p.3 #1 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Don't know if anyone else here got a custom color Zf, but the covering on mine feels thin and cheap like a third party skin. Mine was not adhered well at the edges and required I use a blunt tool to re-press down several spots including an entire edge on the right side of the camera. I have zero faith it won't start peeling off at the edges after a year or two.
p.3 #2 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Don't know if anyone else here got a custom color Zf, but the covering on mine feels thin and cheap like a third party skin. Mine was not adhered well at the edges and required I use a blunt tool to re-press down several spots including an entire edge on the right side of the camera. I have zero faith it won't start peeling off at the edges after a year or two.
Well dang. The only way I was going to end up with a Zf was if there was a deal on a moss green one at the same moment I had taken leave of my senses. I guess I’m safe now!
(To provide clarity for the easily offended, I just know the Zf is a silly purchase for me personally even though it is undoubtedly right up many folk’s alley).
p.3 #3 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
It’s perfectly usable with the small rig. My biggest gripe is how much light is allowed to hit your eye when looking through the EVF midday. That’s the “worst” part of it for me so far.
johnvanr wrote:
I rented one when I was last in the US and took it out only once because it felt so lousy to hold. Then my M11 bricked and I regretted not having the Zf as a relatively affordable backup. Now pondering whether to pick up one. Still not sure I’d get used to the form factor, though, even with a grip.
p.3 #4 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
highdesertmesa wrote:
Don't know if anyone else here got a custom color Zf, but the covering on mine feels thin and cheap like a third party skin. Mine was not adhered well at the edges and required I use a blunt tool to re-press down several spots including an entire edge on the right side of the camera. I have zero faith it won't start peeling off at the edges after a year or two.
I got one in orange. My covering feels very smooth and pleasant. Everything looks perfect for my eye. Probably different materials for different colors?
p.3 #5 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
After a long weekend shooting the ZF in the mountains, a few things to report.
I took a single lens (CV 35 APO) to keep it light and prevent the need for lens changes in the mountains. My same complaints reared up repeatedly...the AF box is nearly impossible to see for MF in daylight, and the eyecup simply SUCKS at keeping light out midday.
The other thing I had noticed (and commented on here) regarding protecting highlights applied more than ever on nearly cloudless days in the mountains...you MUST protect the highlights on this camera far more than you have to on the Z8/Z9, or they are simply not recoverable in post.
That said, it was super fun to have on me and because of the size I took it around town as well without it feeling obtrusive. It filled the role of the X100 for me on this trip and I got a ton of fun images.
If we can EVER get a FW update that thickens up the MF/AF box, that will be a godsend and at least mitigate the glare issue to a degree. That alone will make the user experience so much better, for me at least.
Funny I'm not finding myself missing 45mp files as I'm editing these. Tons of detail and color packed into this sensor.
p.3 #8 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
I always wear a hat, having terribly sensitive scalp and thin hair.. But then again, I also often find myself shooting like a tourist, with the screen instead of the viewfinder. (especially for stationairy shots like the above)
p.3 #9 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
RoamingScott wrote:
After a long weekend shooting the ZF in the mountains, a few things to report.
I took a single lens (CV 35 APO) to keep it light and prevent the need for lens changes in the mountains. My same complaints reared up repeatedly...the AF box is nearly impossible to see for MF in daylight, and the eyecup simply SUCKS at keeping light out midday.
The other thing I had noticed (and commented on here) regarding protecting highlights applied more than ever on nearly cloudless days in the mountains...you MUST protect the highlights on this camera far more than you have to on the Z8/Z9, or they are simply not recoverable in post.
That said, it was super fun to have on me and because of the size I took it around town as well without it feeling obtrusive. It filled the role of the X100 for me on this trip and I got a ton of fun images.
If we can EVER get a FW update that thickens up the MF/AF box, that will be a godsend and at least mitigate the glare issue to a degree. That alone will make the user experience so much better, for me at least.
Funny I'm not finding myself missing 45mp files as I'm editing these. Tons of detail and color packed into this sensor.
Thanks for the update. Aren’t there any aftermarket eyecups you can get to block the glare? In my DSLR days, I often switched to better eyecups for my cameras.
p.3 #11 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
johnvanr wrote:
Thanks for the update. Aren’t there any aftermarket eyecups you can get to block the glare? In my DSLR days, I often switched to better eyecups for my cameras.
I've played this game in the past and just haven't ever come away satisfied...the 3rd parties trend towards insane like the Hoodmans.
The issue isn't the eyecup per se, it's the tapered pentaprism shape on the ZF. The Z8/Z9 have a very squared block there around the EVF, and the ZF has the traditional SLR pyramid shape. That leaves a large slice of your periphery unblocked while using the EVF.
