Introduction to the Nikon DF
I have now been using it since it came out in early 2014 and in that time I have used it for all sorts including airshows, weddings (as a guest), plenty of social and travel photography. As a result I thought it might be of interest to share some of my thoughts for those interested… and this is very much a practical perspective. I love photography and find it a wonderful motivator to travel and so I am far more interested in how this camera works in real life and that is what this review is intended to illustrate for those interested.
I think we can all agree the Nikon Df has polarized opinion. I think that is a good thing – I remember when the Olympus EM5 came out and there were people that loved it, and people that hated it, but I absolutely loved that camera and still use it regularly today.
Back to the Df – I managed to get hold of one the month it came out and have, on the whole, loved the experience of using it and the images I have collected over the last few years. However since the moment it was announced there were some common complaints/criticisms.
The main points of contention that I have observed would be (and there are probably others):
Price (in the UK particularly, but still a lot in the US)
AF system
Lack of video
Fidgity manual controls
When it was announced, I really liked the look of it but I remember seeing the price and thinking that was way beyond what I realistically could afford. At £2749.00 in the UK that put it way above the D800 and D610. So I can completely understand peoples objection to that. However after looking at alternative options, I discovered that buying it from the US or HK could save me a fair bit of cash and might, just might make it affordable. Panamoz in HK are a company I had heard about but never tried. I read a lot of positive reviews and they had it listed at just over £1000 cheaper than the UK list price. So at that cost I worked out if I sold a couple of things I would be able to justify treating myself. I decided to eBay my Olympus 75mm f1.8 and a Fuji X10 to help fund the purchase as photography is a hobby to me and I couldn’t justify spending the full amount without selling a few things.
So by doing it that way, the price was no longer an issue and when compared within that price range to the competition, for me it really was a no-brainer. As for video, I feel I should really try to concentrate on one thing at a time. My EM5 does video for those little videos you occasionally want but I really have little interest. Then the controls, again the EM5 had similar detractors and I have found since using the Df that I really have no issues with the controls. I could understand if you were coming from another Nikon DSLR it might be more of an adjustment. But coming from the EM5 it was a blank slate of sorts. I found after just a few outings, I was more than comfortable with how it all worked.
The only complaint which to me, has justification is the lack of AF assist lamp. In really low light situations it would really help and I have absolutely no idea why they wouldn’t include it.
Since picking up the Df in early 2014, I have accumulated the following lenses that I use with the Df:
Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF-S G
Nikon 35mm f/1.8 G FX AF-S
Nikon 50mm 1.8D
Nikon 24-85mm 3.5-4.5 VR
Nikon 20mm f1.8G
Sigma 150-600mm f5-6.3
Over the last few years I have added the Nikon 20mm 1.8G and the Sigma 150-600 f5-6.3 to save me having to repeatedly rent a long lens for airshows.
The Df as a travel camera
I would definitely put myself in the “passionate amateur” category of photographer and I most often use my cameras to simply capture pleasant memories of the places I visit. The Df is a wonderful travel camera as it is sufficiently lightweight to easily put in a bag and carry it about all day without noticing it – particularly when paired with a lightweight prime like the 35mm 1.8G or 50mm 1.8D. I typically carry it with 3 lenses and the total weight is barely noticeable when carried in a messenger bag. You couldn’t exactly put it in your jacket pocket but if you are comfortable carrying a bag with you (I cycle most places so am never without one) it is pretty easy to take with you and grab as and when.
Coupled with the 24-85mm VR its a fun combo as it is sufficiently flexible and I particularly like the wide end. There is a fair bit of distortion at the wide end but Lightroom sorts that easily. Over the last few years I have mostly been using an Olympus OM-D EM5 which did me proud during that time but I can really see a difference in the quality of the end result on the Df. That shouldn’t be a surprise but as I have learnt more about how to use it and particularly what you can do with the files in Lightroom, it is a far more flexible and impressive solution. Obviously one area where the Df excels is in low light and its great pushing the ISO to things like 1600 and not even noticing any noise. I have been able to get usable images easily up to ISO 12800.
One observation I would make is that the Olympus occasionally does take more pleasing pics straight out of the camera with the Df feeling more muted. If I was shooting JPEG only I might have been slightly underwhelmed by the output of the Df. But as said, take them into Lightroom and its amazing the detail it can capture. The images from the Df feel very accurate, whereas sometimes with m43 the images can feel a little digital/processed. So it probably simply comes down to personal preference.
The Df does weddings
Now let me pre-empt this section by saying I have only ever attended weddings as a guest. Wouldn’t have the bravery to take on such a responsibility. But I have taken my Df along to a couple of weddings purely to capture some moments that an official photographer might not be interested in. I have been to a couple now, one in Ireland, the other in South Africa and both times the Df performed admirably.
I use a little compact flash with it and that’s good for a bit of fill when its really dark. Otherwise you can fire away at whatever ISO you fancy and not worry about it too much. Only issue is its a slightly terrifying object to have with you when you are drinking! But thus far I have not lost it, so that’s a plus (hopefully haven’t jinxed myself with that one).
