I bought this with the moderate zoom and all the defects are pluses for me! Never had such sharp photos except with the Nikon dslr 850 which had a horrible screen. Deactivated half the buttons and am instantly where I want to be. Not missing a shot, change shutter speed, exposure compensation and iso manually and only use the screen to play back. Sheer heaven. Oh , and also use pro-focus – essential to me.
Robert Gregory
March 29, 2024 7:56 am
Apologies for my comment – I confused the Df (DSLR) with the Zf (mirrorless)
Krishna
December 16, 2023 7:55 am
Can Zfc be used as a backup photograph for someone who photographs birds? Does it detect bird while using wide Area AF ?
Unfortunately, Zfc is not very suitable for bird photography. Its subject detection cannot recognize birds. The Zf, on the other hand, is very suitable as a backup body. It’s quite small, so it won’t take up too much space in a backpack. Still, if bird photography is your main interest, I would wait for the Z6 III.
Tom from MI
December 12, 2023 7:17 am
Excellent review! I’ve had my Zf for a few months and I agree with most of your findings. The one thing I take exception to is where you seem to be critical of the ability to bypass the ISO, Shutter and Exposure compensation dials. You talk about this in your section on “Disadvantages of the Zf Design” and again in your conclusions where you state: “However, for working quickly, I found myself setting “C” on a lot of the dials, which somewhat negates the reason to buy the Zf in the first place.” I’ve read similar sentiments in other reviews and always find it puzzling. This should be considered an advantage of the Zf as it’s like having two cameras in one. For example, when I want to shoot more deliberately, I use the Zf with my collection of MF primes and take advantage of the manual focusing aids. When I want to shoot fast, I attach AF lenses and bypass the dials. I agree that having some type of User or Bank settings would make this easier. Maybe that will be added in a firmware update. For now, I have added f2: Custom Controls (shooting) to My Menu and change the Video button to Zoom 100% for MF shooting and to ISO control for AF shooting. I mostly use the Zf with MF lenses, but it’s nice to be able to “speed up” if needed.
Thanks for the comment, Tom. Actually, I wouldn’t explicitly consider this feature a disadvantage. Rather, it’s that muscle memory combined with ordinary human lyzyness would cause me to end up using only one way to set ISO, shutter speed, etc. But it’s certainly good to have a choice, and I’d say Nikon has done a great job of combining the best of both worlds.
George
December 1, 2023 2:08 pm
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.
nice!! I even registered but I am not willing to make my files smaller just to upload them
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.
Nikon doesn’t have the add-on grip, you have to purchase it through a different company.
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.
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 :-)
I bought this with the moderate zoom and all the defects are pluses for me! Never had such sharp photos except with the Nikon dslr 850 which had a horrible screen. Deactivated half the buttons and am instantly where I want to be. Not missing a shot, change shutter speed, exposure compensation and iso manually and only use the screen to play back. Sheer heaven. Oh , and also use pro-focus – essential to me.
Apologies for my comment – I confused the Df (DSLR) with the Zf (mirrorless)
Can Zfc be used as a backup photograph for someone who photographs birds? Does it detect bird while using wide Area AF ?
Unfortunately, Zfc is not very suitable for bird photography. Its subject detection cannot recognize birds. The Zf, on the other hand, is very suitable as a backup body. It’s quite small, so it won’t take up too much space in a backpack. Still, if bird photography is your main interest, I would wait for the Z6 III.
Excellent review! I’ve had my Zf for a few months and I agree with most of your findings. The one thing I take exception to is where you seem to be critical of the ability to bypass the ISO, Shutter and Exposure compensation dials. You talk about this in your section on “Disadvantages of the Zf Design” and again in your conclusions where you state: “However, for working quickly, I found myself setting “C” on a lot of the dials, which somewhat negates the reason to buy the Zf in the first place.” I’ve read similar sentiments in other reviews and always find it puzzling. This should be considered an advantage of the Zf as it’s like having two cameras in one. For example, when I want to shoot more deliberately, I use the Zf with my collection of MF primes and take advantage of the manual focusing aids. When I want to shoot fast, I attach AF lenses and bypass the dials. I agree that having some type of User or Bank settings would make this easier. Maybe that will be added in a firmware update. For now, I have added f2: Custom Controls (shooting) to My Menu and change the Video button to Zoom 100% for MF shooting and to ISO control for AF shooting. I mostly use the Zf with MF lenses, but it’s nice to be able to “speed up” if needed.
Thanks for the comment, Tom. Actually, I wouldn’t explicitly consider this feature a disadvantage. Rather, it’s that muscle memory combined with ordinary human lyzyness would cause me to end up using only one way to set ISO, shutter speed, etc. But it’s certainly good to have a choice, and I’d say Nikon has done a great job of combining the best of both worlds.
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.
nice!! I even registered but I am not willing to make my files smaller just to upload them
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.
Nikon doesn’t have the add-on grip, you have to purchase it through a different company.
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.
Made in Thailand actually according to my box
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 :-)