The Nikon Z f: a beauty with rough edges

Retro cameras are fundamentally contradictory. They appear old-fashioned, but they’re modern. The Nikon Z f is a particularly strong example. Externally it’s based on the Nikon FM2 from 1982. The FM2 isn’t just analogue; it’s a mechanical camera, so it even works without electricity. Only the light meter requires a battery, but the camera also works without it.

The Nikon Z f is the opposite. You can’t even look through the viewfinder without power. The Z f has a lot of computing power and even «artificial intelligence». This mix of classic on the outside, modern on the inside sounds great, but it has its pitfalls when it comes to use.

Cameras

EUR2419,99

Nikon Z f Kit

40 mm, 24.50 Mpx, Full frame

7

Cameras

EUR2419,99

Nikon Z f Kit

40 mm, 24.50 Mpx, Full frame

7

Design: beautiful to look at

The Nikon Z f is undoubtedly a beauty. It’s one of the most beautiful cameras I’ve ever held. Don’t be put off by the dust in the pictures: you hardly see it in reality. Despite many additional controls compared to the FM2, the Z f looks elegant. The only thing that bothers me on a visual level is that the folded screen isn’t flush with the rest of the back.

As was common with cameras of yesteryear, there’s no real handle. The Z f weighs a good 700 grammes without the lens, so a little more grip would be good. Nikon offers a matching grip separately or with the camera. I haven’t tried it, but I still recommend it based on my experience without a grip.

Use: a tricky balancing act

The back of the device looks like any other camera today, and there are no differences in how to use it. The top, however, is completely different.

The dial used to select the shutter speed is also similar to the one on the FM2. It has more points, partly because the Z f offers a wider range of shutter speeds. Only full exposure levels can be selected. For finer gradations, I set the dial to «1/3 step» and select the shutter speed as usual using the rear, unlabelled dial.

The shutter dial doesn’t have an automatic position. Instead, I set it to automatic by selecting the appropriate mode on the left. In modes P, A and Auto, the shutter speed is automatically determined by the camera, as is the case with most cameras. But it’s different to what I know about Fujifilm retro cameras, for example. There’s no need for a mode selector. The modes result automatically by setting the aperture and shutter speed either to a specific value or to automatic. It’s much more elegant, but that’s basically not an option with Nikon, because it hasn’t had aperture rings on its lenses for a long time.

There’s also no automatic setting on the ISO dial. There’s only «C», which means that the ISO values aren’t set via the dial, but via the menu or a user-defined button. The C position works similarly to the «1/3 step» position on the shutter dial. This is consistent with the concept, but I find it tedious. Because if I set the ISO to automatic in C mode, it stays that way even if I turn the ISO to a certain value on the dial. So, I have to go back to «C», turn off automatic, and only then can I change the ISO value on the dial.

The whole thing shows how difficult the balancing act between modern and vintage is. I can use the Z f in a similar way to a modern Nikon, but then the dials on the top become mere decoration.

Equipment: good, but with small defects

The screen can be folded out and rotated 180 degrees. It’s easy to read even in very bright environments. I also like the viewfinder. It’s bright and quite large; The resolution is average at 3.69 million pixels.

The Nikon Z f has two card slots, which deserves praise given the slim body. However, one of them is for microSD cards. It’s not good for frequent plugging and unplugging – I see it more as emergency or backup storage. Both card slots are located on the bottom next to the battery. This is pretty impractical when working with a tripod. At least I can leave my tripod plate screwed on, as the compartment can still be opened wide enough.

A novelty at Nikon is multiple exposures using pixel shifting. The camera takes several pictures and moves its sensor pixel by pixel. These individual images are combined to form a low-noise or high-resolution image. However, this isn’t possible in the camera itself; it requires Nikon’s NX Studio software. But that’s simple to use at least: NX Studio recognises which shots belong to a pixel shift series.

I’m not convinced by the results. Not without a tripod anyway, but you still get colour fringing and strange artefacts even with one. It’s a shame, because this feature would be very welcome, especially given the mediocre resolution of the Z f.

Good image stabilisation

The Nikon Z f has image stabilisation in the camera. According to the CIPA standard, it compensates for eight exposure levels – a very good number. For comparison, the Nikon Z6 II – technically similar in many respects – only has 5.5 levels.

These numbers are lab values. In my everyday photography, I can expose for up to half a second with the 40 mm lens without causing motion blur. That’s also good. The image below is exposed at half a second without a tripod.

Low-light qualities with autofocus and sensor

The Nikon Z f also has other low-light qualities. The back-illuminated full-format sensor doesn’t create much noise. It’s probably the same as in the Nikon Z6 II. For a small web view, even photos in the five-digit ISO range are usable.

