I get it, I really do! Like many, when the Df was first announced, even though I’m an old fart, I didn’t see why I’d want a retro digital body. When the Df reached my desk, from the moment I opened the box, I started to get it. Yes, it is a digital camera, yes it have many basic design features that take you back as far as the F2, but’s it’s more than that. I mean, if I told you the Df has the O/C Key, that would mean nothing to you unless you owned a F2 and attached a motordrive. It requires the AR-3 cable release, there is no ten pin socket. I still have my AR-3 cable releases, most will scramble to see what that is. Yeah, it has dials for ISO and Exp Compensation, a dial for Shutter Speeds if in Manual, but the whole package is a great camera designed to make the photographic experience more than just … click. The Df brings to photography something I talk about … romance (it does NOT do video!)! I can honestly say that I can’t just let it sit, I want to have it in my hands and shoot.
OK, so what about quality? If you’re spending good money on a camera body, you need more than just a romantic experience. The Df delivers! It has the same sensor as the D4, an image quality that has made me a lot of money. But as we all know, the sensor depends on the software to deliver to us that quality. Well, I’ve only had the Df a couple of days, but like I said, I can’t put it down. During a break in the snow Saturday, Sharon was looking out the window at our winter wonderland. The light was gorgeous so I picked up the Df which has the 50f1.4AFS attached and made a few clicks. I focused on the closet eye and shot with a narrow DoF. You can see the over all photo above and then below, you can see a severe crop of just the eye. That quality would make any client of mine very happy, so it more than works for me! Both of these photos are right out of the camera because at this time, you can’t process them in ACR.
So what’s new an cool? The one thing I played with over the weekend is using the WU-1A Wireless which as you can see, plugs right into the side of the Df.Along with Nikon’s iPhone app, you can fire the Df remotely, the whole time seeing on your iPhone right through the lens. This is technology that only costs $54, that is simply mind boggling to me who once paid thousands to do the same thing. So this going retro might seem like pie in the sky stuff from the beginning but there is actually more to it than just looks. T
he camera feels great in your hand, its controls are simple and straight forward. The LCD on the top of the camera is useless but with a push of a button the LCD lights up with all the info you need. It takes a small battery, I loaded mine with a Lexar 128GB SDXC 600x and without even cracking the IB, been shooting up a storm. I feel it’s more than worth the price because a tool calling you to go shooting is a good thing. mtc
Nikon Df Website
Df Instruction Book