Nikon Z fc Kit w/DX 16-50mm (SL) + DX 50-250mm,Black

This is a brand new mirrorless DX (APS-C) camera from Nikon (I think it was released in the UK 5 days ago) and I appear to be the first person to review it on Amazon. I have only had the camera for a few hours and have not had any chance to really test it other than some quick and simple test shots that show the EVF is great, the autofocus is good and vibration reduction is very good. I have the kit version with the DX 16-50 and DX 50-250 lenses. Much of this camera is about the aesthetics so that is what I want to talk about. Many people will buy this camera because of its retro aesthetics and that is one of the reasons I bought it. So let’s consider the aesthetics. If you love 1980’s film cameras then this is undoubtedly a beautiful camera but on first handling there is no doubt that the outer coating is obviously made of plastic. Particularly disconcerting is the rather flimsy feeling plastic base plate and battery compartment door on the base plate. I’m sure Nikon have tested this and I’m sure my concerns are unfounded but I’d prefer to feel a more sturdy base as I often steady a camera by resting it on its base which could, in this case, lead to heavy scratching (not good for the aesthetics in the long term) or breakage. Apparently the chassis is built from magnesium alloy and whilst the camera is refreshingly light, apart from the base plate, it does feel reassuringly robust. The Z fc is reportedly based on the Nikon FM2 (I believe). I do not own an FM2 but I do own an FM, an FE and an FM3 and they are all pretty similar in build, design and layout and the FM2 does not differ in any significant way from any of these cameras which are all very similar in body design. But the truth is that it is closer in design to the original FE range of bodies than the FM range: the FM3 was actually an upgraded FE - I don't know why Nikon decided to use the FM designation. Whilst the Z fc does a good job of replicating the FM and FE range models it falls short in a few ways. Firstly, the controls on the top right-hand side are too bunched together. Measuring this against an original FE body I discovered the FE right-hand top panel is a full 5mm wider than that of the Z fc. Why did Nikon just not make the camera 5mm wider and space the controls out a bit more? This would have looked a lot better and I also think it would have provided better grip and made this camera easier to hold. On the left-hand top plate I feel the ISO dial is located too far in towards the “pentaprism”. I’d prefer to have it further out and swap over the “MASP” locater indicators so that they are on the inside between the dial and the “pentaprism” as this would more accurately capture the position of the FE rewind lever and ISO dial. The camera has two great command dials in addition to the dials on the top plate. And full marks to Nikon for making the front command dial a proper dial not opting for the stupid front dial they put on the Df (which is an excellent camera that I use regularly - but that front dial drives me nuts). I was a bit surprised to find the 16-50mm kit lens is silver, I’d have preferred the black version but after a few hours I am beginning to get used to it. But be warned – it is silver! Both kit lenses are great to use. They are DX lenses, not full frame lenses but I think for £1 249.00 this is a great deal on Amazon. Basically you get, in the box, a range from 16-250mm full frame which translates to 28-375mm APS-C which is pretty good for this price. As I said, this camera is very much about the aesthetics and replicating classic cameras of the 1980s and if you are not interested in this then this is probably not the camera for you. Modern digital cameras provide all the functionality you require without placing any dials on the top plate, these dials are only there for people like me who long for the film camera layouts we grew up with. These traditional layouts lasted from the late 1960s with the Introduction of the Nikon F through the life of the Nikon F3. Things changed drastically with the introduction of the Nikon F4 which has lead to the more familiar design of most digital cameras today. Unless you are an enthusiast, you really don’t need all these dials on top. On size and weight The Nikon Z fc weighs up just about equally to my Olympus OMD EM5 III but the Nikon is APS-C and the Olympus is micro-four-thirds. But the Olympus has much better image stabilisation and is much better weather sealed. However, the Nikon is much easier to use and has a much better touch screen. I really wish that Nikon would make the 28mm f2.8 SE full frame lens available for purchase outside the kit. I’d really like to have this lens if only because it makes the Nikon Z fc look stunningly cool and after all, that is very much what this camera is about. In summary, on my extremely brief exposure, as a camera collector, an enthusiastic amateur photographer and devotee of Nikon for over 40 years I already love this camera. Several weeks later, this is a great camera. If you are worried about the grip, buy the SmallRig grip available on Amazon, it is brilliant! In addition to providing grip it also protects the underside of the camera with a full steel plate. I love it. Update 2022-01-20: I happened on a site on Amazon selling 3 x 28mm F2.8 SE lenses and bought one thinking this could be a rip-off as I understood the lens was not being made available in the UK. I received my lens yesterday and it is great. It is a marvellous addition to the kit lenses that came with the camera and really makes the camera look great. From an aesthetic point, I am still not comfortable with the silver kit lens that came in the original kit - it should be black. A little publicised feature that should interest all those who love this retrograde camera style is that you can turn the manual lens focus ring on the Z lenses to be an aperture ring on the Zfc. This is really cool and works amazingly well. It works on all three Z lenses that I have, but it does not work using the ftz converter to attach older lenses even when they have actual aperture rings and electronic connections (they work fine on the Df), which is a bit of a shame. But I love this, as I now have a shutter speed dial and an aperture ring on my Nikon Zfc in a way that is only supported on digital cameras elsewhere by Fujifilms X-T camera system - a great system by-the -way.

