kaminobatto

This camera is my first ever mirrorless camera and a great entry to the mirrorless photography world. I bought the kit mostly for the matching aesthetics of the kit 16-55mm lens. Starting with the body, the camera feels a bit on the lighter side for my taste but nonetheless feels great in my hand. For those used to shooting with old school 80's cameras, something will feel instantly familiar with this body (as I was handling it, I could not but help notice the smile I had on my face!). The ISO, exposure compensation, and shutter speed dials are in the right place and easy to access while you're shooting without having to move your eye from the EVF. The ISO dial is secured in place with a manual lock mechanism that requires a push of a button at the center of the dial to release and change your settings. The shutter speed dial, however, moves freely from 4 seconds all the way to 1/4000 seconds, and locks at 1/3 step, flash sync (X), time (T), and bulb (B) modes where you have to hold the button at the center of the dial to move between the different modes. The exposure compensation dial is to the right of the shutter speed dial, and while not secured with a locking mechanism, it shows good resistance when you move it so no worries of changing that by mistake when you're fiddling with the shutter speed dial.

The camera, of course, has full auto functionality in case you prefer that, but where's the fun in that? My guess is that if you're buying this either for nostalgia or just for the attractive retro look, you might as well make use of these manual features to have the full experience. Despite having it for over a couple of weeks now, I still haven't tried any of the auto features so I cannot comment on them.

Moving to the kit lens, the 16-50mm is quite a useful range for general purpose photography (since this is a DX camera, this focal range translates to 24-75mm). It's wide enough at the wide end for landscape, urban, and group photo use and long enough for portraiture at the narrow end; however, don't expect great bokeh as the aperture becomes 6.3 at the 50mm end, and even wide open this lens is quite dark for portraiture (3.5 aperture is as low as it gets). The lens does show some focus breathing; however, it's quite minimal and will not have an impact on your work if you're using it for video. The focal length and focus adjustment rings are smooth and de-clicked (not my preference for a retro feel though), and the focus ring can be programed to act as an aperture ring if you'd like to do so.

The lens is very compact, and this is due to a cool design trick, it's retractable! So before you start shooting, the camera will ask you to move the focal length adjustment ring for the lens to pop out and become usable, a neat design trick to keep things compact, especially if the camera is sitting in a small bag. I haven't done any pixel peeping on my PC screen, but the lens seems to be fairly sharp in the middle with no noticeable softening to the naked eye on the edges of the frame. I also haven't noticed any visible barrel distortion, color fringing, chromatic aberration, ghosting, or flaring at any of the different focal lengths I tested even when I zoomed in using the camera's LCD screen. However, bear in mind that the camera automatically corrects such phenomena, and the resolution (20.9 megapixel) is not very demanding and won't expose many faults in any case. Lastly, I did test the lens focus speed and I am very pleased with how fast it can autofocus for a lens in its category, nothing ground-breaking but fast enough. Overall, the lens produced good results above my expectations considering its size, extremely light weight, and specs. It's a very good all-rounder lens for photography or even videography especially with its de-clicked rings and due to its very minimal focus breathing, however, due to its slow aperture I wouldn't rely much on it for portraits if you're looking for some separation between your subject and the background, unless you can have a considerable distance between your subject and the background.

Moving on to the EVF, I am in LOVE with it! I was very satisfied with the buttery-smooth frame rate (60 or more fps I reckon?) and unnoticeable lag as I moved fast in all directions. Another advantage if you're using an EVF for the first time like me, is that it shows you exactly what you're going to get in the final image, this is a priceless feature that saves you from disappointment/editing in post later. Another gigantic and priceless benefit to the EVF is the ability to magnify in real time when you're manually focusing to make sure that you're nailing the focus exactly where you want it to be, especially if you're considering the use of vintage manual focus lenses to complement the amazing look and feel of this camera like I am doing. Believe me, this is a game changer! I did notice, however, that the digital magnification reduces the frame rate of the EVF significantly to something below 20 or even 15 fps, which is expected to be fair, yet it's still enough for you to make sure that your focus is tact sharp where you want it to be, no questions asked! The EVF is also smart so it'll be off for as long as your eyes are not behind it and will automatically switch on as you move it near your eyes, this is a great way of saving battery life.

I did not test video performance as I primarily got this for photography, but I'll see if I can update this review later as I explore the camera's video capabilities.

