So, the ZF ...

[Snoogly]

Sad news that Voigtlander have just discontinued the Nikon Z 50 f2 APO and the 35 f2 APO lenses.

Why!?!! One must ask! :-(

[pluton]

I bought my 35/2 Apo used, so I didn't help them.

[aerobat]

If anyone is looking for a good bag for the ZF - I use the Lowepro GearUp Creator Box II L.
The ZF and eg an SB-500 flash or second lens fit perfectly.
I really like this system for which Lowepro also offer a small backpack to stuff the camera modules plus eg a jacket.
The Creator Box II XL even takes my D850 and two lenses in a most compact way.

[Fons Baerken]

My surprise i noticed issues with autofocus, eye detection is near perfect, yet bright lights and objects upset the system easily. In fact even in manual mode the focus is not always correct. Never had this with any other camera.
Something else i taped the a/m switch on the z lenses to prevent it from moving to the manual position which it easily does.
Oh well i live with it, and adjusted accordingly!

Added: also in heavy rain and humid condition the af system needs a manual override.

[Ian Watson]

May I recommend applying a thread locking compound to the soft shutter release, AR-11? I just did to my second.

[Hugh_3170]

Sadly I have noticed that with other Voigtlaender products as well as these two.

Sad news that Voigtlander have just discontinued the Nikon Z 50 f2 APO and the 35 f2 APO lenses.

Why!?!! One must ask! :-(

[aerobat]

My surprise i noticed issues with autofocus, eye detection is near perfect, yet bright lights and objects upset the system easily. In fact even in manual mode the focus is not always correct. Never had this with any other camera.
Something else i taped the a/m switch on the z lenses to prevent it from moving to the manual position which it easily does.
Oh well i live with it, and adjusted accordingly!

Added: also in heavy rain and humid condition the af system needs a manual override.

Hi Fons, haven't noticed this behavior yet - is this only in face detection mode or also in say single point?

[Fons Baerken]

Daniel, I have the af on wide -L with all detections on, under certain conditions, like strong reflections, strong lights, atmospheric weather conditions, notice the system gets thrown off.

[aerobat]

Many thanks Fons, assuming the Zf features similar sensor hardware to Z6 and Z6ii the issues should be fixable by a new firmware.

[Snoogly]

May I recommend applying a thread locking compound to the soft shutter release, AR-11? I just did to my second.

I use the small red ones designed for Fuji cameras. On Fujis you need to use the tiny rubber gasket to keep it in place, but in theory it is not needed on other cameras. But on my ZF it falls off with gay abandon.

Although the ‘expert’ advice is not to use threadlock on soft shutter releases, from now on I will!

[Birna Rørslett]

I have adorned my Zf with a bright red soft release button, and it is secured by Loctite. The future will show for how long it survives before getting lost.

[Fons Baerken]

Still experiencing focus issues with the Zf...

I came across similar findings in a review by Dustin Abbott.

My only complaint for stills is that on a few occasions when shooting landscapes that focus would randomly jump right at capture to the very front of the frame, leaving most of the scene out of focus even when shooting at smaller apertures like F5.6

https://dustinabbott.net/2024/07/nikkor-z-40mm-f2-review

for instance

[Birna Rørslett]

Interesting, this might be a bug in the firmware. Have you noticed anything similar with other Z Nikkors on the Zf?  I do use my 40/2 mainly on the Z5 and haven't seen this refocusing issue there to the best of my knowledge.

[Fons Baerken]

It looks like a programming issue, which started last months, the zf firmware 1.20 is from april 30.

Wider lenses and smaller apertures seem most prone to the issue.
 
I have a few options to try, the Z35mm f/1.8S is my most used lens.

Reinstalling the latest firmware, try the 35 on a different Z body. At last notify Nikon for assistance.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Still experiencing focus issues with the Zf...

I came across similar findings in a review by Dustin Abbott.

https://dustinabbott.net/2024/07/nikkor-z-40mm-f2-review

for instance

Which autofocus area mode was used when this happens?