Coming from Sony. I'm really enjoying using this camera with my GM and Voigtlander lenses on the Megadap adapter. The aperture rings work perfectly and autofocus is fast enough for casual photography.
I’ve been following you now for about 6 months. When I moved from SONY to Fujifilm last December. Well… I left XH2, XH2S and GFX50sii for Zf and Z8. After watching your review and Fujifilm frustration’s I made the move to Nikon and extremely happy with my decision. I had debated the XT5 (really wanted to love it) but did not like it in the hand. Zf makes shooting fun again. Actually, I find it more enjoyable than Z8. Less complicated! Your channel is easy to like. You have a sincere and easy to follow personality. Most importantly, your love for family especially Dad makes it pleasing to watch. I lost my dad 2 years ago and would give anything to have another day with him. I retired from Chicago to Kamakura Japan (home of the Giant Buddha). It’s been an amazing place to photograph. Appreciate your content and style. Many years of success to wand your family! Kampai!
Pro portrait photographer here. Studio and natural light. Fuji since 2018. I have the XT5 and a X100V, the 33 and the 56. I trained on film, in the 80’s, my first camera was a Nikon FE. I’m thinking of going with this Nikon. Do you recommend? And What lenses do you recommend? I have to have a 50 and an 85 for my workflow and I’d love a 35 or 28. Thanks for Any advice!
@@babyboy1971 For me it’s been a great move. #1: AF… if I had a dollar for every out of focus image, I could’ve bought a Hassleblad X2D. Maybe a bit exaggerated but extremely improved AF. Nikon Film Sim adjustments are excellent and adaptable. N-log grading solid. Bigger sensor details the better results. Finally content with my gear. No longer feel like I’m compromising on anything.
THIS WILL BE AN EMOTIONAL PURCHASE!!! I will be selling my Canon R6 kit to purchase this camera! 😂Thank you for your all your hard work and being so informative and entertaining. My favorite channel. 😊👊🏾
I bought the Zfc as a walk around camera, the Zf came out right after I made that purchase. I’d love the FF but am really happy with the APC version. I just got back from Utah and the Zfc did great on auto for shots riding around sightseeing. Thanks for the review.
I honestly love third party grips. Just having the choice to grip or not is game changing. It's great to have a compact set up some days and chunkier one when you need it. Plus, the Etsy artisans make some nice handmade wood ones too. 😎
I've been shooting Nikon since 1988 and fell in love with the retro style of this camera. Mine has not arrived yet. I do a lot of night street photography and neon photography. I like how small it is with the lack of grip because I really hope it will still fit in my hoodie pocket. (safety reasons) unlike my Z6ii. And the fully articulating screen will save me some knee issues at low angle. It will replace either the Z6ii or my Fuji XE4.
Omar, just so you know : Fujifilm and Nikon use two different ISO standards, that lead to two different exposure values at the same ISO. Fujifilm is using SOS (Standard Output Sentitivity) and Nikon (as well as Canon, Sony and pretty much everyone else) is using REI (Recommended Exposure Index) What that means in practice is that the Fujifilm exposes about 1 stop lower at the same ISO / shutter speed / aperture settings as other cameras. Effectively, Fujifilm is saying that they're using an ISO 1 stop higher compared to if they were using REI. So an X-Pro 2 / X-T2 having an ISO sensitivity range of 200-12800 natively would have a 100-6400 range if it was using REI. That means that if you want to match the exposure, and do an apple to apples comparison with cameras using REI, you need to use an ISO 1 stop higher. So comparing ISO 800 on Nikon with ISO 1600 on Fuji for example.
I'm sure he used manual exposure, yet we saw no visible exposure difference with Fuji at the same ISO value, shutter speed and aperture. So we see no real world proof of your statement. So that means if he would have used one stop higher ISO on the Fuji, the Fuji image would have too bright. On another note, with the Z8, there clearly was a exposure difference - the Z8 image being visibly darker @ 15:32 . So I wonder what went wrong there.
@@caleidooI know where you’re coming from, but the guy who’s comment you are critiquing is actually spot on and it’s well documented in old Fuji iso discussions. Look at old comparisons between Sony Nex and Fuji XF for more intel on the subject. And to avoid triggering anyone here, Fuji are a great brand but they’re marketing bud has always been a bit shady. Fuji GFX II sensor readout fudging, ISO values, Autofocus speed numbers.
@@roscot40 I never said he was wrong about what Fuji uses as ISO standard - everybody knows this because there is always at least one guy that drops this in the comments. I only said that what he claimed ("Fuji's ISO value is actual one stop different compared to others") just doesn't show in the actual images we saw. Everybody can see this: there is no difference in exposure or brightness, when all is equal. Not sure why you ignored that part, it's the core of my comment. And why are you talking about triggering? I shoot Fuji. Nobody needs to feel hurt for reading facts or even opinions about a brand or camera. We're all adults here, no?
While you are right, that probably wouldn’t make much a difference. I have both the Z6 II and the XPro2 and even when shooting both at base ISO the Nikon is a lot cleaner than the Fuji. Which is not really surprising though, considering the Nikon has a much newer BSI sensor and is fullframe at the same resolution, while the Fuji still uses the old FSI sensor
Great review, as always, Omar! I'm a science prof. and recently picked up this camera for my lab. We'll be using it for a variety of projects, including lots of macro imaging work. It is an AWESOME lab camera! The flippy screen allows easy viewing from any angle, the dials are very convenient for setting exposure when the camera is anchored to a lab bench or tripod, and the overall design is super accessible (not as initially overwhelming as modern programmable buttons & wheels) for my undergrads, many of whom are learning about photography for the first time in my lab. 👍
Been looking forward to this video! I traded my A7C and Z5 for the Zf. Little bit pricey but I'm so thrilled with it. Works great as a documenting family camera, and I know I can use it for paid gigs when I need to. I'm 30 years old and I only started shooting 5 years ago so the retro element is completely new for me, but I love the tactileness of it and it's so hefty!
I don't know if anybody commented on that, but you don't have to put the ISO dial on C to switch the camera into auto ISO. The dial indicates the lower bound of ISO in Auto-ISO mode.
