Nikon DF

SsSsSsSsSnake said:
The Df IS for those that want to be inspired by the fact that you have a camera that looks and feels like an old friend. One that you can control with dials on the camera instead of within menus. One that you can shoot at a slow and steady pace with and photograph life as you see it. One that will pose a challenge to you at the same time when using old classic MF glass and one that you can learn from. It is a camera you can take with you anywhere and will excel with small fast primes, even old school glass that you can buy cheap. The Nikon Df, much like a Leica M is for those with a true passion for LIFE and PHOTOGRAPHY, not those who stress over things such as specs and details that mean nothing when it comes to the final output. Those who want to shoot one frame at a time..take their time and think about what they are doing. The Nikon Df is for those who want a nice looking camera that feels great and delivers image quality equal to the flagship $6000 Nikon. Low light? This is about as good as it gets. Period. $3000 with lens? That is about right for what you are getting here..D4 full frame performance in half the size, the best low light shooting available, and everything I stated above for less than what you will pay for a D800 (which did not inspire me due to size and bulk). Again, why so many misunderstand what this camera is meant for and WHO it is meant for is really blowing my mind.

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Oh how that made me chuckle :LOL:
 
stevelmx5 said:
I'm a bit confused. Do you want a DF or just want to re-assure Minnnt that he's bought a nice camera? The text in the previous post reads like a Leica advert. The DF is just a DSLR with the same internals as other Nikons just has a 'retro' design to appeal to the market. If you actually want to slow down and shoot single frames, shoot film.

Edit - I love shooting film as a different medium to digital but the top view of the DF makes it look really thick?

This is a thin camera (35mm rangefinder so different functionality but proves the point)

My new (to me!) Fed 1G with Industar 61. by Steve Lloyd, on Flickr
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Very nice.

I've never understood this thing about shooting film to slow you down though, you can shoot digital with just the same amount of thought and consideration, just take discipline ;)
 
snerkler said:
Very nice.

I've never understood this thing about shooting film to slow you down though, you can shoot digital with just the same amount of thought and consideration, just take discipline ;)
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Yeah but when I shoot medium format I get 12 shots per roll that costs a minimum £6 plus another £6 to dev/scan. When I shoot large format it's the same cost per single shot so my wallet dictates the amount of shots I take! You're right though, there's nothing stopping anyone being the same with digital kit but it's easier to forget that when digital results are 'free' :0)
 
stevelmx5 said:
Yeah but when I shoot medium format I get 12 shots per roll that costs a minimum £6 plus another £6 to dev/scan. When I shoot large format it's the same cost per single shot so my wallet dictates the amount of shots I take! You're right though, there's nothing stopping anyone being the same with digital kit but it's easier to forget that when digital results are 'free' :0)
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Yep, and I'm not that disciplined ;)

I actually keep toying with loading up my OM1 but I never seem to get around to it :oops: :$
 
Funnily enough I was looking at the product shot of the OM1 you uploaded to Flickr earlier. Really excellent image of a very tidy OM. Get yourself to Poundland and grab a few rolls of Vista 200 and shoot some film. FilmDev only charge £5 for develop and medium size scans including return postage so there's no excuse :0)
 
stevelmx5 said:
Funnily enough I was looking at the product shot of the OM1 you uploaded to Flickr earlier. Really excellent image of a very tidy OM. Get yourself to Poundland and grab a few rolls of Vista 200 and shoot some film. FilmDev only charge £5 for develop and medium size scans including return postage so there's no excuse :0)
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Thanks. I have film, just not got round to loading it ;)
 
I owned a Df for about 4 months before it failed. It had to be repaired once and then like I say the electronics went mad and it passed away. Throughout our short affair I noted:

1. IQ was outstanding, the colours were rich and the contrast sweet. Sharing the same sensor as the d4 you'd expect that

2. AF was v good. I used it with the kit 50mm and it was always sharp.

3. Lack of decent grip was annoying. I bought a gariz half case for it but returned it because it was too bulky

4. In the end the controls also became annoying. Specifically the orientation of the front dial makes the fingers tired. I was used to shooting with a d7000. I found the d7000 dials much easier to use.

5. Because of the worth of the thing I became a bit paranoid about leaving it out of my sight for even half a second when out and about.

6. The lack of bulb on the front to assist with AF in the dark seemed like a dumb thing to leave out. Fine, go retro, but don't leave out something that is very useful for low light shooting.

7. When it broke for the second time and I got my refund I have to say I was relieved. I traded in a d7000 + a 17-55mm f2.8 for the df and I it was a bad decision. The df is way over-priced I think. It's a great camera but I found the little annoyances became big ones after a while. The retro comes at a cost.

I think Nikon could revive it with a smaller, cheaper and more functional version.... I've just shelled out on a Fujifilm xt2 and am waiting for that to arrive. I have been a loYal Nikon guy for years but I don't want the weight or bulk of a dslr anymore. On that note the Df was very light actually.

The XT2 looks the business. I am awaiting U.K. Stock ATM.

Anyways my intention wasn't to put a downer on your Df experience. I think you'll enjoy it.
 
Dont worry Will Minnnt will get over it and put it down to experience :fuji:

Good to see on page 2 already,soon be catching the d750 thread up at this rate :help:
 
frod said:
You could buy the smallest SD cards available and only shoot them once each for that film cost experience
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Doesn't everybody already do that?:whistle::D

George.
 
wil said:
Funnily enough, I actually own a pristine FM3A. If Nikon could just digitalise that it would be perfect.
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Yip. They may have done it already, but decided not to produce it.

I also remember the arguments, years ago, about why the manufacturers didn't/couldn't offer digital conversions for everyone's favourite film cameras.
 
Just wondering, D_F did nikon really mean to leave a letter from the name....Duf..[emoji106]
 
SsSsSsSsSnake said:
i think Minnnt is going to shock us with his first few shots
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There's no doubting the image quality of the DF, it's just the process of getting there ;) :p
 
I'm going to digital depot on Saturday to get a Sigma tc. I'll see if they have a demo one take my sd card and take some pictures and see if I can get them up first haha
 
stevelmx5 said:
If you actually want to slow down and shoot single frames, shoot film.
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Does the medium matter?

Much of the time I use old manual lenses on my digital cameras in aperture or manual mode and it's a very film like experience. Actually I don't think that manual lenses matter either, you can get the same slow and deliberate enjoyment from AF lenses too. Lots of film cameras had AF.

I always take pictures in single shot mode but I reposition the focus point or the magnified area I'm looking at for the majority of my shots and although these are things that most of my film cameras couldn't do I still think it's a very film like experience. The fact that it's digital doesn't detract from the feeling, it just gives me more control and better quality and of course the wonderful abilities of being able to change the ISO from shot to shot and not change the film after a two digit number of pictures.

And the DF, it's not for me but I can see the appeal.
 
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She's been stood there for 2 days, bless her.

And Charlie is saying "wtf is that thing ?"
 
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