six34sigma wrote:

Not the same as your experience but nobody if claiming Z9 or Z8 performance. The z9 and z8 are stacked sensors and are blackout free. The Zf sensor is the same sensor in a Z6ii, it’s BSI and does not process information as quickly.

If you read Thom Hogans review he says the same thing. Look under focusing, the first paragraph or two.

https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-cameras/nikon-z-camera-reviews/nikon-zf-camera-review.html

Everybody’s experience is different. Mine has not been perfect with occasional misses, but the difference is that I am okay with that for $2,000. Would not have been okay with that with the Z9.

I'm not really surprised at the results presented here. Sony and Canon have a 5 year head start on Nikon, with physical and programmatical components of their AF systems that may offer some inherent advantages. Nikon is still very much a work in progress.

At this point many reviewers, including the harshest, are beginning to say that the 3 competitors are quite close in AF performance.
The real question then becomes - given that the Zf is by definition not a state of the art camera: taken in its entirely, does shooting with the entire Zf package - lenses, body, AF, etc. give you a sufficiently pleasurable shooting experience in spite of some shortcomings to keep you in the Nikon system, or must AF be absolutely the best in its class before it does and you do?