Nikon DF

[uhoh7]

 

[Travis L.]

Jeez, seems like I'm the only person who likes this camera and may possibly order one. Am I alone?

I'm right there with you. It's pretty much what I've been waiting for SLR wise.
A full frame Nikon that takes all of my Nikkor lenses and utilizes a simplified "oldschool" layout... What's not to like?
I can easily see this replacing my D700 soon

Seems like everyone has to bellyache about something these days. If you don't like it.. Don't buy it.

 

[Margu]

now that we can feel like its 1970s with these cameras, if only we could also move photography back to the 1970s...

nostalgia is a sign of decay and fall

 

[benji77]

I personally feel this is a suitable camera to act as a 2nd body to a D3 or a D4 if you dont already have a D700/D800, and I would be keen to own one.

The FX sensor, 100% VF would give a good 'experience' working this on your travel or assignments as compared to a mirrorless with an EVF. I take the comparison similar to an M9 Vs XPro1, where the 'user experience' plays an important role.

 

[Pablito]

...a "simplified" full frame DSLR....

But it's not simplified at all - quite the contrary!

 

[Pablito]

It's the same price as the D800 and I wouldn't give up my D800 for one of these. IMO it should be priced about the same as a D600. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice camera but I think it's aimed at the enthusiast and nikon thinks they can get them to cough up the bux.

yeap.

You learn to "need" those 36 MP and amazing dynamic range

pretty fast.

 

[Spyro]

I was looking at this comparison for 5 mins trying to figure out why the Sony sensor is so much bigger, until I realised I was actually looking at the Nikon's mirror, not the sensor :bang:
need coffee...

anyway apples and oranges, if you need ttl-OVF you need ttl-OVF, in which case it doesnt get much smaller than this Nikon in the digital FF world. Not yet anyway.

 

[--s]

stolen & modified from the cameraquest.com page:

 

[uhoh7]

stolen & modified from the cameraquest.com page:

LOL, it should say: Sorry Nikon, I'm a fast Voigtlander, and that sweet little Sony luvvvvs me 🙂

 

[c.poulton]

... Is it only me - or is it just a coincidence that the Sony 7's just were announced and now the F Digital is coming out - who is next?

I'd like to see Pentax (Ricoh) come out with a FF camera, fully backward compatible with the K mount, so that I can use all my old K & M42 len's. A simplified digital LX, if you like, basic manual controls and in a small form factor, not bloated like the Nikon Df.

 

[Highway 61]

Now that we can feel like it's 1970s with these cameras, if only we could also move photography back to the 1970s...

Nostalgia is a sign of decay and fall

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be any longer. 😀

 

[sc_rufctr]

I got confirmation today that I'll be one of the first people to have one in Australia...
Meanwhile if I want a real photographic experience I'll load some film into my M bodies. 😀

It may in the classified ads sometime in December. lol....

 

[jschrader]

Nostalgia isn't what it used to be any longer. 😀

even nostalgia was more true and honest in the old days... 😉

 

[Highway 61]

It is possible to change D700/800 focus screens but Nikon didn't intend for them to be user replaceable, like for example on the F6, and Nikon does not sell focus screens for them.

There are of course third party screens available. I have a Katzeye split screen in my D700 and love it. It was straightforward to install (procedure is a little more tricky but similar to installing a focus screen in an FE2/FM2/FM3A) and did not require shimming. I mainly use my D700 for macro photography with a manual focus Micro-Nikkor Ai-S 105/2.8 and focusing accurately is a breeze. But if you're the clumsy type I'd recommend not attempting to install a focus screen yourself though.

For those who don't feel easy to install the Katzeye split screen in their D700 I strongly recommend the $35 DK-17M lupe which makes the D700 VF image as large as the old F2/F3 one, and grantly helps to see what is in focus to "pop" clearly. Even while wearing glasses you can see the whole finder image when the DK-17M is on.

Yet this doesn't erase the problems clearly explained by craygc re. the difficulties to manually focus on "accute matte" type screens designed for AF.

