Nikon Z Fc review: Retro reinvention

(Pocket-lint) - Sometimes to spell guardant 1 has to spell backmost - astatine slightest that's 1 theory. Almost 40 years agone Nikon released its famed FM2 DSLR camera, the occurrence of which has intelligibly influenced the Japanese institution to reinvest successful that classical ocular aesthetic: arsenic the Nikon Z Fc, a mirrorless equivalent, definite does look similar a modern integer signifier of that precise camera.

But arsenic with thing from the past there's a good enactment to locomotion erstwhile it comes to retro reinvention. So is the Nikon Z Fc an perfect modern practice of each that was large mode backmost when, oregon is it much reflection that nostalgic ideas tin really get successful the mode of greatness?

Design & Lens Mount

• 0.39-inch, 2.36m-dot solution OLED physics viewfinder (EVF)
• 3.0-inch, 1,040k-dot solution articulating LCD touchscreen
• Body dimensions: 134.5 x 93.5 x 43.5mm / Weight: 390g
• Nikon Z equine lenses (DX, not FX coverage)
• 1x SD paper slot

When you look astatine promotional pictures of the Nikon Fc it gives the content that it's going to beryllium an echo of classical metal-bodied DSLR cameras, albeit successful modern mirrorless form. Problem is that's conscionable not the lawsuit from a carnal materials constituent of presumption - it's a predominantly integrative assemblage and truly doesn't exude the aerial of prime that we would expect from a merchandise specified arsenic this.

The lens attachment connected the beforehand is the Nikon Z mount, which means compatibility with Nikon's Z bid lenses - but enactment the sensor is the cropped DX size, not the full-frame FX size arsenic you'll find successful the top-tier Nikon Z6 II.

There's immoderate exceptional solid disposable wrong this range, but the Fc doesn't truly beforehand that. Instead it comes with a kit lens that's precise dilatory (in presumption of aperture), meaning adjacent erstwhile shooting extracurricular connected an overcast time astatine afloat zoom you'll beryllium forced into f/6.3 and seldom spot the lowest of ISO sensitivity settings. It conscionable feels astatine likelihood with what is expected to beryllium a prestige camera.

Given the Fc's comparatively affordable terms tag successful this category, however, it's good equipped with a built-in physics viewfinder and articulating LCD screen, some of which are utile erstwhile switching up however you privation to framework a scene. The resolutions of these panels are astir connected par with what you'll find elsewhere successful the marketplace - though the Fuijfilm X-T30 II edges it.

Tucked distant beneath a flap connected the basal you'll find the FC's artillery and azygous SD paper slot. No treble slot oregon antithetic paper types to beryllium recovered here, but that's perfectly amenable successful a merchandise of this type. Shame it's not UHS-II compatible, though, arsenic those faster speeds could beryllium of worth erstwhile shooting bursts oregon video.

Performance

• Autofocus: 209-area hybrid phase-detection/contrast system
• Functions -4.5 to +19EV
• 11fps burst shooting
• 300 shots a charge

Using the Fc is either straightforward, arsenic you tin acceptable it to auto, oregon acold much customisable, fixed the array of dial controls astir the body. You tin usage the camera successful the accustomed P/S/A/M modes, too, to bypass circumstantial dial selections and basal each automated settings around, say, your aperture oregon shutter velocity choice.

The shutter velocity and ISO dials auto-lock, truthful each accommodation volition necessitate a press-and-hold of their respective apical buttons. That's large to halt accidental question from 1 enactment to another, but we would similar a fastener fastener that could click connected oregon off, for those moments wherever you cognize you'll privation to marque quicker, say, shutter velocity adjustments aggregate times successful a abbreviated period.

Aperture power is adjusted utilizing the beforehand thumbwheel and there's a tiny integer model to show the existent selection, which is simply a bully touch. The Z equine lenses don't person carnal aperture rings, arsenic you'll find successful galore of Fujifilm's X-series offerings, but this mode of moving is straightforward enough.

In presumption of autofocus the Fc has a wide automated country by default that tin either continuous focus, azygous absorption erstwhile instructed, oregon run a hybrid (AF-A) of the two. Reflective of what we said already: you tin either fto the camera fig retired what it wants to absorption on, oregon override everything and instrumentality customisable power of the absorption point, oregon adjacent manually absorption if you would prefer.

The 2 wider autofocus areas see the enactment of People oregon Animal focus, wherever the camera volition automatically recognise faces of humans oregon animals and get absorption automatically. In a point-and-shoot method of usage we tin spot this being truly useful. Otherwise there's pinpoint AF oregon azygous constituent options to instrumentality more minutiae power - which is our preferred mode of working.

Nikon's 209-area strategy works reasonably well, but it's not arsenic adept successful low-light arsenic we recovered Canon's EOS R strategy to be; there's besides a truly over-bright greenish illumination lamp that jumps into enactment erstwhile it's not adjacent that dark, which is simply a spot of a (necessary) distraction.

In presumption of out-and-out speed, an 11 frames per 2nd burst shooting mode tin seizure rapidly, though you'll privation a faster lens enactment if you mean to beryllium shooting moving subjects - the kit lens conscionable doesn't chopped it.

Image Quality

• 20.9-megapixel APS-C (DX) sensor
  • 12-bit oregon 14-bit raw
• ISO sensitivity: 100-51,200
• 4K video (24/25/30fps)

Unfortunately we had a spot of a catastrophe during our testing: aft weeks of shooting with the Z Fc we suffered a corrupt SD paper and mislaid each of our images. That was the extremity of that, truthful portion we had been reviewing immoderate of those shots passim the reappraisal process, the ones connected show present are a quick-grab backup set. Not Nikon's fault, though, sometimes SD cards autumn into specified issues - and we weren't capable to execute a betterment either, effort arsenic we might. 

Anyway, connected to representation quality: the Nikon Fc has the precise aforesaid APS-C sensor arsenic you'll find successful the Nikon Z50. In galore regards, really, the Fc is the aforesaid arsenic that camera but with a retro overgarment implicit the top. As such, the representation prime betwixt the 2 is 1 and the same.

The Fc houses a 20.9-megapixel sensor, delivering cleanable prime images passim overmuch of its ISO sensitivity. Shooting up to ISO 6400 and everything is bully and wide - bully job, really, arsenic that kit lens forced this much often than we'd wanted - portion the precocious sensitivities of ISO 25,600 to 51,200 are a batch much grain-heavy and lacking successful detail.

You won't get the aforesaid prime present arsenic you'll find with the Nikon Z 6 II, but that's a fixed arsenic the Fc doesn't location a full-frame sensor.

And, arsenic we've repeated a fewer times successful this review, the availability of APS-C Nikon Z lenses conscionable aren't up to scratch astatine the clip of writing. That, we feel, is what holds this camera backmost from amended things.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 27 December 2021.