Now to the most exciting thing (in my opinion), if you got/want to get this camera for a retro experience like me then this part is for you! I have a small collection of vintage Nikkor glass (24mm 2.8 Ai, 105mm 2.8 Micro Ais, and 50mm 1.2 Ai) and all of them perform flawlessly on this body with the Nikon FTZ mount adapter! I never managed to get as much out of these lenses until now thanks to the EVF real-time magnification feature I mentioned earlier. I wear eyeglasses, and my vision is far from perfect, and while I did my best in the past to manually focus using my D800E, I gave up on doing so using the OVF as I would think that I nailed the focus only to find that I missed it once I review the shots and switching to the digital display at the back of the camera was inconvenient and took a lot from the fun of the shooting experience. This issue has been completely resolved with the Z fc, as the magnification button is accessible to your index finger even when you have the EVF on your eye, so you don't have to go back and forth or move the EVF away from your eye! This for me is huge deal as I love to use these manual focus lenses with the Z fc because they complement the body in a great way that words would never do justice to, you have to see for yourself! Moreover, remember how I said the body was light for my taste? Well, once I put in the vintage glass, and other than complementing the look of the body, the overall weight of the camera finally feels right in my hands. I just love the feeling! Photography is a passion for me, and my enjoyment multiplies a hundred folds when I enjoy the look and feel of my gear!

Overall, this kit is a great entry point for anyone getting into the mirrorless world (first timers like me) or those who prefer a more vintage look with all the bells and whistles of modern photography technology. I find myself constantly looking back at the camera after every shot I am taking and having a satisfied smile on my face. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking to have a great quality camera with a cool design. You are paying about 1,000 dirhams (USD 273) extra over the price of a similar Z50 kit for the design and some other subtle changes, but you're getting a much cooler looking product in my opinion.

I have posted some photos from a shoot that I did with a friend; however, none of these shots were taken using the 16-50mm kit lens. I just thought of sharing them here if you want to check some photos taken with the Z fc.
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-707375-1.html

Brokenland

Armature = Amateur?

kaminobatto

I guess both work :)

Quixdraw Loc: x

Obviously a high energy review. Thanks for it, BTW. Still thinking about the camera, no need for it, have to have one in hand before I would consider buying.

kaminobatto

@quixdraw I didn't need it either TBH (I have a D800E). My purchase was made to give mirrorless a try using my existing glass and, of course, the main reason is the look and feel of the camera. Maybe you can give it a try at your dealership.

Quixdraw Loc: x

If Best Buy has it, I'll see it later today. No camera stores around here any more.

JohnR Loc: The Gates of Hell

Doesn't work actually - armature is part of an electric motor. Amateur is someone doing something for the sake of it.

kaminobatto

I just noticed the extra 'r', it's meant to read amature, but it seems it is the wrong spelling anyway. I can't seem to change it now but I appreciate the correction.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

One feature I like is better control of ISO without using the menu. In manual mode, this gives me control over all three points of the exposure triangle. Compared to, for example, my D850, this was easy to pick up and control. I also like the secondary command wheel. It is easier to use than that of my Df which is flat to the body.

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

I hate to be a downer, but I don't see any good, sharp focus on the eyes.I'm not sold on this camera.

kaminobatto

Bear in mind that these are vintage lenses used at their maximum aperture. I don't think you should be judging the camera's ability to focus, because these are not new optics with tons of polish and corrections. I think it would only be fair to judge the camera's focus if you see sample shots taken with a Sigma art lens or a sharp F or Z mount lens. The lenses I used here are not known to be the sharpest, they're more for an old school look.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Just FYI- went to Best Buy for some other things, drifted over to the camera department and asked about the Z fc, a camera staff person told me they didn't expect to have one for at least three or four months. They had a couple of other Z models which couldn't be readily identified because of an anti theft plate. Had not realized how small they are, and accordingly how small the Z fc will be. Maybe too small for me, even though I only have average sized hands.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

Quix,
See my camera size post of a few days ago. The Zfc seems even a little smaller than my Nikon FM. I'll try to remember to get it out and post a picture of the two. You will notice I use a paracord wrist strap on all my cameras, but it is especially important on the Zfc. There's very little real estate to hold onto. Still loving it.

kaminobatto

It is indeed a smaller camera. It's exactly the size of an FM2 Nikon if you ever used one. It's definitely not going to be comfortable as a full-time primary camera due to its size, but I think it makes a great second body.

DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

My FM was a primary camera for a lot of years. My hands fit a size L golf glove.