Nikon retro-inspired camera
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Godfrey
somewhat colored
Just looked at the intro video on B&H Photo's web pages for the Nikon Z-fc.
Not a bad looking camera, looks a better mix of size and feature complexity than the old, what was it?, Df?
Hopefully it will do well.
G
Not a bad looking camera, looks a better mix of size and feature complexity than the old, what was it?, Df?
Hopefully it will do well.
G
BWF
Established
If Nikon will also make a compact 50mm equivalent that is f2 or faster, I’m in! It’s a nice looking camera for sure.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JzH2z6TbXQ
A decent hands on look from a Nikon ambassador type, showing AF improvements and a few other things.
A decent hands on look from a Nikon ambassador type, showing AF improvements and a few other things.
Highway 61
Revisited
Such a lens does exist already, this is the Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 G. But you need an F-mount to Z-mount adapter. The combo will probably look just ugly.
By making a 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 zoom first, Nikon does not really tell that the new Z-fc is designed for prime and fast lenses. That mock-up of the Nikkor Ai-S 28mm f/2.8 which you can also buy as a kit lens is a joke. The predictible lack of good lenses for this new DX Z-mount system makes it DOA already.
Michalm
Well-known
This camera will sell a lot of crop sensor chinese manual lenses for Laowa , 7artisans etc which would be the best match for it. Step in good direction Nikon now lets put full frame sensor and better EVF in this body and remove half of the buttons at the back and this would be really fun camera to use.
pixelvandal
Established
Yep. Viltrox has announced they will release their 3 DX AF lenses for the Z soon. 23, 33, and 56mm f1.4 trio
https://nikonrumors.com/2021/05/16/...r-nikon-z-mount-3-x-aps-c-3x-full-frame.aspx/
and they have an aperture ring. however unfortunately they are clickless, but with that trio, and maybe an 18mm or 16mm lens (sigma perhaps?) the lens lineup would be complete enough for most people
Leica0Series
Well-known
I'd like a camera this size with an F mount as well, but it's not possible. Just look at where the film plane is on the FM-2, and then look to where the lens mount ends; that's a lot of real estate. That mirror box takes up quite a lot of room, and the flange distance of the F mount lenses was designed for it, which was why the Df was so chunky. No way around that on the new little Zfc without adding a tube that's nearly as long as this 28mm lens.
The Zfc is actually thinner across the board compared with the FM-2, and that's not a porky camera by any means.
Leica didn't have to design around a mirror box, and even then it took them a long time to get their digital Ms as thin as the film ones.
The Zfc is actually thinner across the board compared with the FM-2, and that's not a porky camera by any means.
Leica didn't have to design around a mirror box, and even then it took them a long time to get their digital Ms as thin as the film ones.
Put the FX sensor from the Nikon Z6 in that thing and give it an F mount and I'd buy one in a heartbeat. But alas . . .
Just very impressed how small they were able to make it, compared to the Df.
Best,
-Tim
Archiver
Veteran
The coloured versions would be primarily intended for the Japanese market, much like Fuji did with the pink and green Natura S film cameras, and Panasonic did with the original G micro four thirds cameras. Panasonic also made the GM1 and GM5 with bright orange and red versions which made their way to Australia. Wish I had bought another GM1 or GM5, they are awesome little cameras.
GM1 - Lumix by Lumix by Archiver, on Flickr
gavinlg
Veteran
And yet here's another one showing the camera being used in the same way i imagine most of the users of this forum would use a camera -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y8-B0nFZD8
olakiril
Well-known
The fact that Z50 is cleaner at the back than the Zfc, tells me Nikon had started designing this long before the Z50. Other than aesthetics, with cameras that have no grip, buttons at the back are making the handling while not pushing them much more tedious.
Timmyjoe
Veteran
You mean it might have more than one usage, and different folks may find it the perfect tool for doing different types of imaging. Amazing . . .
😀
css9450
Veteran
Seeme to me, that other than the "OK" button and it's associated ring, both cameras have the same nine buttons except the Z50 has three of them on the touch-screen. What bothers me most, though, is that most of the buttons are in different locations between the two cameras. That bothers me more than the quantity of buttons.
I shoot back and forth between my D7000 and my D750, and it bugs me because the Zoom button is in a different location on each camera. Makes a big difference when doing night photography because I have to find it by feel alone! I really wish they'd left it alone.
I do agree with your second point. A camera with a lot of buttons is great when it is shaped like a DSLR with an ergonomic handgrip. I realize it bucks the usual thinking here on the forum, but I do believe the "blob" shaped DSLRs from Nikon and Canon are fantastic for tactile feel and usability. The handgrip makes for easy holding and all the most-used controls fall right where they should be. It is only when one tries to put those same buttons and controls on a "traditional"-shaped camera, that it becomes tiring and tricky to hold without pushing buttons unawares (see Sony, for an example of this).
Yeah it’s unfortunate that cameras can’t be more simple these days, but I get over it and just ignore those buttons.
CliveC
Well-known
The fact this is APS-C makes it a non-starter for me. Full frame and I would be sorely tempted to switch, especially if there's some kind of easy compatibility with its legacy manual focus lenses.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
https://www.sansmirror.com/newsviews-2/nikon-launches-a-new-dx-z.html
Some objective thoughts from Mr. Nikon guy, byThom, on whether the camera makes sense for Nikon.
Some objective thoughts from Mr. Nikon guy, byThom, on whether the camera makes sense for Nikon.
APS-C long ago became the 'new' full-frame, as sensor performance became virtually identical and one stop shallower DOF is so subtle it can only be discerned with side-by-sides...assuming one actually has speedy lenses available. A single 28/2.8 prime? Meh.
The knock against this camera is the lack of native mirrorless DX lenses. There *is* easy compatibility with all sorts brands of legacy manual focus lenses, of course.
olakiril
Well-known
Quite often I agree with him but here I disagree with many of his points. I think this will be a success for Nikon and bring a whole new crowd, not necessarily splitting the Nikon Z50 market. Style is a big factor in Fuji sales albeit Fuji is doing a much better job than Nikon on the "retro" design. So I agree with him on the fact that the Zfc seems less Frankencamera than the Df was, but given the uninspiring 28mm SE lens as well as the back of the Zfc, there are still plenty of things for them to improve. Do these matter for the majority of the buyers? Not so much. I think the biggest issues with Df were addressed: Cheap, small size and pleasing to look at (for the most part).
What caught my eye in his review was the “first legacy Z design” part. I surely hope so they continue this path. Take the Df or Z5 sensor and stick it in the Zfc body together with a great EVF, done. Cause with the lack of DX lenses, they won't be able to drive the market away from Fuji cameras for long.
Larry H-L
Well-known
I wonder if Nikon might be using this aps-c version as a test-bed camera to gain user feedback on button placement and usability, and sales data, before offering a full-frame version of the camera. Even the logo "Zfc" makes me think it was designed so that the "c" could be dropped and become "Zf" just as there was a "Df."
It seems doubtful to me that Nikon would spend all the research time and design it with that large Z mount, only to put a small sensor inside. I think a full-frame version will come in about a year. Add $ 1K to the price.
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