Is a Nikon Zf camera in my future?

Today, Nikon released the news. They are introducing a true retro full-frame mirrorless camera. And as they did when they produced the Nikon Df camera (of which I own two), their new shooter is called the Zf.

Here’s a link to Nikon’s advertising page and all the camera’s specs.

So let me see what this camera currently has that would make me go after it like it was Lynda Carter at Comic-Con.

Okay, Chuck. Deep breath. Deep breath. You gotta really think about this.

I looked at the cost for the camera. Ordering directly from Nikon would cost me $2,100 for the camera body alone, tacking on $400 for the 40mm f/2. kit lens, or $600 for the 24-70 kit lens. And the Zf comes in several colors – that burnt orange chassis – the one on the far right on the picture below – looks absolutely delicious.

Okay, I still have to think. I can’t worry about purchasing new camera gear when I’m planning my eclipse shots, and it makes absolutely no sense to get a new camera for the eclipse when I’ve spent ten years honing my talent on the Df.

And I COULD afford a Zf if I wanted to. Maybe for Christmas. A gift for me to me. I could buy the body itself, then get an FTZ adapter so that I could still use my current Nikon lens gear – or at least the AI-modded material.

So here’s what I MIGHT do.

I still have a Nikon film camera, my F2S (“Nikon Athena”), and my two Df cameras, the black one and the silver one. The black one is nearly ten years old, and I’m contemplating shipping it off to have its internal sensor replaced – converting the camera to a dedicated infrared shooter. I would save the silver Df for regular shots as needed.

And as for the Nikon Zf … I could put a little aside each month, and maybe … just maybe … get it for Christmas. This would increase my Nikon family to four shooters. That’s straight-up weaponry, along with my Rolleiflex for 120 film, my AGFA Clipper Special f/6.3 for 70mm film, and my Krasnogorsk FT-2 (“Raskolnikov”) for super-ultra-wide shots. That’s seven. If I do this.

If I do this, though … it’s my decision. I’m not writing this blog to beg for money, or to have some guardian angel buy it for me. That’s not my procedure. I need to make this work on my terms. I can’t go through “gear-acquisition-syndrome” again, it hurts my brains must as much as it hurts my wallet.

That’s the big thing. I need to do this myself. If I feel it’s a strong enough acquisition for my personal use … then I’ll move heaven and earth to buy it. But if I can still be happy with my current gear … then I’ll skip it. Sometimes newer isn’t better.

Let’s see how things pan out.

Then we’ll go from there.