Retro gone wrong? dpr first impressions and test shots, Nikon DF
- Thread starter candc
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Typical DPReview.
"The Df is a bit silly"
"The Df is one of the most interesting cameras of the year"
I don't find it silly, but I find it overly retro (seriously, retro should be the inspiration, but there's no good in going back to the manufacturing limitations of the 60s) and with a price that hardly reflects the spec sheet. Also, besides the design, the overall functionality doesn't seem to support manual lenses all that much.
"The Df is a bit silly"
"The Df is one of the most interesting cameras of the year"
I don't find it silly, but I find it overly retro (seriously, retro should be the inspiration, but there's no good in going back to the manufacturing limitations of the 60s) and with a price that hardly reflects the spec sheet. Also, besides the design, the overall functionality doesn't seem to support manual lenses all that much.
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i like the idea but i would want an ae-1p with digital innards, no need for all that extra stuff. look at how huge it is, its like a brick with knobs!
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I found the pre-announcement teaser videos very enticing. But as soon as I saw a picture of the real thing, my interest dropped to zero. I do not know who would buy that camera at that price.
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I don't buy cameras as a fashion statement, but as tools to get a job done. There seems to be little need for the DF in that regard, its for those with lots of money to burn that want a toy to show off.
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Dylan777 said:
I'd say that Leica cameras sell pretty well regarding their prices and spec sheets.
I imagine that Nikons people tried to come up with their "response" to Leica. A good enough camera for fortunate amateurs. A camera which is more interesting than powerful. A camera to sell to folks who don't care shooting @ 12.800iso but who want a very-interesting/good-looking one. And there are guys like these all over the world. Fortunate people who want a "luxury"-item as a camera. Leicas are too restrictive. The rangefinder is a real pain in the ass for people who just want to shoot pictures of their holidays, their friends and eventually some flowers in their garden on a sunny sunday afternoon. The Nikon DF could be the good one for them.
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Really seems that Nikon DF is targeting the wealthy amateurs who buy Leica, but do not want the limitations of Rangefinder: No autofocus, no zoom lenses, no macro lenses, no ultra wide lens, no super tele lenses, no vision truly through lens, etc... :-[ However, it could be an attractive sensor Nikon DF had black and white, like the Leica Monocrom.
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I can understand the appeal that leica has. Small, simple, classy, excellent image quality. I would even buy one if money were no object. This Nikon on the other hand is an example of trying to do too much and succeeding at nothing. I don't think I would ever use it if you gave it to me, it's just frankensteinish.
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Well typical Nikon, like with the SB900 to SB910 and D600 to D610, they'll soon enough get an update, like a DFs or something, that will cost the same but address the problems it inherently has... or not.
And this isn't mentioned much but the DF was apparently on the design board since 2009, that's 4 years worth of work in design for something that has focus on looks over function but they fail completely in understanding their own history.
If they didn't overkill with the price and just essentially stuck a digital sensor into a reworked FM2 then terrific! You please those with nostalgia and the hipsters alike. It'd be compact, though with a screen and buttons that need arrangement, but it will look and feel like a classic and it wouldn't even need as fancy of an AF or much speed.
The Fuji X series, especially the X100 doesn't look like any retro camera, but they got it down right, it's slim and beautiful, with enough analogue control and a good feel. Also a rangefinder is just fun to use, while classic SLRs, I love them not just with their weight and size but the viewfinder, I look through an AE1 and the magnification feels great, like I'm apart of the scene and not just peering into it, a 50mm feels wider than it actually is even though the viewfinder doesn't cover 100% of the image, I'm sure others can relate to that feel.
And this isn't mentioned much but the DF was apparently on the design board since 2009, that's 4 years worth of work in design for something that has focus on looks over function but they fail completely in understanding their own history.
If they didn't overkill with the price and just essentially stuck a digital sensor into a reworked FM2 then terrific! You please those with nostalgia and the hipsters alike. It'd be compact, though with a screen and buttons that need arrangement, but it will look and feel like a classic and it wouldn't even need as fancy of an AF or much speed.
The Fuji X series, especially the X100 doesn't look like any retro camera, but they got it down right, it's slim and beautiful, with enough analogue control and a good feel. Also a rangefinder is just fun to use, while classic SLRs, I love them not just with their weight and size but the viewfinder, I look through an AE1 and the magnification feels great, like I'm apart of the scene and not just peering into it, a 50mm feels wider than it actually is even though the viewfinder doesn't cover 100% of the image, I'm sure others can relate to that feel.
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Dylan777 said:
In fact it looks like it could be painful in use. Big, heavy, bulky and look at that grip.... :-\
It's not 'retro' design but 'reverse' design (reverse as in backward).
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This camera is a joke. It's ugly.... way too big and despite being lighter and smaller than almost all DSLR's, looks like a brick.Dylan777 said:
While it is retro, it is certainly not retro done right.
As people have noted earlier, it should be much more beneficial to manual focusing and the price should be more in line with the features.
NOT giving us video does not make we want to pay out an extra 800 dollars over the D610.
Additionally, while the knobs are nice looking, I believe that modern DSLR controls are easier to use and better ergonomically.
Also, while the pre announcement marketing was great, it built up expectations to high for what the product was actually delivering.
This was a major failure by Nikon.
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Although I like the look of it, I prefer the modern interface.
For example: I would miss the exposure +/- on the big wheel on the back.
For example: I would miss the exposure +/- on the big wheel on the back.
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It's not that there's a problem with the camera - I think many people would consider owning one. But the pricing is wrong. It's the same price as the D800. And for most purposes the D800 is a better camera. Not sure how it is going sale-wise. They need to drop the price to around $2k or do a quick revision and add the D800 sensor and some better manual focusing aids - eg focus peaking, split prism etc.
Logically, I agree, which is why I feel nearly everyone will choose a D800 over a DF at the same price. But if I'm choosing between two essentially identical things, I'll go with the better looking one every time. I'm happy to give Nikon some credit for having the guts to produce soemthing that isn't a generic black lump.
.Mt Spokane Photography said:
Logically, I agree, which is why I feel nearly everyone will choose a D800 over a DF at the same price. But if I'm choosing between two essentially identical things, I'll go with the better looking one every time. I'm happy to give Nikon some credit for having the guts to produce soemthing that isn't a generic black lump.
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I don't mind a bit of "show off" is at work, but not at the price point Nikon has decided to sell this camera with limited features.Mt Spokane Photography said:
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Hillsilly said:
I would say, for all purposes, D800 is a better camera, no?
Hillsilly said:
I'm sure everyone will. Having said that, I personally feel D800 is better looking (or most cameras that look either modern or retro- but not both at the same time). However, if form comes at the cost of function, that is a step backward. No two ways about it.
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