Pffffff I absolutely don’t need it but the minute I saw it for the first time my mouth was watering 🤤🤤 I lost the battle to GAS long time ago so the heck…I bought the Zf and honestly, what a fantastic camera for the price. You are right, it is uncomfortable to hold, it is heavy BUT the build quality is great and I appreciate a well built camera, and, with the handgrip it improves a lot and becomes less uncomfortable to hold. This is my new all around camera, I like it with the small 28mm and 40mm lenses, and I will also use the Zf with my Voigtlander manual focus lenses from my Nikon F film cameras, with the FTZ II adapter. Great combo.
Hey Omar been following your channel for a while now and just want to say amazing presentation and work as always! I committed to the ZF and loving the tactile feel and this is coming from the XT5. While there is nothing wrong with the XT5 what I find the ZF does is it makes you want to go out and shoot more often. There is something nostalgic about this camera harkening back to the film days!
TH-cam did me good today for routed me to your channel. You kill it with this review with great information and kept me watching with your humor haha Such a sexy camera 📷 indeed! I’ve been shooting with the older brother Nikon DF for over 10yrs. Patiently waiting for the younger brother ZF to arrive in the mail 😊
Omar, congratulations with your new devoted subscriber (me)! Excellent video, the best IMHO even after I have watched almost everything on this new Nikon camera from famous professional reviewers. I still use my beloved Nikon D5500 and looking for upgrade. I am an amateur and cannot allow myself several cameras for different use cases, so Nikon Zf seems to me good enough as travel, landscape and even wildlife camera. Thank you very much for the video and no, you were not monotonous))))
It's a superb camera and a joy to use. The dials do not hinder you during most shooting scenarios and the AF is far superior to the Z6ii.....feels like a proper, robust, pro camera....and it's at a great price point! As for the B+W mode....as others have stated, it is a game changer and it means you can take colour and B+W photo's of the same scene to see how you prefer each one....maybe not mind blowing but such an easy and obvious feature that should now be made as standard
I think you missed one feature you used to like it a lot. On Fuji X-T20 there's an auto switch. ZF has it too with the pAsm dial. It's nice to have that in case you need to just switch it to A and don't think about it.
I started off with the XT20. A bit of a emotional purchase and upgrade over my Xpro3. Upgrading into Fujifilm or XT5 never appealed to me. Probably because the older XTrans sensors were satisfying enough. It just made sense upgrading to FF.
regardless of what anyone says on any of the countless reviews of this camera, i love it for nothing other than it's look, that's the reason I'm buying it, the fact it happens to be a great camera with some unique features that the more expensive Z bodies don't have, is just a bonus
Omar sure makes entertaining videos. I've owned the Z9 for about a year now and it does a great job taking sports. The Z9 also had memory banks which I can store presets for my favorite settings but it has no internal memory and the shooting banks are stored on the memory card so when I change CF express cards I have to resave the banks each time as they will be lost. It sure would be nice if the Z9 had a micro SD which would give the camera some "built in" memory. I am waiting now for my Zf to arrive from Adorama. Great video Omar, thanks....
Sensor cleaning - Unlike other Nikon Z cameras the IBIS mech. is not locked when the camera is turned off. Nikon Australia suggested you never clean the sensor yourself. But if you must the camera should be left in the `On' position
I love the idea of a retro style dslr. I would like to hold it first but sounds like thats going to be a few months before its stocked in stores. The dust part does worry me because I have been spoiled with the Canon (DSLRs,R,R6,R6II,R5) anti dust system. My A73 and A74 was a dust magnet and when I didnt have a ND filter with me the videos had at least a few spots no matter how well I cleaned weeks prior. My last Nikon was an Coolpix 995 and Its definitely time to try the Niikon again. Was thinking 2 lenses. 40SE F2 and the 180-600. That should cover me. Thanks for the review.
Hey, thanks, great review you went over all the points I needed to know and in an engaging way. I don’t own the Zf yet only the small rig grip in preparation for its arrival in the coming weeks as I’m upgrading from a D500. Thanks again, I’m subscribed.
Of course we don’t NEED it but boy do we want it. Just wasn’t loving the Xt5 and the Zf walks in the room. Love it, makes me want to go & take photos again, still getting used to it. Keeping older Xt2 & 20 which I enjoy, and Z7II for serious stuff. It’s all about what makes us happy. Great video.
Interesting. What didn't you like about the xt-5 seeing you have the older xt2 and enjoy that one? I have the xt2 myself and have been debating on getting either the xt5 or getting the zf. How would you compare the image quality?
@@xchump I found the buttons on rear of Xt5 different to Xt2. Kept landing on Q menu by accident. Images had bit more noise though probably on par with Xt2. Image quality and low light performance are really good on Zf though it is different user experience to Z7ii as no joystick and that articulated screen. There is no perfect camera, wish it was less expensive to hire for shorter periods so we could really assess what suits best. Have done more research on Xt5 and how the Q menu works and of course there is bird detect which Zf doesn’t have.
Hoping my pre-order will arrive before the end of the year. This is the camera I've been waiting for and it sounds like Nikon did not disappoint. Originally I would have preferred the Z7 II's 40+ MP sensor, but having used the X-T5 for a while I think 24 MP is better most of the time. Smaller files, faster to edit on the computer, still room to crop. If you get an absolute banger of an image, you can use one of the up-rezzing AI tools to increase the size for prints. So excited for mine to arrive.
@@ogonzillaNo, I ordered from B&H (body only) and they couldn't tell me when it would be available. I'm hoping maybe they're holding onto them through Black Friday so they can sell as many 24-70 kits as possible, then ship just the bodies. I've seen some rumors that they're backordered until spring 2024. 😳 Excited to use my F lenses (28 f1.4, 105 f1.4, 24-120 f4) and some older vintage lenses with it, whenever it manages to get here.
I'm a Canon shooter, and I've been completely jealous that Canon doesn't have a retro model. So now I own a Zf and I love it. I'm not switching systems, but this camera is my "casual shooter" and it gets a lot of use.
