Super Members BTM_Pix Posted September 20, 2023 Super Members Share Posted September 20, 2023 This had definitely be flying under my radar as a rumour so this was an interesting surprise this morning ! I have had the Df since it was launched and it is a fantastic compact D4 and they have finally brought out its mirrorless equivalent. Unlike the Df, which has no video at all, the Zf is very competitively equipped for a camera in its $2000 price range. Key specifications 24MP full-frame BSI CMOS sensor In-body image stabilization rated up to 8EV Dedicated Monochrome mode Up to 14fps continuous shooting (JPEG), 11 fps Raw 'C30' JPEG-only 30fps mode with pre-burst function AF system with tracking and recognition of 9 subject types 4K/60 video from 6K capture with 10-bit N-Log recording 32-shot high-res mode to give 96MP images SD and MicroSD card slots Full details here https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/mirrorless-cameras/z-f.html kye and mercer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Quote Video frame rates and resolutions up to 4K UHD 30 oversampled from 6K,9 as well as 4KUHD 60P (DX-mode) and 1080/120P with recording times up to 125 minutes.10 The first Nikon camera to feature video recording in shutter-priority auto mode, letting the user select the shutter speed, while the camera adjusts the aperture and ISO. In-camera, 10-bit H.265 recording, allowing users to record full-scale video directly to the camera without the need for an external recorder. Very glad that unlike the Nikon DF this one has video!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted September 20, 2023 Author Super Members Share Posted September 20, 2023 4 minutes ago, IronFilm said: Very glad that unlike the Nikon DF this one has video!! My Df has a broken rear LCD screen so I extend the retro experience fully to having to wait until I get home and "develop" the images before I know if they are OK or not ! Leica want $8K for that experience with their screenless M10D so I feel like I'm winning. kye 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 3 hours ago, BTM_Pix said: This had definitely be flying under my radar as a rumour so this was an interesting surprise this morning ! Ditto. At first look, I like it. I’ll need to take a deeper dive but as a pure stills machine, VERY interesting. As a hybrid, on a par with the S5ii for me being around the same size and spec. Much better rear LCD so my real only question at this time is what is the shutter feel and sound like… Nikon are on a bit of a role right now with first the Z9, then the Z8 and now the Zf. Bodes well for any next gen Z6 and 7. I’m liking the skin jobs also. Plus, both Meike and Megadap do e-z Mount adapters meaning Tamron glass can be used and Tamron right now make my 3 favourite zoom lenses; the 20-40mm f2.8, 28-75mm f2.8 and the 35-150mm f2-2.8 Very interesting indeed. We shall dive deeper and consider… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Calabros Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I just need somebody test its IBIS in video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcio Kabke Pinheiro Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 Very interesting camera. Is a Z6III-ish, not a Z6II repacked, with a lot of surprises. The option (for stills) to link the AF point to the IBIS, and the sensor moved to stabilize the AF point is VERY interesting. Never thought about it. All the newer AF algos since it uses the same processor as the Z9/Z8. Good video modes, not outstanding, but for the intended target, more than enough. Very good buffer for stills. And a lot of people are hating it, but I loved the idea of the second card slot is a MicroSD. Almost the same space taken from the camera as a single slot, but with a backup option (for stills). VERY clever. In fact, if I was on the market for a full frame camera (as an amateur), this one surpassed the A7CII and the S5II for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newfoundmass Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 I love the retro body so much. Emanuel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 44 minutes ago, Marcio Kabke Pinheiro said: Good video modes, not outstanding, but for the intended target, more than enough Yep. It's a photo camera with a decent ability to flip to hybrid, but certainly no 'cinema' camera. 44 minutes ago, Marcio Kabke Pinheiro said: And a lot of people are hating it, but I loved the idea of the second card slot is a MicroSD Ditto. I never take my back up card out of the camera anyway so the micro would be just that. 44 minutes ago, Marcio Kabke Pinheiro said: In fact, if I was on the market for a full frame camera (as an amateur), this one surpassed the A7CII and the S5II for me. Certainly the Sony and probably the Lumix for me also. I am not enjoying the S5ii for stills. Not at all so very much will be switching to something else for 2024 that is at a level above my S1H which is my primary stills camera. I don't think the new Fz would be enough to take over that role as a 'step up' in any way, but I will consider the Fz as part of, if not totally as, a new system as video-wise, pretty comparable with the S5ii which is where this Lumix does shine. As a stills camera, meh. (S5ii). The Zf could be a great all round hybrid system but I'd want to try one first to see if I gelled with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHDcrew Posted September 20, 2023 Share Posted September 20, 2023 This is awesome. Finally a cheaper Nikon option with internal 10 bit. Might be my next camera. And I could keep my Z6 as a b-cam. Emanuel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emanuel Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 It's a lovely piece for enthusiasts of this craft! Glad to see it coming... :- ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 18 hours ago, MrSMW said: Plus, both Meike and Megadap do e-z Mount adapters How reliable are these adapters though? How is autofocus and optical stabilization? