The Nikon Zf could one day add a 'date stamp' overlay to its list of retro-digital features, that’s according to a report from Phototrend. That’s because the Nikon stand at the recent CP+ 2026 camera show, in Japan, featured a 'prototype' Nikon Zf mirrorless camera with the curious, retro feature.
Images obtained by the online imaging news outlet show printed JPEG photos with a tiny date stamp in the bottom-right corner – red digital numerals in color photos and white digital numerals in black-and-white photos. However, don’t get too excited just yet, because when asked if a wider release was imminent, staff revealed there are no plans to bring this to Nikon's full-frame retro camera just yet.
Personally, I find it hard to believe that Nikon would showcase something like this and not be at least fairly confident that it will eventually get released. I say that because the Nikon Zf already has plenty of in-camera retro features. For starters, it has onboard Picture Controls à la Fujifilm’s Film Simulations.
The Nikon Zf even has a dedicated B&W switch, so you can instantly toggle your favorite black-and-white Picture Control on and off. You can also create your own Custom Picture Controls in-camera or via NX Studio. And finally, at the tail end of last year, Nikon introduced Film Grain via firmware update 3.00. This allows users to add three sizes and six types of intensities of grain to their images, which can be combined with Picture Controls.
The ability to add a date stamp would certainly complement the aforementioned features, and I can’t imagine it being so intrusive that it would get in the way of anyone who’d rather avoid it. It seems like a win-win to me! I’ll definitely be keeping an ear to the ground should more details about this quirky retro feature surface.
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Check out the best Nikon cameras and the best Nikon Z lenses. If you're a retro camera fan but don't have the budget for the Nikon Zf, take a look at its APS-C counterpart, the Nikon Zfc.