Thanks Omar I enjoyed your review. Emotional purchase yes but I loved my FM2 back then so while this does not have the same experience I am using it as far as possible as I would a film camera. Keep us up to date on your experiences with the Zf.
This was my personal camera upgrade from an 11 year old Nikon d5100. The only thing I wish it had was uncropped 4k60 and half-press to zoom to "normal." It's SUCH a fun camera to use. and I've gotten to do more freelance now that I have a contemporary camera.
This is so crazy! I love this review because it captures just about everything I feel about the ZF as well. And you nailed it with the lack of user settings and the mic port as frustrations that I didn't even touch on but feel entirely the same about. Such a great review!
I hate you now, I watched you from the days of the X-T20, I had one 👌 I’m back to Nikon with the Z6ii for the last 7 months, and now you do the best reviews of the Zf on YT. And I want one..🤨 had the Zfc, didn’t like the DX format but, since watching your videos, I’m gonna be poor….🧐🤣🤣👍👍
The greens & yellows from the Zf are beautiful. Nikon yellows are French’s while Fuji yellows are almost Grey Poupon. Been shooting Zf side by side with X-T5 for over a week now.
I love your channel. You should try the Voigtlander options for z mount. They’re fantastic lenses. They’re manual focus and aperture control, but they have the electronic contacts so you can use focus assist. Plus with the zf you can use facial recognition as well. The image quality from these lenses is fantastic!
The lack of a sensor shield kills this for me. I struggle already to keep the sensor of my Z 7II clean. I don’t want to repeat that experience now that have a Z 9 and have seen the promised land. The Zƒ body is also a bit larger than I’d like. Plus, I know from having owned the Dƒ that I wouldn’t use the analog dials very much at all because I prefer the 1/3 EV precision, speed and continuity with my other Nikon bodies of using the command and sub command dials.
Well nice review and nice camera too, but I am still amazed to see an Aps-c X-Pro standing next to FF camera! BTW long live to the inventions of Mr Tesla.
Great review as always, Omar, and the usual Omar-delic fun to watch it. :-) About exchanging lenses - coming from the 35mm SLR days since the 80s (really!), one does *always* exchange lenses with the camera mount pointing down, and never on location, means outside the house...that's what i do for decades. ;o)
Wow what a good review! I can't hold this camera and the dials are hard to turn, so I got the z6ii, much better. I like that I can save settings on my camera.
Trully enjoy your videos Omar, sometimes they inspire me, sometimes they brighten my day or makes me laugh, but you never fail to bring good emotions, thank you! Best wishes from Lithuania
I use a Voigtlander 40mm 1.2, sometimes a Z 24-70mm 2.8. I don't shoot weddings... I've never experienced any discomfort or awkwardness from the default grip. /shrug. Also - love your videos. Also your photography! Happy Thanksgiving.
Great review. Just found it weird this other review on TH-cam, a guy mentioned that in studio the colours of the ZF were greenish, and showed a couple of examples that scared me a bit, but found that really odd.
Just got mine... speaking as a old guy that shot with a metal 8x10 at one point and currently a GFX50r. Heavy? What? Hard to grip? LOL. It isn't as small as my m43 but I wasn't expecting it to be.
I'm almost glad this did not come out 6 months before it did or I might have bought it over the GFX 50S II that I've been wanting forever and finally bought.
Hi Omar, love your videos and in particular this one. I have several Fujifilm cameras and love them, but I had the chance to test the Zf for some days and man I loved the handling, beefy body (like my old Nikon analogs), reactivity. But I really love the black and white straight out of cam. I reminded me the original X100 deep blacks that I loved. I missed the joystick and did not like the touch-screen emulation.
A lot of people compare the ZF to a Fujifilm XT5 or other XT bodys, for me a camera is only as good as the lens that supports it, now Nikon makes some good Z glass but they come with a price, the 28mm and 40mm get good reviews but the one deal breaker is the plastic lens mount ,so I give the lens nod to Fujifilm, now I know that you can use older Nikon with an adapter but that defeats the purpose of using a compact camera, no joystick and no port for a wired remote that I use when using a tripod. I tried using an old fashioned remote that screws into the top of the shutter button but couldn't get it to work. None of these are a problem because I have other cameras that I use for tripod use.
In your ISO comparisons it appeared to me that the Zf was a wee bit brighter (and whites were whitier....:P ). Did you notice that and any thoughts regarding it?
By default, you can't take photos in video mode, and you can't shoot video in photo mode. This may sound dumb, but I think it's a great feature. I went to a friend's part once, and I was taking photos in video mode on my D850 the whole afternoon and night. I was wondering why my metering was so off while I had my A and S settings exactly the way I wanted them. For people do not spend an hour digging everything option in the menu system, Z f out of box is so friendly. One thing thou, I constantly press WB button when I change menu items, or when I hold the camera in my left hand to show my screen to others.
I wish we could lock the exposure compensation dial. Occasionally, when I'm moving around with the camera hanging at my side, I accidentally bump it, suddenly making the exposure 3 stops too bright or dark. It would be great if we could lock it with a push pin, similar to how we can lock the shutter speed or ISO dial.
The most impressive part of this video is the teenage daughter who still hangs with her dad. I'm happy for you, guys. And the camera is... another camera. Better use what you have and if some money are burning a hole in your pocket, buy a cool, expensive lens instead. 😉
Great review, Omar. Recently purchased it with small rig and 24-70 mm kit lens. I’m yet to learn how to use it since I’m switching over from DSLR - D 500 and D850 - to the mirror lens. I am a casual landscape photographer but a serious amateur bird and butterfly photographer. My only worry is that there is lot of dust where I live, in Punjab, in India. How the sensor exposed to the atmosphere and dust when changing the lenses can be saved from being spoiled by the dust particles. Any suggestions, please. I would highly appreciate any input in this regard.
