Nikon Retro F-Mount Camera (FM2 Style)

moreorless

One thing that looks a bit strange to me though is that the area behind the white line actually seems to be larger than the rest of the lens, that's not something we've seen previously on Nikon lenses although I spose bolting it on to a G series one might have that result.

If some kind of on camera control ring could be added then that obviously means the new control system would fit in with modern lenses. If the camera is going to be a lot thinner outside of mount then that would leave more space for such a control behind the mount without it having to stick forward.

DaveO

Someone on another forum said the price was around $ 3,000. If that is the case, I am still waiting on the fabled D 400.

NSXTypeR

$3000 would be much too much, especially with a D610 that pretty much does everything the DF does for 2/3 the price. You could get the 105mm macro with the money you save.

I was thinking perhaps the ring might be one for G lenses like the Sony RX100- you can set it to control aperture "manually" on G lenses without needing a front grip dial like modern DSLRs are.

Ade

If some kind of on camera control ring could be added then that obviously means the new control system would fit in with modern lenses. If the camera is going to be a lot thinner outside of mount then that would leave more space for such a control behind the mount without it having to stick forward.

There is some precedence to a mount control ring in the Coolpix A (which of course is simpler with a fixed lens). But the Coolpix A can be thin because it's a mirrorless design. With a reflex mirror I don't think you can make the body thin enough around the mount to accept a control surface.

Instead of an aperture ring, maybe it's a proper (long-throw) manual focus ring?

Photobug

shawnino said:
I have no info of my own. I did mutter a couple pages back in this thread that $3K was crazy as a soup sandwich, so I wanted to re-post the latest indication of a lower price. I think this camera is a stone-cold loser priced above D800/E, but a great move for Nikon below $2K. I wish Nikon only success.

What a difference if the DF is priced at $2K. I am in full agreement on the pricing.

Today I talked to a salesman today at my local dealer and they have the new D610 in stock and the new 18-140 lens. Asked him when the DF was arriving and he had no idea what I was talking about and was following up with the store manager for me.

DXV_Photo

What if we are thinking about this wrong. To me something about the lens looks to different to be an F mount. What if this camera is actually a fix lens camera? I think that is why we can't figure out how to mount our lens to it is because we can't. Could this be a retro style 50mm fix lens camera to compete against the cameras like the Fuji X100s. I would guess Nikon would price this thing at around $1500 to compete with that market. Could this be what Nikon means by "Pure Photography". Back to older body style and 50mm lens.

Elvishefer

What if this camera is actually a fix lens camera?

Many tears would be shed.

sevencrossing

DXV_Photo "What if this camera is actually a fix lens camera?

The marketing suggest this could be the case

pity is not a 24mm f 2

Ade

Yeah, 50mm would seem to be a poor choice for a fixed lens camera, especially one marketed for landscape use (per the teaser videos).

Also, I think if Nikon were to make another fixed lens camera, it would again be a mirrorless design. A big reason to keep the mirror these days is to preserve F-mount compatibility, which of course would be unnecessary in a fixed lens camera.

PB_PM

I highly doubt it will be a fixed lens camera. Surly not with the rumored 50mm F1.8, and doubly so at the $3000 price point.

WestEndBoy

I would be interested in a fixed length 50mm, but not as a stand-alone. I would love a Coolpix B-50 along with a Coolpix B-24. I would carry both of them. Or since there is already an A-28, maybe a B-28 and B-58. I think that Nikon's strategy should be to make the best camera available to fit in a pocket, which it has accomplished with the Coolpix A, as everything that competes with it in its price range won't fit in the pocket. If I want something that won't fit in the pocket, I will bring my D800.

In FX, I think that they should stick with inter-changeable F-mount lens.

tman

It would be dumb fpr Nikon to make a lens you cant remove. They can make much more money with interchangable lenses and if you're that big already,there's no reason. I am convinced it will be interchangable lenses and F mount.

scoobysmak

I thought from reading the specs you had the option to buy the "retro" lens which tells me it should be an interchangable mount. We shall see.

tman

Looking at my Ai and AIS lenses the role of the Aluminum band is as best I can tell to "be pretty" and maybe make screwing the lens onto my cameras easier-- Some people have commented they think it is an aperture dial for gelded lenses- I doubt it.

