Is the Nikon Zf for you? HONEST Pro's & Cons...

The Zf brings a lot of great features at a relatively great price.

No camera is perfect. Let's take a clear look at the pros cons and alternatives to the Zf.

PLEASE NOTE - the Zf does not have the sensor shield option (like Z8 and Z9). I mistakenly thought it did because an earlier video I did showed the shutter down - this was just random timing - it is NOT a sensor shield. So I have removed the mention of sensor shield from this video! Apologies for my mistake.

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[fdschuler]

I love the articulated screen. This camera is everything I wished for. Controls on top just like my FA film camera. Perfect!

[illyaswan]

Now, Nikon needs to start making smaller metal-body lenses with an aperture ring to go with this camera, similar to the Fuji's 35mm F2, 23mm F2, etc.

[christianpetersen]

Matt, I would love to see how well the Zf works with Voightlander Z mount lenses. Especially the Voightlander 50mm f1.0. Many thanks for another thoughtful video. 👏

[kdietz]

Wouldn't it be cool if it had a special mode which would simulate the FE analog viewfinder display ... the green needle on the left showing the shutter speed setting, the floating needle that shows the select shutter speed when in auto mode, and especially a simulated split screen focusing prism to use as a manual focusing aid. It could all be done with software. Something that truly captures the simplicity of the Nikon FE shooting experience with manual focusing.

[MR-sicd]

This is my favorite Nikon camera at the moment. Sony has the A7C2 and A7CR but by Nikon adding that micro sd I think it got ahead plus the design is beautifully done.

[doogieham]

Thanks Matt for another helpful video. You mentioned @8:58 that you can close the shutter on the Zf to change lenses. How does that feature work? The Nikon videos made no mention of it. Also, is there a way to program U1-U3 settings? Thanks.

[longrider]

My first Nikon and I haven't been this excited about a camera since my A9

[tolgacool]

Two days ago I got to play around with the new Nikon ZF for the first time at Photopia in Hamburg and wanted to share some thoughts as well. First off, I think the camera looks amazing and Nikon nailed the retro aesthetic. Picking it up I was surprised at how substantial of a camera it is. It feels dense, very solid, and really high end. Just holding it, it has a more premium feel then even the “pro” bodies like the Z8 or Z9 imho because of the all metal construction. The dials feel really good also – much better than the ones from the ZFc and even my analog cameras. Even compared to the Fuji cameras the ZF is a significant step up in quality and feel. The only thing I was concerned about was the the “vlog” style screen but I was pleasantly surprised by its build quality also – it’s not flimsy at all. However, it is not a small camera and even with the 40mm lens or my adapted 55mm f/1.2 one handed shooting isn’t really an option without the accessory grip, which in my eyes is a must if you plan on using any heavy glass.

Since I still only shoot with my DSLR and analog cameras only and haven’t been convinced by mirrorless camera tech quite yet, I wanted to test out the EVF experience as well as the auto and manual focus features. Starting off with the EVF my thoughts on it are “good, not great”. Its large and bright, however I do still notice pixels when looking through it and especially when panning I still get distracted because its not 100% fluid. Its not laggy by any means, but its no optical system either. The Z8 viewfinder is leaps and bounds ahead in that regard. That being said, it’s perfectly usable and absolutely fine - it just didn't wow me at all.

The autofocus on the other hand is something else. Its fast, accurate and reliable from what I could see. Significantly better than what I’ve experienced with the earlier Z cameras. The eye tracking works wonderful and sticks very well – it works as advertised and coming from a DSLR its quite the game changer. I was very curious how it would work when adapting old glass, so I put on my 55 and have to say that the eye tracking feature that lets you punch into the eye without having to pan manually makes manual focus fast and accurate. I loved that feature. Focus peaking also works well enough, however I wasn’t convinced that its accurate enough for critical focus with very shallow depth of field lenses.

Finally some more random thoughts that came to mind: The shutter noise is very pleasant. Not important by any means, but it just has a very satisfying tone to it. Especially when shooting in burst mode. The shutter button feels amazing. Quite different to a normal shutter release, but with very nice haptics. The lack of buttons on the body would be something Id need to adjust to coming from a DSLR where I never open a menu for anything.

All in all. Great camera.

[welcome]

4k 60fps it’s amazing for me as a wildlife photographer, thank you so much for sharing your opinion about this amazing camera 👌👌👌

[fthysl]

Thanks for breaking it down! Considering Nikon Z sensors are one of the best options for adapting M mount lenses, I think the ZF is going to be pretty solid with Voigtlander/Leica manual lenses. Smallish form factor, rugged, great focus assist, and low level of corner smearing with adapted stuff. Id really love to see it with a m mount small 35/50mm :) Also It would be great if you can compare high iso performance (im guessing z6ii levels?). Cheers!

[vikdaddy]

09:00: how did you get the shutter down Matt? I can't see this option in the camera.

[RVarrun]

Thank you for talking about the battery. Other reviews hardly mention it. Great to know that Nikon hasn't compromised.

[phillurkin]

The specs of the Zf are just totally perfect for me, retro design included! And the micro SD cardslot is just genius IMO. When I'll get my Zf, I'll buy a SD micro card with 1TB and leave it in forever. It'd be exactly like having internal memory! I never take the second card out of my other cameras anyway.
Could you do some sports shooting while testing it, Matt? Thanks

[sebastianventrone]

At 9:01 you clearly show the camera being with a closed sensor as a dust shield, but I cannot find any place in the setup to enable this feature, how did you enable the Zf to enable dust shield mode upon power-down?

[dmesa]

I would like to know about it's weather proofing/sealing. High winds, blow dust and rain. That sort of thing.

[inzekticide]

I'm just wondering, that at 9:00 you're talking about the sensor shield, but I could not find any option in the menus to get it working. How did you manage to do that?

[terrywbreedlove]

Not a fan of the Floppy screen but not a deal breaker either. I will buy this camera with the 40mm and be very happy. Add it to my kit as a street shooter and back up.

[enigmabletchley]

I'm a Fuji shooter and despite having a good set of lenses covering nearly everything you might ever need, I am seriously attracted to this camera - even though it would involve selling all my Fuji kit to justify owning it. I can't quite put my finger on why it is so attractive but looking at the glass options, the 14-30f4, 28f2.8, 40f2 and 105mm would be my initial set up and in all honesty probably cover the range I need the most. I like the retro style cameras (obviously) because after 40+ years of leisure and some pro photography dials me more to me than wheels.

[gyozakeynsianism]

Can't say I have a deal breaker. The Zf is aimed exactly at my hobbyist heart. The one drawback I see (besides no blackout free evf, which is fair at this price) is they didn't rethink the retro dials and get rid of the PSAM dial, like Fujifilm. Nitpicky, I know.

[abelpinecreative]

Granger. I’m proud of you. Just a stranger on the internet. I’m proud of you, man. Keep it all up. Get strong and stay strong. Also, man I need to quell my GAS lol