Hi Omar, Thanks for the great review of the ZF. I have a tough decision - Moved from Canon APSC to the Nikon Z5 a couple of years ago and love it. Now wanted to move to the ZF but my only reluctance is the lack of User settings in the ZF- I love that about the Z5/6/7. Are there any work arounds that would help moving from one style of photography to another on a ZF? I mainly do landscapes and want to move to wildlife as well- have a tiger safari booked for Feb 2024 else would have waited for the z6iii. You thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Just a quickie have you tried the z 40 f 2 .... I used it in my z7-2 and was not overly impressed . I then up graded to z8 so tried it out ....woohoo i..,t's a different ball game. I am guessing you and many others may have left at home resigned to history.... Do yourself a favour and try it out on your z8 .with the z40 f2... That may give you a whole new review on it. Or maybe I was not being fare on it the lens ? I am right or wrong does the Z 8 bring out the best in a lens?
Very nice presentation Omar. Really great colours out of the ZF both vs Z8 and Fuji. The nicer level of detail vs the Fuji is also clear. Z6III might be the camera for every scenarios.
I just bought one online yesterday. I was really disappointed to find that there is NO battery charger included.None of the reviews I watched mentioned this vital piece of information. I wasn't warned that there is no charger in the "kit" and without one it's just an expensive paper weight until I manage to get hold of one. You can't do anything with it until you charge the battery..It will be a couple more days until the charger arrives...I'm dying to use my new Zf! Pretty cheap of Nikon in my opinion. Nice review Omar! Actually more than nice. It's one of the best reviews of the Zf that I have seen. Just subscribed.
Great review, cool camera. I'm waiting for Z7iii 💜. Omar, could you plz share your calibrated Capture One's/Lightroom's camera profiles you've created for Nikon Z? Looks very nice. It would be very helpful. Many thanks in advance! 😊
Pro portrait photographer here. Studio and natural light. Fuji since 2018. I have the XT5 and a X100V, the 33 and the 56. I trained on film, in the 80’s, my first camera was a Nikon FE. I’m thinking of ditching Fuji going with this Nikon. 😮😭 Do you recommend? And What lenses do you recommend? I have to have a 50 and an 85 for my workflow and I’d love a 35 or 28. Thanks for any advice!
I know it's such an annoying nitpick but I wish Nikon would use a better sounding shutter in this camera. It's just so loud and sloppy sounding. This camera seems amazing other wise and definitely seems to avoid that cheap toy feeling that I found the Zfc had. Great review as always.
Totally agree on your review. I wish it would be smaller / lighter and ergonomics better, for me personally a thumb rest would be great :) But other then that totally enjoy this camera and I got the 28mm and 40mm SE lenses to complete the retro design. Regarding that emotionally purchase - I said to myself I would buy the Zf to work and push my small YT channel and that's how I justified the purchase :D XD At least I'm working on it and enjoy using the Zf along the way : Great video mate :)
I’m compelled to go with Canon. However, after many, too many hours of pixel peeping between canon, Sony, Nikon images (on Flickr), my final choice is (low key drumroll), Nikon (zf)
Wonderful review and overview. Thank you. I love your style and love the peek into your private life. Are all the images shown taken straight from the camera? If so, which picture control settings do you prefer the most?
I was waiting for your review. I have not switch to mirrorless. However, this is an interesting camera. One question I have lots of AIS nikon lenses and would like to know if you you any manual lens? As always top content. Best wishes for the 2024
Just switch the video to the Zf, the Sony’s colours are not great. Thanks a lot for this very informative video. I’ve just “downgraded” from X-T3 to X-E4, so I’ve had my GAS fix. I would need a lighter option similar to the A7Cii to switch to Nikon for my use case (enthusiast traveller / city dweller).
Start watching Omar because of his humor, stayed because now is a Nikon guy. Just kidding. 😊 Thanks Omar!
Coming from Sony. I'm really enjoying using this camera with my GM and Voigtlander lenses on the Megadap adapter. The aperture rings work perfectly and autofocus is fast enough for casual photography.
Glad that's working for you. The Megadap adaptor sent to me by the company stopped working during a shoot...so I took my review videos down.
I’ve been following you now for about 6 months. When I moved from SONY to Fujifilm last December. Well… I left XH2, XH2S and GFX50sii for Zf and Z8. After watching your review and Fujifilm frustration’s I made the move to Nikon and extremely happy with my decision. I had debated the XT5 (really wanted to love it) but did not like it in the hand. Zf makes shooting fun again. Actually, I find it more enjoyable than Z8. Less complicated! Your channel is easy to like. You have a sincere and easy to follow personality. Most importantly, your love for family especially Dad makes it pleasing to watch. I lost my dad 2 years ago and would give anything to have another day with him. I retired from Chicago to Kamakura Japan (home of the Giant Buddha). It’s been an amazing place to photograph.
Appreciate your content and style. Many years of success to wand your family! Kampai!
Pro portrait photographer here. Studio and natural light. Fuji since 2018. I have the XT5 and a X100V, the 33 and the 56. I trained on film, in the 80’s, my first camera was a Nikon FE.
I’m thinking of going with this Nikon. Do you recommend? And What lenses do you recommend? I have to have a 50 and an 85 for my workflow and I’d love a 35 or 28. Thanks for
Any advice!
@@babyboy1971 For me it’s been a great move. #1: AF… if I had a dollar for every out of focus image, I could’ve bought a Hassleblad X2D. Maybe a bit exaggerated but extremely improved AF. Nikon Film Sim adjustments are excellent and adaptable. N-log grading solid. Bigger sensor details the better results. Finally content with my gear. No longer feel like I’m compromising on anything.
@@kurotaka007 good to know. Thank you! What film aims does Nikon do? I didn’t even know!
The Zf is a rockin low light king . I love it 🥰
Thank you for all your amazing videos !!!❤
The instant BW mode is highly underrated on this camera. Paired with using vintage glass, I didn't think it would make that much of an impact but wow.
If only we could set the RAW/JPEG settings separately for the BW and regular photo mode
love my blue Zf - such a piece of art with superb IBIS and lowlight capabilities
THIS WILL BE AN EMOTIONAL PURCHASE!!! I will be selling my Canon R6 kit to purchase this camera! 😂Thank you for your all your hard work and being so informative and entertaining. My favorite channel. 😊👊🏾
I just got the Zf … i am in love 😊
Wow. The audio from the inbuilt mics and that total automatic video segment was excellent.
