Hipster photographers, brace yourselves: it sounds like Nikon is preparing a full frame version of its uber-popular Z fc retro camera.
The Nikon Z fc (opens in new tab) has been a runaway success for the company, tapping into the growing market of style-conscious photographers and content creators who want their cameras to have the class and sophistication of the best retro cameras (opens in new tab), but with all the modern conveniences of the latest and best mirrorless cameras (opens in new tab).
• Hipster or not, we're big fans of the camera – check out our full Nikon Z fc review (opens in new tab)
Indeed, the Z fc has clearly been so successful that Nikon has suggested it is already developing a full-frame version. In an interview with Phototrend (opens in new tab), Keiji Oishi, the head of Nikon's UX planning department, said:
"As soon as we launched the Z fc, a lot of people were clamoring for an equivalent with a full-frame sensor. Of course, we can’t go into details about upcoming products, but we hear these requests and we think about the type of product that could fully meet them."
This isn't Nikon's first foray into full-frame digital cameras with classic vintage styling, so there is definitely precedent for Nikon bringing this new camera into reality. In 2013, the company released the Nikon Df, a full-frame F-Mount DSLR, styled after the classic aesthetics of the Nikon FE (opens in new tab) and Nikon FM (opens in new tab) film cameras.
The film camera-inspired Nikon Df is actually where the Nikon Z fc has taken its design inspiration from, already looking like a miniaturized Df clone. A new full-frame mirrorless version of the Z fc would be expected to continue this styling, although in a larger build (since the Z fc has a smaller APS-C sensor).
The existing Nikon Z fc is made of a magnesium alloy material, to give it that vintage feel of classic metal-bodied cameras, and is available in natural silver or painted black, with a faux leather body. Vintage in style only, and not in substance, the Z fc sports a 20.9MP DX (APS-C) sensor that can shoot up to 11 frames per second, and offers 4K video recording.
Where a full-frame version of the Nikon Z fc would sit in Nikon's lineup is still anybody's guess. We would expect it to potentially be on the same level as the Nikon Z6 II (opens in new tab), and offer the same fantastic full-frame experience, but still at a price range to appeal to photographers willing to spend on a camera for its style alone.
You can read more about the best Nikon camera (opens in new tab)s and the best Nikon lenses (opens in new tab) in our buying guides.
