Off Brand: Nikon Announces the Df

Jul 21, 2010
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poias said:
neuroanatomist said:
(since Canon is that leader).
Kodak called and agreed with you.

Yes, the parallels between Kodak and Canon, and the similarities between the market then and the market now, are astounding(ly small).

Or maybe I misunderstand - is it really your contention that Canon will fail because they are refusing to focus on the coming dominance of mirrorless cameras? (Nikon recently called to disagree with that idea.) Or perhaps because they are missing the boat on the coming retro revolution? (The 70's called and they want all the disco balls back...but they had no interest in the Df.)
 
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verysimplejason said:
One thing, a wedding photographer might fall in love with this Nikon... Aside from the gorgeous look (a + from the client), they'll appreciate the "less" MP and high ISO performance (based on D4).

Baffled by this. Did you forget the irony tag?

Clients want the cameras to look "pro" which isn't really, in mainstream, compatible with retro.
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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Too many posts here praising Nikon for coming out with a camera that is only "good enough". No new tech, menus replaced by dials and knobs with little or no IQ benefits. I thought pure photography was all about th images, not whether I need to turn a dial or access a menu.

Had Canon come out with something similar, it would be accused of milking the same old sensor design, which is exactly what ion is doing and we still get posts such as - Canon where are you?
 
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J.R. said:
Too many posts here praising Nikon for coming out with a camera that is only "good enough". No new tech, menus replaced by dials and knobs with little or no IQ benefits. I thought pure photography was all about th images, not whether I need to turn a dial or access a menu.

Had Canon come out with something similar, it would be accused of milking the same old sensor design, which is exactly what ion is doing and we still get posts such as - Canon where are you?

it's D4 sensor we are talking about. ISO goes upto 200k and it will challenge the 1DX in noise performance
 
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Jul 21, 2010
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dilbert said:
neuroanatomist said:
dilbert said:
This is the second non-Canon camera product announcement on a "Canon" website in as many months (previous being Sony.)

That kind of says it all about where Canon's at with its product development, doesn't it?

Indeed.

It says that Canon isn't announcing any developments in a dying market (mirrorless) or a long-dead market (over-priced film dSLRs, albeit with modified innards).

It also says Canon's dSLR lineup is selling well, such that they're not forced to bring out niche products due to an inability to outsell the market leader in the mainstream arena (since Canon is that leader).

I disagree completely with both of your conclusions but not to say that it says the reverse but rather that people are so bored with what Canon are doing that they're looking elsewhere for excitement.

Actually, your premise is based on posts here in CR, a for-profit website that is dependent on hit count. No news is bad news, from a hit count standpoint. You're reading more into the posting of non-Canon news on CR than is warranted.

FWIW, the current max visitor count for CR was on the day of the 70D announcement.
 
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Grumbaki said:
verysimplejason said:
One thing, a wedding photographer might fall in love with this Nikon... Aside from the gorgeous look (a + from the client), they'll appreciate the "less" MP and high ISO performance (based on D4).

Baffled by this. Did you forget the irony tag?

Clients want the cameras to look "pro" which isn't really, in mainstream, compatible with retro.

No. I didn't forgot. To qualify, this DF isn't actually smaller than an average DSLR. Just look at the chrome finish and it's really screams "professional".
 
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verysimplejason said:
Grumbaki said:
verysimplejason said:
One thing, a wedding photographer might fall in love with this Nikon... Aside from the gorgeous look (a + from the client), they'll appreciate the "less" MP and high ISO performance (based on D4).

Baffled by this. Did you forget the irony tag?

Clients want the cameras to look "pro" which isn't really, in mainstream, compatible with retro.

No. I didn't forgot. To qualify, this DF isn't actually smaller than an average DSLR. Just look at the chrome finish and it's really screams "professional".

Yeah, screams professionnal just like a ducky ties does. I guess it's personnal tastes but I'd bet that a pannel of non photog would rate a 5d3 (or the nikon equivalent) as looking more professional. Specially with a grip, a white lens on or a mammoth like 85L...
 
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Feb 26, 2012
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dilbert said:
..people are so bored with what Canon are doing that they're looking elsewhere for excitement

+1

Exactly. A camera isn't just a tool to capture images.
Some cameras have a personality, a character, and some of them lend themselves better to certain uses by virtue of their design.