I thought the very same thing. Impressive.
I was testing the video at home the mics actually piked up my neighbors talking next door much clearer than what I heard my self
I bought the Zfc as a walk around camera, the Zf came out right after I made that purchase. I’d love the FF but am really happy with the APC version. I just got back from Utah and the Zfc did great on auto for shots riding around sightseeing. Thanks for the review.
same here .. but .. the ZF is just too good .. I now have both LOL !!
I just bought ZFC for my first time Nikon. need to save up more money for ZF coz its quite pricey for me at this moment. :)
full frame is a must...
I honestly love third party grips. Just having the choice to grip or not is game changing. It's great to have a compact set up some days and chunkier one when you need it. Plus, the Etsy artisans make some nice handmade wood ones too. 😎
I'm loving the Z f videos, keep'm coming.
I've been shooting Nikon since 1988 and fell in love with the retro style of this camera. Mine has not arrived yet. I do a lot of night street photography and neon photography. I like how small it is with the lack of grip because I really hope it will still fit in my hoodie pocket. (safety reasons) unlike my Z6ii. And the fully articulating screen will save me some knee issues at low angle. It will replace either the Z6ii or my Fuji XE4.
Omar, just so you know : Fujifilm and Nikon use two different ISO standards, that lead to two different exposure values at the same ISO. Fujifilm is using SOS (Standard Output Sentitivity) and Nikon (as well as Canon, Sony and pretty much everyone else) is using REI (Recommended Exposure Index)
What that means in practice is that the Fujifilm exposes about 1 stop lower at the same ISO / shutter speed / aperture settings as other cameras. Effectively, Fujifilm is saying that they're using an ISO 1 stop higher compared to if they were using REI.
So an X-Pro 2 / X-T2 having an ISO sensitivity range of 200-12800 natively would have a 100-6400 range if it was using REI. That means that if you want to match the exposure, and do an apple to apples comparison with cameras using REI, you need to use an ISO 1 stop higher. So comparing ISO 800 on Nikon with ISO 1600 on Fuji for example.
I'm sure he used manual exposure, yet we saw no visible exposure difference with Fuji at the same ISO value, shutter speed and aperture. So we see no real world proof of your statement. So that means if he would have used one stop higher ISO on the Fuji, the Fuji image would have too bright. On another note, with the Z8, there clearly was a exposure difference - the Z8 image being visibly darker @ 15:32 . So I wonder what went wrong there.
@@caleidooI know where you’re coming from, but the guy who’s comment you are critiquing is actually spot on and it’s well documented in old Fuji iso discussions.
Look at old comparisons between Sony Nex and Fuji XF for more intel on the subject.
And to avoid triggering anyone here, Fuji are a great brand but they’re marketing bud has always been a bit shady. Fuji GFX II sensor readout fudging, ISO values, Autofocus speed numbers.
@@roscot40 I never said he was wrong about what Fuji uses as ISO standard - everybody knows this because there is always at least one guy that drops this in the comments. I only said that what he claimed ("Fuji's ISO value is actual one stop different compared to others") just doesn't show in the actual images we saw. Everybody can see this: there is no difference in exposure or brightness, when all is equal.
Not sure why you ignored that part, it's the core of my comment. And why are you talking about triggering? I shoot Fuji. Nobody needs to feel hurt for reading facts or even opinions about a brand or camera. We're all adults here, no?
@@caleidoo the “triggering” ref was not for you, but for some of the more fanatical Fuji-ites.
While you are right, that probably wouldn’t make much a difference. I have both the Z6 II and the XPro2 and even when shooting both at base ISO the Nikon is a lot cleaner than the Fuji. Which is not really surprising though, considering the Nikon has a much newer BSI sensor and is fullframe at the same resolution, while the Fuji still uses the old FSI sensor
Great review, as always, Omar! I'm a science prof. and recently picked up this camera for my lab. We'll be using it for a variety of projects, including lots of macro imaging work. It is an AWESOME lab camera! The flippy screen allows easy viewing from any angle, the dials are very convenient for setting exposure when the camera is anchored to a lab bench or tripod, and the overall design is super accessible (not as initially overwhelming as modern programmable buttons & wheels) for my undergrads, many of whom are learning about photography for the first time in my lab. 👍
Yay Science!!!!!❤
I have the Df. Brought this Zf home this week it is another bundle of joy. Excellent video!
You and Camera Conspiracies have a very similar sense of humour.
Love that channel
Have it and love it, the 40 and 28 se are fantastic.
Couldn't decide 40/28 but I have the little Ricoh GR which is 28mm....so 40. :)
I was actually thinking about getting those two exact lenses with it and later on get a 24-70 when I can afford it. Are the 28 and 40 sharp?
@@xchumpthey are sharp enough for me. I would suggest trying them out first before purchasing.
Gracias y enhorabuena por el video. Lo mejor de todo es tu mensaje final Omar “Puede que la quieras pero no la necesites". Abrazo
Been looking forward to this video! I traded my A7C and Z5 for the Zf. Little bit pricey but I'm so thrilled with it.
Works great as a documenting family camera, and I know I can use it for paid gigs when I need to.
I'm 30 years old and I only started shooting 5 years ago so the retro element is completely new for me, but I love the tactileness of it and it's so hefty!
Enjoy!! Can definitely be a work camera
does it have 10bit 422 or 420?
I don't know if anybody commented on that, but you don't have to put the ISO dial on C to switch the camera into auto ISO. The dial indicates the lower bound of ISO in Auto-ISO mode.
Pffffff I absolutely don’t need it but the minute I saw it for the first time my mouth was watering 🤤🤤 I lost the battle to GAS long time ago so the heck…I bought the Zf and honestly, what a fantastic camera for the price. You are right, it is uncomfortable to hold, it is heavy BUT the build quality is great and I appreciate a well built camera, and, with the handgrip it improves a lot and becomes less uncomfortable to hold. This is my new all around camera, I like it with the small 28mm and 40mm lenses, and I will also use the Zf with my Voigtlander manual focus lenses from my Nikon F film cameras, with the FTZ II adapter. Great combo.
