Quick Verdict
A terrific small APS-C format camera that delivers the goods and offers a multitude of dials and buttons to allow access to all the main functions. Add gorgeous retro styling and lenses to match, and we end up with something that many photographers will find very appealing indeed. It speaks volumes that after an extensive review of the kit, it still hits the spot that says “I want” regardless of the question of whether or not “I need”, but the quality and handling are there as well. It all adds up to a very desirable bit of kit.
+ Pros
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- Cons
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Nikon has done this before, and the retro-styled DF was a 16.2MP full-frame DSLR that aspired to hit just the same spot that the new Nikon Z fc does. The first thing to notice is of course the inescapable retro styling, and Nikon users from the 1970s onwards will clock the details immediately. We are fortunate to have here two of the Nikon Z fc kits. The SE kit includes the amazing Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8, and the zoom kit includes the equally impressive Nikkor Z 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3. Let's see how we fare as we test out the two camera bodies along with the two lenses.
Nikon Z fc APS-C Mirrorless Camera Features
The most obvious feature is the retro design, and of course the number of dials and switches that give the camera that firmly traditional feel. Nikon SLR users will be totally at home. However, under the skin, this is a modern mirrorless design, featuring a 20.9MP CMOS sensor, an OLED EVF with 2,360,000 dots and a 3-inch monitor with 1,040,000 dots. It is compact, weighing in at a very modest 445g. The dials and controls are finely machined Aluminium, and this reflects the high overall quality of construction. There is no weather sealing and no built-in VR (Vibration Reduction). The latter depends upon the lens in use.
Looking at the front of the camera we have a dial to set the aperture and the lens release catch. There is also a small button that by default is set to WB, placed rather unfortunately where it can be accidentally pressed every time the camera is brought into shooting position. The saving grace is that no settings are altered unless the command dial is moved as well. The Nikon Z mount has a 55mm wide internal diameter and this is helpful in the design of wide-aperture lenses. It also has a very short flange distance of 16mm, enabling the design of very slim mirrorless cameras whilst making the correction of lens aberrations easier. The FTZ adapter enables the use of Nikon F mount DSLR lenses, perhaps subject to some limitations depending on the lens. For the purposes of this review, the lens mainly used is the Nikkor Z 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3, a retractable design already fully reviewed.
The top plate has most of the analogue style controls. Starting at the left as we look down at the camera, we have the ISO dial, with its press button lock, showing the full range of values up to ISO 51200. H1 and H2 give access to the extended range up to ISO 204800, but as always these higher values are of doubtful quality. Around the ISO dial is the mode selector.
Moving to the right, across the imitation pentaprism shape with its traditional leatherette finish, we reach the shutter speed dial. Around this is the lever selecting still photography or video. The main on/off switch surrounds the shutter release button, a most logical place for speed and ease of use. A convenient dial adjusts exposure compensation, compact camera style, and this is again a most useful placement for routine adjustments. A small window displays the aperture in use, but sadly it is of little practical value as its display is all but impossible to see. Finally, a small red button starts and stops video recording. This is not quite as stable to use as the shutter release would have been, but practice helps to avoid shaky starts. The upside is that even in video mode the camera will take still pictures in the usual way, albeit at video resolution. So no sudden unexpected events need be missed.
Connectivity is assured via WiFi or Bluetooth, and in addition, there is the SnapBridge App for smartphones that enables backup and sharing of images. The camera can even be used as a high-class webcam with the free Nikon Webcam Utility software. This is downloadable from the Nikon website.
The rear of the camera has an excellent 3-inch vari-angle screen that can be used facing backwards or forwards for the inevitable selfies. The controls are standard Nikon, all very logical and well placed, subject of course to the small dimensions of the camera body. Notable is the i menu button that gives instant access to the main parameters that we might want to frequently adjust.
Key Features
- 20.9MP CMOS APS-C format DX sensor
- EXPEED 6 processing engine
- 12-bit or 14-bit RAW capture
- ISO range 100-51,200 (expandable by 2 stops)
- Meter range -4 to +17 EV
- vari-angle monitor
- 4K Video
- WiFi (2.4 GHz)/ Bluetooth
- 209 AF points
- Hybrid AF with -4.5 - +19 EV range
- EN-EL25 battery
- SD cards (plus UHS-I compliant SDHC, SDXC)
- 11 fps
- Shutter speeds 30s - 1/4000s
- OLED EVF with 100% frame coverage
Nikon Z fc APS-C Mirrorless Camera Handling
The initial impression is of a beautifully made, highly authentic retro-designed camera that has the major advantage (apart from nostalgia) of having hands-on analogue control of virtually all the major functions. This can be so much more efficient than having to delve into menus. The upshot of this is that in common with many small mirrorless designs, it can be all too easy to accidentally press buttons and change settings without realising. This may initially be annoying, but the answer is familiarity. The advantages of the design do outweigh the disadvantages.
In a practical sense, all the functions are readily accessible and the handling is logical. AF is very fast and accurate, as well as being virtually silent. Features such as Eye-AF work seamlessly. With a sensitivity extending right down to -4EV, low light work is no problem.
Switch on time has only the slightest of delays, so the camera can be brought into use in one action, the on/off switch being a collar around the shutter release. This one-handed action means that by the time the camera is raised to eye level, it is ready to go. The EVF is a very detailed OLED and its 1.02x magnification gives a relaxed and easy on the eyes view. The monitor is a touch screen, although this can be switched off if desired, and there is a sensor provided to allow auto-switching between EVF and monitor. This too can be switched off.
