NIKON Z FC

Nikon’s first retro-themed Z-mount camera

- Mike Harris & Ben Andrews

www.nikon.co.uk £899/$959

With the likes of Fujifilm, Olympus and Leica cashing in on the retro camera style for years, the time has come (again) for Nikon to follow suit, this time in the form of the Nikon Z fc.

We say ‘again’ because it wasn’t so long ago that Nikon tried the same thing, with the Df in 2013. However, while the Df was was a full-frame DSLR camera, the new Z fc is an APS-C Z-mount mirrorless model. The Z fc is also specced to be a better all-round camera than the Df ever was, in an effort to make it just as versatile as its conventionally styled rivals, only with more visual appeal.

Anyone who remembers the Df will spot similar styling cues on the Z fc. It sports the iconic and achingly handsome looks of the Nikon FM series of 1980s 35mm film SLRs, wrapped around Nikon’s latest APS-C mirrorless technologies. That’s not to say the Z fc’s tech is all new, though. This is more of a re-skin of Nikon’s existing Z 50 – although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the Z 50 is a great camera in its own right.

1 The Z fc has twin recessed control dials: one on the front, and another on the back.

2 The flat-fronted body looks stylish, but it doesn’t give your hand much of a grip.

3 Even now, Nikon only makes two native DX Nikkor Z lenses. This is the 16-50mm kit lens.

4 The rear screen is on a pull-out vari-angle hinge, unlike the tilt-only screen on the Nikon Z 50.

5 The 2.36 million-dot EVF isn’t the highest-resolution by any means, but it’s perfectly adequate.