Nikon does offer that on some other cameras but apparently not on this one.
acjeske wrote:
Hey all, different Zf question (and maybe Nikon in general)...I'm new to Nikon. Can I change a setting (specifically on Zf so that the apertures are in full stops, not thirds? Or does Nikon not do that?
Normally one would use longer focal lengths for head shots. A 40mm gives exaggerated perspective for facial features at such distances, usually 85mm or longer is preferred.
Usually I shoot head shots at f/3.5 to f/13. f/2 seems very shallow. 40mm at f/2 would be suitable for whole-body portraits. My guess is that focus accuracy is sufficient for full-body shots with that lens even wide open, if it is like those Z lenses that I've used.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Circling back to the Z eye-AF at headshot distance. Changing to focus priority for AF-C made zero difference. This specific camera/lens combination (Zf + 40 f/2) consistently misses focus on the eye itself much less the iris even at f/5.6. The only way to get correct focus on the eye at selfie and headshot distance is to switch to single shot with the pinpoint-sized AF box and manually move it over the eye. Night and day difference in eye sharpness that way.
For my purposes, eye-AF with the Zf + 40 f/2 is useless at close distances. It's only good for subject recognition at distances for which the chosen depth of field will overcome the focus inaccuracy. I have no experience with any other AF Z lenses, but given that the 40 f/2 is very sharp when focused correctly at these distances at f/2, I see no reason why the 40 f/2 would be the cause of the issue. This is simply Nikon's eye-AF box being too large to focus on the eye within the eye socket at closer distances....Show more →
ilkka_nissila wrote:
Normally one would use longer focal lengths for head shots. A 40mm gives exaggerated perspective for facial features at such distances, usually 85mm or longer is preferred.
Usually I shoot head shots at f/3.5 to f/13. f/2 seems very shallow. 40mm at f/2 would be suitable for whole-body portraits. My guess is that focus accuracy is sufficient for full-body shots with that lens even wide open, if it is like those Z lenses that I've used.
I may have found the problem. Turning off "Link VR to focus point" allows for accurate eye-AF with the 40 f/2 even at f/2 and close distance. Looks like Nikon needs to fix this in firmware if confirmed.
I checked out the ZF for the first time today at Paul's Photo in Torrance. It actually was a customer's camera who was nice enough to let me play, as Paul's did not have any.
So - in real life the camera looks fantastic, and mainly feels great. Knobs/dials are great. Nice, solid and clicky. Much better than the horrible, hollow plasticky feeling dials on the old DF - which was Nikon's previous FF attempt at retro.
The buttons on the back of the camera (dpad?) felt ok. Not great. But I only paid attention to that because another FMr pointed that out to me! If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have paid attention either..
The customer's camera had a small rig (?) grip on it - I took it on and off and the camera felt way better with the grip on. Surprise, right? But the ZF to me still feels great. It really is a lovely piece.
Then I asked the kind salesperson if he would put the 28mm SE lens that was on their ZFc in the display case onto the ZF, so I could feel it with a Nikon Z prime. It looked the part sitting there - very pretty. But picking it up and using it? That lens feels like cheap plastic garbage. I have a Z7, and lots of Nikon film cameras and Nikon F mount lenses, as well as the Z 24-70. But if that Z 28mm SE did not have a Nikon badge on it, and was some 3rd party mfg, everyone would pan it for feeling like a cheap plastic piece of junk. It really is horrible and such a contrast to the ZF body which feels solid, metal and quality.
These chintzy plastic lenses really are an embarrassment to Nikon's legacy IMO. They do not feel like they belong attached to the ZF. I'll say it again for the Nikon fan-bois - if this lens (I assume the 40mm is the same) was made by some 3rd party mfg it would be laughed at.
C'mon Nikon, make some lenses that match the build and feel of the ZF. That camera deserves it.
Desmolicious wrote:
I checked out the ZF for the first time today at Paul's Photo in Torrance. It actually was a customer's camera who was nice enough to let me play, as Paul's did not have any.
So - in real life the camera looks fantastic, and mainly feels great. Knobs/dials are great. Nice, solid and clicky. Much better than the horrible, hollow plasticky feeling dials on the old DF - which was Nikon's previous FF attempt at retro.
The buttons on the back of the camera (dpad?) felt ok. Not great. But I only paid attention to that because another FMr pointed that out to me! If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have paid attention either..
