I wish I could afford to switch to the Zf, really regret buying into Fuji, How is the ZF high iso noise like compared to the Fuji? I have an XT4 and XH2s

Hey! What job did you transition to after teaching?

Usually I see something that's beautiful to my eyes and photograph it. Most of the time it looks just normal. With this lens though things were as beautiful as I saw them, your photographs made me recall why I loved it.

What a beautiful love letter to this lense. Great video for demonstrating the results of using this lense for it’s intended purpose.

This is exactly the video I was looking for. I've been a Sony shooter for a while, currently rocking an A7R III. Great camera, but I've been thinking of making the full jump to Fuji. I picked up a used X-S10 and it's such a joy to shoot with. I use it with the tiny Sigma 18-50 and it's so nice to have something that, while not exactly pocketable, is a helluva lot smaller and lighter (and cheaper) than a Sony with a 24-70 on it. I originally got it with the intention of just having something that I could EDC, and that the Sony would still be what I took with me when I "intended" to shoot something, but now I'm considering dumping all my Sony gear, getting an X-H2 (or two) and getting a much lighter, more nimble kit. I'd be trading one ~40megapixel sensor for another. I'm sure that, everything else being equal, a FF sensor is always going to look "better" than an APS-C one at the same resolution, but is it actually a big enough difference that anyone will ever notice when you post them to Instagram or print them off at no bigger than A3+? For context, I'm not paid for my work, it's entirely a very expensive hobby. I shoot a lot of nature, wildlife, and lately I've been getting more into street/photojournalism style. I do like to shoot at night, I like city lights, so low light performance is a concern.

I get it. I'm in Burma right now and I truly cannot explain why except the $.

I usually get good results with the HHHR mode on my OM-1 as long as there isn't much wind, or if there is some wind, that there aren't any close objects where the wind would cause many pixels of motion, but the caveats you mention about shutter speed do help. I've had the best luck with well-lit daylight scenes, though it can work well at slower shutter speeds if there is truly little to no motion. In addition, I've made two other observations that help me calibrate my expectations: 1) For HHHR, in my mind, even relatively good shots don't really qualify as true 50MP images. I've found that if I downsize them to around 30-40MP depending on the image, they look much better, and more usable and easier to process in post, with any artifacts much less visible. That's still a significant increase in resolution over 20MP, but I think 50MP is overselling the mode a bit. I don't often carry a tripod, so I don't have any experience with the tripod mode. 2) The camera automatically has your back, in that it always saves a normal resolution image along with the HHHR image. Of course that's probably not what you're after, since you're using the hi-res mode for a reason, but at least that backup is there without having to do it manually for each HHHR image you take. There have been several times where that came in useful. 3) This isn't the main purpose of this mode, so I'll just mention it in passing, but the HHHR images do have a noise advantage.

Dang, I love my fuji kit. But your analysis of Fuji's auto focus is undeniable. Too many misses?

A 15 year old pregnant girl is a great Kid?In which universe do you reside????

Nikon has really nice colours, they just used to have so much noise it was hard to justify using them.

Fantastic photos and great review ✌🏼

That kid was not a happy camper.

Keep in mind that Nikon has been working with Auto focus tech since the mid-1980s before the digital age. It is why back then almost every photojournalist and pro sports journalist were using Nikon F film bodies, it was the best at the time. So there is history with Nikon AF, is it the best Now?! well Sony took the crown in the digital age but arguably Nikon has caught back up with their latest bodies. I've shot Fuji since 2013, after six bodies and I have to agree that Fuji is always a couple steps behind everyone. The implementation is there but the hit rate is not as good as it should be.

Forget any spec any performance figures, when Nikon’s colour science gets you, there’s no going back.

Very nice pictures. I'm planning to get a Zf soon. Your video made me check to see whether there's a Canon FD to Nikon Z adapter available, and by golly there is. I want to try out the lenses I used with my old (1976) Canon EF, on the new body. Thanks for the inspiration!

I really didn't like my used Z6 much so I've gone back to my Nikon DSLRs for now. The Zf seems like it will be way better, but it will be another year or two until there are used copies that I can afford. The Z6III and Z8 appeal too, but they are going to be more expensive and the Zf will be enough for me. I shot with an FE & FE2 back in the film days so the design is no problem for me.

The ZF is such a fun camera!

Fuji continues to fumble the bag with their poor decisions… MF instead of FF, questionable lens releases, horrible af performance. Idk why anyone would buy into Fuji at this point unless they just want a fun walk around / travel camera to shoot JPEGs. I did try the Zf but returned it after a week of light daily use due to hand cramps, even with the grip. The z6iii looks like appealing to me… and probably every XH2s owner right now.

I own a Fujifilm and I cannot stand the menu..as well its kind of easy to bump the settings .

I am not a teacher I am a pilot. But a friend of mine was exactly like you. He quit. Now he Flys a corporate jet. Couldn't be happier. The USA is all fucked up! How do we pay millions to basketball players and peanuts to teachers? It is so ass backwards. Good for you. Hope all teachers take back thier respect.

