Nikon Zf - A retro travel camera?
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- This is a non-review video detailing my experiences spending just over two weeks with the Nikon Zf during a photography workshop I was leading in Madagascar recently.
As a continuing film shooter, and someone who really likes using cameras liek teh old F3, the Zf is definitely something that I found interesting. I was also intrigued as to whether teh camera would hold up as a jack-of-all-trades travel camera. Nikon South Africa kindly loaned me a unit with lens and FTZ adapter which I used as primary camera for just over two weeks. The video is a recap of my thoughts around using the Zf for travel photography.
Timeline:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Differences between street and travel photography
03:45 Does the aesthetics of the camera affect photographing and the subject's response
06:08 Lack of accessories
07:53 Dials vs Push Button controls
09:50 The 28-75mm f2.8 lens
10:28 A case for small primes on the Zf
12:53 The ergonomics and build of the Zf
16:21 Retro controls on the camera
21:23 The EVF experience
23:38 High Resolution pixel stitch
25:35 High ISO and 'see in the dark' ability
26:54 FTZ adapter recommendation
27:17 Sensor based VR
27:43 Voice memo to metadata
28:29 Price and comparison to Z6ii and video spec
30:15 Conclusion and summary 
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Gotta be one of the best reviews of this camera out there.
Thanks Gavin!
I have been using Zf since January. This is absolutely spot on!
Emil’s comments and experience on the manual controls, ergonomics and experience, the design ethos are absolutely spot on. This camera design, controls are drawn from all the Nikon’s film camera designs and experience. This is something that most influencers, “creators”, and reviewers miss by miles. Most just don’t understand this camera. I think it’s mostly because they have not experienced manual film cameras for a length of time. But I think those who have used film cameras understand the design and compromises made, and probably can take to this camera like hand in glove.
I have been using the camera without any grip. Even though I love my Z8 for wildlife and landscapes, the Zf has become my EDC. It’s a joy to use.
I, however, would disagree with Emil on the B&W mode. I never did shoot B&W during my film camera days, but discovering this mode on the Zf has been such a pleasure and I am glad Nikon included this mode with a physical mode switch, even though this mode is readily available from the “i” menu.
I whole heartedly agree on the need for small manual primes with aperture rings. This is “vintage” done right. The Zf has translated the ability and joy of using film cameras for the digital age. Nikon has delivered!
Thank you Emil, for putting together your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and thoughtful manner!
Thanks Arbinde. I’ll concede that I might be in the minority not liking the b&w switch 😂 glad you enjoyed the review. It was done in a bit of a rush, but loved shooting with the camera and am very interested in getting my own now.
One of the best Zf reviews!
Thanks Menchang! I really appreciate the comment. Glad you enjoyed it!
Man, this was the best talk about ZF. You made me love my ZF more. Cheers for gr8 review.
Thanks, comment is much appreciated!
Best review in years... congratulations!
Wow! Thanks Dario. It was done in a bit of a rush, so appreciate your comment. Thanks
I’m not even in the market for this camera, but a brilliant review. Wish more product reviews were this good.
Thanks Merric! Glad you enjoyed it.
Best video of Zf that i have seen... I have it. and I can confirm every word. for better or for worse.
Good job bro
Thanks so much!
Outstanding review!
Thanks Andrew!
As someone who was born in Madagascar, I always feel a sense of pride when I see others going there or just talking about it! And the photographs you took are amazing!
I agree with what you said about the lack of an aperture ring on the lenses, and after shooting with manual focus lenses and Fuji lenses for years now, I don't understand why people took it away in the first place, it just feels so intuitive!
The design of the small 40mm kit lens is really nice from afar, but the fact that it doesn't have an aperture ring on it and the fact that it feels plasticky relative to the solid and luxurious feel of the Zf is a huge turn off. I like your idea of just using manual focus primes on it!
It is an astounding country. I consider myself extremely fortunate to he able to travel there and run workshops!
You’re right about the 40mm. Really awesome lens optically, but just doesn’t gel with the whole ethos and feel of the Zf.
Thanks for watching and commenting!
The best video I saw for the ZF !
Thanks so much Jonathan!
Fantastic review!!
Thanks James!
I totally love the Zf w/ a Nikkor Z 24-120 for travel and have used it in Japan, US Southwest, Manhattan and others. I pair it with a Leica Q3 for those times I wish to be inconspicuous.
Thanks for sharing. Do you add a grip to better handle the weight of the 24-120?
@@emilvonmaltitz Thanks, I use the Smallrig grip and find it a great addition. I'm waiting to see if RRS gets off the dime and manufactures a better grip. BTW, using the 24-120 means I never need to travel with any additional lenses. Great review
I am with you on the idea of primes.
