The "Toy Camera" That Saved My Love for Photography

My Nikon ZF with the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8

Camera Specs

If there were ever a product made specifically for a good time, the Nikon ZF fits the bill. 

Like most of the cameras I own, I didn’t set out to purchase this beautiful piece of technology. I knew about it. I researched it. I imagined owning the Silver and Cognac Brown edition (maybe I still do?). However, life moved on, and I eventually forgot about the camera.

Until one day, I walked into Image One Camera.

Sitting on the shelf, I saw it.

Donning a pre-owned tag, a black Nikon ZF body glowed with an angelic spotlight hovering above it. David, the manager (and my camera-nerd buddy), told me how they had just received it as a trade-in. Supposedly, the previous owner hardly used it and wanted something else. What a sucker. I made the transaction and walked out of the store with a gorgeous image-capturing machine.

Acquiring the body only, there was a decision to be made about what kind of glass to pair it with. Considering a NIKKOR Z 35mm f/1.4 Lens, or even a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S II Lens, I pondered how I’d use this camera. With an arsenal of cameras already stuffed inside a hoarder’s nest of camera bags inside my apartment, I had to be honest with myself that I didn’t really need the camera. But I sure as heck wanted it. I concluded that I’d use the ZF to capture parts of my everyday life, and perhaps some of my cycling adventures, so I settled on the NIKKOR Z 50mm f/1.8 S due to its affordable price and wide range of possibilities.

Shot on the Nikon ZF / 50mm f/1.8

Real quick, I have to tell you a story. 

I actually worked at Image One in Fullerton for a brief period of time. That’s how I came to know David and the other guys who work there. That’s also how I got back into shooting film. That’s also where I bought my very first DSLR (Canon Rebel T2i) back when it was still ‘Fullerton Cameras’. 

That’s also where I spent all my money.

During one of my shifts, a customer strolled in to pick up his new Fujifilm X-T5.

“Ah, I’ve been looking forward to this. Thank you so much. I have other cameras at home, but this one will be my new toy camera.”

Toy…camera? I blame this guy for planting the idea into my head.

Since then, I have been searching for my very own ‘toy camera’. From a Fujifilm X-T30 to a Canon Powershot SX-420IS, but nothing scratched my itch. 

I can’t tell you exactly what I was looking for, but whatever it was, I found it in the Nikon ZF.

Maybe it’s the form factor? Or the vintage design? Maybe it’s the fact that the images are super crisp? What it might actually be is a combination of my former love for Nikon (Face-Off Media was conceived on a Nikon D610), mixed with my attraction to film-style camera bodies. The ZF is the happy medium.

Shot on the Nikon ZF / 50mm f/1.8

This camera is spectacular. The autofocus is instantaneous. The viewfinder is comfortable. The dials are rugged and satisfying. The monitor is sharp. I love that modern technology has been properly fitted into a retro-style housing. Nikon did it right, if you ask me. 

I purchased a SmallRig Camera Case to add to the vintage look.

I’ve heard there are ‘recipes’ for this camera, similar to those for Fujifilm cameras, that simulate an in-camera ‘film’ look. I have experimented with this on my Fujifilm X-T30, but have decided it’s not for me. Simulate a ‘film look’ when I could pick up a film camera and literally shoot on film? The concept doesn’t make sense to me. 

Shot on the Nikon ZF / 50mm f/1.8

Side note: I’ve reached a point in my photography career where photo editing isn’t as fun as it used to be. Heck, any kind of editing, for that matter. Editing requires time, and I seem to be short on that these days. I’ve come to adopt a ‘laissez-faire’ attitude toward photo processing. I’ll still do it sometimes, but I prefer to simply dump the untouched captures into my personal gallery. That being said, I’m happy to report that I’ve been satisfied with the ‘natural’ images produced by the Nikon ZF.

The photos I’m including in this post will be a jumble of processed and unprocessed. Even then, my editing style has a more subtle tone, only boosting specific colors (I love blue) to achieve a look I’m satisfied with.

Shot on the Nikon ZF / 50mm f/1.8

To bring this review to a close, I have nothing but good things to say about this camera. I highly recommend it to any Nikon fanatic looking for something to remind them of the good old days when everything was shot on film (before my time). I remember those days (I don’t). Everything was better back then (I wasn’t alive). 

Until the next review.