Jbennett68
Established
I’ve really been thinking hard about a ZF. I know it’s totally different but I keep going back and forth between that and a Q2. I get they are totally different animal but the AF is my main motivation and the Q2 would preventable from going down the rabbit hole of lens acquisition like I’ve done with the M bodies. 😬
Jamie Pillers
Skeptic
Its obvious of course, but you have to be super sure 28mm is the focal length you love. I owned a number of the Ricoh GR cameras... 28mm fixed lens like the Q's. I love the GR's and the 28, but I always ended up getting some other camera system with interchangeable lenses because 28mm didn't satisfy all my visual 'needs'.
JohnGellings
Well-known
I'll say you cannot go wrong either way... except if 28mm really isn't your focal length. There is a rumored Q3 with a 43mm lens coming out very soon too...supposedly.
Jbennett68
Established
What’s super frustrating is I live in Memphis. Metropolitan area is well over a million people and not a single store I can actually go put either camera in my hands.
JohnGellings
Well-known
Yeah, I get that. The Zf is available to buy through say Walmart online, but probably not to touch in person before you buy.
Ddbowdoin
Member
I made the move but sent the camera back to BH. It was a complicated move. My primary cameras are the Z9 for stills and a brief experiment with the Z8 for video. Obviously very different cameras and ultimately a canceled trip to Europe forced me to realize the ZF has no place in my life. It’s a cool concept and paired with the 40 1.2, it’s a powerful duo.
Archiver
Mentor
Once again, I'm looking at the Zf as a potential (gasp) replacement for my M9.
Don't get me wrong, I adore my M9, but the rangefinder window coating has almost completely peeled, making focusing more difficult. The rangefinder may be misaligned, too. Also, my vision isn't what it used to be, so I'm finding precise focusing more tricky with a rangefinder. Autofocus and perhaps a jumbo EVF for manual focus would be of benefit here.
Alternatives include the Leica SL2S with its sensor more suited to M mount lenses and its huge EVF, and another Panasonic S5 or S1 body. The upside of those options over the Zf is that I already have a Panasonic S5, L mount lenses and a L-M adapter. Particularly, another S5 body would allow me to use the same batteries as the S5, although the EVF isn't optimal. The S1 is huge but has a superb EVF, and aftermarket batteries are widely available.
(Edited to add: technically, the S5 I already own is an alternative body to the M9, but I'd like another full frame body to use in tandem with my S5.)
The SL2S brings its own pitfalls, like super expensive batteries, and a used price almost double what a brand new discounted Zf costs right now. It's also considerably larger and heavier than the M9, Zf or S5 II. But damn, I love the colours I've been able to get from SL2S files, and SL2S handling overall is just mmmwah. ❤️ 😘
The extra expensive option would be to buy a secondhand M10 with Visoflex, which isn't in my current budget.
The Zf brings compact lenses like the 40/2, excellent autofocus, relatively compact size, and that fantastic set of controls.
Sigh.
Don't get me wrong, I adore my M9, but the rangefinder window coating has almost completely peeled, making focusing more difficult. The rangefinder may be misaligned, too. Also, my vision isn't what it used to be, so I'm finding precise focusing more tricky with a rangefinder. Autofocus and perhaps a jumbo EVF for manual focus would be of benefit here.
Alternatives include the Leica SL2S with its sensor more suited to M mount lenses and its huge EVF, and another Panasonic S5 or S1 body. The upside of those options over the Zf is that I already have a Panasonic S5, L mount lenses and a L-M adapter. Particularly, another S5 body would allow me to use the same batteries as the S5, although the EVF isn't optimal. The S1 is huge but has a superb EVF, and aftermarket batteries are widely available.
(Edited to add: technically, the S5 I already own is an alternative body to the M9, but I'd like another full frame body to use in tandem with my S5.)
The SL2S brings its own pitfalls, like super expensive batteries, and a used price almost double what a brand new discounted Zf costs right now. It's also considerably larger and heavier than the M9, Zf or S5 II. But damn, I love the colours I've been able to get from SL2S files, and SL2S handling overall is just mmmwah. ❤️ 😘
The extra expensive option would be to buy a secondhand M10 with Visoflex, which isn't in my current budget.
The Zf brings compact lenses like the 40/2, excellent autofocus, relatively compact size, and that fantastic set of controls.
Sigh.
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