I am a commercial photographer and educator based in Durban, South Africa, where I live in the wonderful green hills of Kloof with my (admittedly slightly mad) family.
I lead photographic workshops to various parts of the world (when I am not shooting commercially) through Nature's Light. I have an insatiable love of mountains and good coffee....and lots of photography.
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I found now your nice video, I use the same tripod and nodal plate! I wish I had more money for a lightweight RRS tripod for added stability but so far so good apart from some windy situations
Great explanation! Thank you very much, I‘m glad about finding your channel!
I totally love the Zf w/ a Nikkor Z 24-120 for travel and have used it in Japan, US Southwest, Manhattan and others. I pair it with a Leica Q3 for those times I wish to be inconspicuous.
Thanks for sharing. Do you add a grip to better handle the weight of the 24-120?
@@emilvonmaltitz Thanks, I use the Smallrig grip and find it a great addition. I'm waiting to see if RRS gets off the dime and manufactures a better grip. BTW, using the 24-120 means I never need to travel with any additional lenses. Great review
Best video of Zf that i have seen... I have it. and I can confirm every word. for better or for worse. Good job bro
Thanks so much!
Man, this was the best talk about ZF. You made me love my ZF more. Cheers for gr8 review.
Thanks, comment is much appreciated!
Just needs sigma contemporary lenses to make the ZF perfect
Possibly. The Contemporary lenses are just big and heavy though (although optically superb 👌). I personally think Tamron’s tiny 2.8 primes are a better for travel photography. They don’t match the optical limits of some of Sigma’s best IMO though.
@@emilvonmaltitz What are you talking about? Sigma’s contemporary 17mm f4, 24mm f3.5, 45mm f2.8, and 90mm f2.8 are lightest in their class. Their F2 are also extremely light and well built for its price.
Finally Nikon have caught up with Canon , only 10yrs late, with a fully articulating screen !
Well, that’s debatable as to whether it’s an improvement. For some photographers the older tilt screen is preferable (I suspect I’m one of them). For others the flippy screen is better. So I don’t really see it as ‘catching’ up. There are pros and cons to both.
Are you considering a similar video for the Z6 iii? Trying to decide between the two for urban, low light portraits.
I would love to. I’m still running a tiny channel so don’t get any preferential treatment from any companies other than Leofoto and Nisi (both the SA distributers) but I’ll he contacting Nikon SA to see if I can.
AMAZING VIDEO!
Thanks so much Jeremy!
Its versatility interests me. It ends up being economical
Yes, I’d agree with that comment. Particularly with the launch of the Z6iii. The Zf comes out as the very closely capable in every department, but more affordable option… you just have to be okay with the user interface.
An interesting look at a beautiful camera that can indeed be a powerful and advanced all-rounder if you can come to terms with the user concept. Best regards SLEH
In a nutshell that’s it. You either like the dial concept or not. Thanks for watching.
I’ve been using the ZF for travel over the past two months. It’s visually stunning but has poor handling. On the plus side, the autofocus is excellent. I appreciate everything about it except for the flippy screen, which is cumbersome for street photography. Previously, I had an XT5, which I traded for the ZF. The Fuji was more user-friendly thanks to its screen, joystick, and customizable buttons.
same here. Traded the XT5 for the ZF and no regrets from that exchange. ZF's AF and low light performances tops Fuji by a mile
I’m also not sold on the flippy screen after having used it. I think for street and travel the older tilt screen is actually more useable…but then again if you want to go all retro (not really) you can reverse the flippy screen to hide it (faux retro)
And your thoughts on the IQ for landscape. 24mp is definitely enough but I’m guessing a lot of buyers will look at and he tempted by the 40mp on the Fuji.
Fantastic in-depth review, thank you very much! I own the ZF since March and am also more than happy. It takes time to dial in and get used to its controls but it it more capable than I will ever need realistically. Totally agree that the small lens setup is the way to go. Hence I got the 28mm + 40mm Z, both of which are great. But I just had to get the 24-120mm Z for its versatility and image quality as well as the FTZ II adapter so that I can continue to use my beloved F mount lenses.
