree with Libor: It is a shame that there are no banks to store a few configurations.
USB-C-charging is also convenient. I can charge the camera plugged to the PC oder with any good smartphone charger.
I am very impressed by the Zf. It makes me go out shooting more – perhaps due to honey moon feelings with an new “toy”. Perhaps not.
We will see…
I love mine. I just spent two weeks in the Scottish highlands with it and my Q3. I was testing the new Plena 135 on it, which was great and the AF in low light and IBIS performance are mind bending. That said, the lens I love most on it is Voigtländer’s 50 F1.0 Noct Z mount. With the manual focus subject detection that pair is a dream come true.
Agreed 100%. I have the M-mount Voigt 50/1.0, so I added the TechArt TZM-02 AF adaptor on my Zf – now I have the best of both worlds 😍
Megjegyzés : Az elektromos csatlakozóval ellátott termékeket az Egyesült Államokban való használatra tervezték. A csatlakozóaljzatok és a feszültség nemzetközi szinten különbözik, és ehhez a termékhez adapterre vagy átalakítóra lehet szükség a rendeltetési helyén való használathoz. Kérjük, vásárlás előtt ellenőrizze a kompatibilitást.
I have had a moss green ZF for a couple of weeks now. But I am using it differently than most people would. As a background, I have a Z9, Z8, Z7ii and ZFc.
I have not mounted an af lens on it and neither to I intend to. I own the following lenses that are now my ZF lenses:
NIKKOR 15mm f/3.5 AIS, NIKKOR 18mm f/3.5 AIS, NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8 AIS, NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8 AIS, NIKKOR 28mm f/2.8 AIS, AF NIKKOR 28mm f/1.4D, Voigtlander 40mm f/2.0 Ultron SL II,
NIKKOR 50mm f/1.2 AIS, NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8 AIS (Japanese Version), AF NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4D, NIKKOR 85mm f/2.0 AIS, NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4 AIS, NIKKOR 105mm f/2.5 AIS, NIKKOR 105mm f/1.8 AIS, AF DC-NIKKOR 135mm f/2D, NIKKOR 135mm f/2.8 AIS, NIKKOR 180mm f/2.8 AIS, NIKKOR 200mm f/4.0 AIS and the NIKKOR 400mm f/5.6 AIS.
Most of these have aperture rings. I set the aperture, ISO and shutter speed with the aperture ring and dials (D lenses work a little differently) and then vary the ISO as needed. This works well unless it is too bright for ISO 100 in which case I typically modify the shutter speed.
With the focus peaking, the eye detect and shooting with a monochrome picture control because the focus peaking is much more visible, I am enjoying this style of photography. It is a world of difference from my Z9.
I do not use the B&W setting. I like full colour in my black and white. I spend more time on colour processing my black and white images than I do my colour images.
What you say sounds absolutely awesome, but to be clear, the B&W switch on the Zf also only sets a monochrome picture control. If you’re shooting RAW, you can still convert that photo to color in post-processing. Likewise, it lets you do color channel processing on your B&W photos taken this way, because they’re not really B&W photos.
I wondered about that but have not tested it yet. Thanks for saving me the trouble Spencer. And thank you for all of your efforts with Photography Life.
PS:
You can see some of my results if you Google “westendfoto flickr”. But I have to get my Yellowstone/Teton road trip series done before I start posting any pictures I took after August.
Another benefit to what you described is that I can flip back and forth between colour and black and white without assigning it to any quick memos or doing any menu diving. I suppose I might think of this switch as an F2 button that can only have one setting.
No 35mm f/2 AIS??
That’s a really impressive collection of lenses that must be happy on a new camera like the Zf right now. By the way, very interesting tip for MF to shoot with B&W mode active. It is true that the red focus peaking sometimes fades a bit in other colors. Enjoy your new camera, Jeff.
If this camera is setup exclusively for wildlife photography, paired with 180-600 lens, how would it perform both in terms of handling (with small rig grip) and autofocus reliability? There is no other camera currently in Nikon line up at this price point with Subject detection for animals/birds. I also own a z30 and it has been really amazing for travel photography with 40mm and 10-20 af-p lens.
After the Nikon Z9 and Z8, I find the Zf to be the most suitable candidate for a wildlife photographer. The AF is of a very high standard (although the Z9 is still better, at least for birds). The ergonomics with a grip should also be good (I personally haven’t tried a camera with a grip). Probably the only thing I can think of as a drawback at the moment is the inability to set shooting menu banks or C1 and C2. That’s the price you pay for the classic design. If that doesn’t bother you, you should be happy with the Zf for wildlife photography.