I use the Z6II almost any time I go to work (open air office), paired with the 24-120 and the 50S in the bag it does it all and so very well but I am almost in the aim of a smaller body for day trips or to be a little lighter, I know the Zf and Z6 are very close in size, I just got a precision ruler and found out the Zf is very similar to the F3 in size, still not pocketable but I don't expect a FF camera to slide in a pocket, still without the grip and the L Plate along with a small prime, say the 40/2 or some native 28 and 50mm should do pretty well.
I been thinking of jumping ship for something smaller, a DX sensor from Sony or Fuji but I shortly put my eye into an A6700 (curious to test the famous Sony AF) viewfinder and could not believe how small, too bad at my age with sight starting to fade to go back, thought of an A7C but get new lenses bla bla bla, non sense, then the itch, the Zf, I love the dials, I so much salivate behind a Fuji X-Tx but, again, been there, one lens drove me literally mad, the 35/1.4, I simply adored it but worth to buy a camera just for one lens and then wanting more The Zf could be the perfect candidate, any of you who used/uses it along with a Z6II and Z8 (which is the camera I use when I pretend to do serious stuff), feedback re size, portability, usage and especially coupled with primes, be them native or third party like the famous Voigt?
Sounds like GAS to me. The images from the Z6ii and ZF will be nearly indistinguishable. I highly doubt you’d use dials as much as you think you would. The size differences of the two cameras are basically meaningless.
According to the signature the OP is at 70% GAS load, so probably.
I'm not seeing much practical advantage either if the page with all the Humans is any indication of subject matter. I'd be looking at a Z6III if features appeal.
With Zf, you gain much better subject recognition utility than Z6ii beside form factor.
I use Z8/Z9 when I go out to shoot birds, actions etc. For casual photography, I use my Zf a lot
and Z7 ii is left behind most of the time. Zf also will give you more useful focusing aid with manual focus lens specifically eye detection which is quite handy.
Not a huge jump but if budget is not an issue, why not.
suteetat wrote:
With Zf, you gain much better subject recognition utility than Z6ii beside form factor.
I use Z8/Z9 when I go out to shoot birds, actions etc. For casual photography, I use my Zf a lot
and Z7 ii is left behind most of the time. Zf also will give you more useful focusing aid with manual focus lens specifically eye detection which is quite handy.
Not a huge jump but if budget is not an issue, why not.
OP has the Z8, so of course he knows the gulf the Zf closes in terms of AF.
It sounded like weight, dials, and size were all the key motivators.
The Zf is heavier, the dials aren't really useful day to day, and the Zf is wider and more awkward.
All that said, if you want one, get one I'd probably be looking at the Z5ii instead.
The Z5II is the elephant in the room with the Zf these days. And that’s also sort of good that we now have identically featured cameras in different bodies.
Bottom line the Zf is dopey when it comes to actual use. The shutter speed dial is pointless, why would I forego 1/2 or 1/3 stop exposure control for a hard to rotate dedicated dial? You’ll have that dial locked on 1/3STEP within a day of taking the camera out of the box.
Nikon Z lenses don’t have aperture rings in the first place and aperture is the primary creative control for much photography. So the Zf’s dial aesthetic is broken from the start because of lens choices made years ago. More sensible with a third party lens that has an aperture ring, but then you can use those on any Z body.
Exposure compensation is I suppose a common request. Again, ergonomically easier to use the front or back multi function dials in real use.
ISO? I suppose there must be plenty of folks who diddle with ISO a lot? But it is in an awkward spot to change when up to your eye. Button plus front dial is probably more functional anyway.
I own a Zf and it is sort of cool looking. If that cranks your tractor spend the money I suppose. But it is in my opinion a pretty dumb camera design. When there was no Z5II or Z6III is sort of filled a unique software feature niche. Now it is just useless retro dials totally dissonant with the Z system UI. Nice feature set, but wrapped up as a fashion accessory.
As someone with GAS themselves, got to say I smell GAS coming off your post!