Thanks for sharing. I suspect I’d also go for the 28+40 (although I really wish we could get a small 24mm). As I’m still a DSLR user (until they die) it’s still just wish-list creation though 😜
I started shooting Nikon with My Nikon F in 1969 (last year of high school at 15yo.) bought it with money I earned :) I shot as a photojournalist (at 16yo.) then freelance ,, always with a Nikon never wanting (or needing) more than My FM n motordrive,,, and (prime lenses) 24, 105, n 300mm (different perspective than my contemporarys) !!! The FM became very hand holdable with the motordrive (do not remember anybody making a grip for cameras back then) I got tired of waiting for the 6III and at 72yo I bit the bullet n bought a Z8 (totally outstanding) !!!!!!!!!!!!! Many of My buddies bought the ZF and rave about how great it is (arthritis weakens hands) so I am glad that I will be getting a Z6III.... I just got back from a month in Portugal n Paris :) I used a Z7 n 24-200mm (carried it 24/7) (many GIGS of files) very few of them were culled and I shot on the streets very late into the nights.... Thanks for Your perspective on the ZF (Sub n Like) Live, Love n Shoot NIKON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)
Why the newest FTZ adapter over the first Nikon Branded FTZ ???? ThankYou for a great review :) :) :)
I cut a long section explaining it. The problem is that you cannot change between f-mount lenses on the FTZ and Z-mount lenses while on a tripod. You have to remove the camera from the tripod to mount the new lens. The foot on the old FTZ means you can’t remove the adapter while mounted to a tripod.
@@emilvonmaltitz K thanks for the quick response!! I will try to look thru all of Your videos for Jewels of Wisdom :) I seldom use a tripod when I would not be using a Z lens (the older lenses in most cases are a bit lacking in IQ (My opinion)) Although I do have a spot in My heart for some F lenses such as the 105mm AFS f1.4E (they are almost all good if not great if stopped down sufficiently)... But the Z Primes are Stunning !!!!!!!! :) :) :)
I concur with everyone else who found this to be a really excellent review - one of the best! A professionals ‘user experience’ plus real world images & video made this review very compelling and enjoyable. My first camera was a Nikon F2, and I still have the F3… I immediately saw the similarities and homage in the Zf. I look forward to your take on the just released Z6 lll - heavily video centric, at a good price, loaded with features…and reviewers hyperbole.
Thanks Catherine! I love the last line of your comment 😂 there’s definitely a lot of hyperbole out there!
I upgraded from an 11 year old d5100 to the Zf in October 2023. ANY camera coming from that would be a massive improvement, but I've adored my time with it, especially since I went from being a 19/20 year old enthusiast to a professional photographer and videographer looking to do more personal and freelance work (we shoot Sony at dayjob, but I prefer Nikon's UI and already had the lenses). The dials are more intuitive for me, and I'm definitely a sucker for retro-inspired aesthetics, but it's genuinely just a solid camera.
That's a massive upgrade! Also interested to hear how you are bouncing between such wildly different UI's - that can't be easy. Possibly that's why you are finding the dials intuitive...holding the Zf is very different to shooting with a Sony or even the Nikon DSLRs, and possibly that's a good thing if you are working between systems.
@@emilvonmaltitz honestly I don’t think they’re that different; mostly just a few key menu changes to remember (the worst being making new folders in Nikon). I will say that my boss’s kit is Canon, from a team merger before I got here, and the menu system for THAT does not stick in my head for love or money, so mostly I give the 5D and C200 to our student worker and keep the Sonys for myself 😂 he does use the FX3 some tho!
This was very helpful. I have tried the camera out in a local camera store (with my own SD card) and it impressed me. I respectfully disagree with you about the B&W switch; I really liked being able to see what the B&W image would look like as I was shooting it. Thanks for making this video.
:D Happy to concede that I might be in the minority with not finding the B&W switch useful...so you see focus more easily in B&W? I guess that makes sense considering it's easier to see the effects of sharpening in B&W when using converters like Lightroom.
Fantastic video. I bought the Zf with travel in mind. I did a Europe trip last year with the Z7II and it was exceptional. However, I wanted a camera that had upgraded autofocus, but which would also worked well with my vast MF Nikkor and Voigtlander collections. At 60 this year, lighter gear, overall, has a real appeal.
Thanks, It fefinitekly i a great camera for photographers wanting to use their older gear...of course any camera with an adapter does that fine, but the Zf just seems the 'right' camera to do it with ;)
Kudos to Leofoto for their modularity! I have considered a leveling base/head for years, but have never bought one. I have a panning clamp with an Arca dovetail that I slot in the ball head clamp and then level that. It is one extra piece to carry though! BTW, you have fantastic information on your channel! Thanks and good shooting!
Thanks James. I am planning to get around to doing another video on exactly how modular they are...hoping to finally finish it next month.
Fantastic review!!
Thanks James!
