Nikon ZF - My Thoughts - 100% Impressed!

[@jonfletcher147]

i've owned many of the Z cameras, and every Fuji camera amongst many. The ZF is the best camera I've ever owned. And it's built so well in this world of plastic now. I purchased the lovely Neewer grip with a red line too for £39, made it excellent to hold.

[@DSG0805]

Did you get the version With the thumb grip? Worth it

[@wilsonsantos384]

I am Fujifilm photographer, I have the GFX line and others, I got this Nikon ZF, blow my mind, now I am getting Voigtlander lenses with Z mount, I got the APO 50 and 35mm. I love it. Incredible camera. Thinking to wait Nikon to release second version or get another body.

[@moiaccaunt]

Zf better than gfx?

[@wilsonsantos384]

@@moiaccauntno, different cameras, GFX is another world

[@nevillewatkins4997]

It doesn't need to be a technically perfect video. Your appreciation of the ZF is evident. I'm that close to getting one myself.

[@alessandro911]

Good choice! I would highly recommend the Z lenses too! Even at f1.2 no CA at all and pin sharp! And the 70-200 f2.8 is from another planet too. Is sharper than some primes! Have fun, greetings from a Zf user from the Netherlands!

[@ClyntGarnham]

I’ve been shooting Nikon digital since the D1 and absolutely love the Zf it’s truly amazing and reminds me of my documentary days shooting Kodachrome 64 with my Nikon FM it’s definitely back to the future and truly iconic!

[@joynkeast-qz7oe]

The ZF is a gem. I love it more each day.

[@Greggorius262]

Thanks, Allen. This one video answered all my questions I had in an honest and relatable way. By far, the best review I've ever watched. Keep it up

[@bjornburton9376]

As a Nikon shooter for 15 years the ZF has to be my favorite camera I have shot with. Really inspires you to go out and shot more than any other camera I have ever owned.

[@DSG0805]

Great video. I love mine and preordered once I saw it. Fast forward to now and I have most of the grips and a beautiful voigtlander 50 f1 on it. Just heavenly. I never thought I would go back to 24 megapixels but here I am. I still use my d850 as my main on jobs but the zf has replaced my d810 as my second/ wide angle body for events. The ease of photos with 3d tracking and eye af is just so liberating.

[@leond123]

Had to add the comment that it's so refreshing to see someone who actually owns and uses the camera give their opinion on it. This carriers so much more weight. Good job. As a Fujifilm user, I've always had a thing for Nikons. The first camera that I bought was an FM2. And I've tried at two different times, a Z7 but just couldn't get along with the user interface. When I heard about the Zf's manual focus confirmation with the "green box", I decided to give Nikon another try. I put all my other cameras way and have just been using the Zf for the last month. It truly is an awesome/unique camera. The picture quality is excellent. But apart from that, the turning point for me was getting the camera dialed in. Getting the functions buttons, i Menu and MY Menu setup for the way I use the camera. Once that was done, and it took weeks to do it, the camera just disappeared and I was able to take pictures without thinking about the camera.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Brilliant - thank you 🙂

[@joedanielphotography]

I think it also makes it more special coming from a FM2 when I first began shooting. It’s got a nostalgic feeling to it like others have said. Quality is outstanding and been very happy the images straight out of camera. 😊

[@dominiclester3232]

I’m very pleased Allen has found the light again 🎉🎉🎉 The guts of a Z9 and more controls than a classic Nikon film camera...I love my Z9 but I use my Zfc more because it’s so fun and easy!

[@EdAb]

Well done review. It's surprising how satisfying the Zf is!

[@Digmen1]

I'm an older guy, just a keen casual photographer, with a bit of fashion photography. I have a Nikon z6ii and was always hoping for a Z6iii (Z9/z8) technology trickle down. I also have a zfc for going out a bit of fun. When the Zf came out I thought I'd wait for the z6ii, as its a more tradition mirrorless design. But as ease of use is my main desire. I may look at the zf again.

[@pathfindercod4638]

The zf is simply amazing.

