Nikon Z fc

Welcome to retro, Nikon-style. One of the tricks that manufacturers have used to make mirrorless cameras more attractive has been to style them like 35mm manual-focus SLRs. Olympus kickstarted this trend with its original OM-D E-M5, then Fujifilm went a step further by equipping its X-T range with analogue dials to control exposure. Nikon’s latest entry-level model, the Z fc, takes the same approach, with a retro design that pays homage to the FM2 SLR from 1982.

While the Z fc borrows a lot of its design ideas from Nikon’s Df DSLR from 2013, it’s built around the mirrorless Z mount, which allows it to be very similar in size to the FM2. But rather than being the full-frame retro model that many photographers have been yearning for, it’s based on the APS-C format Z 50. This places it in direct competition with Fujifilm’s highly regarded X-system cameras, most obviously the X-T30 that has a similar price and retro design. However, in contrast to Fujifilm’s extensive lens range, only two matched DX-format Z-mount optics are available to fit the Z fc, the 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 and the 50-250mm f/4.5-6.3 telezoom. Beyond that, you have to use larger and more expensive full-frame lenses, or Nikon F-mount DSLR lenses via the £269 FTZ adapter.

Nikon is offering the Z fc for £899 body-only, £1,039 with a matching silver version of the 16-50mm, and £1,249 in a kit that adds the 50-250mm. There’s also a £1,129 bundle with the 28mm f/2.8 SE prime, a full-frame optic that’s been styled to resemble the F-mount AI-S lenses used by the FM2. This pricing