CaNikon bodies are, for the most part, rather bland black plastic looking bricks. I don't find any of them exciting to use. The D800, for me, comes close but that's mostly because it works very well for what I want it for while most others were somehow disappointing.

This new DF actually looks like a camera design I would ENJOY using, although I'd prefer d800 guts to d4 guts in mine. I LIKE those manual knobs and buttons. They're unambiguous, you can adjust them easily by feel, even with gloves on or while the camera is still powered OFF.

The Df looks like an imaging INSTRUMENT, not a black box of wonders with various goodies buried in menus. The Df is very appealing to the photogs I know because it's causing a more emotional response with them. We don't NEED a Df, we WANT a Df. (or something just like it in the lens mount of your choice)
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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duydaniel said:
J.R. said:
Too many posts here praising Nikon for coming out with a camera that is only "good enough". No new tech, menus replaced by dials and knobs with little or no IQ benefits. I thought pure photography was all about th images, not whether I need to turn a dial or access a menu.

Had Canon come out with something similar, it would be accused of milking the same old sensor design, which is exactly what ion is doing and we still get posts such as - Canon where are you?

it's D4 sensor we are talking about. ISO goes upto 200k and it will challenge the 1DX in noise performance

I'm not convinced that the market for the 1DX is of users looking only for the noise performance as the primary reason for buying the 1DX. No challenge in my opinion.

Additionally, the native ISO is only upto 12,800 while the 1DX is at 51,200 - no challenge again unless you are going to tell me that the digital push and pull of two stops will not lead to poorer IQ - BTW, I've never shot with the D4 so this is purely my guess based on the specs.
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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Aglet said:
This new DF actually looks like a camera design I would ENJOY using, although I'd prefer d800 guts to d4 guts in mine. I LIKE those manual knobs and buttons. They're unambiguous, you can adjust them easily by feel, even with gloves on or while the camera is still powered OFF.

The Df looks like an imaging INSTRUMENT, not a black box of wonders with various goodies buried in menus. The Df is very appealing to the photogs I know because it's causing a more emotional response with them. We don't NEED a Df, we WANT a Df. (or something just like it in the lens mount of your choice)

My discussion with a few friends from the local photo club who are Nikon shooters leads me to only one conclusion. This camera is polarizing opinions one way or the other. Some people love it while some find it infinitely ugly.

The question is, is there a large enough market for such cameras? After the first wave of nostalgic purchases, who will buy into the overpriced retro look?
 
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Jan 22, 2012
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Grumbaki said:
verysimplejason said:
Grumbaki said:
verysimplejason said:
One thing, a wedding photographer might fall in love with this Nikon... Aside from the gorgeous look (a + from the client), they'll appreciate the "less" MP and high ISO performance (based on D4).

Baffled by this. Did you forget the irony tag?

Clients want the cameras to look "pro" which isn't really, in mainstream, compatible with retro.

No. I didn't forgot. To qualify, this DF isn't actually smaller than an average DSLR. Just look at the chrome finish and it's really screams "professional".

Yeah, screams professionnal just like a ducky ties does. I guess it's personnal tastes but I'd bet that a pannel of non photog would rate a 5d3 (or the nikon equivalent) as looking more professional. Specially with a grip, a white lens on or a mammoth like 85L...

Disagree. I think it looks absolutely professional. And by all standards IS.
 
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Nov 17, 2011
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dilbert said:

Oh I think it is a dumb move by Nikon but it is also a desperate move to try and create a segment of the market where they don't have any competition from Canon or Sony. I similarly think that the A7 and A7R are a dumb move that will ultimately go nowhere or be confined to shooting with lenses under 100mm in focal length.

-1...A7 series is a wakeup call for Canon & Nikon in term of still and landscape shooting. I can see the market shifts when Sony/Zeiss comes out some UWA, macro and 85mm lenses ::)
 
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Jan 13, 2013
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Sporgon said:
I honestly don't think Canon will feel the need to produce a Df because their dSLR design hasn't gone off the rails like Nikon.

+1

If Canon were to release a "retro" camera at this point in time, it will truly imply that it has lost the plot and is going to behave like a headless chicken.

Just an assumption - Canon could be probably be working in a more sensible way in providing updates which will be more useful to its customer base rather than going backward with dials and stuff simply for the nostalgia.
 
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