[@joedanielphotography]

I love my ZF so much and enjoy using it at weddings I’ve gone and ordered a second one. Loving the images that come out of it and such a fun camera to use. 🥰

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Yea it's taken over as my main camera for weddings too :-)

[@mrdarryljones1]

Glad you love it! I love mine for walk around, casual shots. I’ve moved from weddings to sports photojournalism so my Z8 fills that niche. 👍🏽

[@ggdfggdfgdffgfddg34]

С возвращением!

[@Digmen1]

I always enjoy your videos (as a Nikon fan boy)

[@bingsby]

Hi Allen, Just a note regarding manual focusing. I recently had cataract surgery on my left eye ( my right eye in September). Since I am left eye dominant I noticed right away that I had to back off the diopter adjustment. I was right at +1 diopter and reduced it around 3-4 clicks. Manual focusing is a now a bit of a breeze. So if you haven’t had this surgery your manual focusing will get better when you do. At least it has done for me. Cheers

[@macmac6479]

I can recommend the Voigtländer 40mm 1.2 Z and 75mm 1.5 Z for manual focus and the Plena 135mm 1.8 Z and 50mm 1.2 Z for autofocus. Sharp but full of character..

[@jeffhowe2892]

I love the camera and I loved your video. Thank you.

[@sneye1]

It's the lenses, isn't it? Those f/1.4 G primes knock me out every time. By the way, I think you will like the new Z 35/1.4. Full of character. I have a Zf myself and am enjoying it a lot. So much more than it should be.

[@monsurepik]

I'm tempted by the new Z 35 1.4 over the 1.8 for that reason

[@paulboskerphotography]

Love my Zf as well. It's my backup to my Z9. And I have so much fun using it. It slows me down, especially with the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.0 I bought for it. :) Great video. I think your issue with LrC showing color raw when b&w is wanted is you're using camera settings to import which gives you the b&w raws on LrC. Your other camera(s) may be using an adobe preset.

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

I'd love to get this camera someday. Maybe with a Voigtländer 50 apo or similar.

[@knab2831]

lovely video; I was curious how you find the EVF quality particularly compared to that of a 100% OVF? I’ve struggled a bit to catch on with mirrorless for some time/reasons, viewfinder experience being paramount to me. cheers

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

I got my first evf with a Sony A7 back in 2015 I think - didnt like it. Then Fuji Xe1, then X100t then Xpro and so on then Sony A73 and that's when I found an evf could actually sometimes be better than an ovf. Now I find an ovf strange - I ocasionally still use my D780 for it's lovely ovf but the Zf has one of the best evf's and I couldn't go back to ovf for most things. It just takes time - sure you'll grow to love it for it's advantages over an ovf Allen

[@jorgepinogarciadelasbayonas]

I've bought a Nikon Zf recently in indigo blue leather skin and i am very satisfied with it. It's exactly what i wanted (and tried with FUJI long ago but build quality and ergonomics was not for me). I want to buy some Voigtländer primes for it. This camera is great for smaller primes. I also have some Nikkor F-Mount stuff. The 50 mm f/1.8 with the FTZ II is already a nice combination.

[@graack68]

Hi Allen. What happened to all your Sony gear? Last time I’m sure you had switched to Sony right? I love to see the videos of you gear heads with oodles of gas 😂

[@nethbt]

I'm waiting for my second ZF to go on sale on December IF ever it goes on sale

[@quite1enough]

you almost convinced me to buy ZF although I have zero budget now and i'm a 50/50 photo-video shooter and keep looking for Lumix S5IIx

[@EugeneMaynard]

Passion!😎👍🏾 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇸🇪🇹🇹

[@neoshazam]

I added a Z6III to my D780 and really like it.

[@Nobrainer19073]

Which picture control did you use on ZF that look like Leica? I just owned a ZF, very happy with it

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Will have a video out tomorrow explaining about editig, presets etc. See if that answers your question ;-)

[@ericerickson6537]

I just bought it and so far enjoy it but I still love the z8 the best. That’s the one I use the most.