The DK-17M and the Katzeye split screen in a D700 will make its finder a MF bomb for sure !

Not too sure if the Df eyepiece can accept any lupe of that kind. Plus, its eyepoint is 3mm lesser than the D700 one... 🙁

 

[jschrader]

to be honest, I don't like the Df but it is a lot better than any other dSLR.
They should take out the motor (lever not for film advance but for the shutter) and the autofocus, and remove the top-plate LCD (incompatible for G-lenses).

 

[Jan Van Laethem]

How the heck can anyone complete such a questionnaire, when no one's actually used the product? This is getting pretty meta, if you ask me.

Remember, the first users will actually pay for the privilege of testing the camera and providing the necessary feedback to Nikon.

 

[Jan Van Laethem]

So, what does Nikon do? Designs a shutter dial that only has whole stops! To use partial stops, you need to turn the shutter dial to a special setting so you can select the shutter speed using a different dial! And to add insult to injury, you have to press another button down to actually enable the shutter dial to turn in the first place! Good grief!

If the shutter dial is designed like the one on the F3, the lock is only there at one particular setting. On the F3, when you put the shutter dial on "A", it locks, which is kind of obvious. Unlock it by pushing the small button in the centre and you can access any shutter speed, no need to press the button again.

I would think Nikon did the same with the Df : lock it on "1/3" or unlock it and use it as shutter speed dials have always been used.

 

[Jan Van Laethem]

What is everybody moaning about! Nobody will force you to buy one. I like the concept - haven't seen or held the camera yet - but a "simplified" full frame DSLR that allows me to use all my old Nikon F lenses - and the new lenses in F-mount from Zeiss and Cosina Voigtlander can't be all bad in my mind.I just hope that Nikon has given those of us who hates complex menu's and over loaded gimmickry to disconnect this and shot manually, f stop, shutter speed and manual focus - don't need anything more - nor do I want it. Will be interesting to see if they have given some thought to the black/white performance.
Is it only me - or is it just a coincidence that the Sony 7's just were announced and now the F Digital is coming out - who is next?

Amen, couldn't have said it better myself. Interesting times, let's see more from Nikon or other manufacturers.

 

[Highway 61]

I like the concept - haven't seen or held the camera yet - but a "simplified" full frame DSLR that allows me to use all my old Nikon F lenses - and the new lenses in F-mount from Zeiss and Cosina Voigtlander can't be all bad in my mind.I just hope that Nikon has given those of us who hates complex menu's and over loaded gimmickry to disconnect this and shoot manually, f stop, shutter speed and manual focus - don't need anything more - nor do I want it. Will be interesting to see if they have given some thought to the black/white performance.

Tom, it's neither "simplified" nor designed to "shoot manually".

We hardly expected this camera to be so, but at this point it is absolutely not.

This is another casual Nikon FF DSLR on which (nice looking) analog ISO/EC/speeds dials have been added, and the built-in flash removed. This is all.

The only real difference with the other FF Nikon DLSRs is the flippable Ai tab which allows to mount non-Ai lenses.

This is the only real feature this camera has and which the D700/600/610/800/800E/3/3s/4 haven't.

For $1000 (the price of the flippable Ai tab) I'd rather but a premium Sandvik file, excellent Bost screwdrivers, and file down my non-Ai lenses to get them Ai'd, if I had many of them I wanted to use on a DSLR.

 

[RichC]

If the shutter dial is designed like the one on the F3, the lock is only there at one particular setting. On the F3, when you put the shutter dial on "A", it locks, which is kind of obvious. Unlock it by pushing the small button in the centre and you can access any shutter speed, no need to press the button again.

I would think Nikon did the same with the Df : lock it on "1/3" or unlock it and use it as shutter speed dials have always been used.

I wish! Sadly that's not the case. DPReview reporting on an actual camera supplied by Nikon to them:

"The shutter speed dial has a central locking button that has to be pressed down every time you want to move it."​

See http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/11/05/hands-on-with-the-retro-nikon-df/print