Hey Omar been following your channel for a while now and just want to say amazing presentation and work as always! I committed to the ZF and loving the tactile feel and this is coming from the XT5. While there is nothing wrong with the XT5 what I find the ZF does is it makes you want to go out and shoot more often. There is something nostalgic about this camera harkening back to the film days!
thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
TH-cam did me good today for routed me to your channel. You kill it with this review with great information and kept me watching with your humor haha
Such a sexy camera 📷 indeed! I’ve been shooting with the older brother Nikon DF for over 10yrs. Patiently waiting for the younger brother ZF to arrive in the mail 😊
Omar, congratulations with your new devoted subscriber (me)! Excellent video, the best IMHO even after I have watched almost everything on this new Nikon camera from famous professional reviewers. I still use my beloved Nikon D5500 and looking for upgrade. I am an amateur and cannot allow myself several cameras for different use cases, so Nikon Zf seems to me good enough as travel, landscape and even wildlife camera. Thank you very much for the video and no, you were not monotonous))))
O man, I love the ZF. Thank you, Nikon, for not uping the megapixels and keeping that lovely low-light performance and rich colours.
It's a superb camera and a joy to use. The dials do not hinder you during most shooting scenarios and the AF is far superior to the Z6ii.....feels like a proper, robust, pro camera....and it's at a great price point! As for the B+W mode....as others have stated, it is a game changer and it means you can take colour and B+W photo's of the same scene to see how you prefer each one....maybe not mind blowing but such an easy and obvious feature that should now be made as standard
I think you missed one feature you used to like it a lot. On Fuji X-T20 there's an auto switch. ZF has it too with the pAsm dial.
It's nice to have that in case you need to just switch it to A and don't think about it.
I started off with the XT20. A bit of a emotional purchase and upgrade over my Xpro3. Upgrading into Fujifilm or XT5 never appealed to me. Probably because the older XTrans sensors were satisfying enough. It just made sense upgrading to FF.
The TTartisan AF 32mm f2.8 is perfect for the ZF, some Viltrox AF lenses are small too
Nice to see you are using DxO PhotoLab I use version 6 and than the noise can get even a lot cleaner than 12800 ISO
regardless of what anyone says on any of the countless reviews of this camera, i love it for nothing other than it's look, that's the reason I'm buying it, the fact it happens to be a great camera with some unique features that the more expensive Z bodies don't have, is just a bonus
Omar sure makes entertaining videos. I've owned the Z9 for about a year now and it does a great job taking sports. The Z9 also had memory banks which I can store presets for my favorite settings but it has no internal memory and the shooting banks are stored on the memory card so when I change CF express cards I have to resave the banks each time as they will be lost. It sure would be nice if the Z9 had a micro SD which would give the camera some "built in" memory. I am waiting now for my Zf to arrive from Adorama. Great video Omar, thanks....
Sensor cleaning - Unlike other Nikon Z cameras the IBIS mech. is not locked when the camera is turned off. Nikon Australia suggested you never clean the sensor yourself. But if you must the camera should be left in the `On' position
I love the idea of a retro style dslr. I would like to hold it first but sounds like thats going to be a few months before its stocked in stores. The dust part does worry me because I have been spoiled with the Canon (DSLRs,R,R6,R6II,R5) anti dust system. My A73 and A74 was a dust magnet and when I didnt have a ND filter with me the videos had at least a few spots no matter how well I cleaned weeks prior. My last Nikon was an Coolpix 995 and Its definitely time to try the Niikon again. Was thinking 2 lenses. 40SE F2 and the 180-600. That should cover me. Thanks for the review.
Held it in the shop and I must admit it felt wonderful. Like a proper bit of kit. Made me review my life (GAS) choices!
Hey, thanks, great review you went over all the points I needed to know and in an engaging way. I don’t own the Zf yet only the small rig grip in preparation for its arrival in the coming weeks as I’m upgrading from a D500. Thanks again, I’m subscribed.
Of course we don’t NEED it but boy do we want it. Just wasn’t loving the Xt5 and the Zf walks in the room. Love it, makes me want to go & take photos again, still getting used to it. Keeping older Xt2 & 20 which I enjoy, and Z7II for serious stuff. It’s all about what makes us happy. Great video.
Interesting. What didn't you like about the xt-5 seeing you have the older xt2 and enjoy that one? I have the xt2 myself and have been debating on getting either the xt5 or getting the zf. How would you compare the image quality?
@@xchump I found the buttons on rear of Xt5 different to Xt2. Kept landing on Q menu by accident. Images had bit more noise though probably on par with Xt2. Image quality and low light performance are really good on Zf though it is different user experience to Z7ii as no joystick and that articulated screen. There is no perfect camera, wish it was less expensive to hire for shorter periods so we could really assess what suits best. Have done more research on Xt5 and how the Q menu works and of course there is bird detect which Zf doesn’t have.
Hoping my pre-order will arrive before the end of the year. This is the camera I've been waiting for and it sounds like Nikon did not disappoint. Originally I would have preferred the Z7 II's 40+ MP sensor, but having used the X-T5 for a while I think 24 MP is better most of the time. Smaller files, faster to edit on the computer, still room to crop. If you get an absolute banger of an image, you can use one of the up-rezzing AI tools to increase the size for prints. So excited for mine to arrive.
Sounds like you ordered a colored one!?
@@ogonzillaNo, I ordered from B&H (body only) and they couldn't tell me when it would be available. I'm hoping maybe they're holding onto them through Black Friday so they can sell as many 24-70 kits as possible, then ship just the bodies. I've seen some rumors that they're backordered until spring 2024. 😳 Excited to use my F lenses (28 f1.4, 105 f1.4, 24-120 f4) and some older vintage lenses with it, whenever it manages to get here.
Love your channel - the quality of the audio is very good.