A day's shooting is no problem, with the EN-EL25 battery delivering approximately 310 shots when using the EVF and 360 shots when using the monitor. It is always a good idea though to have a second battery on hand. A charger is provided, a convenient design that plugs into a power socket directly without the need for any trailing cable. An optional charger cable for in-camera charging is available.
Nikon Z fc APS-C Mirrorless Camera Performance
The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Nikon Z fc Sample Photos
Sample Photos - Shooting this review with two identical camera bodies enabled a look at the consistency of manufacture, and the feel, operation and general quality of the two cameras can be clearly seen to be absolutely identical. There is no variance in manufacturing, the quality is very high.
There are results from two lenses, the Nikkor Z 28mm f/2.8 SE and the Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR, both fully reviewed at the same time as the camera body. Results are very pleasing, with good, bright colours, accurate skin tones, sharp, well-exposed images and excellent low light performance as well.
Nikon Z fc ISO test images
ISO Noise Performance - ISO performance is sound and fully usable up to ISO1600, with ISO 3200 still putting in a very acceptable level of performance. It then slowly falls off until by ISO12800 we are really only looking at emergency use, where some image is deemed to be better than no image.
Nikon Z fc White-balance test images
White Balance Performance - 8 White Balance options are available, of which, almost all perform well with just Incandescent and Fluorescent having a blue cast. Shade is also on the warm side, too. AWB in natural light performs excellently.
Nikon Z fc Digital filters
Digital Filters - There is a wide range of options under the Picture Control menu. This is split into two, the first section covering Auto (the camera chooses), Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape and Flat. Much of these results can be achieved using Photoshop, but the in-camera options do work well, and the Monochrome option, in particular, can be very useful in concentrating the creative mind to shoot without colour right from the point of capture. This is quite a different mindset from shooting in colour and then converting to monochrome later.
The second section is titled Creative Picture Control, being what others might call Digital Filters. We have Dream, Morning, Pop, Sunday, Sombre, Dramatic, Silence, Bleached, Melancholic, Pure, Denim, Toy, Sepia, Blue, Red, Pink, Charcoal, Graphite, Binary and Carbon. A positively dizzying range of alternatives, and well worth spending a little time exploring.
Video - In video mode, battery life is quoted at 80 minutes, using either the EVF or monitor. Video is smooth and looks really good, although the use of a tripod probably makes viewing rather more relaxing for an audience. The shakiest part is starting and stopping the video, and here the separate button is not that well placed for stability. If shooting with the 16-50mm the VR (Vibration Reduction) is available for both stills and video. As mentioned, the camera will still shoot stills even when in video mode, using the shutter release.
Sound quality is excellent. Background noise is generally well suppressed, but the mike is sensitive and it is very easy to pick up even the photographer's breathing if the video is shot using the EVF. The camera itself does not contribute much by way of operational noise, so does not intrude.
Video is shot using MOV and MP4 file formats and compression is H.264/MPEG-4. Resolution is 4K (3840x2160px) or HD (1920x1080px). Vloggers may well like the reversible monitor screen, the Nikon Webcam Utility software (available for download) and there is even a Vloggers kit soon to be available. This will comprise the Z fc with 16-50mm lens, plus a Sennheiser on-camera directional microphone with wind protection and a Smallrig tripod grip. There is a Nikon ML-17 remote control included and this fits in a magnetic recess on the grip.
You can view additional videos captured with the cameras and smartphones we've reviewed over on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel.
Nikon Z fc With Nikkor Z 28mm And 16-50mm Lenses
Value For Money
The Nikon Z fc body only is priced at £899. We might add the FTZ adapter to that at £269, and then the option of using Nikon F lenses is secured.
There are a few kits available in the UK and the Nikon website lists a number of alternative colours for the leatherette finish for the body only option. As well as black, already available, there are soon to be released White, Natural Grey, Sand Beige, Coral Pink, Mint Green and Amber Brown.
The Z fc 28/2.8 SE kit is the only way to obtain the very nice full-frame compatible 28mm f/2.8 retro-styled lens in the UK, although the lens is available separately in the USA. This kit is priced at £1129.
- The Z fc 16-50 SL kit includes the Special Edition silver finish 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 lens and is priced at £1039.
- The Z fc kit with 16-50mm and 50-250mm lenses is priced T £1249.
- The Z fc Vlogging kit, detailed in the video section above, will soon be available at £1169.
This all looks like a very attractive proposition that's very fairly priced.
You'll also need to buy a (large) memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.
Nikon Z fc APS-C Mirrorless Camera Verdict
As always, there is the conflict of interests involved in seeing a product that “I want” as well as considering "I need", and the Nikon Z fc very definitely falls into the highly desirable category of "I want". It looks gorgeous, and the bonus is that it also handles superbly well and performs impeccably. There is an absolute cornucopia of options within the camera, and when we download the full manual then it fills to the brim the 624 pages.
It is of course a personal choice, but the two lenses reviewed with the camera are both something special and well worth having. They are likely to cost significantly less when purchased as part of a kit.
There are of course disadvantages too, such as a shorter battery life than most DSLRs, some controls that are too easy to engage and no weather resistance, but these may be outweighed by the delight at using a very fine camera design that not only performs well but is also probably smaller and lighter than many alternative designs, especially DSLRs.
'Editor's Choice' is the inevitable conclusion.
| Gorgeous retro design, with great handling and fantastic results. |
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