Hang on a minute – is Nikon suddenly cool again?

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Nikon lost its cool factor somewhere along the way, but I reckon it’s found it again in the Z 9, Z 8, Z f and beyond...

Nikon Zf
Cameras like the Nikon Z fc and Z f (pictured) have certainly raised Nikon’s cool factor. (Image credit: Nikon)

If you’re of a certain age, there’s a good chance you spent your formative photography years lusting after a Nikon. After all, Nikon was the it camera brand for decades. Its gorgeous SLRs were ahead of their time and captured the hearts and minds of millions. It even landed on the Moon. And when digital rocked the industry, Nikon acted decisively, beating its peers to the punch by launching the now-legendary D1. 

This trend continued well into the noughties. Remember hit crime procedural CSI? The whole forensic crew and their mothers were packing the best Nikon cameras. And so, for that matter, was everyone else. Owning a digital compact camera was like owning a watch: everyone had one. How else could you photograph your tipsy friends sipping WKD, while listening to Scooter in Ibiza?

But trouble was brewing...

Nikon fans had been eagerly awaiting a spiritual successor to the legendary D850 and the Z 8 certainly delivered. (Image credit: Digital Camera World)

Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, starting a chain reaction that would bring the compact market to its knees. In 2013, Sony challenged both Nikon and Canon’s dominance over the pro market with the release of the world’s first pro mirrorless, the A7R. Despite launching some of the best DSLR cameras ever made, Nikon was no longer seen to be operating at the forefront of camera technology. And it hurt. 

Unaware of the Big N’s legendary history, new generations of photographers adopted Sony as their camera brand of choice. And somewhere along the way, the Internet ilk started referring to Nikons as potatoes. The Big N’s cool factor was at an all-time low. Nikon finally entered the full-frame mirrorless market with its incredible Z mount. And by the Nikon Z6/Z7 II, I really thought it was firing on all cylinders. But the naysayers persisted. Then, the Nikon Z 9 came out. 

Suddenly, the delay in joining the mirrorless party made sense. It launched with a newly developed stacked sensor, internal 8K 30p video and the world’s fastest burst speed. Then came the Nikon Z8; an all-but-flagship camera in a smaller body. Then the Nikon Zf, arguably the most authentic retro-themed digital camera ever made. Heck, Nikon even landed the lion's share of the prizes handed out at the prestigious Camera Grand Prix Awards. 

YouTubers are reviewing Nikon cameras without a wry smile, once again a Nikon is set to land on the Moon, and the gap in mirrorless tech between Sony has been bridged. Imagine my glee, when I visited the cinema recently to watch the Alex Garland movie Civil War, only to find the experienced photojournalist (Kirsten Dunst) using a Sony mirrorless and the up-and-coming Gen Z journo (Cailee Spaeny) touting a Nikon FE2. 

Nikon’s back, baby! But for us fans, it never went away.

Nikon recently revealed that it has made over 120-million Nikkor lenses – not surprising when you consider all the incredible Z-mount glass it’s released over the past five years. (Image credit: Nikon)

You might be interested in the best Nikon lenses, including the best Nikon Z lenses for its mirrorless system. 

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Mike Harris
Mike Harris
How To Editor

Mike is Digital Camera World's How To Editor. He has over a decade of experience, writing for some of the biggest specialist publications including Digital Camera, Digital Photographer and PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine. Prior to DCW, Mike was Deputy Editor of N-Photo: The Nikon Magazine and Production Editor at Wex Photo Video, where he sharpened his skills in both the stills and videography spheres. While he's an avid motorsport photographer, his skills extend to every genre of photography – making him one of Digital Camera World's top tutors for techniques on cameras, lenses, tripods, filters and other imaging equipment – as well as sharing his expertise on shooting everything from portraits and landscapes to abstracts and architecture to wildlife and, yes, fast things going around race tracks...