[@christianpetersen1782]

Oh please do tell! What do you like more about the Zf than the Z8 apart from price. I currently have the original Z7 and am itching to change to either of the above.

[@ucevrim]

I got z8 after felling in love with zf thinking it’s gonna be even better but i still going back to zf. Special camera indeed.

[@christianpetersen1782]

Oh please do tell! What do you like more about the Zf than the Z8 apart from price. I currently have the original Z7 and am itching to change to either of the above.

[@jaydeepjaria8696]

​@christianpetersen1782 Articulating screen, more low light (-10ev) capability, monochrome switch, 8 stop image Stabilisation.

[@EricLouisYoung]

The only obvious flaw with the zf is the fact that deviating away from C on the iso dial doesn't allow you to override iso, unless you remember to take it out of auto first. So, the dial is effectively nullified.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Yes - they've screwed up on a couple of things that would have made it perfect - the Auto ISo and for me a focus joystick too. But then I haven't yet found any camera to be perfect 🙂

[@Paul-vy1ev]

Hi fantastic video as always. But bit confused as last time I saw. One your videos you were moving to sony for your wedding. So have gone back to nikon and is zf main camera with z6ii. Also how do get on not having u1 & u2 to programme setting gor different scenarios? Thank in advance 👍

[@mathieumorel448]

Hi! My question is, on manual lenses, at f8 or f11, how is the focus picking? does it splatter everywhere like on fuji's, or is it precise? Thanks a lot

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Hi - the "problem" with focus peaking at F8 etc is that there's a lot in focus. Therefore the red ants show up in a lot of places. At F1.4 there's a tiny amount in focus and then the red ants are very limited. The Zf with it's instant switch to B&W is really helpful in manual focus as it's very easy to see the peaking. Maunual focusing IS extremely accurate and easy - also of course if there's faces/eyes involved then it'll put a box on them so when you hit zoom that's where it zooms to no matter where they are in the frame. Best camera I've ever used for manual focusing (including my Leica M10!)

[@mathieumorel448]

@@CreativePixelPhotos Thanks for your answer! Better than the M10 regarding focus? Do you mount M glasses on the zf as well?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@mathieumorel448 Yes - I have a K&F Concept adapter and M glass is so small and brilliant :-)

[@bayvanman]

When you mention "skin tones" is this with respect to raw or jpeg with Picture Control and if so which setting? Many thanks.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

I'm referring to Raw - in the past I've had many presets that I'd apply depending on light, situation etc - to get the look I wanted (which is kinda 60's colour film - Fuji400h I particularly like) and then I'd play around again to get realistic skin tones. But the ZF I could seroiusly just adjust the crop a tad and maybe exposure 1/4 stop and that's it! Raw files are good enough not to need any adjustments. Now I do apply a very gentle preset but point is I don't HAVE to. Also has "camera Rich Tone Portrait" profile which I've not seen before so jpegs are even better!

[@noradius4744]

Exactly my thoughts! By the way the ZF and all the newer Z sensors perform admirably with M mount lenses. I love the BW output of the ZF. So flexible and natural looking along with the support of usable super high ISO options. Mind if I ask what is your preferred metering with ZF? I realised the option to prioritise detected face area while metering, its weird to think about it but might come in handy.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@noradius4744 I use either matrix or spot linked to focus point. Is there another setting with 'face'?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Ah - I see - turned on Face Detection in Matrix metering!! Oh wow can't wait for tomorrow wedding and see how that works!

[@noradius4744]

@@CreativePixelPhotos Yeah its pretty great! But it can override the creative aspect of getting silhouette etc when it detects and meters for faces. But I find it pretty consistent at what it does. For background highlight safety -0.3-0.7 EV might be good idea (Like you said the dynamic range is actually nice so it might not be even necessary). I currently returned back to normal matrix metering for streetwork, but its a cool option for the right occasion! Also looking forward to making picture profiles when they update the ZF with the new fancy Creative control option that came with Z6iii. Cheers!

