Introduction

Ease of Use

Nikon have followed up the 2021 release of the APS-C sensor Zfc retro digital camera with the new 35mm full-frame Zf, which closely follows the design ethos of the older model, so much so that you'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart side-by-side.

In turn, both of these cameras have clearly taken their inspiration from Nikon's old FM2 film SLR from the 1980s, including a familiar pentaprism style design, a leaf shutter switch and an array of rangefinder-like dials and switches.

There's also a brand new embossed artificial leather grip area, including when the LCD monitor is closed, complete with brass dials on top of the camera which apparently will gradually wear over time to add more character and patina to the camera.

Nikon are clearly trying to cash in the growing enthusiasm for retro-styled mirrorless cameras in recent years, as well as, separately, a rise in the popularity of film based photography, not only from people returning to the art, but from those of a younger, student generation.

Fujifilm and Olympus/OM System have been selling nothing but vintage-in-appearance digital cameras for many years now, so, by comparison Nikon is a little late to the party with the rangefinder-like dials and switches that now adorn its latest Zf mirrorless offering, its implementation having taken obvious inspiration from its old FM2 film SLR from the 1980s, including a familiar pentaprism style design.

Be prepared to have strangers curiously asking whether you’re using an ‘old’ camera when out and about. We had the standard black edition in for review, which is certainly very stealthy and perfect for street photography, but the Zf is also available in up to six additional colours from Indigo Blue to Sunset Orange if you want to stand out from the crowd.

Kudos to Nikon though, as the new Zf is much more than just a faithful ode to the past. Indeed, it offers several technological firsts for the Nikon Z-series as a whole, even offering a few features not yet seen on the flagship Z8 and Z9 models.

This includes subject detection in manual focus mode, which is ideal for users who want to use older manual-focus-only lenses. In this brand new mode for Nikon, subject detection automatically moves the focus point to the eye and immediately zooms in to focus, something that is usually a rather laborious process for MF users. There are even focus aids available if the attached lens has electronic contacts.

The Zf costs £2299 body-only on launch, significantly more than the Zfc at £899, so if really you like the classic styling but don't have the cash to go full-frame, then the APS-C alternative is a very compelling option in terms of its price-tag.

There are a couple of kit lens bundles available at launch, including either the diminutive Z 40mm f/2 SE prime with its equally retro styling, or the more modern, versatile Z 24-70mm f/4 S zoom which pushes the price up to £2849.

Nikon has opted for a best of both worlds approach here when it comes to the Zf's handling and operation. To take one example, you can fire the camera’s shutter release either via the regular top-plate button encircled by the on/off switch, or by simply tapping the LCD touch screen to simultaneously focus and capture a shot, much like any smartphone.

More experienced users can twiddle the top-plate dials and knobs to their heart’s content to fine-tune the results if they’re up to speed on what that’ll do to the end result, or, alternatively if less familiar, you can simply leave the camera set to Auto and just point and shoot.

It’s fair to say that the Zf’s top plate is crammed with features, with just enough room to get a finger or thumb around the various dials and levels, with, in most cases, one stacked upon the other so individual dials actually have multiple functions.

The standard Auto, P,A,S,M shooting mode settings are accessed on the left-hand-side via a lever that sits beneath the dial for selecting the ISO options, while a lever for swapping between stills, video or the brand new black and white mode sits beneath the shutter speed settings over on the right.

There are three distinct black and white modes accessed by this dedicated switch on top of camera - Monochrome, Flat Monochrome and Deep Tone Monochrome, examples of which are available in the Image Quality section. The ability to quickly switch to one of these modes simply by flicking a switch is a great feature for black and white lovers.

Despite the initial apparent complexity, we quickly got used to the busy set-up and found ourselves liking it that way; it makes the Nikon Zf feel like a finely tuned instrument with an impressive array of functionality literally to be found at your fingertips, with little need to dip into the menu system.

The top plate features three manual dials controlling shutter speed, exposure compensation (+/- 3EV) and ISO sensitivity, while a very small window handily displays the current aperture in use. Alternatively, simple access to a variety of settings is available on the rear of the camera via a press of the ‘i’ button and i menu and use of the touch-screen LCD in tandem.

If you’re considering this one as a possible vlogging camera, then you’ll be pleased to learn the LCD monitor can be flipped fully outwards and the screen rotated to face whoever is in front of the lens. The increased articulation of the screen here is a first for the full-frame ‘Z’ series.

