The Nikon Zf tried and tested

Derek Harbinson •Tried and Tested •02 Oct 2024•4 min read

The incredible Nikon Zf gets put through its paces by Nikon magazine editor Derek Harbinson

First impressions

Unboxing my Nikon Zf, there are two things I notice – the size and the weight. It’s bigger than you think it’s going to be (especially if you’ve had a Nikon Zfc) and when you pick it up out of the box the weight is a surprise. It feels solid and substantial in the hand and, combined with the retro styling, it gives the impression of a go-anywhere companion that’ll never let you down, with a look that will never age.

When it comes to ergonomics, the Zf has all the feel and familiarity of a classic Nikon film camera from the 1970s and 1980s. For those who have grown up with a modern style of camera body, you might find the control layout takes a little while to get used to but for me everything feels in a natural place. The controls and the physical way you interact with them also make you think about the image you’re taking and your exposure. In a way, it’s the perfect camera for taking a ‘considered’ approach to your work. And for those wanting to make the skill level move from auto to priority modes or manual, the visual and tactile nature of the dials makes everything logical and easy to understand.

Speaking of the dials, the solid brass machining with inlaid numbers and satisfying clicks is a great touch and adds to the solid, built-to-last feel of the Zf. The paint will eventually rub off in places as you use the dials, creating your own individual story of how you’ve used it over the years. Nikon School’s Ricci Chera sped up time with his radical DIY job on the dials (link here) and it looks great, but I think I’ll take the long route!

I find the optional grip from SmallRig makes it a little more comfortable to hold when out and about without losing any of the ‘look’, but it’s a personal choice.

The incredible Nikon Zf gets put through its paces by Nikon magazine editor Derek Harbinson

First impressions

I find the optional grip from SmallRig makes it a little more comfortable to hold when out and about without losing any of the ‘look’, but it’s a personal choice.

Derek Harbinson

Writer and Photographer

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What’s in my kitbag?

Z fFull-frame, iconic mirrorless camera

NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 SCapture incredible detail

Best use cases

Although it inherits its looks from a classic film camera, the Nikon Zf is a fully fledged powerhouse when it comes to video. The bright, sharp vari-angle screen makes it a great choice for vlogging, as does the ability to record 10-bit N-Log internally rather than having to connect to an external recorder. I took some video around my pottery studio at home, just using natural light, to see how it performed. You can check out the results below.

Throwing a bowl – a tutorial

Click the button to play

Great for vintage lenses

Got some vintage NIKKOR lenses? The FTZ or FTZII adapter will let you attach around 360 F-mount lenses (nearly 100 of which retain full AF/AE functionality), so you can complete the classic Nikon look. There’s no loss of quality from the glass, plus you get the advantage of in-camera VR.

Street and travel

The Zf is discreet enough on the streets not to be off-putting to people, but at other times it actually draws attention because of its looks. I’ve had a few people come up to me and ask me about the camera – not photographers, just people who wanted to know what it was because it looked so cool!

The Zf is great for getting out and about, with its go-anywhere, rugged feel, ease of use and superfast autofocus.

Zf + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 38 mm, 1/500 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 ©Derek Harbinson

Real world performance

There’s no style over substance with the Nikon Zf. Make no mistake, this camera is a technical marvel, built to take exceptional images and videos, no matter your skill level or experience. A lot of my photography and video is on a tripod in a controlled environment indoors, where I can take my time, so I usually go full manual. When I’m on the move, however, I usually change to aperture priority so that I can react quickly to a landscape scene if the light looks just right. The autofocus is fantastic, fast and sharp and the subject detection is particularly useful (especially with unruly dogs who refuse to take direction!).

The Nikon Z f includes face, eye and torso detection, as well as dogs, cats, birds and vehicles detection. You’ll be shooting sharp whatever the subject.

Hot tips

Flick to mono to really concentrate on tone

The ability to immediately flick to mono shooting without having to go through the menu system is not just a bonus for those of us who love a bit of black and white. Looking at a scene in mono is a great way to check for the contrast and tonal range in a scene, even if you end up editing a colour version of the frame. And the Deep Tone Monochrome setting adds lots of drama to landscapes and interiors.

Zf + NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/4 S, 70mm, 1/8000 sec, f/8, ISO 1100 ©Derek Harbinson

Use Touch Fn

Turning the monitor into a function button is a great piece of ergonomic design. I’ve assigned it to the focus point, so that when the camera is up to my eye, I can easily move the focus point by simply moving my left thumb around the screen. It’s accurate, feels natural and makes life easy. You can also use Touch Fn to assign custom controls to nine separate areas of the touchscreen, so you can bring up grids, activate virtual horizons, change focus from one eye to another for a portrait subject and a lot more.

Get subject detection in manual focus mode

If you’re either shooting in manual focus mode or have vintage lenses with no AF capability, the Zf will still help you out. Subject detection modes will still work in manual focus, finding your chosen subject and moving the focus point to it. I have no idea how it’s done – some sort of magic, possibly – but it works brilliantly.

Try Pre-Release Capture

The Nikon Zf gives you the opportunity to never miss an exact moment with Pre-Release Capture. This basically means that, when engaged, the camera starts taking pictures from the moment you half-press the shutter. So you can half-press on a perched bird, for example and ensure you won’t miss the exact moment it lifts off into the air.

Conclusion

As someone who started taking photographs on a 35mm SLR, the Nikon Zf feels like coming home. It’s a camera that has in a short time become not just a tool, but an object I actually feel something for. And it’s not just nostalgia. The technology inside the camera and the images and videos it takes are making me better, and there is still much more to explore. In my pottery studio, cameras tend to get covered in clay from fingers and with the Zf I’m not worried. It feels so solid, so well put together, that it gives off the impression of being thoroughly capable of taking on whatever comes its way. The dings and scratches of its future life are only going to add to its charm and story, and this is one camera that is going to be with me for a very long time indeed.