The customer's camera had a small rig (?) grip on it - I took it on and off and the camera felt way better with the grip on. Surprise, right? But the ZF to me still feels great. It really is a lovely piece.
Then I asked the kind salesperson if he would put the 28mm SE lens that was on their ZFc in the display case onto the ZF, so I could feel it with a Nikon Z prime. It looked the part sitting there - very pretty. But picking it up and using it? That lens feels like cheap plastic garbage. I have a Z7, and lots of Nikon film cameras and Nikon F mount lenses, as well as the Z 24-70. But if that Z 28mm SE did not have a Nikon badge on it, and was some 3rd party mfg, everyone would pan it for feeling like a cheap plastic piece of junk. It really is horrible and such a contrast to the ZF body which feels solid, metal and quality.
These chintzy plastic lenses really are an embarrassment to Nikon's legacy IMO. They do not feel like they belong attached to the ZF. I'll say it again for the Nikon fan-bois - if this lens (I assume the 40mm is the same) was made by some 3rd party mfg it would be laughed at.
C'mon Nikon, make some lenses that match the build and feel of the ZF. That camera deserves it....Show more →
Here here.
The 40 f/2 SE (the twin to the 28 f/2.8 SE you saw) is uglier than the regular 40 f/2, IMO.
The crazy thing about the 40 f/2 is despite its cheap looking and feeling construction, it's actually a very good lens. Whisper quiet and lightning fast AF. Sharp but with some SA for flattering portraits at f/2 and close distance. I like the bokeh for close-up subjects and mid distance has some character without too many flaws. If the optics from this lens were inserted into a nice metal lens body with a manual aperture ring, it would be superb. Oh, and that cheap plastic construction, it's one saving grace is weightlessness – feels like cotton candy.
I think my biggest problem is the fakeness of the exterior of the SE version. Thinking about exchanging it for the regular version of the 40 f/2, which I think would match the Zf better. At least it's not pretending to be something it's not.
This Zf review showcases f/2 at portrait distance with the 40 SE:
I think the Sigma 56 F1.4 Z mount lens may be a nice alternative t o the Nikon plastic lenses. Its pr etty he avy metal and very sharp. I took this image in Mesa Ar izona at Dia De Los Muertos withe Zfc and Godox flash.
harry Palmer
Face painter.
NIKON Z fc56mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary 018 lens56mmf/5.61/100s720 ISO+0.7 EV
Note that that lens only has DX coverage so it's probably not a good choice for the Zf which has an FX sensor.
Kingfishphoto wrote:
I think the Sigma 56 F1.4 Z mount lens may be a nice alternative t o the Nikon plastic lenses. Its pr etty he avy metal and very sharp. I took this image in Mesa Ar izona at Dia De Los Muertos withe Zfc and Godox flash.
harry Palmer
Luckily I prefer manaul focus so the Voigtländers are a no-brainer for my Zfc & ZF. Takes some time saving up money for the next lens though. Tried a few cheap chinese Z-lenses but sold them, the IQ wasnt there.
I also use some vintage Nikon-lenses that I had since I was a teenager. I dont think that if one of my students buy a 40mm SE today, they still will be able to use it when they are 50+
Shot a 100 mile ultramarathon using the ZF as a backup camera. The ergos aren't terrible once you get used to them. I think the grip would help for events like this. The subject detection with chipped manual lenses is awesome and makes quicker focus acquisition possible. The AF is not Z8 level, but better than the Z6ii. I was using AF primarily with the 85mm 1.2 and 135mm plena. Out of a burst I would get the odd out of focus shot. The Z8 doesn't have that issue; once it locks on to a target and nothing comes between the camera and subject it doesn't miss. The ZF occasionally does. The real story with this camera, however, is how clean the files are in low light. I was shooting in one spot at ISO 10,000 and the files are clean. Its really impressive.
Desmolicious wrote:
I checked out the ZF for the first time today at Paul's Photo in Torrance. It actually was a customer's camera who was nice enough to let me play, as Paul's did not have any.
So - in real life the camera looks fantastic, and mainly feels great. Knobs/dials are great. Nice, solid and clicky. Much better than the horrible, hollow plasticky feeling dials on the old DF - which was Nikon's previous FF attempt at retro.
