Praise for the unique Nikon DF

[kshapero]

The Nikon DF was a throw back, retro Nikon Digital DSLR. If I remember it had great image quality. Anybody out there shooting with this love/hate rig? Got any pimped DF porn? Or DF images? Show yourself.

 

[Photog9000]

I was tempted by the Df but never got one. Ended up retiring from newspaper work and went more rangefinder style with Fuji instead.

 

[Rob-F]

I was tempted as well. But when I held one the grip just wasn't comfortable. I put it back down on the counter and never thought about it again until now.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I think it was Nikon's honest but ultimately botched attempt to enter the 'retro' market. Fuji did it better.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I love mine. Retired my D700 and now mate my Df with the D4 on assignments. Got a DF-GR1 grip for the camera which makes it more comfortable to hold (unfortunately only made for the Japanese market, but available on the auction site). Image quality is superb as you would expect (same sensor as D4).

Only real drawback is it doesn't have the auto focus speed of the D4, D5, etc. But I'm not really covering sports anymore, so that's not such an issue.

My favorite combo is the 70-200 on the D4 and a 20-35 on the Df.

Best,
-Tim

 

[dtcls100]

As a Nikon user, I never got the appeal of the Df. Leaving aside the faux retro marketing and appearance, the d750 is far superior in just about every respect. More mp (24 vs 16), better sensor and dynamic range, much better AF, faster shooting, more comfortable grip, better weather sealing, 2 card slots vs 1, higher resolution lcd that also tilts, wireless capability, built in flash, video capability and MUCH CHEAPER to boot. I have handled and taken some shots with the Df and was not impressed by the image quality as being anything special. Six years after being introduced, the d750 remains very competitive for stills. Can’t say the same for the Df at about twice the price.

 

[jsrockit]

I used one for about 2 years. I thought it was a wonderful camera. Great sensor, no huge grip, classic controls, etc... but once the X-Pro2 arrived i stopped using it. I still like it. Sometimes I think I should have another. The only bad thing is the autofocus in low light ...and that it’s still expensive vs comparable DSLRs.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Oh Yeah, the other major advantage the Df has is that it can use pretty much any Nikkor lens Nikon designed for their SLR cameras. I've used all these non-AI lenses on the Df with no issues, Nikkor-UD 20mm f3.5, Nikkor-OC 35mm f2.0, Nikkor-SC 50mm f1.4, Nikkor-H 85mm f1.8 and Nikkor-PC 105mm f2.5. These old Nikon primes render beautifully and are a bargain.

Just wanted to throw that in.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Huss]

My main beef with it is I found the manual focus very imprecise. And this is for a camera being touted as one that works great with old mf lenses.
The D750 has a more accurate mf system, and the D850 just blows it away.

Really weird as Nikon has made the F6 for years - and that is great as an mf camera as well as an AF SLR. But I guess that's what happens when you make the DF by reskinning a D610, use the sensor from a D4, and remove features.

 

[Timmyjoe]

Huss, I think we've talked about this before. When I first started using the Df I had the same experience that you're describing. But then I discovered what caused that (at least for me). The one major design flaw I find with the Df is that the diopter adjustment does not lock, and where it is positioned on the camera, it gets hit and slightly knocked out of adjustment each time I take the camera in and out of my camera bag.

So when you pull the camera out of the bag, put it up to your eye, and try to manually focus, something is just off. Once I realized what the problem was, and reset the diopter whenever I pulled it in and out of my bag, the problem went away. I also have the eyepiece magnifier that Nikon makes on the camera, the DK-17M (which I also have on my F6).

Making sure the diopter is set properly solved any difficulty I had with manually focusing the Df.

Best,
-Tim

 

[robert blu]

I was very tempted when the DF arrived on the market. But found it too thick, large.

But sometimes still tempted...

 

[madNbad]

I owned one for about three years. Had a split image focusing screen installed and had several Ai-S lenses chipped. I found a hand grip on Amazon that was superior in every way to the Nikon version and made gripping the camera comfortable. The first AF lens I tried was the Tamron 15-30 2.8. A wonderful lens but weighed a ton. I tried a variety of straps but found it a bit too bulky to carry for long periods of time. The idea was good but the execution could have been better. If Nikon wanted the analog experience, it would have taken a new design. Eliminate the rear screen, a better focusing screen and a better grip. The eventual decision was to sell it and apply the funds to a film Leica. I'm glad to have owned a Df, but I don't miss it.