Social photography
I often like to bring my camera to various social gatherings. I have found the Df to be a fun camera for this type of thing. People can be intimidated by the usual big DSLR’s but the Df doesn’t seem to elicit that same response. People seem fairly comfortable with it and are often intrigued by the looks of it as it is a fair bit different to the norm.
I would still probably say something smaller like m43 is probably better overall in this situation as its still a pretty big camera if we are honest. But the joy you get out of the images you get from it make it worth using given any opportunity (not sure what my friends honestly think about that one).
I have also recently acquired the Nikon 85mm 1.8G and it is a wonderful companion to the Df. Only managed to give it a whirl at a friends son’s 1st birthday party and the image quality you get out of it is wonderful. I was fortunate to pick one up from Parks in London as it seemed to be reasonably hard to come by at the time I wanted it. Funny how when you are told there are none in stock you suddenly find yourself wanting it more! Below are a few samples.
How does the Auto Focus (AF) perform with fast moving subjects?
Over the course of the year I have rented a couple of the super tele’s from Sigma & Tamron. Both performed admirably and I dont really have a preference for either and both were used in very different environments – one in a 90 degree Chicago summer with perfect blue skies and the other on a grey day at Duxford in England so difficult to make specific comparisons. I plan to cover each of those in a separate post but wanted to share my thoughts on the Df for this purpose.
I have long had a love for aviation photography ever since I was a kid and my dad took me to airshows back at Prestwick & Leuchars in Scotland. My interests grew in my late twenties and was in large part responsible for my renewed passion for photography. At the time I was living in Cambridge (England) which put me wonderfully close to Duxford. Over that time I moved up through a Panasonic TZ-5 – Panasonic GF1 – Olympus OM-D EM5 and finally to the Nikon Df. I got some lovely photos with the Oly and with practice I could get reasonably consistent results but few would disagree that its C-AF has nothing on something like the Nikon.
So by comparison my first outing with the Df highlighted just how easy it was to pan and shoot with a camera like a Df vs something like the EM5. Almost too easy by comparison!!
The weight of the Df coupled with either the Sigma or Tamron is obviously far more bulky (weig but as it’s a specific day out and there are plenty of other people with similar lenses its entirely manageable for the day. The 5.5 fps worked perfectly well and the focusing is more than adequate – I know some question the quality of the AF unit in the Df but it is more than capable of tracking aircraft in a situation like this. I would estimate I ended up with somewhere in the region 90%+ of my shots in focus (now I will caveat this with it was a gloriously bright day which makes things easier). By comparison with the Oly it was more like 20% of those being suitably in focus. By comparison it almost made it too easy! But it’s a lot of fun and I love the look of the images captured. It also allows an amazing amount of detail to be pulled from the shadows and highlights in Lightroom afterwards which is massively helpful on a day that was so bright, there are sometimes exposure issues.
I am still a huge fan of the EM5 and m43 but like any camera, it has its pros and cons and Phase Detect AF still has the edge over AF of Olympus and Panasonic for this specific purpose… for now…
Useful tip to get the Auto-focus to work in low light
I know one of the negatives leveled at the Df at launch was its poor performing auto-focus in low light. I would be inclined to agree with this criticism and over the last few months found a number of situations where it has failed to lock on at all and I have fallen back to manual focus to get a few shots that work.
However in the last few weeks I have discovered a way to make it work far better in almost darkness. And that trick is setting the AF to 9 point AF-C. I mostly have my camera’s set to centre point AF but amazingly if you change it to 9 point it almost always locks on and most of the time is pretty close to being spot on! I cant say how delighted I was to work this out as it had been bothering me for some time, so hopefully it might help you if you have been suffering similar issues.
Conclusion & Recommendation
Now looking at this a few years down the line I can honestly say I do not have any regrets about taking the plunge with the Df. For my specific purposes, I really can’t fault it. At the time of purchasing it there really was nothing similar and even now it still fits a specific niche. Yes, Nikon have brought out the likes of the d750 whose spec sheet is far more comprehensive than the Df – but the look of it just doesn’t do it for me. All i can say is if I had the same decision to make now as I did a couple of years ago, I would still go with the Df. Which to me, says a lot when you think about how fast technology advances and the last gen becomes obsolete. Even areas where reviews were fairly harsh on it, like the AF module. I didn’t find any issue with it shooting jets and prop aircraft moving at 400mph+. So if you like the look of it and want some of the best image quality around, I would say go for it.
Pros
Lightweight (for FX) – particularly when coupled with Nikon 1.8G primes
Beautiful image quality
Great high ISO performance
Looks great and has a bit of “magic” to it (this one is particularly subjective)
Manual controls have a pleasant nostalgic feel
Cons
Price – particularly if you compare to something like the D750 specs
Build – the paint has worn thin quicker than i would have liked and the leather grip has lost its shape
Dirty sensor
No video capability
No AF assist lamp
The Df is best in my opinion, when coupled with Nikon’s smaller primes like the 35mm, 50mm and the 85mm 1.8’s. The 85mm in particular is absolutely incredible value considering the level of sharpness for the money.
In any case, I hope you have enjoyed seeing a few pics out of the Df and any comments or queries, please ask and share as you like!