The buttons on the back of the camera (dpad?) felt ok. Not great. But I only paid attention to that because another FMr pointed that out to me! If he hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have paid attention either..
The customer's camera had a small rig (?) grip on it - I took it on and off and the camera felt way better with the grip on. Surprise, right? But the ZF to me still feels great. It really is a lovely piece.
Then I asked the kind salesperson if he would put the 28mm SE lens that was on their ZFc in the display case onto the ZF, so I could feel it with a Nikon Z prime. It looked the part sitting there - very pretty. But picking it up and using it? That lens feels like cheap plastic garbage. I have a Z7, and lots of Nikon film cameras and Nikon F mount lenses, as well as the Z 24-70. But if that Z 28mm SE did not have a Nikon badge on it, and was some 3rd party mfg, everyone would pan it for feeling like a cheap plastic piece of junk. It really is horrible and such a contrast to the ZF body which feels solid, metal and quality.
These chintzy plastic lenses really are an embarrassment to Nikon's legacy IMO. They do not feel like they belong attached to the ZF. I'll say it again for the Nikon fan-bois - if this lens (I assume the 40mm is the same) was made by some 3rd party mfg it would be laughed at.
C'mon Nikon, make some lenses that match the build and feel of the ZF. That camera deserves it....Show more →
Thanks for the summary of the Zf. How does it compare to the build and feel of the Leicas? Does it feel similar in size and feel in actual usage? Based on size and weight, I expect it feels similar to my M240. Unfortunately, no local stock for me to get my hands on just yet.
ggweci wrote:
Thanks for the summary of the Zf. How does it compare to the build and feel of the Leicas? Does it feel similar in size and feel in actual usage? Based on size and weight, I expect it feels similar to my M240. Unfortunately, no local stock for me to get my hands on just yet.
It feels very well constructed and surprisingly weighty - similar to a Leica M. Both in size and heft. It really is a nice piece. For me the only mild disappointments are the way the buttons feel on the back, but then again I only noticed that because it was pointed out to me!
Desmolicious wrote:
It feels very well constructed and surprisingly weighty - similar to a Leica M. Both in size and heft. It really is a nice piece. For me the only mild disappointments are the way the buttons feel on the back, but then again I only noticed that because it was pointed out to me!
To be honest , when using my 50/1.2, 85/1.2 or plena wide open on the Z8 or Z8 the focus is almost never on the eye , whatever focus mode you use.I am convinced this has nothing to do with the Zf/40 combo , but rather the focus performance of the Nikon Z system!
My experience is similar, I have shot about 5000 frames on the Zf and 1 hour of video so far. The autofocus is able to track moving subjects and keep them in focus much more reliably than the Z6 II but it produces slightly more errors than the Z8. The Z8 can misfocus when it decides to focus on something in the background but as long as this doesn't happen, its AF is rock solid. The Zf is just slightly less able in keeping the subject in focus when there is a lot of action going on. It's nevertheless much better in this task than I had hoped for and very satisfying considering the price.
The image quality of the Zf is great. It is a useful tool augmenting the Z8 in low light and when desiring a smaller and lighter camera and smaller files that are faster to process.
Although it doesn't support CFexpress cards, the burst performance with HE* raw files is perfectly adequate and this is another positive surprise.
nhmorgan wrote:
Shot a 100 mile ultramarathon using the ZF as a backup camera. The ergos aren't terrible once you get used to them. I think the grip would help for events like this. The subject detection with chipped manual lenses is awesome and makes quicker focus acquisition possible. The AF is not Z8 level, but better than the Z6ii. I was using AF primarily with the 85mm 1.2 and 135mm plena. Out of a burst I would get the odd out of focus shot. The Z8 doesn't have that issue; once it locks on to a target and nothing comes between the camera and subject it doesn't miss. The ZF occasionally does. The real story with this camera, however, is how clean the files are in low light. I was shooting in one spot at ISO 10,000 and the files are clean. Its really impressive. ...Show more →
Can someone enlighten me (as I can not seem to find the answer by search) as to wether the Zƒ can shoot 4k/24 fps N-Log to the Micro SD card if needed, or is the card slot to slow for that (or any other reason)?
sputnik wrote:
Can someone enlighten me (as I can not seem to find the answer by search) as to wether the Zƒ can shoot 4k/24 fps N-Log to the Micro SD card if needed, or is the card slot to slow for that (or any other reason)?
