Z fc - the thread

[ColinM]

I'm about to travel a bit in Europe and had decided against taking my D500 with me.
Mainly to cut down on size & weight, but also to avoid having a clearly identifiable camera on me.

Seeing comments on the zfc made me wonder if this might solve this problem as well as easing me into the Z world.

This is maybe a stupid question but, if they don't have a pentaprism, why do the Z range still carry the pyramid on the top?
If it was more rectangular like the "compact" cameras of the past, I might have considered one as an unobtrusive carry-around camera.

[Birna Rørslett]

Even an EVF needs optics to function as a traditional viewfinder using the rear monitor makes for more awkward handling of the camera + lens, plus it can be hard to see in bright daylight.

[Kenneth Rich]

Colin, you are probably away on your European jaunt now, and have made your choice of a travel camera; what camera did you buy for the trip?  I sincerely hope it was the tiny, almost  pocketable Zfc or something bigger?  As a Zfc owner, I can say I'd do it over again if faced with this quandary and it would be a toss up between my Df and my Zfc, were I to travel again, but identifiability would not be part of the decision.

[ColinM]

Hi Kenneth, as it happens I've just travelled back today.

No I didn't buy any new gear and just took my phone.
And of course, saw so many photogenic scenes & subjects!

[Birna Rørslett]

Next time, perhaps just the Z fc and the neat Voigtländer 35mm f/1.2 Nokton? a splendid and versatile combination.

[Kenneth Rich]

Birna, is this lens available in Z mount?

[Birna Rørslett]

Oh yes, very much so. And endearing , too. It has full electronic communication to the camera. The lens is DX, but works well on my Z9. Plenty of examples in the NG Skye/Glen Elg thread.

(I got Grays of Westminster, London to ship the lens to Killin, Scotland so I could pick it up en route to Skye)

[Greg L]

Very nice looking camera lens combination!  Being an old Nikon FE and FM3a user, plus a current Df with MF lens fanatic, this combo really resonates with me and I almost purchased this exact setup. Decided to stay full frame though and purchased a Nikon USA refurbished Z6 instead.  For now will go with adapted F mount MF Nikkors and Voigtlanders.  The newly announced Voigtlander Z mount 50mm F/2 APO Lanthar looks like it would be the ultimate 50mm MF lens for my Z6 albeit a bit pricey. We’ll see - may not be able to resist another GAS attack. 

[RobOK]

I had a a Zfc for less than a day and found the grip to minimal (I added a grip to my Df).

Are there grip solutions for the Zfc?

Is there word on what is next for the DX line of Z camera?

[Kenneth Rich]

For Greg L it is the Z-6 or/and neck strap?

[Frank Fremerey]

For me this camera is even more crammed than the Df. No space, nothing to rest my fingers or my eyes on. A FM-D I would buy with no more than the dials and buttons absolutely necessary. Leica created a series of Cameras in that style. I would not even need a display (+3 dioptrien do not help here) and a JPEG engine would not be necessary too. Just RAWs on the street and develop at home as in the olden days. A necessary check and peek and menu operations could be done inside the EVF if necessary, but I only use that for very difficult situations (windy macro ;-) or for FW Updates and general Setup.

[Birna Rørslett]

We are different and for me, the Z fc is just about perfect in its handling.

[Kenneth Rich]

Birna, may I borrow from you? "We are different, ( Frank,) and for me the Z fc (and Df are) just about perfect. . . "

[Greg L]

@Kenneth.    Haha yes. Z6 with a leather strap from Urth. Also Urth Dumb adapter Nikon F to Z, Leica M to Z or Contax G to Z depending which lens I use. These three adapters I mentioned above just arrived in the mail. So far they fit and operate very nicely.
Great that we all can go “digital Leica M” or “digital Contax G” with all these Z cameras !

Eventually will probably buy the FTZ II for my current and future MF Voigtlanders that are chipped lenses. In the meantime, turns out I like using the real aperture ring on my MF Nikkors in combo with Z6 EVF.  I’m not going to bother getting my huge stable of MF Nikkors chipped.  I think I can live with the damn “F--“.  If I understand correctly with the FTZ II and the chipped Voigtlanders I will have to set the lens to the minimum aperture in order to control the aperture from the camera, display the f stop value in the EVF and record it to EXIF.  That will be nice but I won’t be able to operate the aperture ring. Boo. Since my DSLRs have an aperture feeler, I can set up the camera (via a menu setting) to control the MF chipped lenses via the camera sub command dial or the aperture ring. Even my F6 SLR allows me to do this ! Oh well. Not a big deal.

Now that I pulled the trigger on the Z6,  Nikon will probably come out with a full frame Zf. Then what will I do !   

[Greg L]

I noticed while lusting over the Voigtlander Z 50MM F/2 APO Lanthar that all the Z mount MF  Voigtlanders have a dedicated metal aperture ring. I’m assuming these will be able to control aperture directly rather than having to set the aperture to minimum setting and control aperture via the camera. If that is the case, this is going to be very bad for my bank savings account balance !