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Nikon DF

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I’ve been intently watching the rumors trickle through up to today’s official release of the Nikon DF. The build-up lasted two weeks and included six overly dramatic, mostly annoying commercial shorts.

Like Fuji has been doing for the past few years with their X-series cameras, it seems Nikon wants in on the growing retro-inspired camera market. Nikon’s offering, however, comes across as a lot more serious than anything Fuji has released so far. The ‘Made in Japan’ camera uses the same full-frame 16.2 megapixel sensor and processing engine as their flagship D4 housed within a robust, dust and water resistant body. Interestingly, the camera omits any video capabilities and focuses on providing the dedicated photographer a dazzling array of mechanical dials. Just look at them – they’re beautiful!

Of course, this package doesn’t come cheap. Pricing is set at $2,746.96 for the body-only, and $2,996.95 with a special edition 50mm f/1.8 kit lens. You can expect this price to drop sometime after Christmas, but you have to wonder how willing people will be to buy the 16mp DF over the the fully-professional, 36mp Nikon D800e ($2,996.95 body only) or the now-oil-spot-free D610 ($1,996.95).

More images of the camera

(Edit: There is now a dedicated website for the camera: http://nikondf.nikonusa.com/df.html)

Posted by Owen

16 Comments Leave A Comment

1

neilson says:

November 5, 2013 at 11:07 am

i do like the look of this guy, especially the concentric sensitivity and exposure compensation dials, but i’ll save myself a grand and get an A7.

2

Collective says:

November 5, 2013 at 11:32 am

And pass on being able to use any Nikon glass since 1959? There’s a lot of positives about going with the F-Mount if you’re heavily invested in Nikon already (Like I am).

I do like that A7 though… And Zeiss has announced a bunch of new lenses for it, too.

4

carlo says:

November 6, 2013 at 1:07 am

concept is really cool; design is awesome and i like the F-Mount feature. However it sounds more like an expensive, good looking toy than a serious everyday camera; at least, for that price, it would never be a first choice for many, i guess.
I agree with the “poser-hipster” trend above comment :)

5

Max says:

November 6, 2013 at 9:48 am

Scott, saw the trailer for Unsound and am looking forward to it. Any dates in NYC in the new year yet?

6

Rory says:

November 7, 2013 at 12:04 am

To me, the low megapixel count is the BEST feature.

The dynamic range and highlight control this camera is going to have should be INSANE. All manual dials are also a real feature for me. Still a bit confused as to why they did not include a manual aperture ring on the special edition lens.

The main downsides for me are the smallish battery and the choice of SD card over CF. Though I think going with SD cards lets them capture that chunk of the hobbyist market that the styling is aimed at.

One unintended upside of the retro styling may be that the casual observer may mistake it for a film camera. Thieves may ignore you and serious photojournalists could pose AS HIPSTERS (fine irony, I know), and thus be allowed access to places they would not otherwise be allowed.

If everyone assumes you are shooting expired Velvia 50 that you wont scan for six months and then post to an obscure blog, well bam, Jokes on them!

8

Collective says:

November 7, 2013 at 3:42 pm

Rory

Agreed on all your comments.

That sensor is perfect – especially for travel / walk around photography where carrying a tripod is a hassle. You’ll be able to shoot clean RAW files up to ISO 1600 or even 3200. This isn’t saying that I wouldn’t mind a few extra megapixels added to the next version. I used the 16mp D7000 for three years, and when I upgraded to the D600 I definitely noticed a remarkable difference in terms of pixel-level details and the ability to push things in post. Mind you, it seems the D4 sensor (89 points) is much better than the D7000 sensor (80 points) according to DXO Mark.

Thought about the styling the same way you did. Would be a great travel camera because it’s relatively small and doesn’t look high-tech / flashy. Still undecided if I’d get the silver or black though…

Regarding the slanderous ‘hipster’ comments I’ve been seeing… Hipsters don’t buy $3,000 DSLRs. This is a camera for someone who is passionate about photography and travel.

9

G says:

November 10, 2013 at 10:31 am

I think the comment was “fake-hipster”, which is a hipster that can afford a $3,000 DSLR.

A genuine hipster would not be caught dead with this camera.

10

Collective says:

November 11, 2013 at 8:04 pm

G – missed that.

I’m confused. So the difference between genuine and fake hipsters is their income level, or their desire for a cutting-edge camera?

If you asked a ‘genuine’ hipster if they’d like a camera with pro build and image quality that was also stealthily enough to sneak into a concert, they’d say no because why? It doesn’t shoot film? They didn’t buy it at a Thrift Store?

15

Canon Lenses says:

January 2, 2014 at 12:20 pm

I wouldn’t mind a few extra megapixels added to the next version. I used the 16mp D7000 for three years, and when I upgraded to the D600 I definitely noticed a remarkable difference in terms of pixel-level details and the ability to push things in post.

16

Camera Reviews says:

February 1, 2014 at 10:36 am

I’m confused. So the difference between genuine and fake hipsters is their income level, or their desire for a cutting-edge camera? If you asked a ‘genuine’ hipster if they’d like a camera with pro build and image quality that was also stealthily enough to sneak into a concert, they’d say no because why?