I would have loved to have tried out the Nikon primes, but sadly I wasn’t sent any of those to play with. Nikon needs to make more I think
I just received mine and I love it so much. A few years ago I was sad thinking Nikon dropped the ball and would eventually go out of business but I am happy to see they are back in the game.
So far they have had marketing successes with the Z9, Z8 and (I think some photographers were surprised here) the Zf… Nikon is on a roll at the moment. Next week should be interesting.
I concur with everyone else who found this to be a really excellent review - one of the best! A professionals ‘user experience’ plus real world images & video made this review very compelling and enjoyable.
My first camera was a Nikon F2, and I still have the F3… I immediately saw the similarities and homage in the Zf. I look forward to your take on the just released Z6 lll - heavily video centric, at a good price, loaded with features…and reviewers hyperbole.
Thanks Catherine! I love the last line of your comment 😂 there’s definitely a lot of hyperbole out there!
AMAZING VIDEO!
Thanks so much Jeremy!
This was very helpful. I have tried the camera out in a local camera store (with my own SD card) and it impressed me. I respectfully disagree with you about the B&W switch; I really liked being able to see what the B&W image would look like as I was shooting it. Thanks for making this video.
:D Happy to concede that I might be in the minority with not finding the B&W switch useful...so you see focus more easily in B&W? I guess that makes sense considering it's easier to see the effects of sharpening in B&W when using converters like Lightroom.
Fantastic in-depth review, thank you very much! I own the ZF since March and am also more than happy. It takes time to dial in and get used to its controls but it it more capable than I will ever need realistically. Totally agree that the small lens setup is the way to go. Hence I got the 28mm + 40mm Z, both of which are great. But I just had to get the 24-120mm Z for its versatility and image quality as well as the FTZ II adapter so that I can continue to use my beloved F mount lenses.
Thanks for sharing. I suspect I’d also go for the 28+40 (although I really wish we could get a small 24mm). As I’m still a DSLR user (until they die) it’s still just wish-list creation though 😜
Fantastic video. I bought the Zf with travel in mind. I did a Europe trip last year with the Z7II and it was exceptional. However, I wanted a camera that had upgraded autofocus, but which would also worked well with my vast MF Nikkor and Voigtlander collections. At 60 this year, lighter gear, overall, has a real appeal.
Thanks, It fefinitekly i a great camera for photographers wanting to use their older gear...of course any camera with an adapter does that fine, but the Zf just seems the 'right' camera to do it with ;)
An interesting look at a beautiful camera that can indeed be a powerful and advanced all-rounder if you can come to terms with the user concept. Best regards SLEH
In a nutshell that’s it. You either like the dial concept or not. Thanks for watching.
Het jou video geniet, dankie Emil. Echo wat jy sê, dis ‘n baie lekker travel-camera. Groete vanuit Melbourne.
Baie dankie meneer!
@@emilvonmaltitz Cheers Emil. Will subscribe, would be nice to catch-up and buy you a coffee, when I visit South Africa again.
Will relocate to Portugal end of September, probably pop over in December. Chat later again, enjoy that side!
Just needs sigma contemporary lenses to make the ZF perfect
Possibly. The Contemporary lenses are just big and heavy though (although optically superb 👌). I personally think Tamron’s tiny 2.8 primes are a better for travel photography. They don’t match the optical limits of some of Sigma’s best IMO though.
@@emilvonmaltitz What are you talking about? Sigma’s contemporary 17mm f4, 24mm f3.5, 45mm f2.8, and 90mm f2.8 are lightest in their class. Their F2 are also extremely light and well built for its price.
I shoot raw too, but do use the B&W switch for doing Manual Focus.
I've seen that a few times now in the comments. If I get the camera back again I'll give that a go. I was using the peaking for the most part.
Great review. I'm certainly one of those users who lives in the BW switch. Also, Nikon really needs more smaller lenses. I hate that there isn't a 35mm & 50mm "SE" lens.
Artralab have an interesting and hopefully expanding range of ‘Nonikkor’ lenses which are modern mirrorless optical in Ai looking housing. Look amazing on the Zf…curious how sharp they are
Thank you!!! FINALLY, someone who knows what they are talking about in regards of what the Zf resembles. I too have shot Nikon FE and some FM bodies since the late 70s so I know these cameras quite intimately. The marketing that worked for the Zfc does not work with the Zf. It does NOT look like an FM2 but more like an FE or FE2, anyone with two eyes can see it, just look at the prism housing/nameplate shapes. I also agree that the body bulk does match the F3 but in all esthetics and handling it is a digital FE and the Zfc is the FM/FM2 (again looking at the prism/name plate shapes.
I think the ones pushing this incorrect marketing matchups are either lazy to look for themselves and have Never used the FE and FM bodies or even the F3, or are gullible to follow incorrect marketing which is a fail on whoever from Nikon marketing put that info out. Looking at the Zf and Zfc, they Both can not be an FM2-like while ignoring the FE/FE2 which in my five decade experience the better camera.