By looking at your reviews and videos, I decided to get Nikon, I was no Sure about Canon or Nikon, but again you made me decide for Nikon, thanks
Great Nikon Zf review! I just purchased one too because of all the reasons you made in your excellent review.
I am quickly falling back in love with Nikon b/c of getting this camera.
The colors look magnificent. Nikon colors are beautiful
I'm a Canon shooter, and I've been completely jealous that Canon doesn't have a retro model. So now I own a Zf and I love it. I'm not switching systems, but this camera is my "casual shooter" and it gets a lot of use.
Thanks Omar I enjoyed your review. Emotional purchase yes but I loved my FM2 back then so while this does not have the same experience I am using it as far as possible as I would a film camera. Keep us up to date on your experiences with the Zf.
This was my personal camera upgrade from an 11 year old Nikon d5100. The only thing I wish it had was uncropped 4k60 and half-press to zoom to "normal." It's SUCH a fun camera to use. and I've gotten to do more freelance now that I have a contemporary camera.
This is so crazy! I love this review because it captures just about everything I feel about the ZF as well. And you nailed it with the lack of user settings and the mic port as frustrations that I didn't even touch on but feel entirely the same about. Such a great review!
Zf Reviews on the same day!!! We’re twinsies.
@@ogonzilla 💫💫
I hate you now, I watched you from the days of the X-T20, I had one 👌 I’m back to Nikon with the Z6ii for the last 7 months, and now you do the best reviews of the Zf on YT. And I want one..🤨 had the Zfc, didn’t like the DX format but, since watching your videos, I’m gonna be poor….🧐🤣🤣👍👍
Stop listening to me. lol
Almost the same journey for me except I bought a Z6 before Omar did 😂
Point the mount downwards when you take the lens off - dust won't fall on the sensor as much.
What about on a dusty ass road? 😬
The greens & yellows from the Zf are beautiful. Nikon yellows are French’s while Fuji yellows are almost Grey Poupon. Been shooting Zf side by side with X-T5 for over a week now.
mmm....mustard. :)
I love your channel. You should try the Voigtlander options for z mount. They’re fantastic lenses. They’re manual focus and aperture control, but they have the electronic contacts so you can use focus assist. Plus with the zf you can use facial recognition as well. The image quality from these lenses is fantastic!
The lack of a sensor shield kills this for me. I struggle already to keep the sensor of my Z 7II clean. I don’t want to repeat that experience now that have a Z 9 and have seen the promised land. The Zƒ body is also a bit larger than I’d like. Plus, I know from having owned the Dƒ that I wouldn’t use the analog dials very much at all because I prefer the 1/3 EV precision, speed and continuity with my other Nikon bodies of using the command and sub command dials.
Completely an emotional buy! Gives me my old film, FE2 days from the 80s, vibes! Everything ain’t about that business! Got mine yesterday! 🌈🌈🌈
subbed due to being a fellow photographer and motorcyclist.
The camera did very well in the autofocus mode n will consider getting one.
Loved this video, Omar!
Hey Omar , this is a nice video, but I have a small question. Should I buy Nikon ZF or Sony A7iv for all kind of jobs?!
This camera would look amazing with the Z Mount Voightlander lenses.
Well nice review and nice camera too, but I am still amazed to see an Aps-c X-Pro standing next to FF camera! BTW long live to the inventions of Mr Tesla.
Great review as always, Omar, and the usual Omar-delic fun to watch it. :-) About exchanging lenses - coming from the 35mm SLR days since the 80s (really!), one does *always* exchange lenses with the camera mount pointing down, and never on location, means outside the house...that's what i do for decades. ;o)
Wow what a good review! I can't hold this camera and the dials are hard to turn, so I got the z6ii, much better. I like that I can save settings on my camera.
Trully enjoy your videos Omar, sometimes they inspire me, sometimes they brighten my day or makes me laugh, but you never fail to bring good emotions, thank you! Best wishes from Lithuania
Thanks for watching! Have a great day. :)
I use a Voigtlander 40mm 1.2, sometimes a Z 24-70mm 2.8. I don't shoot weddings... I've never experienced any discomfort or awkwardness from the default grip. /shrug.
Also - love your videos. Also your photography! Happy Thanksgiving.
Great review. Just found it weird this other review on TH-cam, a guy mentioned that in studio the colours of the ZF were greenish, and showed a couple of examples that scared me a bit, but found that really odd.
Love the colors!
Just got mine... speaking as a old guy that shot with a metal 8x10 at one point and currently a GFX50r. Heavy? What? Hard to grip? LOL. It isn't as small as my m43 but I wasn't expecting it to be.
Great video bro! Can’t wait to get mine
Thank you Omar! For great content. As usual! Take Care!
I'm almost glad this did not come out 6 months before it did or I might have bought it over the GFX 50S II that I've been wanting forever and finally bought.
Mate, I've got the Z8 but this Zf is gorgeous as a travel setup with primes or small zooms 🤤
Hi Omar, love your videos and in particular this one. I have several Fujifilm cameras and love them, but I had the chance to test the Zf for some days and man I loved the handling, beefy body (like my old Nikon analogs), reactivity. But I really love the black and white straight out of cam. I reminded me the original X100 deep blacks that I loved. I missed the joystick and did not like the touch-screen emulation.
A lot of people compare the ZF to a Fujifilm XT5 or other XT bodys, for me a camera is only as good as the lens that supports it, now Nikon makes some good Z glass but they come with a price, the 28mm and 40mm get good reviews but the one deal breaker is the plastic lens mount ,so I give the lens nod to Fujifilm, now I know that you can use older Nikon with an adapter but that defeats the purpose of using a compact camera, no joystick and no port for a wired remote that I use when using a tripod. I tried using an old fashioned remote that screws into the top of the shutter button but couldn't get it to work. None of these are a problem because I have other cameras that I use for tripod use.
In your ISO comparisons it appeared to me that the Zf was a wee bit brighter (and whites were whitier....:P ). Did you notice that and any thoughts regarding it?
Suggest you check manual and "Save to U1 or U2". My Z6 2 works that wat and they are not the same a standard settings.
