Nikon DF - Dpreview full review in

[molested_cow]

To all the Nay sayers, I love my Df.
I AM from the era of the Nikon F2 Exakta VXIIA, Olympus OM-1n, Pentax K1000 and Crown Graphic. It feels great to have those dials looking back at me again.

It mattered little to none that it was a full frame camera or it's only 12mp. I don't even care that it doesn't have a built in flash.

What my Df allows me to do is have the feel of a camera that I spent 40+ years shooting with. I can use practically every F mount lens ever made. This alone is worth big bucks to me, and hey, I can even use my old mechanical shutter release instead of a distant relative to my TV remote.

Nay sayers? Enjoy your menus. I'll keep my dials and stable of F mount lenses. Now if they just would have given me a level to advance my frames :greenpbl:

Oh yeah, did I mention I can't use my still camera as a video camera? YES!!! Thank you Nikon!

Well you know Nikon is from Japan, and they definitely understand the significance of the aging population as future market space.

 

[molested_cow]

Nikon mono pod that doubles as a cane?

 

[Rick58]

To all the Nay sayers, I love my Df.
I AM from the era of the Nikon F2 Exakta VXIIA, Olympus OM-1n, Pentax K1000 and Crown Graphic. It feels great to have those dials looking back at me again.

It mattered little to none that it was a full frame camera or it's only 12mp. I don't even care that it doesn't have a built in flash.

What my Df allows me to do is have the feel of a camera that I spent 40+ years shooting with. I can use practically every F mount lens ever made. This alone is worth big bucks to me, and hey, I can even use my old mechanical shutter release instead of a distant relative to my TV remote.

Nay sayers? Enjoy your menus. I'll keep my dials and stable of F mount lenses. Now if they just would have given me a level to advance my frames :greenpbl:

Oh yeah, did I mention I can't use my still camera as a video camera? YES!!! Thank you Nikon!

Well you know Nikon is from Japan, and they definitely understand the significance of the aging population as future market space.

As an "aging" maintenance supervisor, I strongly believe in "If it works, don't fix it".

 

[molested_cow]

Well in that case, perhaps you should have continued with the F2 instead.

I went from F501 to F4 and before I moved into digital, I thought I had nothing I wanted to change (hence it took me so long). Well, the D700 took it to another level.

 

[Rick58]

Perhaps I should have, and there's a VERY good chance I may return. There is definitely a romance with film and mechanical cameras that I strongly miss. I think there is room in this hobby for both. I personally want to feel that I'm looking through a camera, not a calculator. Sure it's an age thing, but I don't "get" texting either. Just pick up the darn phone and talk.

 

[TheFantasticG]

I thought it was painfully obvious to everyone they were specifically trying to sell this camera to people 55 and older? If not, you are oblivious to a good many things in life then. I could have forgiven some of the short comings had they put in the 51 pt AF. I'm hoping if they make a Df2 or Dfs they'll put the 51 pt AF in. I say that because the low light performance looks magnificent and I want more manual controls.

 

[Roger3006]

Thank you Derrel, I have used almost every camera you mentioned. My favorites ie a Hasselblad 500C. FYI, I know where several are you can pick up for free, the moon. I learned on my father's Rolleiflex. My favorite 35 was a Leicaflex. My Nikon F4 has more automation than I wanted.

I use a Nikon D300 for product photography, firearms, for the web. I set in on manual and left it there. I could care less if a DSLR will shoot video.

I was the corp photographer when I was in military school. My weapon of choice, for a group shot, was a Crown Graphic with Panatomic X. In my opinion it would benefit many beginning photographers to set their camera on manual with a prime lens and experiment forgetting all the features we could not think of over half my life ago.

Does anyone use all the features on something like the D800 which I plan on buying? I am also looking at the DF because it may fit my needs better.

Granted, it is nice to vary the ISO (ASA). Film would not be practical for what I do professionally; however, I miss it and I sure miss spending time in a darkroom.

I wish I could find a DSLR with an excellent sensor, no video, 10% of the features on the high end DSLRs matched with excellent glass. Am I a that out of touch or do other feel the same as I?

If y'all have not figured it out I am a little older than thirty. Thirty twice is closer. Who remembers the add that thirty twice was mentioned? More specific, "Half the price is thirty twice. Help me Darrel.

Have a great evening.