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 57 minutes ago, IronFilm said: How reliable are these adapters though? How is autofocus and optical stabilization? Well this is a good and one of my own questions as there is limited info out there. I guess the only real way to answer it is have one of our Nikon users report back just how well such a set up works back to back with something native. Ie, someone with nothing to sell. I have a list of 3 categories and a leading contender in each: Video bodies = Lumix Photo bodies = Nikon Zoom lenses = Tamron And therein lies my problem, - 3 corners of a triangle and none of it works natively or at all… The solution is Sony and it may turn out to be the only viable option within a time constraint, but so close to my perfect set up…yet still so far. Something I have mentioned several times recently is a desire to get back to the ethos I had when I left chunky Nikon DSLR for dinky Fuji in 2011/12 and actually up until just now, it was Fuji who could still best fulfill that. But now the wheel has turned full circle and it’s Nikon who arguably who have ‘done a Fuji’ and produced a cute but highly sophisticated bit of kit that ticks every box except natively, the lenses. There’s options though natively with Nikon so a 3 camera set up based around the Zf is doable and has a lot of appeal… It has probably become the strongest contender now for my 2024 set up if Lumix do not pop out a replacement for the S1R/H available to purchase by March ‘24 absolute latest. So we shall see, but didn’t see it coming, but the Zf is a 👍 for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted September 21, 2023 Author Super Members Share Posted September 21, 2023 21 hours ago, MrSMW said: Plus, both Meike and Megadap do e-z Mount adapters meaning Tamron glass can be used and Tamron right now make my 3 favourite zoom lenses; the 20-40mm f2.8, 28-75mm f2.8 and the 35-150mm f2-2.8 I droned on about it extensively in the Z8/9 thread but the mount versatility is what gives it an edge for me over L mount. After chickening out on getting a Z8/Z9 and getting the S5ii, I've got a bit of a concern about the adaptability of the L mount. I had a nagging doubt at the time that something was amiss with regard to electronic adapters for the L mount but I suspected that it would change over time because its popularity was relatively recent anyway and would take a while to be stimulated further by the success of the S5ii. The two warning signs were even Sigma's own EF>L mount not working on all Leica cameras and the situation with Fotodiox with their "DO NOT USE THIS ON A LEICA CAMERA!!!" warnings for their EF>L adapter. The third probably should have been that prior to the L mount alliance, there was only one company making an EF>L adapter and it was very clunky, very unauthorised and very expensive. There are two adapters that I want for L mount which is the Meike EF>L with the slot based variable ND filter that they do for every other mount and the TechArt PRO Leica M> L with AF adapter which they do for Sony and Nikon. Neither of them have appeared and they don't appear to be anywhere on the horizon either. Meike have released a version of the variable ND adapter for L mount to mount PL mount lenses on it so its not like they can't machine the mount or anything like that. I'd have thought in terms of sales, the EF>L version would've been far more lucrative. Which brings us on to the TechArt PRO adapter.... I am at a complete loss as to why they make a Z and E mount version of the M mount with AF adapter and yet don't do one for what you would think would be a lucrative and captive audience, namely actual Leica shooters wanting to use their collection of M mounts on their new L mount cameras but with the added bonus of AF. If you are a long time Leica M user and are looking for something with video features but bigger photo resolution then the 61mp Sigma Fp-L is right up your strasse anyway with the basic M>L mount adapter. With a TechArt PRO M>L to give you AF on those lenses as well it would be a huge draw. And yet they don't do one. The L mount gives a bit less room (2mm) to play with than the E mount but the little mice they have running round wheels to drive the motors are already tiny and you would think that they could shave off some casing to make it fit. All in all, my uninformed conclusion is there is something weird (or possibly litigious) about the L mount AF system that is stopping these sort of adapters being released. It doesn't give me buyers remorse completely about the S5ii and going semi all-in on the L mount but there is no doubt the Z mount is the king of adaptability and had this camera been out a couple of months ago then I'm