I shoot raw too, but do use the B&W switch for doing Manual Focus.
I've seen that a few times now in the comments. If I get the camera back again I'll give that a go. I was using the peaking for the most part.
I am with you on the idea of primes.
I would have loved to have tried out the Nikon primes, but sadly I wasn’t sent any of those to play with. Nikon needs to make more I think
How was your experience in regards of dirt on the sensor?
Not the best, not the worst. Like all mirrorless cameras it is more susceptible to collecting crud on the sensor (compared to DSLRs) but I was able to clean it fairly easily (blower several times and one wet clean…which was not a surprise considering how dusty Madagascar is in the south).
The best video I saw for the ZF !
Thanks so much Jonathan!
I get that some people love this camera but it has to have one of the worst mechanical control systems ever. I'd like to think that they were boxed out of using a better design by FujiFilm patents or some such because if the Zf is the best Nikon could come up after decades of building some of the worlds best cameras then, well......that's just embarrassing.
And yet it’s one of the best selling cameras in Japan at the moment. Ultimately it doesn’t matter that some photographers think it’s terrible or it has poor user interface…there are enough that think it’s fantastic for Nikon to be smiling. Each to their own I guess.
I have the zf with small primes including 2 manual focus voigtländers lens which are a match made in heaven . As someone who owns Fuji XT I love switching to B&W , it’s another fun thing, key one at that of the Fuji system film simulations which attracted many Nikon / Canon shooters so it makes sense for Nikon to include it. I want to go back to Nepal , I brought the ZF precisely for its travel appeal, but hiking I can see value in the 28-400, otherwise I’m torn between the 24-70 f/4 or 24-120 f/4 with maybe the 28-75 f/2.8 as a last contender .
I just received mine and I love it so much. A few years ago I was sad thinking Nikon dropped the ball and would eventually go out of business but I am happy to see they are back in the game.
So far they have had marketing successes with the Z9, Z8 and (I think some photographers were surprised here) the Zf… Nikon is on a roll at the moment. Next week should be interesting.
I have a Leica M10 and a Nikon Z6. I'm all for small primes. 28mm, 50mm.. possibly a 90mm, that's all you need really. I'm now really tempted to get the Zf in combination with the Techart TZM-02 autofocus adapter. That way I can use my tiny Leica primes with state of the art autofocus. A potentially amazing combination. The pixel shift functionality will be great as well for digitising my medium format film. I for now though I've just ordered the adapter, and I'll use it on my Z6 for a while before deciding on the Zf (or Z6III?).
To use pixel shift for digitising film! That IS an interesting idea 💡 I use my D850 to digitise my 6x4,5 negs, but I think you’re on to something with the pixelshift to do that!
@@emilvonmaltitz I saw a few videos on that and the idea is that by using the pixel shift functionality, you record all the pixels you miss out on with a bayer filter sensor. So grain is much more clear and precise, like you would get from a monochrome sensor. I would probably still only use it for quality scans that I plan on printing, because of the extra steps and effort involved. But it seems to be worth it.
Het jou video geniet, dankie Emil. Echo wat jy sê, dis ‘n baie lekker travel-camera. Groete vanuit Melbourne.
Baie dankie meneer!
@@emilvonmaltitz Cheers Emil. Will subscribe, would be nice to catch-up and buy you a coffee, when I visit South Africa again. Will relocate to Portugal end of September, probably pop over in December. Chat later again, enjoy that side!
As someone who was born in Madagascar, I always feel a sense of pride when I see others going there or just talking about it! And the photographs you took are amazing! I agree with what you said about the lack of an aperture ring on the lenses, and after shooting with manual focus lenses and Fuji lenses for years now, I don't understand why people took it away in the first place, it just feels so intuitive! The design of the small 40mm kit lens is really nice from afar, but the fact that it doesn't have an aperture ring on it and the fact that it feels plasticky relative to the solid and luxurious feel of the Zf is a huge turn off. I like your idea of just using manual focus primes on it!
It is an astounding country. I consider myself extremely fortunate to he able to travel there and run workshops! You’re right about the 40mm. Really awesome lens optically, but just doesn’t gel with the whole ethos and feel of the Zf. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Record limit of 29 minutes? Are you sure about that?
I’d be thrilled to hear otherwise, but didn’t get a chance to test it directly. When you hit the record button you get the usual countdown timer on the EVF/LCD.
@@emilvonmaltitz According to internet. max recording time is 129 minutes!
@@richardbierman9856 that’s really good to know! Wish I’d had the camera for longer to test, but 2 and a bit weeks was all I could get.
