wlewisiii
Veteran
The laugh is because I know that feeling and "Resistance is futile" 😉
Who has moved to the Nikon ZF?
- Thread starter CameraQuest
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farlymac
PF McFarland
I'm definitely considering getting a Zf, but I'm sticking with the Z5 for now as it will have to wait until I unload a bunch of gear I've accumulated over the years. Those new Voigtlander lenses look good too. Will have to leave some space in the budget for two or three of them.
PF
PF
JohnWolf
Well-known
I just started a one year film only project and am not in the market now. But I have an M10 that will be idle. I’m thinking maybe sell it and, if I do go back to digital, to do so with a Zf. It’s very appealing to me. Maybe they’ll offer an SE 50 by then. Nikon definitely needs more retro lenses for this body.
Evergreen States
Francine Pierre Saget (they/them)
I'm not in the market but it looks like a very good camera. If I wasn't already invested in Fujifilm, I would have my eye on the Zf. This is frankly the camera I wanted since I bought my Canon 7D in my late teens and missed the tactile pleasures of my Ricoh and Pentax SLRs.
Michalm
Well-known
There is some conflicting reports about rangefinder lenses performance on Nikon Z cameras versus Sony etc, have u tested biogon lenses at infinity as well as close distance?
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Not sure if it's related to the introduction of this line, but I noticed used Nikon Df prices have fallen.
Might affect the prices of other Nikon dSLRs as well...
Chris
Might affect the prices of other Nikon dSLRs as well...
Chris
Bolo Kukus
en vacances
I too have waded my (tortured) way thru all the data, reviews etc on the Nikon Z range, and after much angst and heart-rending (or rendering) have also decided the Z5 will most likely be my next purchase.
Along with one lens, for me the stellar Z 28/2.8 and the adapter so I can use my range of Nikon D lenses (20-300). Manual focusing will be something I must adapt to at first, but fortunately my eyesight is still good enough to cope and I can make do with scale focusing on my wide-angles.
Instead of the Z 28 I may look at the Voigtlanders too. I've read up on them and they seem quite wonderful.
My local seller (in Melbourne) has a Z6 in their used cabinet for AUD $1350. Very low mileage and the shop warranty is excellent. I am now very tempted...
I reckon the name of the game for me is "enough is enough". I have an arsenal of Nikon gear at home, even the D90 kit I bought when I moved into the digital era in 2009. This may be a good time for me to start offloading the surplus gear and applying the dosh I make from all this selling to one good kit, hopefully to see me thru the next decade which will be my last.
Minimalism, forward planning, whatever. If it works for me, why not?
pvdhaar
Peter
I was tempted by the Zf, even have the Z 40/2 SE for my Z50, but a couple of weeks back got a pristine FE2 for a very reasonable price. I don't feel the need for a Zf so strongly anymore..
Freakscene
Obscure member
I don’t think it’s the Zf, just mirrorless generally. The Df was pulled from the catalogue in September 2029, after an unusually long run. Nikon is not forthcoming about this but it is likely that the last ones were made some time before that. And dSLRs are now a niche product generally, so 5+ year old cameras of a style no longer in fashion is likely to depreciate quickly.
Me too !!!!
Bolo Kukus
en vacances
MP Guy - two photos of my dream kit!!
Bolo Kukus
en vacances
2029 or 2019? A small difference, but nonetheless important. At my age, one shouldn't rush time too fast in that direction...
At that time I was madly keen on the Df, and in fact had quite a llengthy discussion with it with the late (and sadly greatly missed) Roger Hicks, who told me it was the one and only digital Nikon he ever thought he could live with.
In those wonderful past years I had ongoing chats with both Roger and Frances. Who I both sadly and greatly miss.
I lucked out on one at Michael's Photo in Sydney at about this time, 2019, which was in their used gear window at, IIRC, +/- AUD $2,000 with the legendary (not sure why, but apparently it's the stuff of legend) Nikon 58. I did think a while about buying it and eventually I returned to look at it a few days later, but guess what - it was sold. Gone and lost forever, to me anyway.
So for now it's D800 and D700 gear for me. Good enough, in fact more than - but not quite the same 'cachet' at the Df.
As for the Zf, well, time will tell. For me...
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Freakscene
Obscure member
That would be 2019…I wish I could see the future…
Freakscene
Obscure member
2019, as futuristic as I am.
I never worry about cachet. Just how things work and work for me. If the D800 suits you, don’t worry. At least until the new Nikon looks like something from Buck Rogers. Then I’ll need the new Nikon [joke].
Dogman
Veteran
Time flies. Seems like just the other day one of my neighbors dropped by with the then-new Z7. I tried it but I found it afflicted with the same "design failure" as almost all mirrorless cameras--that infernal EVF. Seems the only mirrorless camera I enjoy using are the Fuji X-Pros and X100s with their lovely OVF segments. And I dearly love these cameras.
I tried using Voigtlander and several of the Chinese brands of manual focus lenses on the X-Pros but couldn't come to terms with the focus peaking although the images were lovely. I've not had that problem using my Nikon DSLRs with manual focus Nikkor and Zeiss ZF.2 lenses. I actually find using big, heavy cameras enjoyable. So, I'll stick with my antiquated 20th Century cameras.
I tried using Voigtlander and several of the Chinese brands of manual focus lenses on the X-Pros but couldn't come to terms with the focus peaking although the images were lovely. I've not had that problem using my Nikon DSLRs with manual focus Nikkor and Zeiss ZF.2 lenses. I actually find using big, heavy cameras enjoyable. So, I'll stick with my antiquated 20th Century cameras.
F
former member
Guest
1/100th sec, F1.5, ISO6400.
This is with the Z5 and 90mm F1.5 Mitakon, wide-open. Focus-Peaking is like having a full-frame rangefinder patch. Focus on the girl on the left.
The 3.6MDot finder is the same in all the Nikons except the Z9, which is higher count. Good enough for shots like these, with the house-lights out and disco lights on. Dark.
I cannot do this with my Df, I've tried. Too dark. The Leica M9, Monochrom, M240- can focus using the RF patch, but need subject centered. The M240 EFV is lower res, and too much latency to get the shot.
I'll buy myself a Zf for a retirement present, March is it.
@Sonnar Brian what peaking settings do you use?
F
former member
Guest
Made me look!
Peak 3: High Sensitivity, and Peak color: Red.
Don't shoot until you see the Red Peaks of their eyes. I would have had fun developing realtime focusing firmware for these cameras. Shift and subtract, Threshold, overlay, done- 1982.
It is a sweet setup. I have the 35 apo lanthar, 50 apo lanthar, 50 Nokt and 65 apo lanthar. All from Cameraquest!!
shawn
Veteran
My favorite way of shooting a MF lens with my X-Pro 2 was to use it in ERF mode with the small window set to just be an enlarged focus point. Shoot RAW and set the camera to monochrome so that the little window was monochrome and set focus peaking to red. I wouldn't even have to look at the little window, just when I see it light up red I knew I was focused.
The EVF implementation varies a lot between cameras in how quickly they react to keep brightness of the EVF consistent, the dynamic range of the EVF, the magnification and the resolution. For something like focus peaking having IBIS makes it much more stable too though I mostly don't use peaking with my S1R as it isn't needed.
