Dslr Nikon Full Frame
Carlos Beirise
The camera offers in-body 5-axis vibration reduction with the equivalent of up to 8 stops. It can shoot 14 frames per second stills or up to 30 fps JPEGs in High Speed Frame Capture+ mode. The ISO ranges from 100 to 64,000, which could be essential for street photographers who might want to use this camera all hours of the day.
This seems to be the cry of the detractors of the latest Nikon camera. I remember it was the lack of a second card slot with the original Z6, Z7. Then something about auto-focus. Now, the lenses don't have a dedicated aperture ring (because it's not 1980 anymore) and I have to use the programmable control ring (or, you know, the control on the camera body) - and thus this camera is crap and I will never buy it!
Obviously looking to piggy back on the Fujifilm rise in popularity amongst a demographic that may not naturally have looked at Nikon and thought, yeah this gives me that retro cool, classic camera ergonomics and feel good factor.
Well after showing they couldn't be bothered supporting the Zf-c with any lenses worthy of genuine excitement or consideration, they think just dropping a full frame sensor in will gain the trust and enthusiasm it will do the same.
Well, they've got the retro part. Kind of. Classic controls kind of while missing the point. The Fuji cool factor - I guess this one could be for the boomer that thinks he's cool, while Fuji and Olympus just are. It's like Nikon is playing bingo with what marketing tells them the data says they should put into a camera: retro - check, compact - check, classic dials - check, pasm - check, full frame - check, photographer focussed - check (look at the dials!), video focussed - Check (don't look at the dials, look at the flappy screen!).
I mean "look at our classic dials"... "Yes that is a pass dial so you can avoid using them", "no we are hot offering any lenses with aperture rings, who so you think we are, Fuji?", "and no we haven't learned the lessons of the Fuji x-t4 and are offering a 90s camcorder / selfie screen for a camera with a design aimed firmly at photographers".
It just screams split personality disorder. Want video chops and full frame, there's already plenty of choice, big and small. Want PASM and flappy screen - again plenty of options in FF and increasingly APSC. Want classic controls and analogue experience with the right looks and performance... just buy a Fuji!
Nikon needs to nail it's flag to one mast, not try to be all things to all people, while not fully supporting the experience this camera suggests people will get by producing no suitable lenses with aperture rings.
I think you are being quite harsh here although I agree about the articulating screen - I guess people could simply reverse the screen for the true vintage vibe. This camera is simply meant to offer more of a tactile feel to it with the retro dials as well as the look of an old FM camera. I could see plenty of street photographers going for this camera, more of a film camera-like feel to it in this digital age of buttons, menus and touchscreens. Nikon may not have truly suitable lenses but Voigtlander have a few manual lenses with an aperture ring for that vintage manual vibe if people so wish.
It's clearly not a camera for you and you point out the obvious that there are plenty of other cameras available if people don't want this one and have different needs. This camera is not trying to be a jack of all trades like you seem to think it is and certainly isn't meant to appeal to everyone either. Many photographers have been asking for a FF retro style slr camera for years now and we now have one plus it doesn't cost Leica money to own it. The only person missing the point is you.
Oh I get it alright. Nikon wants piece of the retro action but is playing it safe by not fully committing. It's a Z6 for someone who wants the hipster/retro look, but without leaning full into it. And Nikon hopes users will just use third party lenses or vintage lenses with aperture dials because they sure as hell won't be developing any.
Would you have been happy if this camera did away with all the modern features and literally behaved like a retro manual film slr with optical viewfinder and cost $6000+ like a Leica, only to be sold in small numbers to a niche market?
Show me a Fuji in production with retro dials as well as a PASM switch as well as a fully articulating screen, yet with no native lenses and very few third party lenses with a marked aperture ring on the lenses.
True that Fuji doesn't have a FF camera and with their limited resources and MF, don't think it makes sense for them to either. But it's a shame Nikon didn't learn Fuji's own lesson of the X-t4 which tried to swing both ways and production stopped after less than two years. But at least it did offer a broad range of lensed well suited to the ergonomics and tactility of the camera.