I’m not even in the market for this camera, but a brilliant review. Wish more product reviews were this good.
Thanks Merric! Glad you enjoyed it.
Outstanding review!
Thanks Andrew!
For the B&W switch to be more useful, I wish Nikon would let users set it to JPEG only separately from regular photo mode. Also have photo and video settings be separate. Let users save settings when on video mode (maybe make it command dial based, instead of reading the analog dials).
That’s an excellent idea!
I have been using Zf since January. This is absolutely spot on! Emil’s comments and experience on the manual controls, ergonomics and experience, the design ethos are absolutely spot on. This camera design, controls are drawn from all the Nikon’s film camera designs and experience. This is something that most influencers, “creators”, and reviewers miss by miles. Most just don’t understand this camera. I think it’s mostly because they have not experienced manual film cameras for a length of time. But I think those who have used film cameras understand the design and compromises made, and probably can take to this camera like hand in glove. I have been using the camera without any grip. Even though I love my Z8 for wildlife and landscapes, the Zf has become my EDC. It’s a joy to use. I, however, would disagree with Emil on the B&W mode. I never did shoot B&W during my film camera days, but discovering this mode on the Zf has been such a pleasure and I am glad Nikon included this mode with a physical mode switch, even though this mode is readily available from the “i” menu. I whole heartedly agree on the need for small manual primes with aperture rings. This is “vintage” done right. The Zf has translated the ability and joy of using film cameras for the digital age. Nikon has delivered! Thank you Emil, for putting together your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and thoughtful manner!
Thanks Arbinde. I’ll concede that I might be in the minority not liking the b&w switch 😂 glad you enjoyed the review. It was done in a bit of a rush, but loved shooting with the camera and am very interested in getting my own now.
Gotta be one of the best reviews of this camera out there.
Thanks Gavin!
Thank you!!! FINALLY, someone who knows what they are talking about in regards of what the Zf resembles. I too have shot Nikon FE and some FM bodies since the late 70s so I know these cameras quite intimately. The marketing that worked for the Zfc does not work with the Zf. It does NOT look like an FM2 but more like an FE or FE2, anyone with two eyes can see it, just look at the prism housing/nameplate shapes. I also agree that the body bulk does match the F3 but in all esthetics and handling it is a digital FE and the Zfc is the FM/FM2 (again looking at the prism/name plate shapes. I think the ones pushing this incorrect marketing matchups are either lazy to look for themselves and have Never used the FE and FM bodies or even the F3, or are gullible to follow incorrect marketing which is a fail on whoever from Nikon marketing put that info out. Looking at the Zf and Zfc, they Both can not be an FM2-like while ignoring the FE/FE2 which in my five decade experience the better camera.
Yes, when I picked up the Zfc for the first time it was definitely closer in feel and size (but not quality) to the FM. The Zf on the other hands feels much more sturdy in the hand (like it can handle the abuse a working PJ would throw at it), but it is not small like an FM would be.
One of the best Zf reviews!
Thanks Menchang! I really appreciate the comment. Glad you enjoyed it!
Best review in years... congratulations!
Wow! Thanks Dario. It was done in a bit of a rush, so appreciate your comment. Thanks
IMHO zooms are killing one's photography, especially when doing people photographs. They make you lazy and complacent. Go the whole 9 yards and get fixed focal lengths. Zoom with your feet or mount another lens, be decisive.
A statement I agree with. As in the video most of the ‘people’ photography was shot with a 40mm Voigtlander. If I were to buy the Zf I’d pair with small pancake primes all the way.
My last lens purchase was the 135mm S Plena and I think this is ridiculous.
@@emilvonmaltitz would you recommend the voigtländer or rather go fort the nikon 26/28/40?
@@kilianvitt9132 if you want absolute image quality I suspect that the nikkors are actually better. The Voigtlander is an old design. I absolutely love it’s character (a euphemism for not being perfect maybe) but it’s really better suited to a film camera. When you put it on the FTZ adapter it isn’t nearly as small as the new primes designed for mirrorless.
I agree up to a point! You need the right tool for the right job! Primes are fantastic but for a camera like this ,(which I do own) which is very capable for various types of photography, primes are not always the way to go.
I also make a lot of panoramas. Often hand-held taken, and stitch with Hugin (free software). Often, everything is ok. But sometimes, I had this issue. I heard this word "parallax" but didn't knew what it was, and how to solve it. This was indeed with barrier, or geometric shapes, as you said. So thank's a lot, you've explained it very well, and gave the elements to solve this. Thanks again.
