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The Z fc Pairs a Retro Looking Exterior with Digital on the Inside

One of the cool features of the Nikon Z fc mirrorless camera is the retro or vintage look and feel. The Z fc was designed to pay tribute to one of Nikon’s most popular film camera bodies—the FM2. The Z fc, unlike many mirrorless cameras is all digital on the inside, packed with features and functionality that is expected in a camera today, but with the exterior body reminiscent of the FM2 film camera—tactile—with knobs and dials and buttons that the photographer or video shooter can use to change settings instead of having to go into menus when you need to make changes to settings.

Classic. Tactile. Modern.

Product photo of the top of the Z fc mirrorless camera showing its various knobs and dials

Looking down at the top of the Z fc camera body as if you were holding it in your hands, ready to shoot with it, you'll see a number of dials, knobs and buttons. To the left of the viewfinder is the ISO dial along with the level used to set the shooting mode (manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, program and auto). To the right of the viewfinder is the shutter speed dial, the exposure compensation dial and lever to switch from shooting stills to video. The On/Off switch and shutter button are right where you'd expect to find them on a Nikon camera and the video record button is to its upper right.

On the top of the Z fc camera body, there are mechanical controls for shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation. You can also go from stills to video by the flick of a lever. Press the shutter release button or video start/stop button easily using your right hand while looking through the viewfinder. A control panel window shows the current f/stop you’ve selected.

The ISO dial is to the left of the viewfinder on top of the camera body, along with the lever to change shooting modes from manual, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Program and Auto.

Front of the Z fc product photo

On the front of the camera, you'll see the sub-command dial which lets you change the aperture. Closer to the lens barrel are the Fn button that you can customize and the lens release button (for use when changing lenses).

rear of the Z fc camera body

The rear of the camera provides access to (clockwise from left to right) the playback button, delete button, monitor mode button, viewfinder, AE-L/AF-L button, main command dial, i-Menu button and Multi-selector along with the OK button; Playback zoom, DISP button, MENU button and the playback zoom out/thumbnail/help button.

Go high. Go low.

The feature you most expect on a digital camera of any kind is the LCD monitor and the Z fc features a 3.0-inch Vari-angle monitor that lets you effortlessly shoot from low or high angles, compose vertically or horizontally.

Mirrorless technology inside. 

Capture high quality stills and 4K video with the camera’s 20.9MP DX CMOS sensor and EXPEED 6 engine. The light gathering advantages of the Z mount mean cleaner, more professional looking videos and images in low-light. The ISO sensitivity goes up to ISO 51,200 (expandable to ISO 204,800.

The Z fc lets you create truly unique content with its 20 Creative Picture Controls that can be used for both video and stills. And best of all, you can see what your subject looks like right in the viewfinder or on the LCD as you create. Creative filters become part of your vision rather than an afterthought.

rear of the Z fc showing the guide mode on the LCD

The Z fc even helps you learn about its many settings. Whenever you aren't sure of what one of the settings will do, just tap the (?) button and a brief explanation pops up in the viewfinder or on the LCD.

The Z fc even offers help at the touch of a button. Not sure what a setting does? Just tap the (?) button and a brief explanation pops up in the viewfinder or on the LCD. It’s like having a quick reference guide built into your camera. 

Watch this video to learn more about the buttons and dials and feautures of the Nikon Z fc mirrorless camera.

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