PB_PM

@tman I agree, it's just designed that way to match the old AI-S lenses.

moreorless

Well I think the latest video shows its not a fixed lens camera.

KnockKnock

The straight line across the body looks a little modern, maybe a trick of lighting, but also maybe seems kind of Nikon1-inspired.

Diameter of the normal 50mm f/1.8 is 2.8-in. and this body look like it's just about that tall, ignoring the vf prism. That's pretty short these days, and it seems less wide than the F3. Judging by dimensions, this thing is aiming for Sony's latest.

I see a flash shoe too, and is that the 50mm f/1.8 D? That implies a screw AF motor. Makes me want. With an old 24mm + 85mm, an awesome old-school prime walkabout kit.

adamz

As we already have 7 pages on the Nikon Retro cam, let me sum it up a little bit.
Some of you don't like the idea as they are too old to remember the original versions
Some of you don't like it because it's trendy and retro
Some others try to compare it to D600... I really hope they fixed the shutter on the DF
Some of you are to picky about the terms. Though indeed the proper form is Bayer filter, a common name of sensors that use this technology is simply bayer sensor.

Enough of this what was written. Peter is constantly updating the picture of the new dF body on the main page. Below is the latest one.


Considering the placement (pro segment) I would say we gonna get a screw AF motor and at least 16Mpx. Do I need more... personally no. Does the market needs more... certainly yes, especially after the new sony a7/a7r had been released.

Price wise, I doubt we gonna see less than 2 at the very beginning. Wouldn't be shocked to see 3 at the beginning

Ade

I see a flash shoe too, and is that the 50mm f/1.8 D? That implies a screw AF motor. Makes me want. With an old 24mm + 85mm, an awesome old-school prime walkabout kit.

The lens on the latest teaser is the AF-D 24mm/2.8.

moreorless

Making measurements based on lens size from these kinds of views can be a bit risky as we don't know how wide the lens used for the video was and so whether any distortion is present. Assuming none is and that the new 50mm 1.8 G is the same size as the old though my rough measurement makes the camera around 125mm wide.

TaoTeJared

Been playing with a 1954 50mm f/1.4 and a 1972 105mm f/2.5 just to get ready. (Or just playing with lighting set-ups.)

More I see, the more I like it. Hell, if it had no back lcd, 16mp and stripped down to basics I would still grab it for a backup- walk around camera. I know many don't prefer a 50mm, but I can shoot with one all day long.

Hey maybe it will come with the 58mm 1.4 and come in at $3k - I would do that.


Anyone need a kidney? Got one for sale - slightly used, very little asparagus ran through it.

adamz

@TTJ - I like the idea of no LCD on the back... pure photography... with hybrid VF it might be possible, though I doubt they will go for it.

@moreorless - I wouldn't be so sure about the size. are you sure we see the old 50mm 1.8? I think it might be the new one and we are not quite sure about the size of it and for 12.5cm (5in) it would be d3200 size... way to small.

kenadams

I can't see them selling it without LCD panel - one of the major advantages of shooting digital. This would be too much retro, and alhtough I guess some would still buy it, I don't think Nikon is the most daring of companies to be the first to do it.

moreorless

moreorless - I wouldn't be so sure about the size. are you sure we see the old 50mm 1.8? I think it might be the new one and we are not quite sure about the size of it and for 12.5cm (5in) it would be d3200 size... way to small. - See more at: http://forum.nikonrumors.com/discussion/1742/nikon-retro-f-mount-camera-fm2-style#Item_173

We can't be use of the lens size either I agree but it does look very similar to the current 50mm 1.8 G to me so I'm guessing the difference might only be on the outer barrel. Again I think the bigger issue is likely how wide the lens used to take the video was, a wider lens will distort the size of the front of the lens relative to the camera body and make the latter appear smaller. I remember seeing a few Pentax users predicting the K-3 would be smaller than the K-5 due to this issue when obviously that wasn't the case.

Beyond that I think the layout of the front of the camera is quite interesting, it seems to me that the mount is shifted alot to one side, moreso than say the Fuji X series and it seems a bit moreso than even the F3/FM2. One reason to do that could potentially be to maximise grip on a smaller camera.

sevencrossing

No clutter, no distractions,
May be a fully automatic full frame P&S