Nikon Df - current user consensus?

[Swissblad]

The Nikon Df has been out a while now - so hopefully the dust has settled.

As a F3, FM2, FM3A user, I was initially very attracted to this camera, but was disappointed by its high price, D600 style AF etc.

BUT…. in the interim a very good Df can be bough for less than $2k 2nd hand…. so… I'm interested in acquiring one.

However, before that - I would just like to know what the consensus (if any) amongst current Df users is.

Thanks for indulging my whim…… :angel:

 

[GrahamWelland]

I'm biased. I still love mine.

I shoot it mostly with manual focus lenses - either Zeiss or AI-s. Once the controls are set up properly I have no issues with any of the interlocks and I use the rear dial for 1/3 stop exposure control vs the top control. I generally also shoot in manual mode so exposure compensation dial lock isn't an issue for me either. (Plus you can get away with letting it pick exposure in AE mode anyway and have enough latitude for most images). I may be a heretic because I leave mine on ISO800 most of the time and shoot B&W. For me, it's the low light killer Nikon combo and I really bought it for the great D4 sensor in a smaller, less expensive body.

Regarding all the retro mystique - sure, it's nice but that wasn't why I bought it.

Are there any things I wish could be changed? Well, it would have been nice to have interchangeable focus screens for manual focus lenses. I use a DK-17M magnified finder to help with that side of things. Likewise the AF central sensor region should have been for a full frame viewfinder vs the smaller crowded AF from the D600. I think that's a shortcoming of the fusion between the D4 sensor and the inferior D600 parts bin that would improve AF coverage in the frame. Obviously with live view you do have the fine granular control of the AF point but it's a shame that it's not the same in the viewfinder.

Image quality? I have no complaints and the high ISO performance is excellent. I don't need nor want 36mp and 16mp is just fine for my use of the camera which is predominately walk-around.

My $0.02.

 

[glenerrolrd]

Wait …..I ve been considering a 2nd Nikon Df body now for a few weeks and finally decided to wait . In a few weeks it will become clear what the Nikon body line up will look like going into 2015 . Check Nikon rumors for insights into a possible new D750 body .

The strongest feature of the Df body is the sensor from the D4. The files are just excellent . The camera is fast and responsive ..so if you shoot any action or strive for the moment …its ready . But 16mps requires that you get it right in the camera and has much less flexibility for cropping even to improve composition .

I greatly prefer the files from the D800E and now the new D810 …with the high end manual focus lenses you are getting close to MF image quality (with of course a different aesthetic) .

The other missing capability in the Df (if you favor AF for at least some of your work ) is the 39 focus point AF system which is inferior for action the the 51 point AF used in the D4S and the D810 . If the new D750 has the proven 24.3 Sony sensor ,the version 4 processor and the 51 point AF …we may have fully capable body with small form and lighter than the Pro D4s or even the D810 . The D610 which uses that same Sony 24.3 sensor has superb color (in lightroom ) better straight out of the camera than any of the other Nikon bodies .

If you are still going with a Df …I have a nice black body I will be selling this week .

 

[Steve P.]

Roger, while I broadly agree with your post, especially about waiting to see how the rumoured D750 shapes up, I think that 16MP files allow for a reasonable amount of cropping to improve composition and that "getting it right in the camera" is necessary only if you intend to make larger prints. Of course having more MP allows for greater latitude in this area but for the majority of regular usage 16MP is still reasonably flexible.

 

[glenerrolrd]

Roger, while I broadly agree with your post, especially about waiting to see how the rumoured D750 shapes up, I think that 16MP files allow for a reasonable amount of cropping to improve composition and that "getting it right in the camera" is necessary only if you intend to make larger prints. Of course having more MP allows for greater latitude in this area but for the majority of regular usage 16MP is still reasonably flexible.

Steve

But we are getting closer to having screen viewing that matches a large print . In 3 years I expect to viewing my portfolio in 4K and at that resolution it will be easy to see the difference between a 16mp file and a 36mp file . If I crop from 16mp to say 10mp .it will be an issue .

I can already see this in my M8 and DMR files which were originally 10MP FF.

But granted 24mp isn t that much more than 16mp and if the file is good you have plenty to work with . And of course a perfect file with a great lens …far exceeds most requirements . I ve been fortunate that my wife shoots with a D600 ….so I can compare files from the Df/D4(16mp) : the d600(24mp) and the D800E (now D810) 36mp . Each file is best for a range of subjects and they are all great by my standards .

Roger

 

[Jack]

I am in Graham's camp. While the overall retro design was one of the big marketing points, they do not excite me greatly. What does excite me is the file quality: color rendering, noise character; and then the relatively small size and low weight make it easy to have in the bag or carry at all times. I find 16MP enough for most walk-around applications and for me it does allow perhaps a small amount of cropping, but like Roger I tend to try and get it all right in the cam to begin with. A note on the ergos in use -- they are surprisingly close to the D800/810 which is almost puzzling since the cameras are so totally different in design -- clever, clever Nikon!

 

[glenerrolrd]

After the latest D810 “white spot issue “ …I deferred my 2nd D810 and found a store display Df ….so I will now be using two Df bodies . At the price I paid I can revisit the decision later this year when the D810 is fixed and the new D750 is available .

I need the body next week to shoot at the US Open …I had to make a decision and the Df is a nice option for that venue.

 

[etrigan63]

I share Jack's opinion about the Df. It's my walkabout camera. I currently have it sporting a Nikon 28-105mm zoom I picked up off of eBay, but will more likely spring for a Sigma 24-105 f/4 A lens (despite it's weight - I got to try one at a local dealer and it is a rocking lens). The one thing it is really missing is an AF assist light. I picked up a Meike MK-310N flash and that helps as it strobes to act as an AF assist.