I owned the Zf for a little over a year, and I did enjoy it quite a lot, and the one manual control I did very much like is the ISO dial, but otherwise it was a camera that I loved to look at but was generally uncomfortable to use. When I switched from the Z8 to the Z6 III for weight and size reasons, suddenly when I picked up the Zf it felt like an absolute brick. It is just so heavy for its form factor.
I ended up selling it and got a Z50 II as my backup to my Z6 III. For general use I’d probably go Z5 II as an upgrade from the Z6 II unless you need the speed of the partially stacked sensor and then the Z6 III is the choice.
With that said, it is a beautiful and very capable camera, and it is fun to use, at least in short bursts. I took it to Italy last year for two weeks and it performed very well and got some great shots.
Zf is my everyday casual use camera. Certainly Z5ii is a compelling choice but some people do enjoy
Zf form factor. I would not mount my 600/4s to shot bird on Zf but op was thinking about 40/2 or other smaller lenses so why not. I do have Z7 ii which beside sensor, it is pretty much the same as Z6 ii and I enjoy using Zf more. It is good that Nikon came out with z5ii for people who does not appreciate
Zf idiosyncrasy but Zf has its own followers. My other friends who own Sony, Canon, Leica, Hasselblad, if interested in Nikon at all, Zf actually peak their interest the most (not that they are buying one though )
My Z6II with the L bracket is way bulkier that the naked one, the dimension is not a big deal, what I can't stand in the Z6 is the handling, doesn't give me any pleasure into shooting and the lenses are quite big, I don't expect a FF camera to be pocketable but maybe with a small prime like the 28 or 40 or a manual focus native Voigt it gets unobtrusive enough
GiovanniAprea wrote:
My Z6II with the L bracket is way bulkier that the naked one, the dimension is not a big deal, what I can't stand in the Z6 is the handling, doesn't give me any pleasure into shooting and the lenses are quite big, I don't expect a FF camera to be pocketable but maybe with a small prime like the 28 or 40 or a manual focus native Voigt it gets unobtrusive enough
Again, the ZF is bigger and heavier than the Z6 cameras. Of course the handling of the ZF is totally different because of the very different (and sometimes poorly thought out) design.
I traded my Z6 II for a Zf when it came out. It was a bit of an expensive trade to my taste but there was some things in the Zf I thought were worthwhile like the friendly manual aids that were quite unique and a few other things. I don’t use any of those anymore but I don’t regret it.
I don’t care much for autofocus or video but I still would do the trade because I like retro bodies and the Zf is gorgeous and capable and that’s what I want.
I wish it had the Z7 sensor or at least no low pass filter and it would be the perfect camera. The one you keep almost forever like a Leica and not for two years waiting for a Nikon SP replacement.
GiovanniAprea wrote:
My Z6II with the L bracket is way bulkier that the naked one, the dimension is not a big deal, what I can't stand in the Z6 is the handling, doesn't give me any pleasure into shooting and the lenses are quite big, I don't expect a FF camera to be pocketable but maybe with a small prime like the 28 or 40 or a manual focus native Voigt it gets unobtrusive enough
Voigtlander lenses, while somewhat (somewhat) smaller than the Nikon S class, are not exactly light or unobtrusive. The 50 and 35 aren't bad size wise on the ZF; they are wonderfully sharp and I (strangely enough) find the manual focussing to actually be fun.
I'm curious what you find unpleasant about the handling of the Z6. I'd say the Z5II is more of what you seem to be looking for except I don't think the handling is all that different unless you are talking about Expeed 7 advantages. The Z50II is smaller still but again, the handling . . .
These discussions always seem to devolve into folks waiting on the mythical compact Z rangefinder or contemplating the Fuji X-e5.
zachdog wrote:
The Zf is definitely a camera you should handle before purchasing. I was surprised how heavy and bulky it felt after using a DX Zfc.
Agree totally with this. I got the Zf (used) for use with Leica M-mount lenses, but quickly changed to the Z6III because it felt so much better in my hands. Now wondering if I could ditch my M11 when/if Nikon introduces the Z7III...
