Nikon ZF – Mirrorless Camera

Nikon USA has announced it’s newest release into the hotly contested full frame mirrorless camera market. Welcome to the Nikon ZF. The Nikon ZF is the full frame alternative to the APS-C cropped Nikon ZFC. The camera was designed to look like a classic SLR camera making a sort of retro camera. Mounted on the patented Nikon Z-mount system, this camera offers many features and specs found in other Nikon cameras like the Nikon Z8, the Z9 and the ZFC. We will delve into many of the amazing specs that this new camera has to offer further on, however, there are several wonderful features of this new camera that we will discuss prior.

The Nikon ZF DSLR Full Frame Mirrorless camera comes with a 24.5 million megapixel CMOS processor (found on the Z6 II) and the availability to shoot 4K UHD videos in 60 FPS upscaled from 6K, this includes 10 bit N-log recording. This gives the user the peace of mind knowing they are going to get superb image quality from their new digital camera.

As with other Nikon full frame cameras, the new Nikon ZF offers interchangeable lenses options which allows you to choose from one of the great Nikon Nikkor Z lenses or even a lens from a competitor like Fujifilm from Fuji, Canon and Sony. As we mentioned prior, this camera sits on the Nikon Z mount system so if you choose a lens that sits on a different mounting system, you will need to purchase an FTZ adapter to be able to mount your lens onto this camera.

Additional Specs

Below we will recap some of the specs we previously discussed along with additional specs and a first look at the features offered by the Nikon ZF. We will touch on specs featured in our top pick of the different Nikon ZF camera options the Nikon ZF with 24-70MM lens.

• Fantastic Full-Frame sensor, the CMOS Sensor on the Nikon ZF provides the power you need to get the perfect image quality. Thanks to the expeed 7 sensor bringing “3D” tracking as we will see below and an enhanced subject recognition ability.
• Record in 4K UHD oversampled from 6K. The Nikon ZF’s processor will provide sharp detail and vibrancy from the sensor’s 6K image data for footage that exceeds the resolution of normal 4K UHD. This is also available in slow motion shooting as well as Full HD recording in 120 FPS.
• Enhanced Subject tracking in the advanced autofocus mode of the camera recognizes a large variety and range of subjects such as people, animals, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, aircraft and trains. Using it’s Deep Learning technology you will get the right focus point for every environment and scene. This also includes enhanced eye detection.
• Additional benefits of the Nikon ZF’s Deep Learning technology analyzes your shooting situation and automatically adjusts aperture, ISO and shutter speed to match lighting environments and your shooting scene. You can capture images with beautiful background Bokeh effect or have all the faces of your subjects in focus for a group shot.
• 14 FPS continuous shooting using the Nikon ZF’s mechanical shutter, which has been tested to 200,000 cycles. This can also be increased to 30 FPS utilizing the silent electronic shutter.
• The advanced autofocus can also detect subjects faces and eyes even in dark, low light or harsh lighting conditions, and offers wonderful exposure compensation with the applicable dial.
• The Nikon ZF also offers the widest ISO range in the Nikon Z series lineup. Beginning with a setting of ISO 100-64,000 for stills with low noise across the entire range and ISO 100-51,200 for video recordings.
• A body only camera offered with different lens options, the Nikon ZF will have the availability as an interchangeable lens camera to choose a lens that suits your needs. Or have multiple lenses such as a Wide Angle or Telephoto lens attached to the camera body as well.
• The Nikon ZF offers tremendous in camera image stabilization by slowing your shutter speed which will garner 8.0 stops slower on the 5 axis image stabilization feature than would otherwise be possible without causing image blur.
• There is a dedicated Black and White mode available. All new Flat and Deep Tone Monochrome Picture Controls give you additional controls for video recordings and stills images.
• Up to 96 megapixels in Ultra High Resolution still images. Activate Pixel Shift Shooting and you will get the best resolution, lowest noise and lowest false color (moiré) still images ever produced in a Nikon camera. (*Please note: This requires NX Studio to combine a 32-image sequence into one 96MP image.)
• Whether utilizing the autofocus system or the manual focus ability of the Nikon ZF, you can adjust the hue and brightness of skin tones including a “Rich Tone” color profile.
• Even when shooting in manual focus mode, the tactile brass dials on the camera make for easy adjustment of settings such as aperture and ISO. This gives the camera a great look and tactile image and video shooting experience.
• Approximately 2 hours of continuous shooting directly to the memory card installed in the camera is a great feature of the Nikon ZF, allowing the user the freedom for long Vlog sessions or extensive landscape photography.
• The LCD and the great touchscreen Vari-Angle EVF (electronic viewfinder) allows the user to adjust settings without having to be deterred by looking away from the exposure scene. The LCD and EVF offer great playback options to view your exposure or video and prepare for any post processing editing you may want.
• Mounted on the Nikon Z mount system, this camera will allow you to choose from Nikon Nikkor lenses or use a FTZ adapter to open your camera up to being able to chose from over 360 different lenses.
• Great lens Flourine sensor coating and weather sealing for dust and element protection.
• Can shoot still images in both jpeg and HEIF (High Efficiency Image Format) formats. The HEIF option which is commonly utilized by an iPhone allows for data to be compressed for file storage purposes without loosing image quality.

Storage Connectivity and Battery Life

There are dual memory card slots rated for cards such as SD (Secure Digital), UHS-1 and UHS-II compliant SDHC and SDXC memory cards, microSD cards (UHS-1 compliant microSDHC and microSDXC memory cards). So storage should not be an issue for you when using the Nikon ZF.

Connectivity is aplenty on the Nikon ZF. Beginning with the USB: Type C connector port (SuperSpeed USB) a Type D HDMI connector and 3.5” stereo microphone or headphone jack is included.

Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi AC is also available on the Nikon ZF. This allows the user to access the faster 5ghz wireless spectrum for faster speeds uploading content to a social media platform of your choice. This is great if you are a Vlogger or Content Creator and need your content uploaded at a fast rate.

Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity even at longer ranges is also built into the camera. GPS locating using the SnapBridge App can also be activated on the Nikon ZF.

One EN-EL15c rechargeable Li-ion battery is included rated at the following:

Viewfinder only selected for monitor mode up to 410 still shots. These will differ if you choose energy saving mode on or off. For Video Recording (Viewfinder only) up to 90 minutes of shooting time is achievable.

Please note if you it is always a good idea to purchase a spare battery, especially if you are going on lengthy photography or videography sessions.

Availability

Nikon announced the new ZF camera for pre-order in September with an anticipated shipping time around mid-October. You can now purchase several different variations of the Nikon ZF, such as the Nikon ZF FX-format Mirrorless Camera Body Only, the Nikon Z f FX-format Mirrorless Camera Body w/ NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 (SE) and our top pick the Nikon Z f FX-format Mirrorless Camera Body w/ NIKKOR Z 24- 70mm f/4 Lens.

Conclusion

The Nikon ZF is a wonderful new camera in the hotly contested $2,000.00 range of cameras. The Nikon ZF is a unique retro looking DSLR camera with an approximate weight of 630 grams making it portable as well. With specs commonly found on more expensive cameras, this is a great addition to any novice or professional photographer’s camera arsenal. This is a great upgrade over the Nikon ZFC.

So grab yourself a new Nikon ZF and start photographing!