Nikon’s Newest Digital Camera Looks Like an Old-School Film Shooter From the ’80s

From the outside the new

Nikon Z fc

looks like a camera from the past. But everything beneath its retro-inspired exterior is entirely 2021.

The Japanese camera maker’s latest model is aimed specifically at lovers of 35mm film photography. And while it may look like something you’d find dangling around the neck of an old-school photojournalist, this compact camera is anything but stuck in the past.

Nikon Z fc

Nikon

The look of the Z fc is specifically inspired by one of Nikon’s most beloved models, the FM2 SLR, which was introduced in the early 1980s. Like the titanium version of that camera, the new model combines a compact silver body with a black leather grip. Silver and black may be the classic combo, but if you want something a little out there, the camera will eventually be available in a variety of different textured grip colors, including tan, pink and teal.

The Z fc doesn’t just look like an old camera, though. It feels and handles like one too, but in the very best way. The top of the device features a number of carved aluminum dials for settings like shutter speed, aperture and ISO. The back of the camera also has a vintage-style circular eyecup around the viewfinder.

Nikon Z fc

Nikon

The Z fc is the second in the company’s Z series of APS-C (DX) mirrorless

cameras

, and has many of the same features as the line’s first model, the

Z50

. These include a 20.9-megapixel image sensor, Expeed 6 processors and the brand’s powerful Z mount. Thanks to these features, its 209-point autofocus system can shoot at 11 fps and record 4K video. There’s also a 2.36-million-dot OLED electronic viewfinder, vari-angle touchscreen, an SD card slot, USB-C for fast transfers and a EN-EL-25 battery that should be good for 300 shots-per-charge. The camera is also compatible with Nikon’s DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens and the brand-new Z 28mm f/2.8 (SE) lens.

The Z fc will launch late next month, in silver and black. Just the body itself will cost $960, but you’ll be able to buy it with the 16-50mm lens for $1,099.95 and with the 28mm lens for $1,199.95. All three options will be available in different color options through the Nikon website at a later date.