Nikon Df General Discussion

shawnino

For the Canadians in the crowd, photoprice is doing a Boxing Day group-buy today and tomorrow: $2790 for the camera plus lens kit. Not sure if Americans can participate but with the strong US dollar right now that's about $2625 US.

That's their only Nikon deal, but if you know anybody over on the Dark Side, there look to be good buys on the 1Dx, 6D, 5D3, and the red-ringed 24-70.

Symphotic

I went to look at Df again today at Yodobashi camera here in Kawasaki. I liked it better after spending some time with it, but I'll wait. I really do use all 36 MP of my D800 on the job with all the cropping required, and until today I was going to go with another D800 as my second body. The light weight of the Df is appealing, and I'm just not done thinking yet.
I wish the demo mode would let me save pictures to my card so I could look at them more closely, but no. If so, I probably would have bought it tomorrow for delivery next week.
I'll wait for my next paid shoot and buy then.
Since I didn't buy myself another camera with my Christmas money, I hiked over to Ginza and bought a new violin instead.

spraynpray

@symphotic: So what new features did the new violin have that your old one didn't? )

WestEndBoy

Strings!

Symphotic

@symphotic: So what new features did the new violin have that your old one didn't? )

It's a "silent" violin. My wife thinks I'm a better photographer than a fiddler. At least she doesn't start slamming doors shut when I'm taking pictures or editing like she does when I'm fiddling!
Besides the light weight if the Df, I really liked the dials and the manual mode operation. I tried it with the 58 1.4g: that would be a fun kit for taking people pictures. But I couldn't use my own card, so I regret I can't post example photos.

Vipmediastar_JZ

@Symphotic I was at the mall last weekend. There was a guy playing the violin and his assistant selling CD's. I enjoyed the music. I would have bought the set of cd's to listen to while I edit photos. It relaxed me while I waited for my wife to shop and get her complimentary makeup done at Sephora for our dinner.

Music runs in my family but I just prefer to listen to it or play garage band with my daughter on the iPad. It is fun and it keeps us both entertained.

bland

fyi ....... LR won't edit the NEF files from the Df. I'm sure there's an update for LR in near the future.

Ade

Lightroom 5.3 / ACR 8.3 added NEF support for the Df, D610 and D5300:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/12/lightroom-5-3-now-available.html

PB_PM

Admin is now reporting that there are third party focusing screens available for the Df to help with manual focus Nikkors.

Ade

Interesting, looks like they modify Nikon F6 and Canon EC screens to fit the Df, D800, D700, etc. (just about any Nikon except the D4).

They are selling a modified F6 "A" screen for $116, while the vanilla version is just $36 from B&H -- could be a tempting DIY project.

bland

Lightroom 5.3 / ACR 8.3 added NEF support for the Df, D610 and D5300:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/12/lightroom-5-3-now-available.html

Thanks! My LR said there were no updates but I'll try it out.

rbrylawski

I just upgraded Lightroom about a week ago and the current version is 5.3

WestEndBoy

Lightroom 5.3 / ACR 8.3 added NEF support for the Df, D610 and D5300:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/12/lightroom-5-3-now-available.html

Hmmm......I am surprised that there is an update required to read a what I thought was standard NEF file. It makes me wonder if there is a risk that my photos may not be readable at some future date (anybody tried to read a Microsoft Word file from early 90s?). Any comments anyone........

NSXTypeR

Lightroom 5.3 / ACR 8.3 added NEF support for the Df, D610 and D5300:

http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2013/12/lightroom-5-3-now-available.html

Hmmm......I am surprised that there is an update required to read a what I thought was standard NEF file. It makes me wonder if there is a risk that my photos may not be readable at some future date (anybody tried to read a Microsoft Word file from early 90s?). Any comments anyone........

That's standard fare- NEF I think is a proprietary Nikon file format and it takes a while for Adobe to get around to updating stuff.

If you could shoot your photos as a DNG you'd be fine. I definitely know the low end Nikon DSLRs can't. Maybe the higher end ones can?

I think Canon or Pentax can shoot DNG.

WestEndBoy

No they can't. But I would have thought that all NEF are the same, not different from camera model to camera model.

PB_PM

If NEF files were the same from camera to camera there would be no need to wait for updates to RAW converts.

Ironheart

The RAW format is a direct dump from the sensor, with possibly some noise reduction, so each new sensor needs its own RAW format.

spraynpray

The solution to worries about longevity of .nef's is import as DNG into Lightroom. After editing, save a copy as a DNG and a .jpg - that should do it.

Ade

Usually the physical format of the .NEF file itself is the same ("compatible") between Nikon cameras. However, just like a MS Word .DOC template, just because the physical format is specified it doesn't mean individual documents can't have one or more sections added or removed.

Also, to pleasingly render a raw image, there's information required that's NOT in the raw file. E.g., things like the camera's color matrix (which describes the camera's specific filter-pack behavior), the sensor white & black points (which in turn may depend on the ISO setting), etc. Also, some cameras require minor adjustments -- e.g., perhaps there's an extra row of pixels that should be omitted from the de-Bayer process for whatever reason.

So companies like Adobe will spend some time testing the camera to "reverse engineer" the color matrix, ISO settings, etc., before releasing official support for the camera.

Ade

Chase Jarvis tests the Df:

http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/2014/01/nikon-df-unboxing-video-test-images-first-impressions-while-actually-shooting-photos-gasp/

He's done a ton of work for Nikon in the past (and probably, in the future).

rbrylawski

Very interesting. I would doubt Nikon would be too thrilled with his real world views (the ones written, I didn't watch the video). And this certainly wouldn't make me feel any need to buy one. In fact, it would make me kind of glad I didn't buy one. Interesting..........

TaoTeJared

Just a FYI Pentax can shoot DNG or whatever Adobe Raw files are.

Ade

OMG!!!

http://fstoppers.com/the-fstoppers-nikon-df-camera-hipster-review


via admin

WestEndBoy

This has hit the nail on the head. I found the part that said the guy with the black camera wears a fanny pack particularly insightful. Like it or not, dweebs that wear fanny packs don't get dates. If you are wearing a fanny pack, you are dead, dead, dead!!!!

I don't mean to say us D4/Dxx/Dxxxx shooters are dead. The DF would never compete against my D800 as a first camera: The D800 is a high performance race car with an interface designed to let the user milk every ounce of horsepower on offer and that is what I want first and foremost. And while I might look like a dweeb I have a family.

I have always wanted a Neica, a full frame Leica with auto-focus and an f-mount. It fits right in the middle of my D800 and Coolpix A, both in size and shooting style. I think that this unexpected curve ball has shifted my thinking and Nikon did not even have to introduce a new mount to do it.

Kudos to Nikon for recognizing what Olympus saw but having the balls to do it mostly right in full frame, not some souped up CX that isn't even DX toy. I really don't see a future in micro four thirds for serious photographers.

donaldejose

Quite surprising that so many people preferred the look of the Df. However, those same people won't be buying one for $3,000. If they are in the market for any DSLR, and most won't be, it will be an entry level model for less than $1,000. So those who were so quick to like the look of the Df won't be buyers. Nor do I think may pro photographers will buy a Df because they will want all their cameras to have a similar interface. It seems likely Df sales will peak quickly after release and then really die off to almost nothing. We will see. Maybe Nikon will put this retro interface over D3300 internals next. That might find a larger market.