P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
I decided to start a new thread for Nikon Df owners and admirers. If you think the Nikon Df is over-priced, under-spec'ed, fashion accessory, failure, that is fine, there are several other threads where you can vent your frustration and disappointment in humanity. This thread is for those souls that have been disillusioned by a clever marketing plan to appeal to our retro, hipster urges to over pay for a fashion accessory made from leftover camera parts and pieces that promises to provide a purer and higher experience of photography.
It was a wet day on the farm, and Df was soaked by the time I got back to the shed. The Df shrugged off the rain and moisture and passed my first torture test.
The Nikon Df more than exceeds my expectations... which may be lower than many... I admit. The Df allows me to use my Nikkor lens collection as it was intended on a digital media with a user interface that is familiar and instinctive to me.
I like my Nikon Df.
It was a wet day on the farm, and Df was soaked by the time I got back to the shed. The Df shrugged off the rain and moisture and passed my first torture test.
The Nikon Df more than exceeds my expectations... which may be lower than many... I admit. The Df allows me to use my Nikkor lens collection as it was intended on a digital media with a user interface that is familiar and instinctive to me.
I like my Nikon Df.
back alley
IMAGES
i like the colours...
wintoid
Back to film
Looks good, how's the focusing screen?
P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
Note to moderator - I am cross-posting to help reduce the clutter and mess of various threads. I will only be posting in this going forward
Just for the record... this what I wrote in an E-mail to a fellow photographer and friend after a few hours of owning and using the Nikon Df...
It is near enough to my Nikon F that I set the ISO at 400, the camera on manual and forgot about it. Focuses manual lenses right on the money, big bright viewfinder, can see the whole finder including the display below even with my spectacles on, lightweight, but solid, quiet, not much louder than my M5 and quieter than any of my Bessa cameras. Far too many buttons on the back and confusing menus, but thankfully did not even have to touch them.
Everything is where it should be on the top deck. As near perfect I will get till they build a Nikon F with a sensor. Cost far too much money, but I am tired of not taking photos and having zero inspiration to do so.
So a very happy Nikon Df owner... broke, but happy.
My criteria for the Nikon Df was that it had to be able to focus as well as my Nikon F and allow me to shoot just as if I were using the F. It did. If the Df had not passed this test by 100%, I would have not bought it, just like I have not bought a D3, D700, D4, D600, or D800, all very good cameras, but not for me and my way of being a photographer.
The Df has one of the best viewfinders I have seen on any new camera in a very long time.
Sitting on my desk is the Df, FM2n, Nikon F... all with the equivalent of an 'E-type' screen. Here is how my 3 cameras stack up... viewfinder wise... with a Nikkor 50mm f1.2 lenses mounted...
Nikon Df - best viewfinder for using spectacles... I can easily see the entire screen and the display around without putting any pressure on my spectacles. Is equally bright as the Nikon F and while the focus seems to snap just abit less than the F, my ability to focus accurately is not impaired, I am able to focus any where on the screen with equal accuracy to the F or FM2n. The Df viewfinder is the smallest of the three, only slightly small than the F, while noticeably smaller than the FM2. The Df has the brightest viewfinder of the 3.
Nikon FM2n - while the viewfinder is only slightly darker than the Df, it is much bigger, but even pushing my spectacles hard against the eyepiece I cannot see the whole screen and I subconsciously move the camera around so I can see the corners of the screen. I cannot see any of the display without moving the camera around. The focus snaps more sharply due to increased viewfinder magnification, but in practice does not produce better accuracy. I find the FM2 finder the least user friendly for me and would be my last choice of the 3.
Nikon F - what can I say... I am completely biased... so no objectivity here... the F viewfinder is probably the darkest of the 3, not by much , but you can see it if you look close. I can see the entire screen with my spectacles on and no pressure on the eyepiece, just but it is all there. As for the display... what display... there is nothing to see except the view... I like that... interesting the F viewfinder is more or less the same size as the Df, maybe just a touch bigger, hardly noticeable. The focus on the F is less snappy than the FM2, and slightly more snappy than the Df. If I must be honest, the F viewfinder comes in at a tie or maybe even a runner up to the Df... did I just write that?
