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This is not an in-depth spec based discussion of the Nikon Df, one of the most controversial digital SLR camera that was announced in November 2013, 6 years from today and more of a personal take towards this hidden gem of a camera that probably encountered way more unfair discussion focusing on its design and specs over its performance and imaging quality.
A quick history
Most of the controversy was due to Nikon’s pre-launch teasing of the camera being a representation of ‘pure photography’ (which later simply meant no video functions) and the defining of the letters “Df”, as the “Digital Fusion” of retro style and modern technology.
In a world where every DSLR looked just like the next DSLR , it was little wonder that purist film shooters and digital users hungry for a breakthrough product pushed expectations way up beyond reason.
The Nikon Df with a most impressive piece of glass, the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G in 2019
When it was announced that the Nikon Df was basically a DSLR with a retro design, D4 sensor and D600 guts with a USD$2750 price tag, we soon had a bunch of well, mildly speaking – people who weren’t very happy and very rapidly, soon made the Nikon Df a much loved, or a much hated product – but nonetheless, one of the most discussed camera releases from Nikon.
If it interests you, the specifications for the Nikon Df can be found here.
Now in 2019
I had the fortune of being loaned a set of the Nikon Df with the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G and a Nikkor 50mm f1.4D for a period of 1 week from a great friend and out of pure curiosity and being really a 90% mirrorless user (don’t judge, I only started my foray into photography around 8 years ago) I tried out this setup for a week.
Do not be mistaken, though the controls can be hard to get used to, the Df is one heck of a beauty.
The stacked-layer design of the shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO dials is beautiful and give uniqueness to the Df, however in practical usage required getting used to. A simple google search will bring the related discussions up and I don’t plan to write close to 400 words on this aspect and all I can say is coming from Fujifilm with their love for dials and a quick tutorial by the owner of the camera helped me settle in pretty quickly.
And simply, I just wish to show the imaging quality potential of this King of Low Light (this nickname as my friend refers to it) and how maligned the Df is, where it is a camera that simply seeks to do what it was demanded to do well – Photography.
Disclaimer.
Amazingly for a camera of this age, the Nikon Df excels in it’s imaging quality, with excellent dynamic range and producing very impressive results. ISO performance from 100 to 12800 is definitely a range I will employ with confidence (in comparison I will not go above ISO 3200 in a MFT camera), with plenty of detail and practically no loss of colours and details. And yes, being a D4 sensor after all, there is very little to complain here.
Do a search around, and anyone will very quickly realise a lot of negative comments about the Df were from users who never picked up the camera.
I haven’t shot a DSLR much for sure, and have no idea how let us say a D850 or D500 or even the long forgotten Canon DSLR flagships are supposed to perform, but I will readily admit that Nikon did fulfil its promise to deliver pure photography performance to the owners of the Nikon Df, it’s a product in it’s own league, and difficult to measure against others in a world of DSLRs, where standing out may not be kindly appreciated.
Thank you for reading.
This is not an in-depth spec based discussion of the Nikon Df, one of the most controversial digital SLR camera that was announced in November 2013, 6 years from today and more of a personal take towards this hidden gem of a camera that probably encountered way more unfair discussion focusing on its design and specs over its performance and imaging quality.
A quick history
Most of the controversy was due to Nikon’s pre-launch teasing of the camera being a representation of ‘pure photography’ (which later simply meant no video functions) and the defining of the letters “Df”, as the “Digital Fusion” of retro style and modern technology.
In a world where every DSLR looked just like the next DSLR , it was little wonder that purist film shooters and digital users hungry for a breakthrough product pushed expectations way up beyond reason.
The Nikon Df with a most impressive piece of glass, the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G in 2019
When it was announced that the Nikon Df was basically a DSLR with a retro design, D4 sensor and D600 guts with a USD$2750 price tag, we soon had a bunch of well, mildly speaking – people who weren’t very happy and very rapidly, soon made the Nikon Df a much loved, or a much hated product – but nonetheless, one of the most discussed camera releases from Nikon.
If it interests you, the specifications for the Nikon Df can be found here.
Now in 2019
I had the fortune of being loaned a set of the Nikon Df with the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G and a Nikkor 50mm f1.4D for a period of 1 week from a great friend and out of pure curiosity and being really a 90% mirrorless user (don’t judge, I only started my foray into photography around 8 years ago) I tried out this setup for a week.
Do not be mistaken, though the controls can be hard to get used to, the Df is one heck of a beauty.
The stacked-layer design of the shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO dials is beautiful and give uniqueness to the Df, however in practical usage required getting used to. A simple google search will bring the related discussions up and I don’t plan to write close to 400 words on this aspect and all I can say is coming from Fujifilm with their love for dials and a quick tutorial by the owner of the camera helped me settle in pretty quickly.
And simply, I just wish to show the imaging quality potential of this King of Low Light (this nickname as my friend refers to it) and how maligned the Df is, where it is a camera that simply seeks to do what it was demanded to do well – Photography.
Disclaimer.
- I had a week with the Nikon Df and the Nikkor 58mm f1.4G , Nikkor 50mm f1.4D duo.
- All images (including those of the camera) shared here were photographed by me and edited in Lightroom to my preferences.
- Na, no one paid me to write this all. Nikon never will, and my friend just wishes to poison me enough to forsake mirrorless and buy a Nikon Df.
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200, 1/2000s
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.8, ISO 200
Nikkor 50 f1.4D at f1.8 ISO 200
Nikkor 50 f1.4D at f2, ISO 200
Nikkor 50 f1.4D at f2, ISO 200
Nikkor 50 f1.4D at f2, ISO 200
Amazingly for a camera of this age, the Nikon Df excels in it’s imaging quality, with excellent dynamic range and producing very impressive results. ISO performance from 100 to 12800 is definitely a range I will employ with confidence (in comparison I will not go above ISO 3200 in a MFT camera), with plenty of detail and practically no loss of colours and details. And yes, being a D4 sensor after all, there is very little to complain here.
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Do a search around, and anyone will very quickly realise a lot of negative comments about the Df were from users who never picked up the camera.
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
I haven’t shot a DSLR much for sure, and have no idea how let us say a D850 or D500 or even the long forgotten Canon DSLR flagships are supposed to perform, but I will readily admit that Nikon did fulfil its promise to deliver pure photography performance to the owners of the Nikon Df, it’s a product in it’s own league, and difficult to measure against others in a world of DSLRs, where standing out may not be kindly appreciated.
Nikkor 58 f1.4G at f1.4, ISO 200
Thank you for reading.
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