pretty sure I'd have opted for it instead. As I said at the time, there is no other mount that can give you full AF of F mount, E mount, EF mount and AF of most manual lenses (stacking M to F,FD,M42,C/Y etc) like the Z mount can. 2 hours ago, IronFilm said: How reliable are these adapters though? How is autofocus and optical stabilization? I only had a brief period with the E mount adapter on a Z9 and it was more than adequate. By which I mean surprisingly good. There are quite a lot of tests on YouTube of the Megadap, including one from Grays Of Westminster who are a very, very long established Nikon only dealership in London. Quite surprised to see them do one - as well as the TechArt Pro M>Z as well by the way - as you'd think they would only be interested in flogging you native lenses but perhaps a sign that they see this as the best way to shift Z mount bodies in greater quantities than they were doing when it was only the Z6 and Z7. Fotodiox have now also entered the fray with an E to Z adapter too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 22 minutes ago, BTM_Pix said: It doesn't give me buyers remorse completely about the S5ii and going semi all-in on the L mount but there is no doubt the Z mount is the king of adaptability and had this camera been out a couple of months ago then I'm pretty sure I'd have opted for it instead. I don’t have buyers remorse over getting a pair of S5ii’s either because for the 50% side of my work that is video, they are stellar. But as hybrids, I am a bit dissatisfied because I just don’t find them great stills units. Compared with the S1H, they are just clunky in that regard. Ultimate image quality, little difference, but to use, zero joy. I had intended after buying a single S5ii unit, to get a pair of S5iiX’s and indeed had preordered them but cancelled one and returned the other box unopened. I really had hoped and thought the 3 identical body approach would work for me…and it would, just not with these 3 bodies. Principal issues = modest res rear LCD (which is how I work) and annoying shutter button feel and sound. (Spoiled with that of the S1H). So I don’t know about the shutter button on the Zf but the rear screen is much better so scores on at least 1 of my 2 niggles. If purchasing today, hands down the Zf. I happen to be one of those people that like dials also rather than buttons so another win there. But my best financial option and honestly I’d be 100% over the moon if Lumix, or even Leica or Sigma pop something out in time as it will simply then be a case of swapping one single body within an existing system than an entire system swap which I would rather avoid. The middle road being swapping the stills unit and a few lenses which at this point in time would be: 1. Z9 + Tamron 20-40 adapted and Tamron 35-150, or, 2: A7RV + Tamron 28-75 as the more compact unit, skipping the longer lens for cropping using those extra megapixels and accepting I’m not shooting any wider than 28mm. Or an entire system swap for 3x Zf with the choice of 4 primes and 1 zoom. Musing on a very wet off day somewhere in SW France… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted September 21, 2023 Author Super Members Share Posted September 21, 2023 5 minutes ago, MrSMW said: So I don’t know about the shutter button on the Zf The one thing I do know is that it has an actual threaded release on the shutter button so we can all dust off our air release bulbs ! Nikon state that it is "Designed with a leaf switch for a tactile and responsive shutter release experience". Of course, they aren't going to say its shit are they but I suppose its promising that they have actually referenced it, implying that it is "a thing" and that they feel they've addressed it. 18 minutes ago, MrSMW said: But my best financial option and honestly I’d be 100% over the moon if Lumix, or even Leica or Sigma pop something out in time as it will simply then be a case of swapping one single body within an existing system than an entire system swap which I would rather avoid. I'd be inclined to be hopeful that there will be a new Lumix S with the internals of the Leica Q3. I mentioned it in the other thread but their announcement last year of working together on a new mirrorless system makes me suspect that the Q3 is the fixed lens version and the new S will be the interchangeable lens version with the Leica SL version following along behind. Which would mean 8K as a headline feature. Sigma ? Who knows. The Foveon version of the Fp has been stuck in development hell for a few years now so you'd think it was time to crap or get off the pot with that one. A mark 2 version of the Fp would likely have to have IBIS in it and PDAF to make a dent in the wider world outside of those (like me !) who love the Fp and tolerate its quirks. The thing with Sigma is that its a family business so they can be really agile in changing direction if they feel like it and they are relatively leak free so they could just come out of nowhere with something unexpected. They could quite easily enter the full/fuller frame compact fixed lens market and make updated versions of the DP line with non-Foveon sensors and their contemporary lens line grafted on to them. An Fp-L (which already has PDAF of course) with say the 35mm f2 integrated would have a lot of appeal as the poor(er) man's Leica Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 