I think Nikon has out-maneuvered the competition and silenced the critics with the Df and done what no other camera company has been brave enough to do... design and manufacture a camera that the majority of modern camera users think is a bad idea, over-priced, under-spec'ed, and the death-knell of the company, but provides a real bridge for us old, grumpy MF lenses owners, with a full-frame sensor and a great optical finder, that let's the old MF lenses be used to their potential instead an EVF/crop sensor wannabe concoction.
With the Df, Nikon has released a camera that supports and pays homage to the legion of loyal Nikon and Nikkor owners that still swear by and use or want to use their old Nikkor lenses from past 5 decades. But the Df also allows us manual-focusing, manual-exposure grouches to be able to 'grow' into digital and the new tech by having them 'dially-things' that work with the latest generation of Nikkor lenses if we ever decide to get with the system.
The Df is obviously not the camera for everyone, but I am very glad that Nikon finally made a DSLR for me.
Just for the record... this what I wrote in an E-mail to a fellow photographer and friend after a few hours of owning and using the Nikon Df...
It is near enough to my Nikon F that I set the ISO at 400, the camera on manual and forgot about it. Focuses manual lenses right on the money, big bright viewfinder, can see the whole finder including the display below even with my spectacles on, lightweight, but solid, quiet, not much louder than my M5 and quieter than any of my Bessa cameras. Far too many buttons on the back and confusing menus, but thankfully did not even have to touch them.
Everything is where it should be on the top deck. As near perfect I will get till they build a Nikon F with a sensor. Cost far too much money, but I am tired of not taking photos and having zero inspiration to do so.
So a very happy Nikon Df owner... broke, but happy.
My criteria for the Nikon Df was that it had to be able to focus as well as my Nikon F and allow me to shoot just as if I were using the F. It did. If the Df had not passed this test by 100%, I would have not bought it, just like I have not bought a D3, D700, D4, D600, or D800, all very good cameras, but not for me and my way of being a photographer.
The Df has one of the best viewfinders I have seen on any new camera in a very long time.
Sitting on my desk is the Df, FM2n, Nikon F... all with the equivalent of an 'E-type' screen. Here is how my 3 cameras stack up... viewfinder wise... with a Nikkor 50mm f1.2 lenses mounted...
Nikon Df - best viewfinder for using spectacles... I can easily see the entire screen and the display around without putting any pressure on my spectacles. Is equally bright as the Nikon F and while the focus seems to snap just abit less than the F, my ability to focus accurately is not impaired, I am able to focus any where on the screen with equal accuracy to the F or FM2n. The Df viewfinder is the smallest of the three, only slightly small than the F, while noticeably smaller than the FM2. The Df has the brightest viewfinder of the 3.
Nikon FM2n - while the viewfinder is only slightly darker than the Df, it is much bigger, but even pushing my spectacles hard against the eyepiece I cannot see the whole screen and I subconsciously move the camera around so I can see the corners of the screen. I cannot see any of the display without moving the camera around. The focus snaps more sharply due to increased viewfinder magnification, but in practice does not produce better accuracy. I find the FM2 finder the least user friendly for me and would be my last choice of the 3.
Nikon F - what can I say... I am completely biased... so no objectivity here... the F viewfinder is probably the darkest of the 3, not by much , but you can see it if you look close. I can see the entire screen with my spectacles on and no pressure on the eyepiece, just but it is all there. As for the display... what display... there is nothing to see except the view... I like that... interesting the F viewfinder is more or less the same size as the Df, maybe just a touch bigger, hardly noticeable. The focus on the F is less snappy than the FM2, and slightly more snappy than the Df. If I must be honest, the F viewfinder comes in at a tie or maybe even a runner up to the Df... did I just write that?
I think Nikon has out-maneuvered the competition and silenced the critics with the Df and done what no other camera company has been brave enough to do... design and manufacture a camera that the majority of modern camera users think is a bad idea, over-priced, under-spec'ed, and the death-knell of the company, but provides a real bridge for us old, grumpy MF lenses owners, with a full-frame sensor and a great optical finder, that let's the old MF lenses be used to their potential instead an EVF/crop sensor wannabe concoction.
With the Df, Nikon has released a camera that supports and pays homage to the legion of loyal Nikon and Nikkor owners that still swear by and use or want to use their old Nikkor lenses from past 5 decades. But the Df also allows us manual-focusing, manual-exposure grouches to be able to 'grow' into digital and the new tech by having them 'dially-things' that work with the latest generation of Nikkor lenses if we ever decide to get with the system.
