Nikon Zf Firmware 2.00 Released
Just earlier today, Nikon has officially released firmware 2.00, a major firmware update, for the Nikon Zf.
The new firmware can be downloaded directly from their official page here.
Similarly, the long list of changes and updates implemented in this new major firmware update is listed on the official download page link above, as well as documented in a supplementary firmware update manual (PDF download). I highly recommend going through both the changelog and the supplementary manual to learn more about the changes.
This update came at a really good time - I was just discussing about this firmware and the Z6III’s missing firmware update a few days ago in this post here, and I believed that the updates would come before the Z5II’s official shipping date. (And still believe that the one meant for the Z6III would come adhere to this rule too)
Now as mentioned this is a major firmware update with a long list of changes, so I am just going to list here some of the changes that I am really excited about.
The monitor/AF point bug is fixed! Like finally! (I have documented the bug in my Zf equipment discussion page here)
Cycle-AF area mode can be set to a custom button - this is the one function I use a lot on my Z8, and hence have been waiting for it to come to the Zf ever since the Z50II gave a sneak peek of what to expect. The video record button, being slightly out of the way, is now way more useful since there is no fiddling with dials but just a button press away from an AF area mode change.
Auto ISO capability can be split between “C” mode and when using the dedicated ISO dial to set ISO. Simply put, there is now a very quick, easy (and may I also say, elegant) way to turn on Auto ISO without going into the menus. (I previously discussed this small inconvenience back in this post here and in my Zf discussion page, and although I suggested having a custom function for it, the solution implemented is actually way more elegant and I definitely am thankful I am not the UX designer lol)
By setting Auto ISO to ON when in C mode, and setting Auto ISO to OFF in the dial region, just by a quick turn to the C mode you could easily activate Auto ISO, and switching back to any of the ISO values on the dial would lock it back to fixed ISO at that value.
The “Auto ISO with dial setting the max ISO” trick still works if you set Auto ISO on for both instances.
Ability to change the command dials to represent ISO or exposure compensation when shooting in M-mode - I am not the target audience for this since I prefer to keep my shutter speed dial to 1/3-step and use the command dial for it, but for those who exclusively use the physical shutter speed dial with Auto-ISO I can totally see how this would change the way the camera would work for themm
Nikon Imaging Cloud access is finally here, and I am quite excited to test out all the recipes, especially since some of my work does require me to shoot and deliver in JPG directly this would really be helpful.
Double tap Touch Fn is available, and can be used to set absolute position or reset the AF point. Nice.
Remember this pair of very confusing menu items? Turns out that Nikon did listen to feedback, and it is now properly labeled as “Record Camera Orientation”!
There are also quite a few video-related updates, but truth be told I am not a video person (at least at point of writing) so I am not going to discuss much about them here.
In summary, the Zf is already a very highly performant camera, and all these quality of life changes (and the much needed bug fix) would make this camera a bigger joy to use!