Digital Nikon FM2

[jonoslack]

HI There Mat

We are all adults (I presume!) we don't have to use the tech on the cameras we have, my D800 does so many things but is never off M or A and I never use any of the stuff it can do, I don't bracket, don't autofocus, no face recognition, af tracking, nothing. It's my choice as it is yours with your camera.t

Well, pretty much that's how I shoot as well . . . . and on the E-M1, I have it set so that it works like that and I ignore the rest - it's fine.

On the other hand, it's lovely shooting with the Monochrom, where all that other stuff simply doesn't exist . . . or my M6ttl.

Sadly, although I'm sure this Nikon will be lovely, I'll be surprised if it isn't just a retro looking camera with all the modern options (like the OMD).

all the best

 

[mjr]

Hi Jono

I agree with you, as much as I hope we're wrong, calling a new camera pure photography just because it looks like a camera from the past when pure photography was all there was, won't work in my opinion. Your Monochrome is the epitome of pure photography, that's what it is! Manual, b&w, rf, that's it to me, I'd love to shoot one some day.

If this is a D610/800/whatever just wrapped up in an old school body then it will be disappointing, especially if it's more expensive than any of those models. If it's a good solid DSLR with fine build, waterproof and rugged with nothing more than the requirements for shooting stills then it's half way there, it then needs to have the best DR and the best high ISO noise as well otherwise it's a gimmick.

Actually I don't suppose it really matters to me what it is, I won't buy a camera on looks or even necessarily on ergonomics, I just want good image quality and a tripod mount!

Have fun with whatever you shoot, that's the best thing!

Mat

 

[Guy Mancuso]

If this was monochrome at 3k. They could not make enough of them

 

[Vivek]

If this was monochrome at 3k. They could not make enough of them

+1

I will buy 2 (one as a back up)! Infact, i will preorder 2!

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I would buy one as well. This is a big market for them

 

[cam]

I would too!

And take some perverse pleasure at the look of disappointment from my family that I now have two cameras but I still can't give them colour pics

 

[NotXorc]

So, does anyone think it so pure that it will not have an LCD screen? Now that would out-Leica the MM! The look would be utterly retro, as well as the shooting experience, IMO.

 

[Lars]

So, does anyone think it so pure that it will not have an LCD screen? Now that would out-Leica the MM! The look would be utterly retro, as well as the shooting experience, IMO.

Instant feedback is one of the greatest improvements in digital over film. Omitting an display (or digital viewfinder) would be largely missing the point of making a digital camera. So no, that's unlikely.

A possibility is no back display but a hybrid viewfinder. That means no convenient sharing of images with others. I think that configuration is unlikely as well.

 

[Vivek]

So, does anyone think it so pure that it will not have an LCD screen? Now that would out-Leica the MM! The look would be utterly retro, as well as the shooting experience, IMO.

I am a bit confused. Is it clear that the DF would be monochrome?


(shooting experience with the MM can not be easily challenged :lecture

 

[NotXorc]

I am a bit confused. Is it clear that the DF would be monochrome?


(shooting experience with the MM can not be easily challenged :lecture

No, it's not at all clear. I suspect, as others do, that it will actually be recycled parts in a retro-ish body. That means color.

Some of us are just dreaming out loud about what the DF could be. I blame Nikon for stoking the flames with its pure photography viral video campaign.

 

[jonoslack]

Hmm yes - Monochrom with no LCD - that would certainly be 'pure photography'!
No menus . . . . Definitely Different (but rather unlikely I'd say).

 

[docmoore]

I am a bit confused. Is it clear that the DF would be monochrome?


(shooting experience with the MM can not be easily challenged :lecture

Wishful thinking...and I doubt Nikon is up to it...corporate thinking...the HIVE and all.

Do hope I am wrong...the F3HP was one of my all time favorite cameras...only because of the HP....

Less than a week and we can all drown our collective disappointment!

Lots of stuff to keep the ever changing ever evolving photo enthusiasts
checking their card limits....:ROTFL:

Bu the way...I am and have been in the midst of this for 4 decades....and I have a few decent prints to show...serendipity reigns supreme....

Bob

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

So, does anyone think it so pure that it will not have an LCD screen? Now that would out-Leica the MM! The look would be utterly retro, as well as the shooting experience, IMO.

That would be perfect for me, but I don't expect that any manufacturer will ever do that. I would prefer exactly the same controls as on the FM3A plus WB, spot metering and AF switch. No jpeg. But that's only me probably :loco:

 

[NotXorc]

While I haven't used a high eyepoint viewfinder, I've heard that many DSLR viewfinders are not up to the task of revealing peak sharpness, being optimized for slow, AF consumer zoom lenses. Since the viewfinder's optical path is different from the lens, the calibration also has to be correct. As writer Mike Johnston pointed out a while ago, good viewfinders are, "e-x-p-e-n-s-i-v-e."

Just today, Mike posted again on his desire to see an entry-level monochrome camera. Since the rumor sites offer no evidence to the contrary that the DF will be a color sensor camera, I'll go ahead and flag this ¶ as :OT:.
Yes, that's my grumpy face you see. Hope I'm wrong in four days.

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

The website editor that most "serious" photographers love to hate, KR, wrote about the FM3A: "The FM3a is designed for the knowledgeable photographer, who today is the only one buying it. The Nikon FM3a is a total winner." He has a point there.

I have many cameras that do an admirable job capturing the technically perfect image. Now, I want a camera that challenges me, like my old OM-1 did, and again: optimized for manual photography. Hopefully, it will be an alternative to Leica for those of us who prefer an SLR and those of us who can't afford a 35mm digital Leica anyway. I'm in both of those groups.

 

[raist3d]

I say Nikon could make a gem here. What they need to do is the manual controls of old but make the camera *super responsive* to any mechanical interface changes.

- Ricardo

 

[raist3d]

Hmm yes - Monochrom with no LCD - that would certainly be 'pure photography'!
No menus . . . . Definitely Different (but rather unlikely I'd say).

No menus? You know, you may be onto something here! If all the settings were available outside and never really need to dive in... or at worse a simple one page menu.

Wow that sounds exciting already.

- Ricardo

 

[Jorgen Udvang]

Nikon Df Pure Photography video teaser #5 | Nikon Rumors

Looks more and more like a digital F3, but with most of the functionality from cameras like D300/700 intact. That, unfortunately, seems to include the thickness of the body, which is one of my major gripes with digital SLRs. In a way, I get a feeling of a camera that is a kind of D700/F3 mix. That must be good, mustn't it? Those are after all two of the most loved Nikon bodies.

The remaining questions are what the viewfinder is like, particularly for manual focusing, and which sensor. For me, the viewfinder is the most critical. All Nikon FX sensors are good

 

[tjv]

My inside bet is D800 sensor, at least that's what I've been told by people in the know. Not convinced there will be no video at this price point. There would have to be some pretty good reasons not to include it beyond "purists don't need it". The technology is already paid for!

 

[Vivek]

So, no rewinder crank and the rear LCD is there Is it color or monochrome?