Nikon Zf: The Return of Physicality in the Digital Age

Nikon Zf + Voigtländer 50mm f/2 Apo Lanthar

Nikon is going back to its roots.

A car that pays homage to tradition; in particular, the resemblance to the FM2—a legendary model from the yellow-and-black team—is striking.

The shapes—the rings—are the same. The sizes are larger.

The mount has also changed; in this case, we have the Z mount, Nikon’s new mount designed for the mirrorless market.

—-

Appearance & Controls

One of the most beautiful digital cameras of recent years. In an era of absolute standardization, where mirrorless cameras all look pretty much the same, here is finally a nod to tradition that breaks the mold a bit. Welcome back, physical dials. They let you keep everything in view and make everything more intuitive.   A minor disappointment was finding the exposure mode selection (PASM) separated from the aforementioned dials. It would have been better to have absolute consistency in this regard. Of course, there are also modern dials within easy reach of your thumb and index finger, as is Nikon tradition, allowing you to work in a more “digital” and even faster way. Absolute freedom to choose the workflow that best suits your needs, then.

Viewfinder and monitor.

The quality of the viewfinder—recessed into the top of the camera in a way that evokes the presence of a vintage mirror and pentaprism—is extraordinary. It offers a clarity of vision typically found only in much higher-end cameras with far more megapixels (here we have 3.6 MP, which is more than adequate). The only drawback is the motion blur when using the camera while moving. It’s quite annoying. That is, you notice a “pixel trailing” effect. This is likely due to a refresh rate that isn’t particularly high (it’s rated at 60 fps). The quality of the rear display is also very good; it can swivel 360 degrees, making it very convenient for selfies.  It’s a shame, however, that it can’t be aligned with the camera when you want to use it for shooting from below or above. This type of display articulation is very convenient for content creators and videographers, but completely unusable for those who use it purely for dynamic photography: in street photography, it’s practically useless.   Dear Nikon, this type of display would have been perfect on the upcoming Nikon Z6 Mark 3, a full-frame camera with a modern, general-purpose approach, not on a camera that so clearly evokes your photographic heritage. What a shame.

Ergonomics and user-friendliness.

As mentioned earlier, you have complete freedom: you can choose to work the old-fashioned way or go fully “digital.” It’s up to you. It’s your choice.

This is a camera that offers not only stunning aesthetics but also a fundamental quality: user-friendliness. It’s a somewhat vague term that encompasses a set of factors that work together seamlessly. Excellent operating speed, ease of use, an intuitive interface with a very short and straightforward learning curve, an autofocus system that is nothing short of excellent, and a manual focus system that is surprisingly effective…

In short, it’s a combination of features that makes shooting with the Zf an extremely enjoyable, fun, and satisfying experience. A true gem. In an increasingly standardized world, it’s a camera with a distinct personality of its own. Fun and thoroughly enjoyable. Hats off. Proof that you don’t need millions of customizable buttons. You just need to place the right ones in the right spots.

The only minor drawback: the additional grip can improve the hold for people with very large hands. In my case, the ring finger of my right hand would often end up pressing the customizable button on the front. This problem was solved, in fact, by the optional grip.

Autofocus and light meter.

Excellent in both cases. The autofocus is the most sensitive I’ve ever seen in low-light conditions. In low-contrast and low-light situations, it performs like no other. Extraordinary. You need to enable a specific option in the menu to get the AF module working at its maximum sensitivity. Tracking, object detection, and face/eye detection are on par with the best competitors. Often even a tad better.   The light meter is precise and flawless. Just as Nikon knows how to do.

Range.

The battery life is absolutely excellent. You can easily get 15,000–20,000 shots per charge. Unfortunately, I happened to get a defective battery during my first test. Now that I have six of them on hand, I can say that battery life is one of this camera’s strongest points.

Image quality.

At low, medium, high, and very high ISO settings, image quality remains exceptionally high.  Excellent dynamic range, excellent file flexibility in Capture One. Excellent JPEGs with some truly remarkable features, such as skin rendering. Exemplary. The resolution isn’t extremely high, but 24 MP is more than enough for any practical need. This includes the ability to crop images and still print them in large formats without any issues.

On the Field.

The Nikon Zf has proven to be an exceptional camera. Fast, efficient, with excellent image quality. What’s surprising, however, is a feature that’s often overlooked: how pleasant it is to use. It’s not just a matter of aesthetics, but of a whole range of features that work seamlessly together.  Manual focus—with lenses equipped with chips—is simply the best among mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses. There’s no need for magnification or peaking. The camera simply recognizes the eyes (if you’re taking a portrait) and highlights the focus square green when the eye is correctly in focus. Otherwise, it highlights the focus point in green the moment perfect focus is achieved at that point. This way, you never lose sight of the overall frame and aren’t distracted by peaking. It also works with various types of object or animal recognition. Working this way in manual focus is a real godsend.

The same goes for autofocus. Everything is very simple, intuitive, fast, and effective. The dials add a tactile element and provide a smart, at-a-glance overview of the key exposure settings. The aperture value is displayed in the small window on the top plate when using lenses without an aperture ring from the latest generation. The shutter has no response lag and produces a pleasant, discreet sound.

The image stabilizer is exceptional. It’s really convenient. The only downside: with third-party lenses, it’s effective for about 3 stops, compared to 6 stops with an average native lens. Too bad.

In conclusion, this is a spectacular camera with extraordinary image quality. Its few flaws are fairly minor and do not detract from an excellent user experience.

Pros and Cons of the Nikon Zf.

Advantages

Visually appealing.

Exceptional image quality.

Excellent performance at high ISO sensitivities

Excellent image stabilization (though less so with third-party lenses)

Complete freedom of choice (you can use traditional clamps or opt for a completely modern approach).

Exceptional JPEG quality with some unique features, such as skin retouching.

Extended dynamic range.

RAW files offer great flexibility.

Dual memory slots.

Extremely sharp viewfinder with high magnification (0.8x)

A sharp monitor with good color accuracy.

Extremely effective, smooth, and intelligent automatic and manual focusing systems.

Extremely pleasant and satisfying to use.

It's also extremely competitive in the video sector

Ease of use.

Excellent range.

The color options for the faux leather on the camera body are really stylish.

Defects

The tilting display, which isn't aligned with the camera body, makes a certain type of action photography using the monitor itself extremely difficult. Since this is a camera primarily designed for photography, I would have expected more attention to be paid to this aspect.

The viewfinder—which is excellent—exhibits a pixel-dragging effect when shooting in very fast-paced situations.

The customizable front button may end up under the ring finger if the photographer has rather large hands. This issue is resolved with the additional grip.

Some menu items can be confusing; they aren't very clear.

Personal Advice

One lens you absolutely shouldn't miss out on for this camera is the Voigtlander Z 40mm f/1.2.

Exemplary, sharp performance with a very poetic look. A must-have. And with these manual focus aids, it’s a real pleasure to use. Its compact size and extremely fast maximum aperture (f/1.2) make it a fantastic choice for low-light photography.

For this review, I used the Voigtlander 50 f/2.0 Apo, which is equally exceptional but has a more “clinical” look, though it still delivers excellent optical performance.