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Nikon Z fc · Nikon UK silver body-only front photograph

Nikon Z fc
Photo 1 of 31

Nikon Z fc · Nikon UK silver body-only front photograph

Nikon · Nikon Z

Z fc

Released July 2021

An APS-C mirrorless camera with dedicated exposure dials, a vari-angle touchscreen and a design inspired by Nikon's FM2 film camera.

Type
Mirrorless
Sensor
APS-C
Megapixels
20.9
Lens
Nikon Z mount
Video
3840 × 2160 at 29.97 fps
Body weight
390 g

What reviewers say

Both praise the detailed images, tactile exposure controls and flexible touchscreen, while noting the lack of weather sealing. Photography Blog finds the controls busy at first but quickly familiar, with pleasing natural colours and responsive focusing; it noticed occasional automatic overexposure. TechRadar particularly likes the touchscreen and travel-friendly handling, but finds the shallow grip less comfortable with large lenses and the buffer too limited for sustained action. Their criticism of the small DX lens range reflects the launch-era system.

From photographyblog.com and techradar.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Image and sensor

Camera type
Mirrorless
Sensor format
APS-C
Sensor type
CMOS
Sensor dimensions
23.5 × 15.7 mm
Effective resolution
20.9 MP
Largest image
5568 × 3712
RAW recording
Yes
Standard ISO range
100–51200
Sensor detail
Nikon DX-format APS-C CMOS; 21.51 million total pixels. UK rounds effective resolution to 20.9 MP, while Japan publishes 20.88 MP. Image Dust Off reference data requires NX Studio.
Image formats
NEF RAW 12/14-bit, JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus JPEG; square and 16:9 still crops supported
ISO detail
Expandable to equivalent ISO 102400 or 204800; auto ISO supported; movie ISO range 100–25600
Image processor
EXPEED 6 (Photography Blog)

Lens and shooting

Lens mount
Nikon Z mount
Stabilisation
Optical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst
11 fps
Lens detail
NIKKOR Z lenses; compatible F-mount lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions. Lens VR works with supported VR lenses; no in-body sensor-shift stabilisation.
Autofocus
Hybrid phase/contrast detection with 209 single-point DX positions, eye/animal detection and tracking for stills/video; sensitivity −4.5 EV with low-light AF or −3 EV without, at ISO 100, 20°C, AF-S and f/1.8
Shutter
Mechanical focal-plane, electronic front-curtain and electronic shutters; 1/4000 to 30 seconds, Bulb/Time and manual extension to 900 seconds. Dial offers whole stops down to 4 seconds; command dial offers one-third stops. Flash sync 1/200 second; Auto FP supported.
Burst detail
Continuous H extended approximately 11 fps under Nikon test conditions; Continuous H 5 fps and Continuous L 1–4 fps. TechRadar measured approximately 22 frames in extended mode before slowing, dependent on card and recording settings; UHS-I buffer clearance limits sustained action.
Flash
No built-in flash; ISO 518 hot shoe with compatible i-TTL Speedlights
Exposure controls
Auto/P/S/A/M; dedicated ISO, shutter-speed and compensation dials with aperture readout. Compensation ±3 EV on the dial or ±5 EV through the command setting; matrix, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted metering.

Video

Highest video resolution
3840 × 2160 at 29.97 fps
Video detail
UHD 3840 × 2160 up to 29.97p; Full HD up to 119.88p, plus 4×/5× slow-motion playback. MOV/MP4 H.264; normal recordings up to 29 minutes 59 seconds, slow-motion up to 3 minutes. Electronic movie VR, timecode and time-lapse available, with mode-dependent restrictions.
Audio
Built-in stereo microphone or 3.5 mm external microphone with sensitivity/attenuator settings; PCM in MOV or AAC in MP4. No headphone monitoring socket, as explicitly corrected by Nikon's July 2021 notice.

Screen and viewfinder

Viewfinder
Electronic
Screen size
3″
Screen dots
1,040,000
Touchscreen
Yes
Tilting screen
Yes
Display detail
Side-hinged vari-angle touch LCD, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels
Viewfinder detail
0.39-inch XGA OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, 1.02× magnification with 50 mm lens and 19.5 mm eyepoint

Connections and design

Wi-Fi
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)
360 photographs
Body weight
390 g
Release detail
Nikon Japan records first sale on 23 July 2021; exact first UK day is not established. Black and HERALBONY editions are cosmetic variants of the same body hardware, not separate generations. TechRadar's updated introduction incorrectly says September 2021; maker timing takes precedence.
Recording media
One SD/SDHC/SDXC slot supporting UHS-I
Ports
USB-C SuperSpeed USB, HDMI Type D micro connector and 3.5 mm microphone input; no headphone socket. TechRadar's mini-HDMI wording is not copied.
Wireless connections
Bluetooth 4.2 and SnapBridge; UK lists Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n at 2.4 GHz, while Japan lists a/ac and 5 GHz too, so regional wireless support should be checked
Battery life detail
EN-EL25; maker CIPA approximately 360 shots with monitor or 310 with viewfinder, approximately 80 minutes movie battery life. Current Japan packages may use EN-EL25a instead; no capacity or life is borrowed from another body.
Charging
In-camera USB-C charging/power with compatible equipment; optional EH-7P adapter and included MH-32 external charger
Dimensions
Approximately 134.5 × 93.5 × 43.5 mm
Weight detail
Approximately 390 g body only or 445 g with battery/card, excluding body cap
Materials
Magnesium-alloy frame; maker operating range 0–40°C. Both reviewed bodies lack comprehensive weather sealing.
In the box
UK technical list includes BF-N1 body cap, DK-32 eyepiece, EN-EL25 battery, MH-32 charger and AN-DC23 strap; current Japan names EN-EL25a or EN-EL25 and AN-DC27, so package contents vary by region/revision

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Separate shutter-speed, ISO and exposure-compensation dials
  • Vari-angle touchscreen can face forward
  • USB-C charging and external microphone input

Cons

  • No sensor-shift stabilisation
  • Single UHS-I card slot
  • No headphone socket or built-in flash

Closest rivals

Model
TypeSensorMegapixelsLensVideoBody weightReleased
SonyZV-E10
MirrorlessAPS-C24.2Sony E3840 × 2160 at 30 fps299 gAug 2021
CanonEOS R10
MirrorlessAPS-C24.2Canon RF3840 × 2160 at 59.94 fps382 gJul 2022
CanonEOS R7
MirrorlessAPS-C32.5Canon RF3840 × 2160 at 59.94 fps530 gJun 2022

Sources

  1. nikon.co.uk/en_GB/product/cameras/mirrorless/z-fc
  2. nij.nikon.com/products/lineup/mirrorless/zfc/spec.html
  3. nij.nikon.com/products/lineup/mirrorless/zfc
  4. nikon.com/company/news/2021/0629_mirrorless_01.html
  5. nij.nikon.com/news/products/2021/0721_01.html
  6. photographyblog.com/reviews/nikon_z_fc_review

Photo: Nikon UK silver body-only front photograph

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