NIKON Z f (26mm, f/3.2, 1/125 sec, ISO640)
A very long time ago there was a factory in Austria that produced fine table ware. The business took off in the 60s after the came out with Daisy.
Daisy was a coffee set with a radical new and modern design. It looked completely different to anything on the market. It came out in 1959 and was produced for more than 30 years. I remember that we had one at home when I was a kid. It was elegant and colourful and its design still looks fresh today. We recently visited the museum next to the old factory and good very good news.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/3.5, 1/60 sec, ISO100)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/4, 1/60 sec, ISO320)
In the image above there is a the most popular set called Melange. The word melange is routed in french and means to mix. In Austria we use Melange for a coffee speciality which is close to Cappuccino. The company came up with the name to describe a coffee set that has different colours.
The reason they brought out a set with different colours is quite funny: They had a problem to produce consistent colours. Customers complained that the pastel purple within a set doesn’t look the same. Instead of just go back to white coffee sets they decided to mix the colours within a set and call it Melange. The result was the most colourful coffee set which just worked perfectly in the 60s and 70s where everything was full of color. Just have a look at the cars of that era.
The factory in Austria was closed in the 90s and the name rights were sold to a producer in the Czech republic. You can still purchase a set that looks similar but it’s made for gastro use and it doesn’t come close to the elegant thin original cups. Today those original porcelain coffee sets demand very high prices second hand. So after an investor got on board the company will reopen a small scale production of their signature product. I left my email address in order to receive information regarding launch date and price. I have to get one again because a love the design and because it reminds me of my childhood.
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/30 sec, ISO800)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO160)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO110)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO320)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO160)
NIKON Z f (20mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO180)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO800)
Last summer I got the Nikon Z8 and a couple of lenses after over 8 years with Fuji X. This summer I also got the Nikon Zf because I got used to a smaller camera with old school ergonomics. I meanwhile also got a set of small primes that work perfectly with the Nikon Zf. I got the Z 26/2.8, the Z 40/2 and lately also the Viltrox AF 20/2.8 Z.
Of course I could have taken my Z8 with the fantastic Z 14-24/2.8 S for this museum trip but the truth is that I just prefer the smaller cameras with small primes. I guess Fuji X has spoiled me for life. The Nikon Zf is practically as good as the Nikon Z8 for anything but action. Sure the Z8 has more resolution but the 24MP of the Zf is good enough, high ISO is even better and IBIS is more effective. The Zf is no compromise at all.
Unfortunately Fuji has also spoiled me with the quality of the XF 14/2.8 R. I initially bought the Nikon Z 20/1.8 S which was excellent but too big and heavy. When I got the Nikon Zf it was clear that I wanted a smaller wide angle lens. I would have loved to get the small 21mm/3.5 Voigtlländer but that lens is only available for Sony E and I don’t want to use an adapter. Finally I gave in and got the Viltrox AF 20/2.8 Z. I will write a review here soon but in short: the lens is small and light and AF is quick. The Nikon Zf with the 20mm is only 100g heavier than my Fuji X-Pro2 with the 14mm. It’s also rather sharp. But the good news end here.
The lens is no match neither to the 20/1.8 from Nikon nor the 14/2.8 from Fuji. I was aware of that of course but I still don’t know if I can life with its shortcomings. There is severe vignetting but my main problem is distortion especially the fact that the LR lens profile can’t handle it. I just got used to straight lines and unfortunately the lines are anything but straight with the Viltrox. I hope that either Nikon or Voigtländer make a nice, slow 20 or 21mm lens for Nikon. I would get that in a heartbeat.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO320)
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO280)
Good things come for those who wait. Next year I will finally get a Daisy Melange set from the factory which is located close to where I grew up. It took them “only” a little over 30 years to make it again.
I hope I don’t have to wait that long for a compact high quality 21mm lens for my Nikon Zf.
NIKON Z f (26mm, f/5.6, 1/15 sec, ISO400)