So, to further this - if the desire is something more compact and better handling than a Z6 II, I don’t think you’ll be happy with the Zf. You get the Zf because you want a very good full frame camera with retro looks and brass dials, not for improved ergonomics. For the most part the bare camera is uncomfortable to use for long periods of time, so most people need an accessory grip, which helps a lot (but still isn’t as comfortable as the modern designs)…but that adds another 100-150g of weight, making the Zf with a grip quite heavy at around 850g.
The Z5 II will handle almost identically to your Z6 II, though will be a better focusing camera overall, with more features.
If you want a Z mount body that is lighter and easier to handle, you’re looking at the APS-C bodies. The Z50 II has similar design to something like the Z5 II, but is significantly lighter and good bit smaller too. With the small APS-C lenses, it makes for a very compact kit.
If you want small, light and also retro designed, the Zfc is available, though it has the older chip, so capability wise, it’s an ‘older generation’ body, though image quality is still quite excellent.
I am really liking my little Z50 II kit, though I bring my Z6 III for more serious work.
glassartist wrote:
Voigtlander lenses, while somewhat (somewhat) smaller than the Nikon S class, are not exactly light or unobtrusive. The 50 and 35 aren't bad size wise on the ZF; they are wonderfully sharp and I (strangely enough) find the manual focussing to actually be fun.
How does the manual focus fun factor compare between Zf and Z5 II? Is there a difference between these two bodies for manual focusing?
I use my Z6ii for a similar purpose, and with the 40 f2 or 28 f2.8 it's nearly as small as my old fuji X100V (and less cumbersome than the Leica Q2). I've also thought about swapping the Z6ii for the ZF, but was turned off by how much heavier the ZF is for what seems to be no good reason, and having used cameras with similar dials as the ZF, I prefer the cleaner layout of cameras like the Z6ii. Mainly though, the extra weight of the ZF was a deal killer for me - it's awkward to hold without the extended grip, like the smallrig one.
I'd recommend just sticking with the Z6ii and picking up a small manual focus lens like the excellent Thypoch 28 1.4 in Z mount. I also have pretty horrible eyesight, and so I've assigned 100% magnification to the AF-on button so it helps me make sure I'm sharp. Sometimes focus peaking isn't as accurate as just checking focus visually.
Tried the X100V, Leica Q2, ZFC as my "everyday carry" camera, and the Z6ii just felt like the best fit for me considering it can also be used as a great video camera.
glassartist wrote:
Voigtlander lenses, while somewhat (somewhat) smaller than the Nikon S class, are not exactly light or unobtrusive. The 50 and 35 aren't bad size wise on the ZF; they are wonderfully sharp and I (strangely enough) find the manual focussing to actually be fun.
I'm curious what you find unpleasant about the handling of the Z6. I'd say the Z5II is more of what you seem to be looking for except I don't think the handling is all that different unless you are talking about Expeed 7 advantages. The Z50II is smaller still but again, the handling . . .
These discussions always seem to devolve into folks waiting on the mythical compact Z rangefinder or contemplating the Fuji X-e5....Show more →
I've gone back and forth with the Fuji apsc system, and the problem with the Fuji XE5 is the EVF. When you're using to a 3.6 million dot displays in the Z6ii and Z8, you really notice the downgrade using a 2.36M dot one in the Fuji. Plus the crop lenses on the Fuji aren't that much smaller than comparable full frame equivalents, and are about the same price. The Xpro series is fun, but the bodies are not compact. It always seems to lead me back to Nikon as my "goldilocks" zone of price, size, value and lenses.
Rainbow Chaser wrote:
How does the manual focus fun factor compare between Zf and Z5 II? Is there a difference between these two bodies for manual focusing?
I don't have a Z5II (though I'm trying hard to resist buying one) so I can't explicitly say. But I believe they are internally virtually the same (hardware and software) so I imagine the manual focussing is the same. The Z5II has, I believe, two configurable buttons on the body where the ZF has only one which I use for the 100% view. A second button would be helpful. The Z5II also has a Picture Control button which I think I've read that others have used for the 100% view.
The Zf could be the perfect candidate, any of you who used/uses it along with a Z6II and Z8 (which is the camera I use when I pretend to do serious stuff), feedback re size, portability, usage and especially coupled with primes, be them native or third party like the famous Voigt?