Review: Nikon Zf

Conclusion

Pros

Beautiful retro styling
Solidly constructed body with wonderful tactile dials
Great dynamic range and natural color
Low noise and good detail from the 24 megapixel sensor
Outstanding in-body image stabilization
Excellent EVF that is large, bright, and clear
Detailed and bright fully-articulated rear touchscreen
Excellent autofocus
Very solid performance for a body in this price class
Full featured: intervalometer, focus stacking, etc
Simply enjoyable to use

Cons

Poor ergonomics due to the flat retro shape, when used without an accessory grip
Dial control scheme is half baked and can be confusing at first
Subject detection lacks dedicated bird algorithms from Z8/Z9
No easy way to quickly switch to AutoISO
Pixel shift is essentially a gimmick with this implementation
Fewer programmable buttons than other Z cameras

The Nikon Zf is a little bit difficult to discuss when it comes to recommendations. Looking at its objective strengths, the camera does a whole lot right. It has an excellent sensor that is on par with the best 24MP sensors from the competition, a great EVF, excellent autofocus that brings much of the higher-end focus system from the Z8 and Z9 into a sub-$2,000 Nikon Z body for the first time, and adds the best in-body stabilizer seen on a Z mount camera. It does all this in a body that is also very appealing aesthetically.

On the other hand, the retro-styling comes with retro-ergonomics in a lot of ways, and the camera by itself is rather uncomfortable to hold for long periods of time. Thankfully, a bevvy of options exist in the accessory grip market, and I would absolutely budget the extra $30-40 for one of these if you’re considering the Zf. These grips are cheap and go a long way towards making the Zf a comfortable body to hold and shoot with. The brass dials have wonderful tactility and feel, and for those who like operating with manual dials, you’ll probably like using the Zf. I say probably because Nikon did a half-baked job with how the dials work, and the combination of dials with the PASM switch on the left can be a little confusing at first. They also chose to leave off an ‘A’ position on the ISO dial, making AutoISO convoluted to access.

I think the controls and aesthetics of the Zf are going to be a very personal thing that varies from photographer to photographer. Personally, I love the looks, and the controls work for me after learning how Nikon has done it. They still could have done the controls better, but it isn’t a dealbreaker, and for how I shoot, I find it very enjoyable. The rest of the camera is top-notch in this price bracket, and it makes the Zf a great mid-range full-frame camera for anyone wanting to get into the Z mount system. I originally got the Zf to be a backup to my Z8, but I have enjoyed the experience and quality of the camera so much that I have ended up using the Zf just as much as my Z8 over the past several months. It’s a fun camera that also has it where it counts.