Nikon Z fc: Nikon's heritage-design DX camera, explained
Nikon's retro-styled DX body, still in Nikon's lineup. Launched at $959.95 in 2021 (body only). Who it suits: travel and everyday shooters who want real dials in a small Z-mount body.
Nikon Z fc, shown with the NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 SE (not included with the body). Photo: Henry Söderlund via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
HIGHLIGHTS
Why it exists. Nikon calls the Z fc "the first Z-series camera to adopt a heritage design": its exterior is inspired by the FM2 film SLR of 1982, with dedicated dials on top for shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation, a small display panel, a round eyepiece and the 1970s–80s Nikon logo. Inside it is a DX (APS-C) Z-mount camera that Nikon pitched as easy to handle even for first-time mirrorless users, and it adopted the first vari-angle monitor among Z-series cameras.
Nikon Inc. announced the Z fc in the US on June 29, 2021 at $959.95 body-only, $1,099.95 with the silver NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm and $1,199.95 with the NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 SE. It uses a 20.9MP DX sensor with EXPEED 6, 209-point hybrid AF with eye detection for people and animals, bursts of about 11 fps, 4K UHD up to 30p and a 2.36M-dot OLED finder. Nikon Japan still lists it in its current mirrorless lineup.
Our gallery comes from six photographers: a frozen quarry at Halibut Point, a brown-eared bulbul among cherry blossom, light breaking through clouds over the Flattop Sunnyside Trail, a flowering cactus, breakwater posts in black and white and the Villa Empain in Brussels. Who should buy it? Anyone who wants a small, good-looking Z-mount body for travel and everyday shooting. Its limits: a flat body with little grip, no in-body stabilization, one UHS-I card slot and no built-in flash.
The story
Nikon announced the Z fc on June 29, 2021, describing it as "the first Z-series camera to adopt a heritage design" and noting that its exterior was "inspired by the iconic Nikon FM2 SLR film camera released in 1982" (Nikon).
Nikon Inc. set US prices the same day: $959.95 body-only, $1,099.95 with the silver NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR and $1,199.95 with the NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8 (SE), available from late July 2021. The release paired the 20.9MP sensor with EXPEED 6 (Nikon Inc. via PR Newswire).
Nikon Japan still lists the Z fc in its current mirrorless lineup, and it is not on Nikon Japan's list of older products (Nikon Japan).
Specifications
Key specs for the Nikon Z fc, from the Z fc online manual (Specifications and Battery endurance), Nikon's June 29, 2021 announcement and Nikon Inc.'s US release. Source for each row in brackets.
134.5 × 93.5 × 43.5 mm; about 445 g with battery and card (390 g body only) [Nikon manual]
Announced / price
Jun 29, 2021; $959.95 body-only (US) [Nikon, Nikon Inc.]
Sample photos
Six photos taken with the Nikon Z fc by six photographers, shared on Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. Each caption gives the settings the file records. Select a photo to enlarge it. More samples from Wikimedia Commons
f/4.2, ISO 110, 1/1000 s, 24.5mm: a frozen quarry at Halibut Point, Massachusetts (NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR). Photo: Eric Kilby via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)f/6.3, ISO 360, 1/500 s, 560mm: a brown-eared bulbul among cherry blossom (NIKKOR Z 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR). Photo: Kjoonlee via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (resized)
f/11, ISO 100, 1/250 s, 28mm: light through clouds from the Flattop Sunnyside Trail (NIKKOR Z 28mm f/2.8). Photo: Ben Hohenstatt via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/16, ISO 100, 1/8 s, 50mm: a Gymnocalycium andreae cactus in bloom (NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR). Photo: Petr Vodička via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
f/3.5, ISO 100, 1/160 s, 40mm: breakwater posts in black and white (NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2). Photo: fotoeinsteiger klaus via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)f/8, ISO 100, 1/80 s, 16mm: the Villa Empain, Brussels (NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR). Photo: Aldeko via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Nikon: Launched at $959.95 in 2021 (US, body only).
Verdict
Who it's for: travel, street and everyday shooters who want real shutter, ISO and exposure-compensation dials in a slim Z-mount body, especially with compact primes.
Look elsewhere if you shoot people, pets, sport or video: the Z50II has the same sensor with EXPEED 7 subject detection, 4K/60p, a pop-up flash and a deeper grip.
Pros
FM2-style dials for shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation
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