Yes, when I picked up the Zfc for the first time it was definitely closer in feel and size (but not quality) to the FM. The Zf on the other hands feels much more sturdy in the hand (like it can handle the abuse a working PJ would throw at it), but it is not small like an FM would be.
I upgraded from an 11 year old d5100 to the Zf in October 2023. ANY camera coming from that would be a massive improvement, but I've adored my time with it, especially since I went from being a 19/20 year old enthusiast to a professional photographer and videographer looking to do more personal and freelance work (we shoot Sony at dayjob, but I prefer Nikon's UI and already had the lenses). The dials are more intuitive for me, and I'm definitely a sucker for retro-inspired aesthetics, but it's genuinely just a solid camera.
That's a massive upgrade! Also interested to hear how you are bouncing between such wildly different UI's - that can't be easy. Possibly that's why you are finding the dials intuitive...holding the Zf is very different to shooting with a Sony or even the Nikon DSLRs, and possibly that's a good thing if you are working between systems.
@@emilvonmaltitz honestly I don’t think they’re that different; mostly just a few key menu changes to remember (the worst being making new folders in Nikon). I will say that my boss’s kit is Canon, from a team merger before I got here, and the menu system for THAT does not stick in my head for love or money, so mostly I give the 5D and C200 to our student worker and keep the Sonys for myself 😂 he does use the FX3 some tho!
I have a Leica M10 and a Nikon Z6. I'm all for small primes. 28mm, 50mm.. possibly a 90mm, that's all you need really. I'm now really tempted to get the Zf in combination with the Techart TZM-02 autofocus adapter. That way I can use my tiny Leica primes with state of the art autofocus. A potentially amazing combination. The pixel shift functionality will be great as well for digitising my medium format film.
I for now though I've just ordered the adapter, and I'll use it on my Z6 for a while before deciding on the Zf (or Z6III?).
To use pixel shift for digitising film! That IS an interesting idea 💡 I use my D850 to digitise my 6x4,5 negs, but I think you’re on to something with the pixelshift to do that!
@@emilvonmaltitz I saw a few videos on that and the idea is that by using the pixel shift functionality, you record all the pixels you miss out on with a bayer filter sensor. So grain is much more clear and precise, like you would get from a monochrome sensor. I would probably still only use it for quality scans that I plan on printing, because of the extra steps and effort involved. But it seems to be worth it.
Great review which I enjoyed watching even though I already knew most of it. I'd say that with an addition of the optional grip from 3rd parties like SmallRig the Zf is capable of holding largere lenses. I've used my 105mm prime on it with FTZ and I managed just fine although not quite as comfortable as the Z6.
Very capable AF although some of my picks were still not in focus even though I got the green confirmation even in AF-C, to a point I got just as many keepers with a Z fc using the same lens at the same event/conditions. Mind you this could be due to my custom focus area setup or because I was shooting in silent mode, but definitely the AF does indeed feel like a major upgrade.
You covered most things, although I'm not sure you mentioned starlight view or eye detect/subject tracking capability using manual lenses which in my opinion is another huge plus as you can also zoom in 100% to the eye by pressing the OK button and tweak manual focus to get even more keepers.
It's like you say the Zf is a great camera for most types of photography 😊
For the B&W switch to be more useful, I wish Nikon would let users set it to JPEG only separately from regular photo mode. Also have photo and video settings be separate. Let users save settings when on video mode (maybe make it command dial based, instead of reading the analog dials).
That’s an excellent idea!
I’ve been using the ZF for travel over the past two months. It’s visually stunning but has poor handling. On the plus side, the autofocus is excellent. I appreciate everything about it except for the flippy screen, which is cumbersome for street photography. Previously, I had an XT5, which I traded for the ZF. The Fuji was more user-friendly thanks to its screen, joystick, and customizable buttons.
same here. Traded the XT5 for the ZF and no regrets from that exchange. ZF's AF and low light performances tops Fuji by a mile
I’m also not sold on the flippy screen after having used it. I think for street and travel the older tilt screen is actually more useable…but then again if you want to go all retro (not really) you can reverse the flippy screen to hide it (faux retro)
And your thoughts on the IQ for landscape. 24mp is definitely enough but I’m guessing a lot of buyers will look at and he tempted by the 40mp on the Fuji.
Its versatility interests me. It ends up being economical
Yes, I’d agree with that comment. Particularly with the launch of the Z6iii. The Zf comes out as the very closely capable in every department, but more affordable option… you just have to be okay with the user interface.
Are you considering a similar video for the Z6 iii? Trying to decide between the two for urban, low light portraits.