There is no built-in flash on this camera, although there is a vacant hotshoe for an optional accessory flash, so in terms of light sensitivity options when taking photographs or video without, it’s worth noting that the top plate dial offers direct access to incremental settings ranging from ISO 100 to 64,000.

There's also an additional setting on the same dial marked ‘C’ which expands this top setting to the equivalent of several steps higher, going all the way up to a whopping, albeit noise-prone Hi 1.7 setting of ISO 204,800.

In addition to this extreme low-light ISO sensitivity, the Nikon Zf has the astonishing ability to auto-focus in -10EV low-light using the new Backlit AF mode. This uses separate pixels on the sensor for autofocusing, allowing the AF pixels to overexpose for focusing in almost complete darkness without adversely affecting the overall exposure of the final image.

While it boasts nostalgic appeal, as regards its performance and response times the compact and portable Zf is distinctly bang-up-to-date. For instance, it ably supports exactly the same subject-tracking modes as the Z8 and Z9 models, and with 299 phase-detect AF points on the sensor, it actually offers more frame coverage (89x96%) than the Z8/9 (78x83%).

For the very first time on any Nikon mirrorless camera, the ZF offers touch control on the LCD screen whilst using the EVF. This is something that we've seen before on several other manufacturers cameras, but never before on a Nikon.

You can configure a customisable area of the LCD screen for touch control activation, assign a function to it from one of the five available, and then activate that function by tapping the selected area on the LCD, all while you're looking through the viewfinder.

The Nikon Zf offers three different continuous shooting modes - Continuous High (7.8fps, RAW+JPEG/HEIF), Continuous High Extended (14fps, RAW+JPEG/HEIF) and High-speed + (30fps, JPEG/HEIF only).

There's also additional help in capturing the decisive moment from the pre-capture mode, just like on the Z8/9, where the camera automatically records up to 1 second before the shutter has been fully pressed and 4 seconds after it has been released.

The new Focus Point VR mode is a world first not just for Nikon, but for cameras in general. In this mode the up to 8 stops of in-camera vibration compensation that the Zf offers are concentrated on the currently selected and active focus point, resulting in a sharper subject regardless of where it is in the frame. Note that this feature only works with Nikkor lenses that don't have VR built-in, and only for stills photos and not video.

Pixel-shift shooting has been seen before on rival cameras, but now makes its debut on the Nikon system. You can choose to take 4, 8, 16 or 32 RAW shots in quick succession, with the VR unit shifting the sensor by up to 1 pixel each time.

The resulting files can then be merged together using Nikon's NX Studio 1.5.0 software to create one high-resolution image that's around a maximum of 150 megapixels in size. Note that the camera has to be kept completely stable on a tripod or similar - there's no handheld mode as currently found on a few other rival cameras.

The Nikon Zf has a rather modest video mode that only supports up to 4K/30p/25p/24p 10-bit quality oversampled from 6K, but it does offer up to 125 minutes recording time in any mode, which is significantly longer than on the Z6 II and Z7 II models. There are also 4K/60p in the DX format and 1080/120p slow-motion modes.

The Zf is the first Z-series camera to support full control over the key exposure settings when shooting video in the Shutter Priority mode. In this mode the ISO and aperture can be set to Auto, dependent on the pre-selected shutter speed, which can be used to match the shutter speed to a tricky light source or when the brightness of the scene is constantly changing.

Unlike the Zfc which only has one memory card slot, the larger full-frame Zf has dual card slots housed in the battery compartment, although there is quite a twist in that one slot supports standard UHS II SD cards and the second rather uniquely supports the Micro SD card format (which disappointingly only supports UHS I speed cards). We've never seen this implementation before on any camera, so it will be interesting to see how its received.

The Zf uses exactly the same EN-EL15c battery as most of Nikon's mid-range cameras. Battery life is around 380 shots per charge when using the LCD screen and 360 shots per charge using the EVF according to official CIPA measurements. You can recharge and power the camera via its USB-C port.

Nikon sum up the new Zf by saying that it's the most powerful camera in its category and yet it also looks very pretty too, which will hopefully prove to be a winning combination in the ever-competitive full-frame market.

Ultimately, if you prefer a modern-looking Nikon mirrorless then the cheaper Z6 II or the similarly priced Z7 II are both great options, but if the vintage bells-and-whistles hold an extra appeal and such nostalgia tweaks those heartstrings, then the new Zf is a surprisingly capable camera that doesn't just look to the past for inspiration.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 24.5 megapixel Large JPEG setting, which produces an average image size of around 10Mb.

