How does ISO work on the Nikon Zf? [old way. Firware 2.0 changes this]

UPDATE: FIRMWARE 2.0 CHANGES WHAT SHOWN IN THIS VIDEO. NEW VIDEO HERE:

Hi guys! I've been having a fun time shooting and testing the Nikon Zf. What a great camera! I'll have a final review soon, but I wanted to show folks how ISO works on the Nikon Zf as it's a little confusing, especially for Fujifilm shooters used to a certain way to engage Auto ISO.

I found keeping the dial on C and using the custom button settings I show in the video is my preferred method. I've been setting the camera to Aperture Priority and choosing an ISO of 400-800 as a general starting point. If I decide to use an auto ISO, I tend to. keep it at 1600, as the files are still super clean.

I hope Nikon releases firmware that allows us to use "C" to engage AUTO ISO.

irst time here? Hi, I'm Omar Gonzalez, a professional portrait and event photographer in the NYC/NJ area. On this channel, we talk cameras, lenses, and techniques to improve our photography.

My business:

Social Follow/Contact me

#nikonzf #nikon
***********************************************************************
*Purchases using the affiliate links above help maintain the channel at no cost to you, so thank YOU!

YouTube Gear

[mjr]

I set the max ISO to 200 so that I can use the dial to control max ISO. The dial will override the max ISO. So if I’m shooting in mixed lighting, I can quickly increase the ISO on the dial. This is the best implementation of auto ISO I have used.

[kalimarus]

The easiest way to deal with ISO on the Zf is simple but not intuitive to first realize. Simply go into camera settings, Auto ISO and turn it ON. Now adjust maximum ISO to 200 (the lowest). Leave minimum shutter to auto. Now your ISO wheel is your maximum ISO allowed. So for example you want to limit the range to an upper of 12800 in a dark room, set 12800 on the dial, done. The camera will use 100-12800 prioritizing the lowest it can use. Walk outside into a cloudy day? Twist the dial to 800. Now your auto iso range is 100-800. Want lowest only? Twist dial to 100 and there you go. See how easy it is on this camera? All these other ways are convoluted and waste the ISO dials functionality as well as other programmable buttons which can be used for something better.

[SamuelStreetlife]

Yes, put an end to this drama😂👍 Great and simple explanation. This makes total sense if you have used the Nikon system before but I still think Nikon should offer the option to let people choose to make the dial override auto ISO into fully manual ISO again. It would then avoid the need to use a custom button (which are only a few on the ZF). I personally like it the Nikon way. I switch auto ISO off/on in the My Menu. Quick enough for me✌🏻

[victorlim]

Great info, Omar. I now finally understand how ISO works on the Zf. A little convoluted but definitely powerful if you know how to use it.

[jamesmlodynia]

I have a Nikon ZF and ZFc also a Fujifilm XT3 and XT5, I Also have DSLR and mirrorless cameras, that reason why I bought the ZF and XT cameras was to use the dials on top of the cameras, some people still have a film camera along with the digital systems but by using the manual dials on top of the cameras along with a lens that has a manual aperture ring gives you the analog shooting experience with out the downside of film. These cameras do slow down the photography process but it makes you think more about the photography process and that is the beauty of a camera like that Nikon ZF and Fujifilm XT cameras. They make great landscape cameras that get you more involved in the photography process.

[CatPixStudio]

Hey Omar, thank you for the great content!
I've got an important addition to using the ISO-wheel in auto-ISO mode:
It sets the MINIMUM ISO in auto-ISO mode.
Explanation:
As Nikon bodies will always choose the lowest possible ISO at any given aperture/shutterspeed the more important thing you CAN change using the normal thumb wheel or the ISO-wheel of the ZF is the MINIMUM ISO. So in auto-iso the ISO-wheel doesn't only overwrite your max ISO. Setting it below your max ISO it also sets the minimum ISO.
Use cases:
So let's say you are in manual and your max. ISO is 12800 and min. ISO 100 and you are using a flash. By raising the min. auto-ISO you can bring up the ambiant light without lowering you shutterspeed below 1/60.
Or suddenly there's more action and you need generally faster shutterspeeds. But you don't want to go full manual. Again just raise the min. auto-ISO.

And as you still need the entire ISO-wheel in auto-ISO mode for setting the minimum ISO you can't just have an A on that wheel for auto-ISO. Because that would limit the ISO-wheel just to dial in auto-ISO and then remaining there without using it further for minimum ISO.

Cheers from Stuttgart

[marcusbraun]

The principle is the same as every other Nikon.
I think using the dial to increase minimum ISO in A mode is quite useful - in situations where your aperture is fully open but you temporarily need to increase the shutter speed just turn the dial up. That way you don't need to go into a different mode first.

[mekeyloser]

Your explanation is the first one and only real deal! You've got it nailed! Thanks! It helped me a lot!😀

[thefilmalliance]

This was super helpful. I’m happy you showed how to activate auto-iso for us grab and go guys

[grain_eyed_photography]

I have to watch it again 😂 before my camera arrives. Thank you, Omar!

[ahmadrazi]

I was wondering how auto ISO worked and you have answered all of my questions. I step further to buying zf.
Thankssss

[Thomas-fkep]

Thank you ..Great tip on the iso sensitivity custom setting. It makes it feel so much smoother on the zf.

[rogerwest]

The blinking light, no pun intended, in auto iso on every Nikon I have tried drives me mad. I wish there was an option to turn the flashing indicator off. On the zf moving the iso dial off c should give the dial settings priority. A very good explanation of iso on the zf Omar but it demonstrates how confusing the Nikon iso control is.

[screentools]

00:02 Nikon Zf ISO settings and adjustments
00:47 ISO settings on Nikon Zf
01:29 Set movie button to ISO setting for easy access.
02:03 Easy ISO adjustment using custom controls
02:47 Nikon Zf allows you to activate auto ISO through the menu.
03:31 Activate Auto ISO on Nikon Zf
04:13 Nikon Zf allows for manual and auto ISO adjustment.
05:02 ISO on Nikon Zf can be controlled in different modes

[juliette-mansour]

I've been shooting Nikon since I put down my Sony MAVICA if that tells you how ancient I am! The theory of it makes sense to me by experience only. It's interesting to me how this ISO thing befuddles others the fact that this is a big topic with the Zf is quite the statement about how many Fuji users have moved to the Zf! Fuji users need you Omar!

[arosado]

Thanks, Omar for the use of information. I was confused by other channels. This makes sense. Great job.

[jimsmith]

Oh man, so glad I watched this. That "release to use button" switch is wonderful! So much easier! Thank you. Not f7 on my D850 (f6) so likely varies among models

[KitCanada]

Amazing!
At last, a definitive guide to the most misunderstood part of the Zf - superb!

[csc-photo]

Clearest explanation I've seen on the Zf's ISO use, thanks!
That aside - Nikon NEEDS to update this so that once the ISO dial is moved from the C position, Auto-ISO should shut off and just allow the dial to take over full manual control. The way it is now, you need to toggle Auto-ISO back to being off first (although I didn't realize it kicked back in over 3200).

[tomwerner]

Great explanation. Thanks Omar. I first thought the implementation was bad but now it totally makes sense. Should be a Nikon training movie 👍