Nikon's full-frame Z f mirrorless camera is all vintage swag

Old-school camera fans rejoice because Nikon has finally dropped its vintage-inspired Z f mirrorless camera.

If you're sick and tired of looking for the Fujifilm X100V or are dissatisfied with Nikon's Z fc, all those troubles end now. The full-frame sensor Z f has the vintage aesthetic down pat-the iconic silhouette manifested in a magnesium body and finished in a glossy black, with a pragmatic grip for comfort when using larger lenses.

The dials are made from brass as well. Throw in the compact NIKKOR 40mm f/2 lens, and you might just forget that X100V, if the specs are anything to go by.

Indeed, more importantly, the Z f has features you'd want in a modern street photography camera. It is the first full-frame Nikon camera to have a vari-angle screen and incorporate focus point VR. And finally, Nikon Z users can change settings with the touch-operation screen.

The new Z f sports the same EXPEED 7 image processing engine from the flagship Nikon Z 9 and features enhanced Vibration Reduction (VR) performance of up to eight stops. On top of that, focus point VR suppresses blur near the focus point.

The Z f also enjoys improved AF performance with an increased number of AF points within the auto-area AF, and you can have continuous shooting at maximum speed regardless of AF-area mode. The AF-area mode features 3D-tracking for photos and subject-tracking for videos.

The AF can now detect human faces as small as three per cent in size, which is as small as you can go. You can also focus in low light settings down to -10 EV.

Another new feature comes in the form of pixel-shift shooting, which is the process of shooting multiple NEF (RAW) images while shifting the image sensor using the in-camera VR. NX Studio can merge these files to create a high-definition image with increased resolution and improved colour reproduction, and, simultaneously, reduce moire, false colour and noise. 

Video-wise, the Z f can record in 4K60p (cropped) with a 125-minute recording limit and 6K oversampling (max. 4K30p). It supports H.265 10-bit recording with N-Log/HLG format support. The Z f also sports a helpful feature called Video S mode, which lets you control auto exposure with a fixed shutter speed; it is handy when the lighting is constantly changing.

And given its street photography leanings, it would be remiss if it did not have some " filter'' or processing options. In this case, Nikon has added a dedicated monochrome selector with three variations: "Regular monochrome," Flat monochrome" and "Deep Tone Monochrome". There's also a Rich-tone portrait setting that enriches the photo while retaining the skin details of your subjects.

Local availability and prices for the Nikon Z f have not been finalised yet, but the international price is US$1,996.95 (approx. $2,730/RM9,376).

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This article was first published in Potions.sg.