Love 9:20! Yeh a lot of people are leaving Fuji rn over AF, and Fuji are kinda recognizing this fact with some lame fixes, but by and large they are undoubtedly years behind the competition and that gap likely to grow. The issue is mainly z axis problems and especially on the near to mid range. X and Y action and far away z axis, it does ok, but really people want the closer action shots in focus and this is where it is blatantly behind the competition. I am finding it hard to justify any more coin being invested in this platform. I think they have hit a genuine hurdle with AF now and it really could be hardware based limitations combined with inept software devs. Aperture stepping bla bla, they just can't overcome it regardless of time given. For my line of work I am kinda trapped with stacked sensors or cameras with decent read out speeds in ES mode, so the Z6III is a contender. Maybe I will let one of my XH2S's go, but I really can't afford to spend too much here on switching systems or going cross brand hybrid, it's just bad business for me. I try to remind myself that my line of work I don't have too many AF gripes. I want better AF because better AF is cool, but I don't really know how much I NEED it. Thanks for the impressions Jerred, appreciated.

Can change your ISO like the old film days? Well, I guess loading a new can of film was technically changing ISO settings 😂

Should have tried a Sony A7Cii, Nikon is light years behind. Not worth investing in 2024 tbh.

Fuji have completely dropped the ball and I struggle to see the value in the X system when you can get a superior full frame camera with autofocus that actually works for similar money.

Long time Nikon user here that switched to Fuji. Nikon is very slow to iterate. Reason I left was that they and I drifted along for years with the D300 while digital was progressing everywhere. Shifted to the X-T1 and it was an upgrade.

Nice video. I look forward to a vid about all your new nikon gear.

I can deal with the ergo, but that weight is my only gripe, especially when I love shooting it with manual lenses. Still my dream camera until Nikon releases a RF version. I do miss my Xpro3, but I know nothing Fuji could release that would make me want to go back.

As I've been contemplating what camera I might want to buy for after my X-T3, this one keeps coming up. The first reason is the same as you....the vintage lens issue. The second is a way to move up to FF. One of my concerns is not having the Fuji film simulations. I love to set the camera to Acros to shoot so I see BNW in the EVF. BUT, the bigger issue for me would be editing software. I WAS using Capture One Express until the jerks deprecated it. Now, I'm relegated to the Fuji raw converter. But, If I go to Nikon that means I need to buy software. Not sure I want to do that. Thanks for the good overview. Love the images too! Take care....

Is this a fuji with good AF ?

Nikon has a 35 focal length one like the 40 f2 in the grapevine. I haven’t played with one my self but would be eager to see

Great video. Annoyed by Fujifilms AF and slow motion development for lenses too, I bought a Z8, selecting the lens first (105/1.4, adapted and 70-200/2.8), coming from a XH2 and XH2s. Sold the XH2 and some lenses immediately. Fujifilm doesn't care. Their CEO looks only on things damaging the reputation of the brand. Nobody is buying a Fujifilm expecting standard or even state of the art AF and tracking performance. So being years behind doesn't harm the brand. And: Investing 80% on the last 20% AF performance is then a waste of money and only stresses their crippled development ressources. As they don't care if customers are waiting months after ordering a new camera.

Very nice video indeed. I am in a similar position, I was a Nikon user for a long time, both film and digital, with an F401, F801, D90 and D7100. Then I found Fuji and now own an X-Pro2, X-T2, X-T3, X-T4, X-T5 and X-H2. I have also pre-ordered an X100VI. Then a few months ago I saw the Nikon Zf announced and pre-ordered two of them. Since the Zf arrived it has become my Go-to camera and I love it. It is so nice to hold and use, and produces such great images that I really have re-discovered my love of photography, especially here in London where I do a lot of street stuff. The main thing for me is that it is so easy to use that I can now concentrate 100% on the shot and not on the settings. I am not going to get rid of any of my Fuji gear but for the moment it is all taking a back seat.

But the northrups said the auto focus is basic. Not as good or maybe slight better than fuji. They also said that fuji cameras are better, even the basic ones. So someone is lying

I have both a Fujifilm X-T3 and a Nikon D750. In honesty, the D750's autofocus blows the X-T3 out of the water. I took the X-T3 to Japan and shots hundred of photos of a religious procession and was so disappointed that I got only around 1/3 of shots in focus. My D750 would have easily got over 80%. The X-T3 is also not as reliable and robust (I have a number of faults with it, even though it is much newer) whilst the D750 has been 100% reliable in 8 years of shooting with it. It like an amateur wannabe professional vs a thoroughbred profession (Nikon).

Say good things about Fuji if you want, but APSC will always be the crippled version of Full frame ..the ZF is essentially a full frame version Fuji...sort of....

