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Fun with the Nikon Df

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
The Df has a limited following of fellow "Luddites," but it is a distinct enough camera (and sensor) I thought it would be fun to dedicated a thread to it. If the thread dies for lack of interest, so be it ;)

The following were taken on a recent trip to the California wine country during a tour of the Far Niente caves. These 3 images were all taken handheld with the 17-35/2.8 at f5.6, camera was at ISO 12800 and AWB for all three as well. All were processed in C1 with limited adjustments, mostly just standard processing for cam, although I did do a lite perspective correct tweak to the first and last image. I process my tiffs in PS for web simply because I have a batch process dialed in for it, though could easily do it in C1 too. C&C welcome!

First image is 17mm and 1/30th sec -- chardonnay barrels:



Next one is at 28mm and 1/40th sec, Cabernet barrels:



Last one, 28mm and 1/8th sec:

 
Superb images Jack. You really make the Df shine. 12,800 iso is crazy. I used the Df (along with a D4 and D810) for the Nutcracker ballet. The Df does surprisingly well with action shots, even with one arm tied behind its back (e.g. focus capabilities). Here are a few ballet photos from this past weekend. All shot with either a 70-200mm f2.8 or older 400 f2.8 Af-i lens. Iso ranges from 3200 in the first image to 1600 in the last.







 
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Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Some more handheld low light work, just having fun. A few of our neighbors go way out with house decoration so we drove around to check the regulars out. I'm certain these guys must be retired :ROTFL:



First image is Df with 17-35/2.8 at 17mm -- it's pitch black out except for the lights on the house which allowed me to shoot this at ISO 7000, f5.6 @ 1/80th:




Next image is Df with 17-35/2.8 at 20mm, enough less light at this one the cam bumped up to ISO 12,800, also f5.6 but @ 1/15th:

 
Have been shooting with the Df almost exclusively these last 7 months , the d800 has been gathering dust, with a variety of lenses both manual and autofocus nikkors, next to other brands.

Here an example at a wedding reception last month, afs nikkor 35mm f/1.4g @5.6 iso 12800, tiff generated in photoninja where i applied some noise reduction, jpg from LR.

 

Y Sol

Active member
I use the Df for B&W a lot, here are two samples from the kitchen of an one star Michelin restaurant. Nikkor-S Auto 1,4 50mm



 

Y Sol

Active member
Thank you Jorgen! No I didn't set up any lights. For hotel rooms/restaurants I normally use my Dedolights but in this case there was no space for any
light stands.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Great images Ydo -- I love the B&W out of the Df too. I even have a preset "Mono" mode so I see the B&W on the review; though I shoot RAW+Jpeg so I get a full raw file to work with, but a quick-peek B&W that is often good enough as is out of the cam :D.
 

Y Sol

Active member
Maybe this is a bit of topic but this is how I use to shoot.
BTW, I took this shot with the most underrated 16 mp Nikon camera: Coolpix A :)


 

Y Sol

Active member
Nice!

If you don't mind my asking, where were the lights illuminating the sign and the pictures?

--Matt

The light on the photo is a mixture of daylight and ambient light. As far as I remember they'd some halogen spots on the ceiling. I didn't set up any light.
 

rayyan

Well-known member
The Df. Yes. Let me tell you a small story that happened with me and my Df.

To set the scene, here is a snap. With the Df, of course. The place is a fancy hotel
restaurant..you know one of those places...where the cutlery can be used as a mirror to shave. Where the tea cups are so thin one is afraid to take a sip lest one bites the rim. Yes the governor's favorite eatery.


The violin and the piano is playing. Couples..a few locals and most from distant lands here to remember the good old days of private local butlers and porters carrying their leather baggage all the way from the rail station on their heads to the sahibs residence..

Me..I am sitting alone. The couples were generally older than me. There were no singles. So I got busy eating.

' Would sir prefer the local or the French wine list '?
' water.. non-sparkling, still bottled water '. I said.
' Before or after the wine, sir '?

Anyway, the food had to be eaten with the cutlery provided in the place. I prefer to rip a steak apart with my old teeth than to cut it with a knife and throw in my mouth with a fork. But thats just me. Thats why I travel alone.

Anyway, dinner was done. I got up. Or rather was helped up. One pulled my chair.

I got up, my Df to my eye..and walked right into the small artificial fish pond that you see in the image above. Through the small opening..between the pillar and the plant pot.

People rushed to help me out. A floating jacket was thrown in, just in case of litigation. The Df was soaking wet.

I was looking like a fool. Embarrassed. Small ( I am small anyway ), but you know what I mean.

Made my exit very quickly. I could hear hushed voices..some Dutch and some English...

' Too much to drink ', I heard a voice. Another said ' I hope he doesn't puke in the
pond..the poor dear fish '.

The image posted above was taken with my wet Df.

Next day, I found they had rearranged the place and closed up the gap with some plants.
 

JCT

Member
Yikes - I thought this thread was "Fun with the Nikon Df" - this doesn't sound like fun at all! :eek:

Glad you and the Df are OK.
 
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