[@biglebowski3486]

Allen great to see you back, what happened to your sony gear ?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@biglebowski3486 all gone. Went all in. A9II and A7IV plus 4 GM primes. Just couldn't fall in love with them of the images they produced. Kept my d780 and d700 and a few G lenses and couldn't stop using them so in May have up and sold it all and back to Nikon

[@biglebowski3486]

@@CreativePixelPhotos I love the G lenses and the character they have. Lovely to see you are in love with the Zf, might pick one up myself.

[@christianpetersen1782]

@@CreativePixelPhotosThat’s my boy!!

[@maggyfish]

Hi Allen when you going micro 4 thirds??

[@Cotictimmy]

How is the automatic eye-focus? Do you use Eye-AF, or do you use single point placed on the eye (which is what I always did with my original Z6 - because I found its eye-AF was very unreliable.)

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

I use 3D tracking with eye AF turned on. If there's a face or eye it'll lock on and you can move the camera all over the place and it stays locked. Pretty much as good as the Z8 which is same as Z9 so pretty amazing!

[@Cotictimmy]

@@CreativePixelPhotos Cheers Allen - I'm currently shooting D3s, D3x, & D610 and the Zf looks like a Nikon mirrorless that I might actually like.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@Cotictimmy It probably would be one you'd ike. With a Newer grip it's a little smaller than a Dslr but not as small as a Z6ii for instance. It's so digffernt to the other mirroless that it really deserves a category of it's own !

[@Cotictimmy]

@@CreativePixelPhotos I'll probably get a used (rather than brand new) one, & I'll wait a bit longer for lower prices as I still like my DSLRs D3s D3x D610. I may hire a Zf to try before I buy.

[@owenwilliams9582]

Thanks Alan, not good enough to do weddings, what's your though on the Zf for Landscape ?. Itching to buy one, to go with my FM2

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@owenwilliams9582 it's my main camera for weddings! Has brilliant dynamic range so I'd think great for landscapes 😊

[@quite1enough]

with presets appearing in raw files I have the similar thing in Capture One with my Fuji X-T3 with film simulations - Capture One recognizes film simulation I used and applies some adjustments but not all, jpgs and raws looks sometimes a bit sometimes quite a lot differently, but overall the same-ish to the jpg

[@carbybirett]

Great to watch, my D850 needs a friend so it looks like a ZF might be a good match. After a new MacBook Pro and a new BenQ monitor. (Don't tell my wife that)

[@WizardOfCheese]

7:25 this, i didn't know! if it's true, that's quite a big deal (as someone that has spent many hours trying to emulate HP5 and TRI-X)

[@Jgheiler]

what do you think about the Z6iii> some people say it's basically the same as the ZF int erms of IQ, but not to my eyes. I wonder what you think. Do you have your presets for sell?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@Jgheiler I don't have a z6iii to compare but from everything I see and hear the z6iii iq isn't even as good as the z6ii so well below the Zf. I don't have presets for sale but maybe I'll do a video today showing what I do for the Zf

[@Jgheiler]

@@CreativePixelPhotos that would be fantastic! A nikon ZF specific editing turtorial would be awsome!

[@paulhills1967]

I'm confused Allen. I thought you'd moved to Sony? Please clarify.

[@nethbt]

Oddly enough, I also use more F mount lenses on my ZF too! And I own four S -lenses which are clinically sharp!

[@renzoagostini343]

Concordo, ho sostituito la mia Z>8 con la ZF e sono molto molto soddisfatto,

[@richardlucascronley5128]

What lens is that you have on your ZF?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

@@richardlucascronley5128 that is a F mount 24 f1.4G 😊

[@richardlucascronley5128]

@@CreativePixelPhotos awesome, thank you

[@michaeloberly6129]

It's not perfect in evbery way, but it makes me excited to use it, and it is pretty amazing in most ways. (even if not perfect)

[@NetvoTV]

Hey Allen, my name is Johnny and I'm a freelance logo designer, would you love to have a new logo, custom membership badges, wallpaper and app icons packs and any kind of artworks to help scale up your branding and business opportunities? Let me know if you interested and I would love to craft something for you! :-)

[@thedarkslide]

I use the Zf with the Fringer adapter and the Canon EF 50mm f1.2 L. Killer combination.

