NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO640)

About a year ago I got myself a Nikon Z8 after shooting with Fuji X for a very long time. Now I returned – kind of.

No I didn’t get back to Fuji. I still have my X-Pro2 and I have no plans to sell it but recently I was longing for a small full frame camera. A camera that I can quickly grab when I go out. A camera substantially smaller than my Z8 but Ideally with a similar capable AF.

Of course the Panasonic Lumix S9 came to my mind especially with its new and super small 18-40mm kit lens. The S9 is really small and light but has some serious limitations. The biggest for me: it has no viewfinder! Another contender was the Sony A7CII or the older A7C. It has an EVF (though not a good one) and there are some very nice and small prime lenses with aperture rings. But I’m not a fan of Sony ergonomics and colours.

Finally I ended up with the camera that I initially dismissed – the Nikon Zf.

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO450)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO560)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO2200)

Love at second sight: Initially I didn’t like the Zf even though I loved its looks for three reasons:

• ergonomics
• LCD design
• weight

So what has changed that I finally changed my mind? When I switched to full frame I wanted a camera that works with all lenses no matter if small or big. I wanted a tilt LCD monitor operation not a fully articulating LCD. The Nikon Zf had too many compromises and before the latest firmware update its usability was compromised too. No Auto-ISO setting on the ISO dial! Now finally solved.

What also happened was the Z 26mm F 2.8 which has become one of my favourite Nikon lenses. The 26/2.8 is super small and light and it is the perfect match for the Zf. Now the Nikon Zf makes a lot of sense. With this lens it is only 100g heavier than my Fuji X-Pro2 with the XF 14/2.8 R.

The 26/2.8 has a really great lens cap that works like the lens caps on Fuji X100 cameras. As mentioned the Zf has a flip – LCD which means that it is protected when not in use. As a result the camera can be put in normal bag without additional protection if necessary.

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO900)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO900)

The firmware update (FW 2.0) has transferred the camera. Now the C-setting of the ISO dial can be configured to Auto-ISO. The shutter dial still has no A-setting but the camera has a PSAM switch. First I thought this is awkward and not as elegant as Fujis solution but I was wrong. It is even faster. Usually I shoot in aperture mode and with Auto-ISO. When I shoot outside the minimum shutter speed is set to 1/200s in order to freeze motion of my subjects. If I go inside i.e.: dark temple or cathedral I change the minimum shutter speed in Auto-ISO to 1/30s. My X-Pro2 offers three different Auto-ISO settings, on my Nikon Z8 I used banks to quickly make this change.

Now on the Zf I simply switch to M and set the shutter speed dial to whatever shutter speed works best for the situation. I’m still in Auto-ISO but if I want to change that I can simply set ISO on the ISO dial and I’m in full manual mode. That’s a very quick and elegant solution. It’s like on my Fuji X-Pro2. Very satisfying!

But compared to my X-Pro2 that Nikon Zf has another trick up on its sleeve: a built in 8 stop image stabilisation. The sensor of the Nikon has the same resolution but it is two times the size which means it’s already 1-2 stops better in low light but in addition it has IBIS which allows for ridiculously long shutter speeds if needed. Just take a look at the picture below. It is taken with a shutter speed of 1/2s!

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/6.3, 1/2 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO2000)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO1250)

There is a big difference in the shooting experience of the Nikon Zf and the Nikon Z8. The Nikon Z8 feels like the future of photography. No shutter, no viewfinder blackout, no noise just incredible speed. Fantastic but also a little “cold”, technical. This is the camera if you need to get results. The Nikon Zf is almost as good but it adds fun.

The Nikon Zf feels like my Fuji X-Pro2. Made to make photography fun. Even the shutter sound is excellent. I miss a good shutter sound on my Z8, the fake shutter sounds just don’t cut it. The old fashion dials are very satisfying to operate. The click sound is addictive. But the main attraction is the simplicity. There is a dial for everything, no U1, U2, … or banks. There is no need to look on the screen and there is no need for a big top display – just a very small LCD that shows the aperture is enough to check your settings.

I closed the LCD and never opened it during my photo walk. I checked sharpness in the EVF a couple of times in the cathedral when I tried out super slow shutter speeds.

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/15 sec, ISO720)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/30 sec, ISO1400)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec, ISO1250)

Above I wrote that shooting the Nikon Zf is like shooting my Fuji X-Pro2 and it is true except for one major difference: AF. I never really complained about the AF in my Fuji because I learned to live with it. I never used it for any action and so I had no problems but in retrospect its AF slowed me down. On my Fuji X-Pro2 I used AF-S and a single AF point that I moved over my main subject with the AF joystick.

The Nikon Zf doesn’t have an AF – joystick but it doesn’t need one. Regarding AF I use the same setting as on my Z8 which means AF-C, wide area and auto subject detection. To avoid that it sticks to faces in the foreground when I want to focus on the something else I put 3D AF tracking on the custom button next to the lens mount. The AF on the Zf works very similar to the AF on my Z8 but it is not quite as quick.

AF is still far ahead of anything I ever experienced from Fuji though I have to admit that I never shot with the newer bodies from Fuji. My newest Fuji was the X-Pro3 which a slightly better AF than my X-Pro2. Not enough of a difference to keep it over the X-Pro2 though.

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO1000)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO800)

The reason why I have no newer Fuji camera is because I don’t like where Fuji is heading. High resolution is nice but I don’t need it. I think 24MP is plenty and I would prefer better high ISO and faster AF over resolution in a future X-Pro4. Maybe Fuji could give it a stacked 26MP sensor like in the X-H2s.

But maybe my Fuji X-Pro4 has already arrived. With a 24MP full frame sensor, IBIS and fast AF.  The only problem is that I can’t mount any Fuji lenses on it.

I just realised that have not mentioned anything about my locations. I went to Vienna to check out my Nikon Zf. The weather was really poor so I decided to shoot inside most of the time. First four images are taken in the Peterskirche and the rest in the Stephansdom (St. Stephens cathedral). 

NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO2800)