I found a relic at the top of my closet recently and I had to take it down and play with it a bit.
It was my old 35mm all-manual film camera. It doesn’t have a motorized film rewind or built-in light meter. Nope, this thing was 100 percent manual. While I learned photography on this camera, it still took me a few frames to remember how to use the darn thing again.
It’s a good thing I pulled it out, though. Otherwise, trying out one of Nikon’s newer cameras would have been even more of a challenge.
The Nikon Df combines the latest camera technology with a familiar retro feel - at least, for those of us who remembers these 1970s-style cameras.
The Df borrows its looks from the Nikon cameras of the past, particularly the 1978-1983 Nikon FM and FE lines, two of Nikon’s more popular film cameras at the time. It even has retro-style dials on top for ISO, exposure compensation, shooting mode and aperture. A smaller dial on top switches between manual, program, aperture priority and shutter priority shooting modes.
I must admit, it was a bit intimidating at first. My old manual camera wasn’t as fancy as the new Nikon, not even the old Nikons after which this one was modeled. The Df definitely has more bells and whistles and it took a few frames to figure out how all those dials worked.
Luckily, the Df doesn’t leave digital single-lens reflex users completely out in the cold. While the top harkens back to the 1970s, the back is made with the latest digital camera technology, from the large LED screen for Live View or menu navigation to buttons that will adjust white balance, photo quality and flash.
The top dials can be figured out by what’s written on them. Those familiar with the numbers of ISO and shutter speed will quickly recognize those dials. The only awkward dial was for the F-stop. It’s a small, round dial on the front of the camera with no markings at all. It definitely took some trial and error to figure that one out. (Of course, the best thing to do is read the manual first, but my philosophy - given my expertise - is that if I can’t figure it out eventually, it’s too complicated.)
The Df is a hefty camera, particularly the chrome model I tested (it also comes in all black). But the full-frame camera is built to handle all kinds of conditions. It’s weather sealed, making it a lot harder to get dust or moisture inside the camera. As someone who has had to clean her sensor more than once (often at a high cost), a dust-free camera is a very good thing.
The Df has all the features of other Nikon full-frame cameras, including the ability to do multiple exposures, in-camera special effects and editing, as well as tools to fine-tune photo shoots. The menus are familiar to anyone who has shot with a Nikon DSLR, and fairly easy to navigate for those who haven’t.
I used the Df for several shoots. Sample photos are on the “Tech Spotlight” Facebook page, though thanks to Facebook’s clumsy compression, they may not look as sharp as what came from the camera.
The sharpness is very impressive from the Df, both on long shots and close-ups. Macro shots produced a nice depth of field, with a suitable amount of sharpness and background blur. The color on all the photos was excellent, though the sunny white-balance preset did tend toward the blue. However, I’ve notice that with most of Nikon’s cameras. It’s easy enough to fix in post-processing, or you can manually adjust the white balance in the Df. The camera does an excellent job with manual white balance settings.
The Df excels in low light, thanks to the D4 sensor inside. The camera offers 16.4 megapixels. You may think that isn’t many compared to some of the newer cameras, but with a bigger and more precise sensor, you’re not getting slighted. With a full-frame camera, 16.4 megapixels can provide outstanding color and sharpness at even massive sizes.
The Df’s low-light capabilities really are outstanding. I used the camera for a few early sunrise shoots and got great detail, even with barely any light by my eye. (A sample photo is available.)
The camera I tested came in the kit with the Nikkor 50mm F/1.8G lens. This is an outstanding prime lens, especially for low light, and it complemented the Df perfectly. It provides a wide enough angle to shoot landscapes well, though you can’t zoom with such a lens. The good news is, the lenses from another Nikon camera worked on it just fine. Nikon is nice enough to include an F-mount on all of its modern DSLR cameras. DX lenses will crop the image, but they will work on the Df.
The Nikon Df is pricey because it’s full frame and because it’s aimed more at professionals. If you’re looking to turn a hobby into a money maker, this would be the camera to do it. At $2,750 retail, it’s actually a great deal, considering the Nikon D4 that uses the same sensor as the Df uses costs about $6,000 retail.
There isn’t much bad to say about the Df. Its retro look may make it intimidating at first, but it shouldn’t take too long to master, and it produces outstanding images with minimal adjustments. It’s worth it to spring the extra $250 and get the camera with the 50mm lens. You would pay more for the lens separately.
Who knows, playing with this retro-style camera might even inspire you to go totally retro and pull out the old relics. My film camera hasn’t made it back onto the shelf yet. I still have a couple of rolls of film to shoot.
Melissa L. Jones can be reached via email at [email protected].
Where it’s @
The Nikon Df fullframe camera retails for $2,750 body only or $2,999 with a 50mm F/1.8G lens. More information is available at imaging.nikon.com.
Business, Pages 19 on 03/31/2014