Nikon DF

The green dot will work for focusing just the exact same as it does on the D700.

I always had confidence with the D700, I was thinking about a post(s) about the green dot focus not being accurate when used to acquire manual focusing. Not that I ever noticed a difference. This would be a major purchase for me so I'm paying attention to everything being written about this. Maybe too much attention....
 
Ok say it actually is a decent camera, horses for courses and all that... I'm liberal ;-p

BUT what about the major quality control flaws of the last two Nikon FX cameras? The D600 oil-on-mirror and the D800 focusing? And Nikon's less than stellar way of handling those issues?

What are you guys smoking that would make you want to be an early adopter of any new Nikon camera? I mean give it a couple of months for the sacrificial beta testers to do their job! (price will probably come down too...)

Amen!

Nikon acts as though customer satisfaction has no value whatsoever. The D600 oil spitting situation was especially egregious.
 
I always had confidence with the D700, I was thinking about a post(s) about the green dot focus not being accurate when used to acquire manual focusing.
This might have been the case with the D200. But things have been corrected onwards from the D300 and its followers.
 
Thom Hogan has a post on TOP declaring the green dot to be approximate for manual focusing, not something to rely upon for fast, wide-open lenses. YMMV but I find him a reliable source.

All my cautions aside, the more I see of the camera, the more attractive it looks and I would like to handle one. But the Devil will get frostbite before I pay full price!
 
The D700 green dot is useful. During final fouling adjustments there are indicators that guide you as to what direction you should turn the lens collar. But these indicators are useless when the focus is not close. I too have successfully used the 700 green dot. But I feel this method is inferior compared to a every pre-1990s SLR, an analog rangefinder or even the EVF of the Fujifilm X cameras (with current firmware installed).
 
Yes, but at the size of that F3 there... 😱

Then get an F3 and be happy.
I know, we are hard to please. 🙂

It's like saying I want the comfort and sophistication of a Bentley but the size (and price if it's not too much of a trouble...) of a Honda Accord.
 
Then get an F3 and be happy.
I know, we are hard to please. 🙂

It's like saying I want the comfort and sophistication of a Bentley but the size (and price if it's not too much of a trouble...) of a Honda Accord.

Yes, I've been thinking about it. However, I don't have a quality film workflow set-up these days and, as a color photographer, digital suits the look I want. I should have used the F3 in the 90s when I had a great film workflow. However, the Leica M6 won me over in that time period...
 
I really hate to confuse the issue of focusing but I have used the "green dot" method on my D90 with an Ais 1,2 50 and really, its not good at all. In fact I just did a test on some really busy wrapping paper and it pretty much flopped. I don't know if this has been improved on later models but based on my experience I would not trust the green dot on fast lenses opened all the way.

To be honest I would have bought a D600 had it not been for the quality issues ie oil and the 800's focusing problems. I am a Nikon guy and even I can not forgive the way that was handled and the sloppy testing of these expensive bodies prelaunch.
 
Looks interesting, I still shoot Canon 5DII for digital. It takes a lot more of my attention then my film OM, R, M and G systems. This looks a little easier to use if you are still using film cameras a lot of the time. But I probably wait for some FF system camera to grow up, before investing. If I was a Nikon shooter, this Df and a D800 looks like an amazing combo. Canon at the moment doesn't make any cameras that take my attention, same for the Canon lenses, not even an ok 50mm lens ... I just stick with Canon because it takes all my SLR film glass. The new Sony's look interesting, I hope they don't behave to much like the Nex cameras. And I grew up with digital ( Canon D60/1DMKII ) but I find all those old manual cameras way easier to handle, the camera disappears when shooting and you can fully concentrate on the subject, composition etc ...
 
So after an afternoon of shooting with Df I don't know how I managed. It must be such a horrible camera according to all the speculatory points of view here, it blows my mind i managed to get any pictures.
The camera performs wonderfully. Even better - when i first received it i was a bit skeptical. A couple of years ago i'd be swooning over design only. But since then i grew tired of gear because photography remains my main interest and having to think about gear was very tiresome. So i fully expected that the camera would not get much action next to D800 (especially since i took up video few months ago shooting long term documentary).
But, surprise - i have really enjoyed the Df and wouldn't mind using it more regularly. Camera appearance has big influence on the subjects I shoot as well - those pesky western europeans just don't take kindly to DSLRs pointed at them. Not with this camera, and just like with an old film camera I got many interested and cooperating passers by, which is always a big plus for me. Minus is, just like with old Leicas and Nikons I also get approached by old farts with P&S starting to talk camera and how they used to own one just like me and how great it was. Well then, why did you sell it and "upgrade" to the piece of sh!t you're holding? Happens a lot.

I had the Ai-S 35/1.4 strapped on the whole time and focusing worked just as well as when I had D700. But then again, green dot MF has always worked well for me, even with 50/1.2 and any mishaps would typically be user error or shooting difficult moving scenes. And the quality of the results, nothing surprising 🙂

One more thing that will be impossible to convey in any review - you have to hear the shutter sound 🙂 Just go into a shop once Df hits the shelves and fire a couple of shots. I had to smile with every shutter press. It ain't the usual D series sound, I can tell you that.

I won't post pictures right now. Firstly because MY photos won't tell you much - milage and lenses vary; Secondly because I don't really have much decent stuff and unless I post a decent photo I don't post "test shots" of my dog. And thirdly because there is enough negativity in this thread and spilling it over on the photos will make me sad. I'd rather not be sad, so i'll go and have a beer now instead. Cheers!
 
Wow, the height of the Df really is dictated by the LCD. It would have to be the size of a film holder to make the camera the height of an F3. I bet THAT would have gone over well. 😎

You are absolutely correct.
I wish they made a version of the Df that has only a histogram display on the back. Then they can make the body smaller.

But then again, there will be only me buying it 😀
 
I won't post pictures right now. Firstly because MY photos won't tell you much - milage and lenses vary; Secondly because I don't really have much decent stuff and unless I post a decent photo I don't post "test shots" of my dog. And thirdly because there is enough negativity in this thread and spilling it over on the photos will make me sad. I'd rather not be sad, so i'll go and have a beer now instead. Cheers!

I just want to say that I personally appreciate the restraint you've shown here.

Your best pictures from the Df is still out there somewhere in the near future, and when you are ready to showcase it, along with your real experience with the camera, now that would be a treat worth waiting for 🙂
 
I use primarily AI, Ai-s lenses on my D700. I use the built in rangefinder (green dot) for focusing all the time, and find it to be very accurate and reliable. Even with my 50 1.2 and telephoto lenses.
 
Camera available as a body only in the Netherlands, at least from this site :

http://www.cameranu.nl/nl/search?q=...cyI6WyIxIl19&gclid=CJf60ZqZ2LoCFRMftAodDVwAaw

They were a bit hasty confirming it has full HD video. 😀😀

€ 2.749,00

I am surprised that it's the same price in Euros as the same in Dollars!

Nikon USA has a web store, here is the link for the camera:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Product/Digital-SLR-Cameras/1526/Nikon-Df.html

$2,749.95

You can pre-order on-line.


Kiu
 
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