[@dominiclester3232]

Interesting. I see the canon is 140g lighter than the newer Z lens, but there are both the same diameter and with 5 Ed/aspherical elements I’ll bet the Nikkor is better corrected...

[@NatalieFuller-x6n]

Gonzalez Jose Walker Sarah Lopez George

[@ssatx6911]

NEYEKON ZEE F. would only be good with compact primes... that's it.

[@macmac6479]

Your opinion as a "real" photographer weighs double! It is a superb camera. If the z7II has a problem I would get the Z8 though. It is lightning fast.

[@cronufc]

my wallet hates you :D

[@BlaxkNobility]

So happened to Sony.

[@RichardGonzalez-v6y]

Gonzalez Brenda Thomas Paul Miller Charles

[@csc-photo]

I have the Z8 and Zf, both are absolutely amazing - but guess which one I grab more frequently 😎 Re: Lightroom, go into Prefs and under the Presets tab, change the default RAW profile to Camera Settings (not Adobe Default). Lr will retain the profile you selected in-camera, and you can change later to anything you like.

[@philipsutton8921]

Allen - why did you hate the Z8 so much (I think it was that not the 9), that you railed against in one of your last videos? So much so, I think you sold them all off and bought a whole stack of Sony gear- that you raved about. What on earth happened?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

I was really disappointed with the Z8. yea great AF but for me the images lost some of the Nikon character that I love. The noise was the biggest issue - with the D780, Z6ii I can shoot at 12800 iso and still get a useable photo - the Z8 has noise at like 4000! The ZF btw is the Best ever of low light / high iso. Battery life wasn't great - maybe 600 shots compared to 7/800 with z6ii and over 2k from D780 and around 12oo from Zf. And the Z mount lenses never pleased me - I "thought" the Sony GM lenses would but in the end mothing matchs Nikon's F mount G primes. For me....

[@philipsutton8921]

@@CreativePixelPhotos Ah - I concur. I scabbed it with Fuji for over a decade, until I swapped to two Z6ii's for my gigs/events/portraits business. Even my customers raved about my beautiful images. Now I can pull up shadows in low light over 1,600 ISO and my image does not turn to custard, like it did with Fuji. I'm so filthy at myself for scumming it with Fuji for all that time and wasting all that money on countless of their crappy cameras. well done Allen - I'm glad you saw the light. You had my really worried with all that Sony Crap.

[@bradl2636]

A big heavy brick of a camera. Still not a great selection of compact lenses that look remotely aesthetically appealing on this. Mismatched card slots and it will stop recording once either card fills up. The micro slot appears to be only UHS-I compatible. Why does Nikon keep making these stupid design choices?

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

I DO agree about the lenses - wouldn't be great to see some attractive Z mount 1.4 primes - ones that even have an aperture ring! Heavy brick? Only slightly heavier than my Leica M10 so no problem. Filling a card up - I get about 4k shots on both cards so never ever come close to filling one up. I undersatnd the micro card due to space limitation - I'd rather have that than just a single card.

[@isaiaharmstrong1799]

Voigtlander!

[@Brando90198]

It’s 2oz more than the z5. Maybe the z30 is better suited for you if weights an issue.

[@esspiefotografie4786]

hi allen, lovely to see you after a long time🙂! Before getting a d850 I was drawn into ZF, once it came on the market. After taking in hand I felt the grip to be not so sure to hold. Is your Insta account open to all? I wanted to share with you something, but could not. Cheers!

[@littlebunnyBuba]

I've been going back and forth between Z6iii and Zf ever since the Z6iii came out. I just couldn't decide which one to buy. I think you just sold Zf to me. Your enthusiasm and the energy around it are just... ah. Heavenly. ❤ I get one for testing in 2 weeks and I just cannot wait to try it. I reallllly hope it blows my mind in the same way. 🥹

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Expect it to be a bit "different" but give a few days and see what you think - let me know :-) Allen