As near as I can tell, the Z8/Z9 and ZF use the exact same eyecup.
p.3 #13 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Interesting about the difference in sensor. I always felt the same about the Z6 vs Z7 to the point I’d never consider another Z7 no matter pixels or any other feature. To my eye the Z6 / Z6II is MUCH better at shadow recovery and rarely have trouble getting what I need from a file. Z6III might be better or worse, I know sensors have changed but it’s more clear that they have different design priorities.
p.3 #14 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Ross Martin wrote:
Scott, do you have any thoughts on a Z6III instead of a ZF for your use case? I wonder if the look of the files is similar.
The files ARE similar from the Z6iii samples I've downloaded and played with.
I did the math and it made more sense to toe-dip with the ZF first since a used one was $1000 cheaper. I wanted the dust to settle on the Z6iii before getting one as well.
Knowing what I know now, and how little I use the top dials on the ZF, I think the Z6iii would be a great B cam for my Z9 since it shares the button layout. The ZF is different enough that it can trip me up when going back and forth. Very possible I'll trade my ZF for a Z6iii at some point.
The one thing the ZF has over the Z6iii for me personally is leatherette on the backside of the ZF which is just great when it's closed, as it is 99% of the time for me. A little thing yes, but very nice.
That said, I'd love to just use a native grip and not this smallrig. Z6iii has all the QoL things that are missing from the ZF firmware right now too. It just wasn't worth $1000 to me at the time for those few things. All that said, I always had to use a baseplate on the Z7 line to catch my pinky...I need to hold a Z6iii and see if it's better in that regard.
p.3 #15 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
bishopb1 wrote:
How do you think the AF on the zf would do for sports?
AF is fine, but I certainly wouldn't want to mount and hold my sports lenses on this body for any length of time. Get a Z6iii if you want a more robust sports shooting platform on a budget.
p.3 #17 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Nikon might consider adopting a Sony style EVF design - it's more integrated, is rectangular, has higher relief and is very protective against light ingress, with a lot of room around the EVF screen. If you look at an image of facial bones, they are close in shape to the Sony rubber surround, and easier to rest your brow on. Your eye is round but the brow section that rests on the EVF housing sure aren't.
(do a search on 'eye socket shape' to verify this last point)
You can zoom in here on images to see the a7rv / Zf EVF housing issues more clearly:
p.3 #18 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
philip_pj wrote:
Nikon might consider adopting a Sony style EVF design - it's more integrated, is rectangular, has higher relief and is very protective against light ingress, with a lot of room around the EVF screen. If you look at an image of facial bones, they are close in shape to the Sony rubber surround, and easier to rest your brow on. Your eye is round but the brow section that rests on the EVF housing sure aren't.
(do a search on 'eye socket shape' to verify this last point)
You can zoom in here on images to see the a7rv / Zf EVF housing issues more clearly:
I hope they fix this. MF is hard enough as it is. ...Show more →
That would be all fine and good, except I much much much prefer the round Z9 eyecup style to the A7R5 (and every Sony gen before then). As I pretty clearly stated, the issue lies in the housing shape, not necessarily the shallow round vs deep rectangle. Nikon already does the deeper rectangle on the Z6/Z7 line.
My preferences, however are deeply informed by me having pretty forward set eyes, so a rectangular cup tends to be quite uncomfortable for me. On Sony, you have to really get your eyeball in that housing to see the whole thing vs simply holding the camera to your face on Nikon.
If they simply make the AF box customizable in the same way it is on the flagships, that will be enough to fix the issue in a non-physical way.
p.3 #19 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Eyecup thoughts:
Picked up this 3rd party eyecup that works on the ZF/Z8/Z9 (replaces the DK-33 round cup) and it indeed "solves" the issue on the ZF. However, the LCD screen will hit it, it seems prone to bending (showed up with a crease and isn't all the way round).
Something to throw in the bag and mount before a sunny day trek perhaps. It at least makes the viewfinder much easier to see, and if you're shooting with the LCD closed, the "getting in the way" part is nullified.
I wouldn't pack this camera with this mounted, however, due to the size. Such an annoying little QOL issue with the ZF. Can't win em all
p.3 #20 · Hell froze over. My Nikon ZF impressions.
Jumping on this thread, although I am a little late to the party here. Just switched over from using the Z7II camera which has a wonderful sensor and brilliant ergonomics. But the "pleasing" images out of the Zf caught my eye and I am hooked. Yes the ergo is challenged but this is rapidly becoming a fun camera to me. Look forward to my first and maybe only manual which would be the 35 APO. As I write this, I am expecting delivery on the new 50 1.4 which I suspect will be absolutely stunning on the Zf.