Not having autofocus lenses with an aperture ring is a big deal for a camera promising classic handling and shooting experience. You can always set that aperture ring to A for your other cameras. The other way around doesn't work.
People are pushing back because it's a poor critique. If the camera was genuinely bad or compromised in it's photographic abilities then the idea of "lipstick on a pig" would be an accurate critique. Fortunately, it's a great camera. It simply doesn't have some of the features that you would like and included some feature that you don't. It sounds like you would be better suited by a Fujifilm, why don't you buy one of those?
I have Fuji among others and like many have wished for a FF version. And whoever does it right will do very well from those users. But just as with certain third party lenses on Fuji, the lack of an aperture ring really ruins the whole experience of shooting with such models...and that's what this camera is all about retro style and a tactile user experience first and foremost.
Buying a Fuji makes sense for you as the tactile experience is what Fuji focusses on you can see this simply by looking at the XT5 product page. You're bound to be disappointed by Nikon as your priorities are not theirs. Look at the Zf product page there is little to no copy dedicated to the dials or film simulations. The retro experience takes a second seat to the actual performance of the camera.
If that were the case, most people would be better off waiting and seeing if the Z6III is indeed the same as this camera in a less on trend body, or if in fact this is the new base model to use up Z6II sensors and the Z6III will get other performance upticks.
Fuji also doesn't go on about the controls other than to mention they are there. Just like Nikon it lets the images add to the mystique - which are all about the retro. Go to the Nikon Germany site and you have to scroll through lots of text waxing lyrical about the retro aesthetic and connection with the FM2 with precise controls (zoom in to the dials). Germans don't read well between the lines and need things spelling out. If you want to know what Nikon is aiming at, go to the German Nikon pages.
The different colour options are very important to Nikon though. First picture they show. So yes you are right, Nikon's priority may well be to target the tiktok generation that are more interested in posing with the camera than a genuine retro experience. Doesn't mean it has to be plastic retro, though. Fuji may be the epicentre of retro and have the kudos of having organically grown as a brand that offers substance and looks, but no reason Nikon couldn't have gone for looks AND substance too, given the history it can call on, that Fuji simply doesn't have.
But the x-t5 isn't even the closest Fuji rival here. Rather the x-txx line. I'm hesitant to say x-t30 as an older camera, but imagine the X-t40 with the latest processors a retro incarnation of the X-s20). Also a camera with dials and beginner friendly features like an auto mode (compare to the ZF's PASM). Also has the round eyepiece and soft shutter options that Nikon makes a big deal about. Both are targeting users looking for a travel friendly option, and looking to attract newbies. Both have similar sensor resolutions. The X-txx series actually has a small grip, but similar to the ZF not a camera for bigger lenses. Both only accept one dull size SD card, although I like the ZF solution, even if I would have gone for on board storage as the back up rather than micro SD. The x-t5 is none of those things.
For posing and travel the ZFC seems the better option, but once you starting paying FF prices, and accept the extra bulk and expensive lenses too, you want more than just the plastic (as in fake, superficial) fantastic but the real deal.
Fuji users are not happy that of the last 5 releases only one has had retro dials. That both X-h2 models were PASM, and that the x-t5 moved down to mid-tier did not go down well in some circles. So if Fuji is less committed to retro cameras than before that leaves a big hole for someone else to fill. But the lack of native lenses with an aperture ring is an absolute deal breaker for those same users, the screen too for many.
I disagree, i bought the zfc because i have always liked Nikon products and i prefer the dials over the menu. I am very pleased with the zfc. As someone who is getting back into photography the zfc and zf are excellent tools to help me get better. I am still going to buy a Z7 but may trade my zfc for this. Lenses were never an issue for me because i bought all full frame lenses for my zfc. I never even considered a fuji when i decided to jump back into photography. The rotating screen is not flappy and is great for astro shots. I feel they made the right choice and will make boat loads of money on it this year.
My 1968 Nikkormat didn't have an LCD screen, so why should this one. And where's the film advance lever, I mean c'mon. Sounds like you just want to not like it. Go buy a Leica or Fuji or go to an antique store and buy some ancient film camera if you want to look hip.
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