 

[Huss]

Huss, I think we've talked about this before. When I first started using the Df I had the same experience that you're describing. But then I discovered what caused that (at least for me). The one major design flaw I find with the Df is that the diopter adjustment does not lock, and where it is positioned on the camera, it gets hit and slightly knocked out of adjustment each time I take the camera in and out of my camera bag.

So when you pull the camera out of the bag, put it up to your eye, and try to manually focus, something is just off. Once I realized what the problem was, and reset the diopter whenever I pulled it in and out of my bag, the problem went away. I also have the eyepiece magnifier that Nikon makes on the camera, the DK-17M (which I also have on my F6).

Making sure the diopter is set properly solved any difficulty I had with manually focusing the Df.

Best,
-Tim

Tim, I respect and value your opinion.

I just feel it is a half baked concept. I think it bugs me because it could have been so much better. It is a very fat body, that feels, well, cheap. Turn that shutter speed dial, then turn one on an old Nikon FM. Why does the FM feel so much better built?

I honestly think Nikon would have had a market if they pulled out all the stops, made this thing the size of an FM or F3 even, made it solid, stripped it down and really made it a film sir with a digital back. Even remove the AF! Leica has shown it could be done.
If Nikon had to charge $5000 for it, it would still would have had a market. It would have blown people's minds.
I would have willingly paid that.

 

[santino]

I wish I had one but I also wish it had a better focusing screen for mf lenses.

 

[madNbad]

I wish I had one but I also wish it had a better focusing screen for mf lenses.

Like this one? Sorry, don't know the manufacturer:

[/url]Nikon Df Repacement screen by Michael DeLuca, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[Phil_F_NM]

Get a Canon screen.
Phil Forrest

 

[James24]

I've had my Df 7 years now which is the longest time I've kept a digital camera. I don't find it perfect but it's a good size for travel, and it's also good to use manual focus lenses with.

I have no plans to part with it, but I might be tempted if Nikon brought out a Df mark 2. Or even better a digital F or F2. Pigs might fly.

 

[Monz]

I have one and love it. I upgraded the focussing screen.. similar to the one shown by madNbad above. It came from South Korea and was basically a modified Canon screen which you had to install yourself. I also added a magnifying eyepiece which made manual focussing much easier.

Nikon Df + CZ 35mm Distagon by Monz, on Flickr

 

[peterm1]

When the Df came out my camera guy talked it up and I handled one a few times, but I was never convinced that it offered anything substantially better than a D700 or a D800. I use my D700 perfectly OK with MF lenses and am happy with its form factor and even today am happy with its overall performance. I also felt that something was a little "off" with the form and aesthetics of the Df body. It did not really handle or look quite like an old classic Nikon MF body and I felt it was a bit too fat and bulky. Also for some reason the silver chrome version looks "plasticy" to my eyes (i.e. it looks like silver plastic pretending to be silver chrome on metal) though the black one looks a lot better. The best thing it has are dials. Great, but not enough.
And in the end the price killed it for me - a substantial premium on the price of other Nikon bodies of the era. I think if someone gave me one I would possibly enjoy it well enough (possibly) but the value proposition was not good enough for me to buy one at the price asked.

 

[Oscuro]

Gentlemen,

My husband and I replace D3 bodies with Df and after a short while we switched to D7000 then back to D750. We could not quickly understand the interaction between menus and controls and the little hand for AI lenses, ouch, sometimes in the wrong spot, auto ISO was not auto... For some same reasons as other people and for us the D750 is simply a good fit. Now we see D750 w 28-300 if we are together and by myself sometimes I take the D750 with 20-35 2.8 and little X100 for longer.

Most of my colleagues are gentlemen and help me to the front. When they are not (I am of a certain age, much less than 50 kg and, as my husband say, microscopic) I have the small stepladder.

Df was a very good camera with images but terrible autofocus when we are inside. We both liked the shape and size but... not a great machine for this little woman PJ.. But a much nicer shutter noises than the D750!

Ciao,
Mme. O.