Thanks! Glad it made some sense. Hugin is really impressive for free software. I started with it years ago when I was a student.
Wow, really very good video.
Thanks Robert. Glad you enjoyed it.
I have a similar setup - got a leveling base for my MR Q as an option for panos. But since I don't do panoramas with problematic foregrounds, I usually don't bring the rail. About the 1/3 overlap - looks like you used a lot more in your example here though ;-) I usually use about 50% to be on the safe side.
😂 I don’t always practice what I preach I suppose. Yes, technically you don’t need a full third if shot properly, but I do tend to err on the side of caution.
@@emilvonmaltitz Same here. I usually take more photos than I need in the final edit if I have time.
I have been shooting panos for decades now, but left it for the past few years to travel and do wildlife photography. I have been toying around with my pano gear today and trying to figure out a puzzle. I have a D850 with a Nodal Ninja 5 and also 6. I attached a 14-24.. F2.8 to check the settings for the Nodal point were still correct at 14 and 24. What my issue is, is that when set to dead centre with a reference 1 meter away and the second 20 meters away, turning to the right, both references are rock steady and not moving, returning to the center again and moving to the left, the reference 20 meters away shifts to the right, but this only is happening on one side of the rotation. Any one got any clues please? Never experienced this before.
That’s a bit odd. There must be a misalignment somewhere, but for the life me I’m not sure where as it’s odd that you’ll get alignment on the one side, but not the other. One ‘horror’ scenario is that the lens has misaligned elements (unlikely, but it’s easy to tell… do you get a flat field of focus at infinity? Or is it in focus on one side and not perfectly on focus on the other?)
@@emilvonmaltitz thanks for the response. Off the panohead the lens is excellent. No issues at all with focusing or alignment. I will keep looking into it.
I've been following your channel since I've decided to commit to Capture One over Lr. Your videos are so easy to follow. Check out a Tourbox unit in terms of shortcuts. I use the Lite version which is very economically priced at £69. Like Capture One, it's very customisable using shortcuts. Adjusting settings in layers, opening layers, changing brush sizes, etc. is a breeze. Very useful in Ps, not as much in Lr. Comes pre loaded with settings for the main editing software packages but you can add actions or change whatever you like. It's a perfect addition to Capture One.
Good useful informatoin as always from your channel. Thank you so much for sharing ...
Awesome, glad you found it useful again. And thanks for watching!
What an informative video and so well explained and demonstrated. I do use folders with date, location but didn’t think about adding information into metadata and batch editing the raw files. I’ve neglected renaming to .CR3 and only named the editing .tif and .jpg (full and low res). I’m going to do that from now on in Bridge if it allows a batch edit on the name. I back up all my folders onto external ssd drives and an addition back up that’s kept on different premises… Your video is super clear on my TV screen. Look forward to the next one.
Thanks for watching! Yup, Bridge also has batch renaming. It works in a very similar fashion.
I’ve have started adding to the metadata and renaming in Adobe Bridge with success. Unfortunately I can’t batch rename using the fields I’ve added in the metadata like you demonstrated in Capture one but I can live with that. I wanted to create a template like you showed without having to add more info but not possible without the metadata fields. Apparently some people have created their own scripts. Thanks again Emil 👍🏼
Emil, This is a great video thanks. I really appreciate the information as I am finding it hard to come up with a good naming convention. Would you kindly do a detailed video on folder naming and why? Thanks again. Bryan
Thanks Bryan. I’ll add it to the list. I might even have a pdf on that floating around somewhere that I wrote a while back. Can try and find it for you if you’d like.
Wow, yes, the pdf would be awesome and helpful. Thanks Emil. Love your work. Thanks
@@Highviewsport1 I’m currently leading a workshop in Madagascar but will be back next week. Drop an email on [email protected] and I’ll see if I can find it when I get back. Cheers
I use Lightroom, but I guess it's basically the same thing - feeding the software with the best possible base materal so to speak 😊
Absolutely the same thing 👍 You’re 100% correct. Just give the software the best possible data with which to work.
Excellent explanation and although ideal, you acknowledged that you don’t absolutely need all that kit. I have a Nodal Ninja but tend to use my ball head on my levelling base most often.
Thanks Stephen. Yes, very often, if not most of the time the equipment isn’t necessary. I’ve used the full pano head on numerous occasions and for the vast majority of the time it’s complete overkill. Like you I usually just use my leveling base and nothing more.