Would You Buy A Nikon Df Camera Today?

[Fons Baerken]

The wear is superficial wear like paint and rubbers peeling, no electronic shutter with the Df.
The Df really shines with mf and fast aperture lenses so 1/4000th shutter is a minus.

[Airy]

A couple of times, 1/4000 was too slow when using the Noct Nikkor wide open, resulting in overexposure by 1 EV approximately. I darkened the pics in post processing, that's all. I did not care to lower ISO to 50, as the highlight clipping (if any) would be about the same (it is no real 50 ISO, it just shifts exposure settings).

A very seldom event anyway - who's daft enough to use a Noct wide open at noon, except me of course?

[golunvolo]

I tried the Df and even if I really liked the output, never got used to the ergonomics. The Z6 is more pratical and better suited for my tipe of work. That said, I recently bought a optical viewfinder and is a completely different beast. I don't think you can go wrong anyway.

[Birna Rørslett]

A couple of times, 1/4000 was too slow when using the Noct Nikkor wide open, resulting in overexposure by 1 EV approximately. I darkened the pics in post processing, that's all. I did not care to lower ISO to 50, as the highlight clipping (if any) would be about the same (it is no real 50 ISO, it just shifts exposure settings).

A very seldom event anyway - who's daft enough to use a Noct wide open at noon, except me of course?

That makes two of us

However, it is allowed to add an ND or pola filter or similar.

Paco: as to handling, you either love the camera or cannot reconciliate with the ergonomics.

[Airy]

My two minor rants about the ergonomics :
- Exposure compensation (which I use very often) generally requires two hands. Grrrr.
- The front wheel (controlling aperture) is small and stiff and hurts your fingers. But I always use the aperture ring when available, so I do not care.

[Jack Dahlgren]

My two minor rants about the ergonomics :
- Exposure compensation (which I use very often) generally requires two hands. Grrrr.
- The front wheel (controlling aperture) is small and stiff and hurts your fingers. But I always use the aperture ring when available, so I do not care.

Yes, it works best with manual aperture ring.

[Birna Rørslett]

Virtually all my manual lenses have CPUs. So easy to pogram camera to use aperture ring. Any "G" lens mounted falls back to use the camera dials so the approach is completely transparent.

[Snoogly]

Virtually all my manual lenses have CPUs. So easy to pogram camera to use aperture ring. Any "G" lens mounted falls back to use the camera dials so the approach is completely transparent.

You lucky (but well deserved) devil!

I really think something like a Kickstarter project to revive your CPU chipping program would succeed. But on second thoughts, not Kickstarter, as that is the kiss of death. But really, there must be a way to make chipping Nikkor lenses a commercial success.

[MFloyd]

Would You Buy A Nikon Df Camera Today? No: not now, not before. I know this camera is friendly rated at NG. And I, absolutely, don’t want to make a provocative statement. I had this camera lended, for about 3 weeks, by NPS, a bit after it was issued. Despite having possessed a good number of analog professional Nikon cameras, the charm didn’t work on me. Nothing factual about this. Even disregarding the very high price asked.

[Airy]

Ergonomics aside, what I particularly like is the "mature" sensor (shared with the D4, IIRC). Its IQ is definitely better than predecessors' such as D700 and D800, and not significantly inferior to successors'.

When I first tried the excellent Z7, I moved my trusted Summicron-R 50/2 from the Df to the Z7+FTZ. The results were sure excellent, but not to the extent they would make the Df obsolete. Some day I'll enjoy stabilization and focus assist, but for the time being, if my Df broke down, I'd probably buy another one.

[John Geerts]

I had a Df for several years, and have a Nikon D4s for a few weeks now.  I feel the Nikon D4s is on all accounts better than the Df.  Sensor, ways of operating, and faster AF.

[Birna Rørslett]

My two minor rants about the ergonomics :
- Exposure compensation (which I use very often) generally requires two hands. Grrrr.
- The front wheel (controlling aperture) is small and stiff and hurts your fingers. But I always use the aperture ring when available, so I do not care.

You can set the Df to use +-2/3 EV manual adjustment via the rear command wheel. Extremely convenient when you use M mode and sense a need to make minor exposure adjustments on the fly.

For all lenses with aperture ring, you can set the camera to use aperture settings on the lens directly. This will work whether you have a CPU-enabled lens or not, as long as the camera knpws the max.aperture of the lens.

[David H. Hartman]

I never found the hybrid FE2/FA, DSLR form of the Nikon Df body appealing. The price also kept me away. There are other attributes to the Df that are appealing. I might enjoy a Nikon Df for exclusive use with AI/AIS lenses but I will probably never get a chance to try.

The F5 interface worked well for me for both AF/AF-D lenses and AI/AIS lenses. As I recall I settled on using the sub-command dial with AF and AF-D lenses. When using AI and AIS lenses the reflexes switched and I use the aperture ring. I didn't change any custom settings when changing from auto focus to manual focus lenses, it was automatic and seamless. The D300s and D800 were similar to the F5 in how easy it was to move from one type of lens to the other.

Dave

So would I buy a Nikon Df today? I don't have the money but if I did maybe.

[BruceSD]

The D300s and D800 were similar to the F5 in how easy it was to move from one type of lens to the other.

So would I buy a Nikon Df today? I don't have the money but if I did maybe.

I owned more than one D300 over the years and didn't like it's sensor.  The images I got out of it were flat and lifeless.

[David H. Hartman]

I owned more than one D300 over the years and didn't like it's sensor.  The images I got out of it were flat and lifeless.

That's another issue and I'm in no position to compare. I might like the Nikon Df or D4 sensor better or I might not.

"flat and lifeless?" Is that a lack of mid-range contrast? Is that correctable in Photoshop, Lightroom, Capture NX-D or other post processing software? I frequently used a soft S-curve with LCH in post processing to punch up the mid range contrast.

Punching the mid range contrast was an intrinsic feature of B&W film and paper in the wet darkroom. The film suppressed the shadow contrast while the paper suppressed the highlight contrast. Combined they punched the mid range.

Dave