Noise

There are 13 main ISO settings available on the Nikon Zf, with the standard range running from ISO 100-64000 and the expanded range from 50-204800.

JPEG	RAW
ISO 50	ISO 50
ISO 100	ISO 100
ISO 200	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 400
ISO 800	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 1600
ISO 3200	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 6400
ISO 12800	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 25600
ISO 51200	ISO 51200
ISO 102400	ISO 102400
ISO 204800	ISO 204800

File Quality

The Nikon Zf has 6 different JPEG and HEIF file quality settings available, with Fine* being the highest quality option for both formats, and it also supports the RAW format with three levels of compression available.

RAW Lossless Compression (27.7Mb)	RAW High Efficiency (High) (17.7Mb)
RAW High Efficiency (11.7Mb)
Fine* JPEG (10Mb)	Fine JPEG (8.1Mb)
Normal* JPEG (6.2Mb)	Normal JPEG (5.8Mb)
Basic* JPEG (3.1Mb)	Basic JPEG (1.8Mb)
Fine* HEIF (3.2Mb)	Fine HEIF (2.6Mb)
Normal* HEIF (2Mb)	Normal* HEIF (1.6Mb)
Basic* HEIF (1.2Mb)	Basic HEIF (948Kb)

Active D-lighting (ADL)

D-lighting is Nikon's dynamic range optimisation tool that attempts to squeeze the full dynamic range of the sensor into JPEGs. Active D-lighting works “on the fly”, before the in-camera processing engine converts the raw image data into JPEGs. The available settings are Off, Low, Normal, High, Extra High, plus an Auto mode.

Off

Low

Normal

High

Extra High

HDR

The Nikon Zf's HDR Mode captures three different exposures and combines them into one, retaining more shadow and highlight detail, with an Auto mode, and four different strengths.

Off

Low

Normal

High

Extra High

Multiple Exposure

The Nikon Zf's multiple exposure mode allows you to take between two and ten images and merge them into a single photo in-camera.

Picture Controls

Nikon's Picture Controls are preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. All 28 different Picture Controls can be tweaked to your liking, then saved and transferred to other cameras.

Auto

Standard

Neutral

Vivid

Monochrome

Flat Monochrome

Deep Tone Monochrome

Portrait

Rich Tone Portrait

Landscape

Flat

Creative Picture Controls

Dream

Morning

Pop

Sunday

Somber

Dramatic

Silence

Bleached

Melancholic

Pure

Denim

Toy

Sepia

Blue

Red

Pink

Charcoal

Graphite

Binary

Carbon

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon Zf camera, which were all taken using the 24.5 megapixel Large JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon Zf enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

Product Images

Conclusion

When the APS-C sensor Z fc was released two years ago, everyone grumbled that it wasn't full-frame, not helped by the fact that Nikon's lens support for their cropped sensor models is, at best, thin on the ground.

Fast forwards two years and the Zf has now arrived, sporting an almost identical vintage external design to the Z fc but crucially incorporating a larger 35mm sensor, whilst also rather surprisingly adding a few new features that are not even found on the more expensive Z8//9 flagship models.

There's also a much bigger range of full-frame lenses available for the Zf, although the Nikkor Z 40mm F/2 Special Edition prime that is otherwise a great match does disappointingly have a plastic mount and a certain plasticky quality.

It terms of its position within the Nikon range, the new Zf slots in at the same price-point as the Z6 II and below the Z7 II, but it actually offers a much more competent auto-focusing system that either of those models.

Add in extra features like pixel-shift multi-shooting and a vari-angle LCD screen and it's clear that the Zf is the best mid-range Nikon camera currently available, unless you really want the more modern, pared-back design of the Z6/7 II.

That rather cold assessment crucially misses the almost entire point of this new camera, though, namely its frankly gorgeous retro design. For many people the marriage of a full-frame sensor with an entirely dial-driven interface will be music to their ears and the only reason necessary to purchase the Zf. The fact that this is also the most capable Nikon camera around the £$2000 mark is just the icing on a very rich cake.

Ultimately, if you prefer a more modern-looking Nikon mirrorless model then the Z6 II is still a great, if now ageing, option – but if the vintage bells-and-whistles hold an extra appeal and such nostalgia tweaks those heartstrings, then the Zf is surely the only Nikon camera for you...

Ratings (out of 5)
Design	5
Features	5
Ease-of-use	4.5
Image quality	5
Value for money	4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Nikon Zf.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon Zf from around the web.

Specifications

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