By default, you can't take photos in video mode, and you can't shoot video in photo mode. This may sound dumb, but I think it's a great feature. I went to a friend's part once, and I was taking photos in video mode on my D850 the whole afternoon and night. I was wondering why my metering was so off while I had my A and S settings exactly the way I wanted them. For people do not spend an hour digging everything option in the menu system, Z f out of box is so friendly.
One thing thou, I constantly press WB button when I change menu items, or when I hold the camera in my left hand to show my screen to others.
I wish we could lock the exposure compensation dial. Occasionally, when I'm moving around with the camera hanging at my side, I accidentally bump it, suddenly making the exposure 3 stops too bright or dark. It would be great if we could lock it with a push pin, similar to how we can lock the shutter speed or ISO dial.
The most impressive part of this video is the teenage daughter who still hangs with her dad. I'm happy for you, guys. And the camera is... another camera. Better use what you have and if some money are burning a hole in your pocket, buy a cool, expensive lens instead. 😉
she's a good kid. :)
Thanks Omar- great review of the camera
Great review, Omar. Recently purchased it with small rig and 24-70 mm kit lens. I’m yet to learn how to use it since I’m switching over from DSLR - D 500 and D850 - to the mirror lens. I am a casual landscape photographer but a serious amateur bird and butterfly photographer. My only worry is that there is lot of dust where I live, in Punjab, in India. How the sensor exposed to the atmosphere and dust when changing the lenses can be saved from being spoiled by the dust particles. Any suggestions, please. I would highly appreciate any input in this regard.
Hi Omar, Thanks for the great review of the ZF. I have a tough decision - Moved from Canon APSC to the Nikon Z5 a couple of years ago and love it. Now wanted to move to the ZF but my only reluctance is the lack of User settings in the ZF- I love that about the Z5/6/7. Are there any work arounds that would help moving from one style of photography to another on a ZF? I mainly do landscapes and want to move to wildlife as well- have a tiger safari booked for Feb 2024 else would have waited for the z6iii. You thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Aside the easily fixable ergonomics issue VRYthang is PERFECT!
Well said! Great review. Love my Zf!
We need to talk. :)
I'd love to own one for my vintage lenses. Its a NICE looking camera.
Finally! Nikon finally released a hipster camera for people who dont like Fuji.
Just a quickie have you tried the z 40 f 2 .... I used it in my z7-2 and was not overly impressed . I then up graded to z8 so tried it out ....woohoo i..,t's a different ball game. I am guessing you and many others may have left at home resigned to history.... Do yourself a favour and try it out on your z8 .with the z40 f2... That may give you a whole new review on it. Or maybe I was not being fare on it the lens ? I am right or wrong does the Z 8 bring out the best in a lens?
Very nice presentation Omar. Really great colours out of the ZF both vs Z8 and Fuji. The nicer level of detail vs the Fuji is also clear. Z6III might be the camera for every scenarios.
Did you notice any color difference between zf and the z8 files?
@@piyushshaw3969did you watch the video?
I played this at 18:55 about 10 times, LOL! Omar could definitely do comedy any day he wants a career change!
I just bought one online yesterday. I was really disappointed to find that there is NO battery charger included.None of the reviews I watched mentioned this vital piece of information. I wasn't warned that there is no charger in the "kit" and without one it's just an expensive paper weight until I manage to get hold of one. You can't do anything with it until you charge the battery..It will be a couple more days until the charger arrives...I'm dying to use my new Zf! Pretty cheap of Nikon in my opinion. Nice review Omar! Actually more than nice. It's one of the best reviews of the Zf that I have seen. Just subscribed.
usb-c charging?
What’s with the red shutter button. That adds a nice touch. How can we get one?😊
Great review, cool camera. I'm waiting for Z7iii 💜. Omar, could you plz share your calibrated Capture One's/Lightroom's camera profiles you've created for Nikon Z? Looks very nice. It would be very helpful. Many thanks in advance! 😊
Pro portrait photographer here. Studio and natural light. Fuji since 2018. I have the XT5 and a X100V, the 33 and the 56. I trained on film, in the 80’s, my first camera was a Nikon FE.
I’m thinking of ditching Fuji going with this Nikon. 😮😭
Do you recommend? And What lenses do you recommend? I have to have a 50 and an 85 for my workflow and I’d love a 35 or 28. Thanks for
any advice!
I know it's such an annoying nitpick but I wish Nikon would use a better sounding shutter in this camera. It's just so loud and sloppy sounding. This camera seems amazing other wise and definitely seems to avoid that cheap toy feeling that I found the Zfc had. Great review as always.
Totally agree on your review. I wish it would be smaller / lighter and ergonomics better, for me personally a thumb rest would be great :)
But other then that totally enjoy this camera and I got the 28mm and 40mm SE lenses to complete the retro design.
Regarding that emotionally purchase - I said to myself I would buy the Zf to work and push my small YT channel and that's how I justified the purchase :D XD
At least I'm working on it and enjoy using the Zf along the way :
Great video mate :)
Getting so close, but still keep thinking about ergonomics and I don't like flip outs. Canon R6 mk 2 ergos are ideal but no third party lenses. Argh!!
I’m compelled to go with Canon. However, after many, too many hours of pixel peeping between canon, Sony, Nikon images (on Flickr), my final choice is (low key drumroll), Nikon (zf)
Wonderful review and overview. Thank you. I love your style and love the peek into your private life. Are all the images shown taken straight from the camera? If so, which picture control settings do you prefer the most?
Omar!! Great review. What monitor are you using?
That noise looks awesome
I was waiting for your review. I have not switch to mirrorless. However, this is an interesting camera. One question I have lots of AIS nikon lenses and would like to know if you you any manual lens? As always top content. Best wishes for the 2024
Thanks Omar, informative & entertaining.
Just switch the video to the Zf, the Sony’s colours are not great.
Thanks a lot for this very informative video. I’ve just “downgraded” from X-T3 to X-E4, so I’ve had my GAS fix.
I would need a lighter option similar to the A7Cii to switch to Nikon for my use case (enthusiast traveller / city dweller).