As a longlife fan of Nikon cameras, I honestly couldn't wait to get my hand on this camera. I started shooting manually back in the mid-eighties and since then I'm missed taken photos with my manual gear. I know modern DSLR cameras have manual settings and I do use them but there's something very special about the look of an old style camera. The Zfc is 'it'. I've now used it for a little over three weeks and have yet to find any faults or flaws with it. I'm honestly not even missing the 'grip' (one of the most talked-about issues for some camera people). I have small hands and the camera isn't very heavy - maybe this helps matters. The lenses are great and I am ready to shoot for whatever my needs are. At the moment it's mainly local non-league football (or soccer, if you prefer). To be fair, it's not always about what camera you are shooting with - to take a good image takes some knowledge about how light and speed works - but this camera does the job very nicely. I am able to shoot fast images at even low lights and photographs are still coming out sharp. The 16-50mm lens takes stunning portraits but I will probably invest in a 35mm prime lens at some point. The ONLY issue is the lack of Nikon batteries. As I am working with my camera, I always want to carry, at least, one spare. Having failed at getting my hands on one from a Nikon retailer (and Nikon themselves), I was forced to splurge out just over £100 for a second battery. But this is not a fault with the camera. One full charge lasts me a good 90 minutes of continuous shooting. I love the design of the camera and I love how it performs. A win-win, I'd say.

There's nothing to dislike about this camera. Based on the legendary FM2 which I used for ten years throughout the 1980s, but with all the latest technology, it looks good and feels good in the hands, plus it takes sharp, well saturated images.

Good value from a great Nikon mirrorless camera. Works like any other Nikon and performs great.

Nothing to dislike good for general photography not to heavy

Surprisingly good and as it is lighter and smaller than my big Canons, more likely to be with me when I spot a photo opportunity! At the end of the day that is what I was after. I do a lot of walking and like to take landscape and wildlife pictures. However to get good quality images of roe deer for example you need a long (and usually heavy), lens. My Canon 5D and my 100-400 Canon lens are a great combination but I rarely had them with me when I wanted them as they are just so heavy to lug around. I have a canon G7x MkII and that is usually with me along with my iPhone, however neither can capture really good quality images of animals or birds a long way off. The Nikon fc is a little bulkier than perhaps I would have liked but it certainly is going to fit easily into in my backpack on walks and at a weight I can easily carry. The jpg image taken here was shot with the 50-250mm lens fully extended and hand held and then cropped. Detail is good, even the dark area around the rim of the eye has been recorded well. I like the dials on the top of the camera, both the way they feel in operation and also simply because I am happier with them than trying to set ISO, shutter speed etc on an LCD screen. Electronic viewfinder is excellent - it is one of my gripes with the Canon G7X Mk ii which only has an LCD screen. I need a viewfinder in bright weather conditions! All in all a really great little system and a particular bargain if you buy the kit with the 18-50mm and 50-250mm lenses included.

Sadly, what should have been the best ever purchase of a top notch camera has been totally ruined by finding out that it DOES NOT HAVE an option to SELF CLEAN the sensor. Apparently Nikon have dropped this option from the Z range for no apparent reason that anyone can see..( Except maybe to commit purchasers to returning it to Nikon for internal cleaning ...... AT A COST... a big cost if my past experience is to go by.) THINK TWICE if you buy this with the intention of regularly changing lenses. Dust is omni-present and totally ruins up the final photographic quality of this otherwise brilliant machine.

Le boîtier est très bon et le 16-50 est bon mais manque cruellement de luminosité, bien que compensée par la bonne montée en iso du boîtier Ce dernier est compact mais la prise en main délicate je lui est adjoint une poignée gripp trouvée sur ce site Très content de mon investissement

Tolle Kamera die öfters genutzt wird mir gefällt das sie lichtstark ist was man aber meiner Meinung nach beachten muß ist das sie keinen Bildstabilisator hat und dieser nur durch dx objektive vorhanden ist. Was kein Nachteil aber dennoch zu erwähnen ist das das teleim Set leider ein französisches model war und dadurch die Nikon objektiv Garantie nicht greift.

Una cámara estilo retro pero con toda la tecnología actual, es una cámara preciosa, es como tener la famosa NIKON FM2. La batería dura mucho, no sabría decir cuanto exáctamente pero con dos baterias puedes ir tranquilo a cualquier evento. La pantalla abatible se puede cerrar, lo que ayuda a gastar menos batería, es táctil y totalmente orientable hacia cualquier ángulo.

Ottima macchina fotografica

Por el momento no le encuentro pegas, por decir algo, la ergonomía podría ser mejor, pero eso le restaría portabilidad, que es uno de los motivos que me llevo a comprarla. La calidad de imagen es muy buena, la batería es suficiente para una jornada y como puedes cargarla por usb con una powerbank ni llevo baterías extra. La he usado en viajes, paseos e incluso fotografía deportiva y el enfoque es muy bueno. En general estoy encantado y aunque la estética no trabaja, es de museo.