So… That Nikon Zf…

<ahem> I want it. I want it. I want it.

What stands in the way?

After many years of gear churn, I have landed on a primary digital kit that meets my every need. Otherwise, this would have been a shut up and take my money affair.

Why am I tempted?

It’s purdy and looks the vintage part. Especially with the also faux vintage 40mm.

More importantly, I hear it meets the build requirements missed on the “Looks the part but feels like a toy in hand.” APS-C Nikon Zfc.Yes, please with a side of take my money.

I even worked out my must have kit to make it work.

Two bodies:

Nikon Zf
- Naturally. Would replace the Sony A7C.
Nikon Z7II
- The least costly option to get me in the performance and MP neighborhood of the Sony A7RV.
- The Z8 would be nice, but I could easily make do with the Z7II.

Lighting:

Two Nikon Godox V1s.
- Would likely keep my Sony V1s since they can be triggered universally.
Two Nikon Godox triggers.
The off-camera lights can stay.
- Godox strobes are brand agnostic thankfully.

Minimum lens lineup:

Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8
- Without this newly announced for Nikon Z lens on the table I would never consider a switch from Sony.
Z 40mm f/2
- To replace the FE 40mm f/2.5 I am quite smitten with.
Z 50mm f/1.2…
- Not sure about this one. I have grown quite accustomed to the Sony FE 50mm f/1.2. But the Nikon option is quite the bus in comparison.

That is about it. I have other Sony lenses that are a like to have rather than a have to have so they could be added to the trade heap.

But when the GAS haze clears in addition to it making no sense that I trade what I have there are other issues.

I rather like my current setup. Especially my little A7C/40mm set up and A7RV and 50mm f/1.2.

61MP will be hard to give up, even if the Z7II is in the same ballpark.
It would leave me without a compact full frame rig. The APS-C Zfc is larger than the A7C and the Zf will be even larger.
Legacy glass adapters would need to be repurchased and others have no Nikon equivalent like the Franken-blad.
What if I do this and regret it? I have a setup now that I know I like. Trading it for what I think or hope I will like makes little sense. I would take a financial bath on a trade with fewer pieces, all for a retro vibe that I may not like as much as what I had.

In summary, this has no place in a discussion of GAS, but a switch would make no sense. Functionally this would be a net loss.

The Zf is still a great camera and I am glad they made it. Clean slate I might consider it. If I were already using Nikon I would have already bought it. But now that I have settled in nicely with Sony?

Nope.

Nice try Nikon. You have now come closer than any other brand. But I do not even have any of the film Nikon’s around to draw me in.

Nikon F3. Beautiful camera, but long gone after the great SLR culling of 2019. (Things got way out of hand.)

Not really. My bargain priced Contax 137 MA Quartz is holding down the all black “Darth Vader, your SLR is ready.” corner of my much smaller analog herd.