 

[Swissblad]

Thanks for the replies gents - I think this could be an ideal walk about / travel camera - just want some more info on the D750.

 

[asiafish]

Everyone I know who has one swears by, rather than at the Df. Strongly considering one.

 

[DDudenbostel]

I purchased my DF in early Dec and it's become my favorite digital camera since starting with digital in 2000. Actually I started with a scanning back before that. I currently own a D800 and it's fantastic in every way but Ive setup the camera for AIS primes and use the aperture ring and speed dial like a film camera. I even shut off the LCD. It's as close to shooting with a film camera that I've seen. It's comforting and familiar in a digital age for an old film shooter.

I'm amazed at the high ISO. Unmatched in anything I've owned. I'm a commercial and documentary photographer and it fits well in my array of gear and needs.

I'm sad to say that my camera crashed three weeks ago and would not respond. It's been at NPS for three weeks awaiting parts. Fortunately if needed I can get a free loaner. Despite this I'm still nuts about it and anxiously awaiting it's return. I've put about 40,000 frames on it and it was just a freak thing. This is the first problem I've heard of in a Df.

 

[GrahamWelland]

My Df is used the same way with just AIS lenses for the most part. It's been good for business for several of my favorite used gear stores!

One complaint, or rather thing that I still forget about sometimes, is that I wish I didn't have to manually select the AIS lens on the menu. It's hardly difficult and not disastrous when I forget but it would just be nice if it were simpler to do with less clicks.

 

[Steve P.]

Graham, pardon me in advance if this is a dumb question, but doesn't the DF have a programmable function button? On my D600 I have my AI-s lenses assigned to the Fn button and then it's just a press and hold while scrolling through the list of AI-s lenses (in my case a mighty THREE!) via the rear dial to select the right one. Or do you have yours assigned to other settings?

 

[GrahamWelland]

Steve - yes that gets me to the menu. I'm just lazy and would like to jump directly to the lens. It's no biggie as I'd still forget to do it.

Btw, yes if you assign non-CPU to the fn+dial option it works well and displays the lens on th info display. I think even I can manage that

Amazing what rtfm can do ...

 

[DDudenbostel]

Steve - yes that gets me to the menu. I'm just lazy and would like to jump directly to the lens. It's no biggie as I'd still forget to do it.

Btw, yes if you assign non-CPU to the fn+dial option it works well and displays the lens on th info display. I think even I can manage that

Amazing what rtfm can do ...

This is exactly what I do and I too forget at times. The only lens in my kit that has a chip is my 85 1.4D.

I have a few very old non AI that I don't use regularly on it, use on my F, and will put my 28 3.5 and 105 Sonnar version on it for giggles. They're both superb classics. The flip down meter follower tab makes this possible. I don't think any other of the digital cameras will do this. Great feature.

 

[rayyan]

A one day old user's perspective...

First and foremost, I bought this more with my heart than my head. One could say the same about Leica M bodies..not the lenses.

Takes much less volume than my D700. Is comparatively much lighter ( not in mirrorless territory ).

A super sensor mated with a so so af. I am ok with it, but would have expected something better. Struggles in low light. Not like my XT1, but unlike the more recent Nikon offerings.

Superb images out of the cam.

Not much care for the exposure compensation dial. It would appear ( correct me if I am wrong ), this function cannot be assigned to a function button.

First thing I did was to reassign the aperture control dial. I find it awkward and very unintuitive and i mostly use ' A '.

The fit and feel with my zf lenses is heavy with a forward tilt..so they are out.
With the 50/1.4 af-s G is very very good.

One sd slot and in the same chamber as the small battery..could have been better
with 2 sd slots somewhere else; but hey it is what it is.

First impressions..something I could get on well with. Just 2 primes, and I am set.

 

[Jack]

First impressions..something I could get on well with. Just 2 primes, and I am set.

This may be the best "summary" statement for the Df -- I suspect a lot of us feel the same way... Head out with a 50 mounted and my 28 (or 20 or 85 or 105) in a bag or pocket.

 

[GrahamWelland]

The fit and feel with my zf lenses is heavy with a forward tilt..so they are out.
With the 50/1.4 af-s G is very very good.

I found the same issue with my Zeiss lenses too. I love them but the balance on the Df is off due to the ZF lenses feeling like they've been made from depleted uranium. I found myself navigating to the AIS lenses instead and the joys of only needing one lens cap size - 52mm!

First impressions..something I could get on well with. Just 2 primes, and I am set.

:thumbs:

Df + 28/2.8 AIS, 50/1.2 AIS and 105/2.5 AIS is my typical set up. With a bag I add a 20/2.8 AIS or may just take it instead of the 28.

It almost feels like Nikon did some optimization with these lenses, or at least the resolution of the sensor matches their characteristics since we're not pixel peeping to the n'th degree. I think that helps with the out of camera image performance - a goldilocks combination?

 

[GrahamWelland]

Has anyone used the alternate 3rd party focus screens for the Df? I'm tempted to order one.

http://www.focusingscreen.com/index.php?currency=USD&cPath=22_139

 

[Jack]

Graham,

I shoot mostly AF lenses now, and when I do MF, I am so used to plain GG it is almost an assumed screen type for me. However, that said, if I shot manual lenses I might consider a custom, but would want a slanted RF patch inside a microprism collar similar to old FE/FM/F3 screens... YMMV...