The Df is obviously not the camera for everyone, but I am very glad that Nikon finally made a DSLR for me.
dasuess
Nikon Freak
Oh crap... i didn't want a Df, but now I do. Great review and comparison to best work horse camera ever made - the Nikon F.
P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
Note - Moderator and readers... I am cross-posting in order to compile information in one place...
On the size of the Nikon Df...
The Df is smaller and less bulky than my FM2n with a MD12, and is no where near the weight and heft of a F3 with a MD4, smaller than a F4 or F5 by a country mile.
Of course, it is thicker than a plain-jane FM2 or FE2, but in the hand there is not practical difference. Feels and operates just like any of the 3rd generation Nikons, FM2, FE2, F3. I own and have used all of these cameras in the past 30 years. My workhorse camera has been the plain prism Nikon F. For all practical intents and purposes, I cannot tell the difference in use between my Nikon F and the Df, with exception of the flashing lights in the viewfinder and the obvious difference of not needing film.
If you enjoyed using an F3, FM2, FE2, you will find the Df very easy to use. Different, but equally easy and comfortable to use.
On the size of the Nikon Df...
The Df is smaller and less bulky than my FM2n with a MD12, and is no where near the weight and heft of a F3 with a MD4, smaller than a F4 or F5 by a country mile.
Of course, it is thicker than a plain-jane FM2 or FE2, but in the hand there is not practical difference. Feels and operates just like any of the 3rd generation Nikons, FM2, FE2, F3. I own and have used all of these cameras in the past 30 years. My workhorse camera has been the plain prism Nikon F. For all practical intents and purposes, I cannot tell the difference in use between my Nikon F and the Df, with exception of the flashing lights in the viewfinder and the obvious difference of not needing film.
If you enjoyed using an F3, FM2, FE2, you will find the Df very easy to use. Different, but equally easy and comfortable to use.
ricnak
Well-known
Nikon Df might just be my first dSLR
lynnb
Veteran
Thanks for this Lynn. As a current or past owner of FM, FE, FE2, F2 Photomic, F80, Nikkormat FTN and a bunch of MF AI primes, your opinion is useful. Looks like I would bond with the Df as well. My go-to Nikons are the FE2 and F80. I have small hands and the F2 is just outside my comfort zone. As is the price of the Df, unfortunately.
Regards,
Regards,
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Lucky sod ... I'd love to own one but I just can't justify it with a D700 sitting in the cupboard. 
Nice photos as always mate.
Nice photos as always mate.
P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
I must stress that while the Nikon Df seems to be specially made for me... do your due diligence and test drive the Nikon Df first. It is very expensive and probably over-priced, but I have been waiting for a long time. I did not buy a Epson RD-1, Leica M8 or M9, D700, D600, etc and etc. not because they were not very capable cameras, but they were not the camera I was looking for. So in the end when the Nikon Df passed the test, cost became a minor issue. Let me say it still really, really hurt to lay-out 62 $50 bills on the counter in exchange for the Nikon Df. Is it a $1000 too expensive, I do not know, but over 5 years that will cost me about $4 a week... the price of a good cup of coffee... and I would not have all these photos. As it is, I fell off the edge of the photography world about 3 years ago, completely and totally gone. If you look at my archives, nothing has been added since mid-2010... 3 jobs, full-time study, and on-going family medical issues simply dictated that I did not have the time or money to shoot film or make a frivolous digital purchase.
The Nikon Df arrived at the right time and space and passed muster, so I bought it. No regrets.
I have no complaints
The Nikon Df arrived at the right time and space and passed muster, so I bought it. No regrets.
I have no complaints
ChrisLivsey
Veteran
I am not here to vent my "frustration and disappointment in humanity" I want one. Yes UK price of touching £3,000 is a bummer but what is a bigger bummer is they will only sell me the kit. I need, really need, anther Nikon 50mm lens
The camera is aimed, one presumes, at legacy shooters how likely are they to want another 50?
If a buy the kit who is going to want that lens S/H ?
The camera is aimed, one presumes, at legacy shooters how likely are they to want another 50?
If a buy the kit who is going to want that lens S/H ?
thereabouts
Established
It's odd. All these years of digital SLRs, I have always wondered... "why don't they simply have the ISO, aperture and shutter speed dials as physical 'knobs' on the camera, instead of hiding them in fiddly little buttons and thumbwheels, or within on-screen menus"? The DPReview review was baffling to me, when it talked about how these 'retro' controls were redundant, when the features could be accessed via the menus or by using scroll wheels.