Such high ISO values are only necessary when it’s almost dark, when the autofocus no longer works properly on many cameras. Fortunately, this doesn’t apply to the Nikon Z f. According to the manufacturer, the autofocus works down to -10 light values, which is very good. I can’t check this exactly, but in the very dimly lit club room shown above, the Z f’s autofocus works without any problems.

With the combination of good image stabilisation, low noise and sensitive autofocus, the Nikon Z f offers a good overall package for photography in low light.

Reliable eye detection

The eye and face detection also worked well for me. Even in dim light, the camera detects multiple pairs of eyes and I can use the arrow keys to switch to another one if necessary. Below is a short self-test fiddling around in front of the camera.

I haven’t tried the subject recognition for sports and animals – the 40 mm test lens isn’t suitable for that.

Standard video

The video feature offers what you can currently expect in this class. As is often the case with 4K video, there’s a dichotomy. At slow repetition rates of up to 30 frames per second (FPS), the entire sensor is read. The viewing angle is approximately the same as when taking photos. At 50 or 60 FPS, however, the image section narrows to APS-C or DX, as Nikon calls it.

As usual with Nikon, video mode has separate settings from photo mode. For example, you can set photos to 1/2000 second and videos to 1/60 second. Or automatic ISO for photos and manually set ISO for videos. To me, this is very practical.

When recording videos, you benefit from the strong image stabiliser, good eye detection and the rotating screen.

Continuous images and rolling shutter

The camera supports prerelease capture, but, as with all Nikon cameras so far, only in JPEG format. This feature saves images to the cache even without releasing the shutter. This means you can press the shutter button up to a second too late and still have the decisive moment in the box. The Z f achieves a maximum speed of 30 photos per second – known as C30 mode.

C30 mode is the only one that uses the electronic shutter. Otherwise, you have the choice between the purely mechanical shutter and the shutter with an electronic first curtain. The latter is a little quieter and prevents shaking from the shutter.

The mechanical shutter creates up to 14 RAW images per second. This means that quick series sequences are possible even without an electronic shutter. With a fast memory card, the camera can maintain speed indefinitely.

If you use the electronic shutter, you end up with pronounced rolling shutter effects. In addition to C30 mode, this is a particular issue with videos.

Retro feel: manual and black and white

You don’t just buy a retro camera for rational reasons – it’s also about feeling. That’s why my final test asks whether I get a retro vibe when I use the camera like an old model.

I use manual focus and exposure, setting the ISO once and not changing it again – as if I were loading film. I choose 800 ISO, a versatile middle ground. Like an 800 metre runner in track and field.

When taking photos this way, using the Z f suits me. The fact that I can only select full steps for the shutter speed on the dial doesn’t bother me. I can see the bezel on the small mini LCD. Manual focusing works too, but I forget it every now and then because I’m so used to automatic focusing.

It becomes inconvenient when I want to use the modern comforts again every now and then. This requires a series of interventions.

What’s very easy to do is switching between colour and black and white. Where you switch back and forth between photo and video, the Z f also has a black and white mode. This is nothing more than a photo mode where the images are given a monochrome style. Maybe you think this is an unnecessary gimmick, but the monochrome styles that Nikon has been delivering for many years are actually pretty cool. But I never usually use them because they’re hidden in the depths of the camera.

There are three monochrome image styles that can be customised in a variety of ways. Brightness, contrast, clarity and «sharpen medium-fine structures» are available to choose from. Colour filters (yellow, orange, red and green) can be used for this purpose.

Of course, you can convert any colour photo into a black and white photo later. This keeps you flexible while you decide on the black and white mode in the camera. But whether you can see the black and white images through the viewfinder makes a big difference. It enables you to recognise suitable subjects better.

In Lightroom, the converted RAW images never look the same as the JPEGs. But they do in Nikon’s own converter, NX Studio. So if you want to use the camera’s black and white photos as a starting point for further editing, the free NX Studio is worth a look.

Verdict: good in bad light

The performance of the Nikon Z f is solid. I see it primarily as a stylish camera for use in low light. Its biggest strengths are the good image stabiliser, the low noise and the reliable autofocus. It can do everything else too, but it doesn’t stand out.

A retro camera isn’t just about performance; it’s also about style. From a purely external point of view, the Z f lives up to its expectations: it’s a gem. And old-fashioned usage works too.

However, the retro design has some disadvantages for modern use. Without an additional grip, the camera offers little support. The memory cards can’t be inserted on the side; the battery compartment has to be opened at the bottom. The lack of aperture rings on Nikon lenses means that a mode switch is also required, which makes things more complex and can cause confusion. I find it annoying that the ISO dial doesn’t allow you to switch from manual to automatic.

If you’re a big retro fan, you can certainly live with these restrictions since they’re only details. Otherwise, the Nikon Z6 II would be an alternative – or you could wait for the Z6 III.