Great video, would love to see you showcase different vintage lenses

That is a beautiful looking camera body, paired with that vintage glass! If you were going to jump into a system fresh with no existing lenses, would you go Fuji or Nikon at this point? As a mostly Olympus shooter for nature/macro, I have been debating a new system - was considering Fuji, had not heard much about recent Nikon or the Zf until now, intriguing and more to consider...

Can you imagine if Nikon makes a ZS? The modern iteration of the S3? I would sell my Fuji kit so fast. The ZF is already catching my eye

I didn't need to see this, Jerred 😅 I have had thoughts about Nikon FF mirrorless. It's high time Fujifilm gave us a workable AF, and the X-T5 still isn't what I hoped in that department. Also, I have Nikon FF DSLRs and, for me 24MP FF is the sweet spot where the noise is low, the images are still creamy, not crunchy. I find 40MP of the X-T5 a bit crunchy, and even the 45MP of the D850 just a tad too. The D750's 24MP, for me, is perfect. So a FF Nikon mirrorless is on the cards for sometime in the longer term future. But... It's almost impossible for me to think of trading in the Fujifilm lenses. The 33mm, the way it renders backgrounds is delicious, the 56mm WR the same plus ridiculous sharpness perfection all round, the 90mm oh my word the 90mm 🤤 And that's why I didn't need to see this! 😜

I hear ya’ man…Some great subjects to work with. And you’ve done them visual justice. It’s like you can see the past 100 years, past/present/future, all the peoples’ lives that have come and gone in that time, all compressed in the one image. Very nice music that you’ve found to go along with them. And WOW, those shots around 9:30 minutes in, with the sunset behind the church. You should make an exhibition on this series.

I’ve been thinking about returning my Zf to grab the Fuji XT5 because of size. But it seems a lot of videos I’ve seen the last 4 days have one thing in common “Fuji AF needs work” I love the Zf and Xt5 model since I shoot manual so I enjoy having to use the dials.

Some very nice photos here. Takes me back to my midwest roots. Still wavering on the ZF… The grip is just so….horrible. Am considering the Z6ii or iii just for a better grip and button placement.

Traded my XH2 for the Z8 for lens selection mostly. That 70-200mm F2.8 VR S is butter baby. That Viltrox 16mm 1.8 lens and the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 G2 lens are awesome, too. I originally wanted the XH2S and settled for the XH2. With the Nikon Z8, I have both in 1 camera with better lenses and low light performance. You are one of my favorite youtube reviewers, and I am glad you are with me on the Nikon journey. I'm looking at the 180 600mm to shoot wildlife. Fuji color science and cameras are great, but my Z8 is superior in most every way. Once you get use to how to setup the autofocus, it's seamless. You can assign your shooting styles to banks that have them stored as presets, which you can assign to function buttons for on the fly settings changes to wildlife, people, landscapes, or birds. Fuji is sharp but the Z8 is sharper, and when I shoot the same picture with the Z8, when I zoom in on the picture to crop a scene, it's sharper still than Fuji. I'm not taking anything away from Fuji, but the Z8 is an XH2 and XH2S in 1 without the open Gate, sadly.

Thank you for your review and thoughts. Beautiful images. Really impressive. Yes, the autofocus is a thing with Fuji, but you can still get great results. The weight and size to image quality ratio still makes me lean towards the X mount. CF Express B (I have the xh2 and XH2s) are much better than SD and CF Express A like Sony uses and that comes in a compact system (the Z8 is quite big). The lens lineup is good and affordable, not like Canon. So I think Fuji still has some valid reasons, but …the autofocus…..😁 Enjoy your camera, sounds like a lot of fun.

The BW switch would've been a bit more useful if Nikon allowed us to set the image format separately for the BW mode and regular photo mode so we can set JPEG only on BW and raw on regular photo mode.

Exactly! They didn't care much about ergos back in the film days. Not everything retro is good. But having dials so you can change settings was good from my POV of course. Much prefer that to scroll wheels and LCD screens. I like the old Nikon lenses with aperture settings on the lens barrel. It would be nice to have this on Nikon AF lenses but we don't. Fuji absolutely got it right here again only IMHO of course. The dials on the X100F I used to have were perfect. I agree I think only Fuji can do film sims properly. I love my ZF but I don't do wildlife or sports so don't need fast AF or FPS

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Seriously awesome photos, Jarred. I'm about to go on a trip later this month and I am STRONGLY considering renting a Nikon Xf....the more and more I begin to think about it, the more I'm considering just buying it as a retro lens camera. How absolutely wild that you made this video that directly correlates to my frustrations with Fujifilm. What keeps bringing me back down to reality is the weight of the Xf and the compact, quality lenses I have for the Fujifilm. Maybe I'll try to find a used one so I can easily flip it without losing money.

I'm considering selling my X-T5 and accompanying lenses for a Zf and 40mm f2 SE kit. I like where Nikon is going, and feel like I want to explore them. How are the ergonomics with that grip for day to day shooting?

Nice images! Never thought to use charcoal but you inspired me