For me, photography is still basically defined by those three functions, yet on my Canon dSLR, the controls always seem to be in unintuitive places, or mixed in with features which I rarely use, which require me to take my eye off the viewfinder and faff about with the camera controls. That's one reason that I bought the Nex-7.
I hope this is a trend which other camera makers take up. Although, not at this price please
For me, photography is still basically defined by those three functions, yet on my Canon dSLR, the controls always seem to be in unintuitive places, or mixed in with features which I rarely use, which require me to take my eye off the viewfinder and faff about with the camera controls. That's one reason that I bought the Nex-7.
I hope this is a trend which other camera makers take up. Although, not at this price please
ronnies
Well-known
Looks like it is a fantastic camera. Still won't be buying one in the UK at the moment though. :-(
Ronnie
Ronnie
jarski
Veteran
thanks for starting the thread and my compliments about the photos
P. Lynn Miller
Well-known
The available darkness capability of the Nikon Df is quite astounding. I am used to pushing Tri-X to ASA 3200, but having ISO 6400 and 12,800 at your fingertips is something to get used to. I have a lot to learn about digital files and B&W output, but for the moment I am having letting the Df do all the post processing.
x-ray
Veteran
At first I thought it was just another DSLR in a new wrapper and overpriced then I thought about my M9. My M9 is a nice camera but it's had its problems. I use Nikons in my work and any problems have been minor, PC connector lose. My M9 problems have been major, sensor and mother board replacement. I've owned many Nikons and shot thousands of rolls through them on assignments with virtually no issues. My early Leica has been equally dependable but leica equipment since the early 80's has failed the reliability test including my a la carte MP I ordered new ( shutter failure after a short time and lenses coming apart or focusing mounts binding).
Leica catered to the pro when I started using them in the 80's but now they cater to the enthusiast and quality control and service are lacking. On the other hand Nikon maintains reliability and the same pro service (NPS) that they've had for many decades. Nikon never forgot their pro base and has maintained the same high standard of quality in their upper end gear.
I love my M9 now that it works ( how long ) but without question my D800 system produces better files. At the time I bought my M9 I could buy 2 D800's and a lens for the same money. The images from the D800 are amazing as well with 14.4 stops of dynamic range in every pixel of its 36mp sensor. Focusing, speed and low high ISO noise are just a few advantages.
This is why I rethought the DF and figured it's really not that over priced.
Looking forward to getting mine.
Leica catered to the pro when I started using them in the 80's but now they cater to the enthusiast and quality control and service are lacking. On the other hand Nikon maintains reliability and the same pro service (NPS) that they've had for many decades. Nikon never forgot their pro base and has maintained the same high standard of quality in their upper end gear.
I love my M9 now that it works ( how long ) but without question my D800 system produces better files. At the time I bought my M9 I could buy 2 D800's and a lens for the same money. The images from the D800 are amazing as well with 14.4 stops of dynamic range in every pixel of its 36mp sensor. Focusing, speed and low high ISO noise are just a few advantages.
This is why I rethought the DF and figured it's really not that over priced.
Looking forward to getting mine.
Pfreddee
Well-known
Looks like a wonderfully fun camera, the photos are splendid, and the produce looks yummy! How can you miss????
With best regards,
Pfreddee(Stephen)
With best regards,
Pfreddee(Stephen)
KoNickon
Nick Merritt
This is something you should be cautious with. Either it's night - so, there is no light but for some rare light spots/rays here and there (moon, lamps, spots, city lighting, candles...) thus you take night photos, with all the charm they have (shadows, deep blacks, contrast, mystery, night atmosphere).
Or it's day (or it's in a lit indoors location) and then you perform some available light photography.
If it's night without any light source somewhere, what you are doing by pushing the ISO sensitivity of your sensor is displaying what we would see in a tunnel wearing some Soviet surplus military light-amplifier glasses. What's the point ?
Just my 2c.
To which I say, look at the results. This picture doesn't look artificial to me at all.
Highway 61
Revisited
This is what I did. Yet I looked at the photograph - not at "the results" [of how the sensor and image processor can make a visible noise-free picture where there is almost no light hitting what is being photographed].
--
Well-known
Congratulations with your new camera. It is a pleasure to read of your joy.
I would appreciate it if you would keep writing about it in the coming time.
Cheers,
Xpanded