I would love to. I’m still running a tiny channel so don’t get any preferential treatment from any companies other than Leofoto and Nisi (both the SA distributers) but I’ll he contacting Nikon SA to see if I can.
How was your experience in regards of dirt on the sensor?
Not the best, not the worst. Like all mirrorless cameras it is more susceptible to collecting crud on the sensor (compared to DSLRs) but I was able to clean it fairly easily (blower several times and one wet clean…which was not a surprise considering how dusty Madagascar is in the south).
Why the newest FTZ adapter over the first Nikon Branded FTZ ???? ThankYou for a great review :) :) :)
I cut a long section explaining it. The problem is that you cannot change between f-mount lenses on the FTZ and Z-mount lenses while on a tripod. You have to remove the camera from the tripod to mount the new lens. The foot on the old FTZ means you can’t remove the adapter while mounted to a tripod.
@@emilvonmaltitz K thanks for the quick response!! I will try to look thru all of Your videos for Jewels of Wisdom :) I seldom use a tripod when I would not be using a Z lens (the older lenses in most cases are a bit lacking in IQ (My opinion)) Although I do have a spot in My heart for some F lenses such as the 105mm AFS f1.4E (they are almost all good if not great if stopped down sufficiently)... But the Z Primes are Stunning !!!!!!!! :) :) :)
Record limit of 29 minutes? Are you sure about that?
I’d be thrilled to hear otherwise, but didn’t get a chance to test it directly. When you hit the record button you get the usual countdown timer on the EVF/LCD.
@@emilvonmaltitz According to internet. max recording time is 129 minutes!
@@richardbierman9856 that’s really good to know! Wish I’d had the camera for longer to test, but 2 and a bit weeks was all I could get.
Finally Nikon have caught up with Canon , only 10yrs late, with a fully articulating screen !
Well, that’s debatable as to whether it’s an improvement. For some photographers the older tilt screen is preferable (I suspect I’m one of them). For others the flippy screen is better. So I don’t really see it as ‘catching’ up. There are pros and cons to both.
@@emilvonmaltitz So whats the CON to the fully articulating screen, and if it were, why Nikon finally deciding to use it. Ive used Nikon ,Sony, Panasonic, and Canon ive never found 1 instance where its been a "CON" on the other hand many times where its been a plus. For some reason Canon doesnt have it on all models I have a 5Dmk4 and an older 6D neither of which has an articulating screen or even a foldable out one. Sony have had articulating screens on most of their video cameras for a long long time, so it cant be a patent reason. The tilt screen is NOT older , or what you mean by older, Canon have used the articulating screen for at least about 12 years or more, being on the Canon. model i was using back then, so you can hardly call it NEW ! About the only possible con, is it sticks out, well only if you need it too, otherwise it folds flat against the body. Ive never come close to damaging or breaking a screen. That would be the owners fault not the screens
IMHO zooms are killing one's photography, especially when doing people photographs. They make you lazy and complacent. Go the whole 9 yards and get fixed focal lengths. Zoom with your feet or mount another lens, be decisive.
A statement I agree with. As in the video most of the ‘people’ photography was shot with a 40mm Voigtlander. If I were to buy the Zf I’d pair with small pancake primes all the way.
My last lens purchase was the 135mm S Plena and I think this is ridiculous.
@@emilvonmaltitz would you recommend the voigtländer or rather go fort the nikon 26/28/40?
@@kilianvitt9132 if you want absolute image quality I suspect that the nikkors are actually better. The Voigtlander is an old design. I absolutely love it’s character (a euphemism for not being perfect maybe) but it’s really better suited to a film camera. When you put it on the FTZ adapter it isn’t nearly as small as the new primes designed for mirrorless.
I agree up to a point! You need the right tool for the right job! Primes are fantastic but for a camera like this ,(which I do own) which is very capable for various types of photography, primes are not always the way to go.
I get that some people love this camera but it has to have one of the worst mechanical control systems ever. I'd like to think that they were boxed out of using a better design by FujiFilm patents or some such because if the Zf is the best Nikon could come up after decades of building some of the worlds best cameras then, well......that's just embarrassing.
And yet it’s one of the best selling cameras in Japan at the moment. Ultimately it doesn’t matter that some photographers think it’s terrible or it has poor user interface…there are enough that think it’s fantastic for Nikon to be smiling. Each to their own I guess.
I have the zf with small primes including 2 manual focus voigtländers lens which are a match made in heaven . As someone who owns Fuji XT I love switching to B&W , it’s another fun thing, key one at that of the Fuji system film simulations which attracted many Nikon / Canon shooters so it makes sense for Nikon to include it. I want to go back to Nepal , I brought the ZF precisely for its travel appeal, but hiking I can see value in the 28-400, otherwise I’m torn between the 24-70 f/4 or 24-120 f/4 with maybe the 28-75 f/2.8 as a last contender .