Nikon Catch The Retro Bug

Chris Dodkin

Chris Dodkin

West Coast Correspondent
nikon-df-22.jpg


Shadowy image of the new Nikon DF - destined to be revealed Nov 5th

So the fireworks will really start then! :D

Looks like a hybrid DSLR with retro controls echoing the Nikons of yesteryear

However - they appear to have forgotten to remove the mirror - making it a rather large retro DSLR rather than a major step forward in the brave new world of mirror less.

I guess the cash-cow of Nikon's lens line-up was too much to put at risk by opting for new mirror less system.

Time will tell if cool retro is enough of a draw, vs smaller lighter cheaper.

Nikon-DF-side-image-1.jpg




Spec is rumored to be:
  • The new camera will be called Nikon DF which stand for "Digital Fusion"
  • Nikon FM2 like design, but with a larger pentaprism
  • Most likely be available in two colors - all black and silver/black (a.k.a. as Panda version)
  • Standard Nikon F-mount
  • Pentaprism viewfinder (meaning the camera will not be mirrorless)
  • 16.2MP 36x23,9 full frame sensor (same as in the D4?)
  • The AF system of the Nikon DF will be most likely the same as in the D610 with 39 points
  • SD memory card
  • 2016-pixel RGB image sensor
  • 9-cell framing grid display
  • 3D color matrix metering II
  • Native ISO range: 100-12,800 (incl. ISO 50 and ISO 102,400)
  • 5.5 fps for up to 100 shots
  • 3.2" LCD screen
  • Expeed 3 processor
  • Battery:EN-EL14
  • Dimensions: 143.5 x 110 x 66.5mm
  • Weight: 765g
  • No video recording capabilities
  • The camera will meter even with non-AI lenses down to full aperture
  • The camera will ship with a new special edition Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G lens to match the look/design of the body
  • The camera will have physical controls and excellent build quality (which explains the 765g weight)
  • Nikon calls it a "hybrid" camera - not sure what exactly they mean with that
  • The Nikon DF will have settings for 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios
  • The announcement will be on November 5th right on time for Le Salon de la Photo show that will take place in Paris (November 7-11, 2013)
 
Haha. Love that second video - Edinburgh with just a hint of bagpipes. And I've stood exactly where he shoots at the end. Me and a million others...
 
The use of the work "hybrid" combined with the form factor and the fact that it has a mirror did make me wonder if the had made a camera that could take a film back ... That would be ace!
 
Looks lovely - really tasty design

Sure it will sell well
 
I quite like it, it does however cost something like £2,700 lol I worked out that I can shoot around 15,000 frames on my Nikon FM2n (include cost of the camera and development) to the same price of a Df with 0 shots taken lol :D

TS590x442
 
I find it odd that they push this as retro with manual dials - yet the dedicated lens is a G lens with no aperture ring.
 
Dave Green said:
I find it odd that they push this as retro with manual dials - yet the dedicated lens is a G lens with no aperture ring.
Click to expand...

It should fit any lens though, most people who buy this would either:

Be wanting a new digital Nikon and therefore this is a good starting lens
Already have a Nikon/Nikon lenses so this is easy to swap out

If I were to design a camera I would probably end up with this, I do like my FM2n and how easy it is to select what you need, I also like the fact that it doesn't have a video function, never really got why people buy digital stills cameras to shoot video.
 
Hamish Gill said:
No interchangeable focusing screen ... That's what I was hoping for!
Click to expand...

You might not actually want it. As I understand, things like a split-image central prism, microgrid and so on, can mess up the auto-exposure sensors in unpredictable ways and thus are mostly absent from dSLRs. I suspect that has always been the case. I used a metering prism on my film F3, and while results were always printable, a proof-sheet showed a wide range of overall densities. Shooting film, we simply accepted this as the norm.

Also you might not need it. Contemporary focusing screens have been difficult to use with manual focus lenses, concentrating on brightness of view. My D700 has a set of LEDs which work as a focusing aid, but only work with lenses of f/5.6 or faster. My Perkin Elmer f/8.0 (closer to t/11) 600mm Solid Cat is extremely difficult to focus, since the aid does not work. The point of focus is always a bit ambiguous.

Now for the good news. Bjørn Rorslett is one of the most respected reviewers and experts on all aspects of Nikon equipment. He will have a test camera in two weeks, but had a chance to spend some time with a production model a day or so back. Here are two quotes:

"Just returned from my first encounter with the Df. It is a lovely camera and ergonomically it's a dream come true. Everything positioned where it should be. The viewfinder is much better than the sheer numbers would indicate and I had no problem whatsoever seeing the entire frame plus info below with my spectacles on. Focusing manual lenses was a breeze, even the 50/1.2, Noct, or my 35/1.4."

"Again, seeing is believing. I urge people to try Df on their own when the opportunity arises. Feel free to disbelieve me of course. I know I finally found a DSLR capable of giving good focus for manual lenses. Many rather do AF so each to his own. My first encounter with the Df focused (pun intended) on MF lenses only as this always has been an issue with modern cameras."

My personal take on it is that it is as the D700 was to the D3. Same sensor in a much smaller, lighter package. Quite robust construction, but lacking in the features that made the D3 so expensive—very high shutter speeds, dual cards, double the estimated shutter cycles of the D700, prior to first maintenance. Of course, the D700 was much more expensive than the Df. If the comparison holds, the D700 offered the same low-light performance of the D3 at half the price. With the Df body at $2,750US and the D4 at $6,000, the Df is quite attractively priced. It is robustly built and weather sealed—clearly in their "pro" line.

Obviously where it deviates from the comparison is in the styling and controls. After a number of years with the analogue-type controls of my Fuji cameras, I do prefer them to the controls of my D700. However, neither is a deal-maker nor a deal-breaker. I use the cameras interchangeably when traveling, and don't give the differences a single thought. I am sure the Df is a highly capable camera, but I expect a lot of them will be sold as a curiosity or status symbol.
 
And of course, any camera with LiveView—most cameras now—have a built-in video feed. My very first camera back in the year 2000 had video, so the firmware has long since been paid off. With the tens of millions of video-capable cameras purchased over the past dozen+ years, it is a feature that is as close to free as it can be. If you have no need for it, you are not paying for an expensive exotic feature that you may never use.

The initial marketing thrust of the Df is the totally stupid slogan "Pure Photography". Leaving the video off fits the illusion for those who have been grumping for the past decade that they want a digital FM or some such thing. It will probably sell to some hold-outs during the initial roll-out. Of course it like most other cameras in its class, it has LiveView and the EXPEED 3 processor, so video can be enabled with a simple firmware update.

While video is nice to have for the occasional movie snapshot, still cameras take a whole lot of modification to work effectively as production tools. Video/movie-making is a skill very different from still photography, and the learning curve is daunting. With the conversion equipment installed, and a skilled crew on hand, a cinématographer can most certainly produce theatrical quality footage. Without the training, equipment and skills, you get the worst of YouTube.
 
I am shooting a promo vid at the moment that is completely hand held with no follow focus, no nothing rig etc ... its a lot of fun, if a little wobbly in its outcome :)
 
Take a look at this side by side shot - new and old Nikon

531897_10151675205581384_1875348676_n.jpg


All I can say is 'who ate all the pies? - The DF did!' :D :D :D
 
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