Roger

 

[gsgary]

Threads like this make me laugh, this is one of the best looking cameras to come out for a long while its not about MP's,AF points its all about feel, about 2 years ago my friend let me borrow an M4 for a week that was it i now have 2 and have not taken my 5D or 1Dmk2's out of the bag 300f2.8L has not been used for about 8 months and all i use is a 50mm and 28mm i have to manual focus wind the film on have no light meter in camera and could not be happier

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

 

[Rick58]

I simply love my Df and I can't say enough about it. I've never felt comfortable with the D200. Menu after menu after menu...Blah!
I'll probably never buy a single FX lens other then the kit 50 because I have an entire bag of F mount Nikon lenses. If I strap one of my manual F lenses on the nose of the Df, it feels like I'm shooting with an F2. It still has one of those whirly-gig knobs for setting the aperture, but my manual lens takes care of that. I can preload the data from 9 different manual lenses, so I only "menu" I need is to load the proper lens. Yeah, I'm excited and wouldn't trade it for any other Nikon, regardless of price.
Kudos Nikon, Kudos

 

[gsgary]

I simply love my Df and I can't say enough about it. I've never felt comfortable with the D200. Menu after menu after menu...Blah!
I'll probably never buy a single FX lens other then the kit 50 because I have an entire bag of F mount Nikon lenses. If I strap one of my manual F lenses on the nose of the Df, it feels like I'm shooting with an F2. It still has one of those whirly-gig knobs for setting the aperture, but my manual lens takes care of that. I can preload the data from 9 different manual lenses, so I only "menu" I need is to load the proper lens. Yeah, I'm excited and wouldn't trade it for any other Nikon, regardless of price.
Kudos Nikon, Kudos

Just think if it could take film it would be perfect

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

 

[TheFantasticG]

Threads like this make me laugh, this is one of the best looking cameras to come out for a long while its not about MP's,AF points its all about feel,

It's about what you want it to be about. Everybody has different priorities when making a purchase. Sometimes they align with other peoples and sometimes they don't.

I've found 16MP is enough for me 99% of the time. Because of how much I travel around the planet it'd be easier for the GPS coordinates to tag into the metadata then me trying to keep track of every single images location via pen/paper or other electronic device used to sync up later. So, I would like GPS on my next camera. I really like all the external controls and the sensor. A lot. Which is why I can just get a gps adapter (like I have for my D7000) for it. It hasn't hit enough of my priority points yet for me to bite on the bait to purchase.

 

[Rick58]

I simply love my Df and I can't say enough about it. I've never felt comfortable with the D200. Menu after menu after menu...Blah!
I'll probably never buy a single FX lens other then the kit 50 because I have an entire bag of F mount Nikon lenses. If I strap one of my manual F lenses on the nose of the Df, it feels like I'm shooting with an F2. It still has one of those whirly-gig knobs for setting the aperture, but my manual lens takes care of that. I can preload the data from 9 different manual lenses, so I only "menu" I need is to load the proper lens. Yeah, I'm excited and wouldn't trade it for any other Nikon, regardless of price.
Kudos Nikon, Kudos

Just think if it could take film it would be perfect

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

I guess then it would be really close to an F3. I laugh when people complain about the "limited" 39 focus points. Golly, how did we ever get by with one split screen

 

[TheFantasticG]

I guess then it would be really close to an F4. I laugh when people complain about the "limited" 39 focus points. Golly, how did we ever get by with one split screen

I don't know how y'all got by before toilet paper either but I hope I never have to experience it.

 

[gsgary]

I simply love my Df and I can't say enough about it. I've never felt comfortable with the D200. Menu after menu after menu...Blah!
I'll probably never buy a single FX lens other then the kit 50 because I have an entire bag of F mount Nikon lenses. If I strap one of my manual F lenses on the nose of the Df, it feels like I'm shooting with an F2. It still has one of those whirly-gig knobs for setting the aperture, but my manual lens takes care of that. I can preload the data from 9 different manual lenses, so I only "menu" I need is to load the proper lens. Yeah, I'm excited and wouldn't trade it for any other Nikon, regardless of price.
Kudos Nikon, Kudos

Just think if it could take film it would be perfect

Sent from my GT-I9100P using Tapatalk 2

I guess then it would be really close to an F3. I laugh when people complain about the "limited" 39 focus points. Golly, how did we ever get by with one split screen

I don't have any focus points and i never miss focus

 

[Tom47]

I fell in love with the Df when it was first introduced. I have been wanting FX camera for a while but none really seemed to have turned me on.
No pop up flash, No video, Yes, Nikon got it write. I really have never wanted either in a camera DSLR.
It has most of the features that I have wanted over the years in a camera.