2 hours ago, BTM_Pix said: I'd be inclined to be hopeful that there will be a new Lumix S with the internals of the Leica Q3. I mentioned it in the other thread but their announcement last year of working together on a new mirrorless system makes me suspect that the Q3 is the fixed lens version and the new S will be the interchangeable lens version with the Leica SL version following along behind. Which would mean 8K as a headline feature. That would be logical and my thinking except Panasonic said very recently, they are not entering the 8k arena. They did not say what they were doing instead, but it would have to be a development of their existing 6k surely...but that is at odds with the 8k and the whole Leica tie up/Q3 internals/precursor to an SL3. It's a bit odd... 2 hours ago, BTM_Pix said: A mark 2 version of the Fp would likely have to have IBIS in it and PDAF to make a dent in the wider world outside of those (like me !) who love the Fp and tolerate its quirks. In a heartbeat providing they solved the banding issue in certain lighting conditions because I tried the FP-L and it absolutely could not be trusted in this regard. And didn't have IBIS. Or shoot 4k 50/60p. Or any form of tilt screen. Apart from that, fucking (with an added grip) brilliant 😉 2 hours ago, BTM_Pix said: An Fp-L (which already has PDAF of course) with say the 35mm f2 integrated would have a lot of appeal as the poor(er) man's Leica Q. One with a 35mm f2 and the other with a 65mm f2. They make both of these lenses so... But then one could simply add these lenses already so... This was actually going to be my run n' gun hybrid set up had the FP-L not had the 97 missing features I needed to make this possible...but maybe the next gen might? If there even is a next gen and there are zero rumours other than the endless speculation over Foveon but as you say, nothing solid, just diarrhoea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted September 21, 2023 Author Super Members Share Posted September 21, 2023 1 hour ago, MrSMW said: They did not say what they were doing instead, but it would have to be a development of their existing 6k surely...but that is at odds with the 8k and the whole Leica tie up/Q3 internals/precursor to an SL3. It's a bit odd... 6K from 8K oversample, 8K ProResRaw out only... Who knows really. They've just put out an MFT sensor in a FF body so anything is possible with them. 1 hour ago, MrSMW said: In a heartbeat providing they solved the banding issue in certain lighting conditions because I tried the FP-L and it absolutely could not be trusted in this regard. And didn't have IBIS. Or shoot 4k 50/60p. Or any form of tilt screen. Apart from that, fucking (with an added grip) brilliant 😉 I'm reading that in this voice. 1 hour ago, MrSMW said: But then one could simply add these lenses already so... Some savings in cost, some savings in space etc. Primarily though it is the allure of a single object form for a lot of people and that, like the DP series and Leica with the Q, the performance can be absolutely tuned to that lens. If they don't crack the nut with that FF version of the Foveon sensor and have to stick with APS-C then if they can get some higher sensitivity from it (even up to say ISO1600) then I could see them doing the same as the original DP series but using their faster APS-C trio of 16mm, 30mm and 65mm f1.4 lenses to combine to bring that range into a more broadly appealing package. Releasing another Foveon with whole f2.8 lens and maximum ISO200 of the DP2m isn't going to stop the Fujifilm X100 party for most people, irrespective of the outright image quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSMW Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 There's nothing wrong with being the son of God 😉 Hadn't thought of that though, 6k internal only from the 8k sensor. That is probably what they will do then. I keep flip-flopping over whether I want to really explore only shooting video and pulling stills from that, but I keep ending up in the same place which is I am 50% a photographer and love editing as much as shooting stills, but pulling stills from video I think would get tedious very quickly and become a process rather than anything creative... So I am back in the camp of finding a new champ to succeed the S1H. Why succeed it if I like it so much? 2.8kg. It doesn't weigh 2.8kg? Yes it does, I'm not the son of God and just a very naughty boy as I've got a battery grip on it to balance out the Leica 24-90mm beast that's doing the lens bit. I need to get that level of quality ideally below 1.5kg. Which it would be or thereabouts with that A7RV and the Tamron 28-75, or could be even more so with a pair of Zf's and a pair of primes... Or Lumix gifts me that 60 megapixel S2R and I can then just use the Sigma 28-70 and I don't need a grip or a longer lens because I can crop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Nice camera. It looks like an F3 minus the red stripe. The top control layout is a dream. When/if this camera drops closer to $1200, I'm a buyer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted September 21, 2023 Share Posted September 21, 2023 This camera isn't really designed for video users, but I think it could have been an excellent platform for them to offer their Nikon Raw at 1080p. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.