New going to old?

MisstaQ

Hello fellow Dgrinners!

I have not been here for about three or four years I think. So, it is very good getting back into it. I am currently using a D200, but I'm looking to upgrade to the new Nikon Df. It has not been out long I think, and I was wondering if any of you guys have played with it at all. If so, how was it? I am a huge enthusiast when it comes to making new things look old school. :clap

I have a poll here too I would love you guys and gals to take part it. It's a Nikon D600 vs the Df. With the poll, please also post why you voted for that one. Thank you and have a great day!

cmason

I voted D600. The Df has not got good reviews, as it seems that it is more a study in retro than function.

insanefred

The biggest benefit of having the DF camera is so you can use just about any nikon lens. The biggest negative is it doesn't allow you to change out focusing screens.
If it was able to use a different type of focusing screen to use with a non-ai manual focus lenses I would be all over the DF.
But it doesn't...
It is essentially a D600 with a D4 sensor and a retro styling that is $900 more. It isn't a bad camera, just a little overpriced for what it is.

perroneford

D600 all day. I grew up shooting the cameras the DF is styled after. I hated them. Ergonomics SUCKED. Trying to hold the camera to shoot an entire game of football or basektball was torture. In the cold, your hands froze. In the heat the cameras were so dang hot. There was no grip to use for leverage with long lenses. Even now, when I hold them, I am amazed I got some of the shots I used to.

Nothing about the DF appeals to me in any way. If I want the D4 sensor, I'll buy a D4. Honestly, I prefer the sensor of the D600... which is why I bought it instead.

NikonsandVstroms

perroneford wrote: »

D600 all day. I grew up shooting the cameras the DF is styled after. I hated them. Ergonomics SUCKED. Trying to hold the camera to shoot an entire game of football or basektball was torture. In the cold, your hands froze. In the heat the cameras were so dang hot. There was no grip to use for leverage with long lenses. Even now, when I hold them, I am amazed I got some of the shots I used to.

Nothing about the DF appeals to me in any way. If I want the D4 sensor, I'll buy a D4. Honestly, I prefer the sensor of the D600... which is why I bought it instead.

And this post sums up the Df.....not his opinion being gold but that the Df has a very limited range of performance that sets it apart and for many people they don't mean much. If you want to use the older lenses, or need the best low light performance the Df is a great choice over the D600/610. And at half the price of the D4 if you can get away with it's AF system/ergonomics it is a great buy.

The big question is what do you plan to shoot? The Df has the same AF as the D600 so that's a wash, and the simple way to put it is if you don't need the 2 pro-Df features I mentioned I'd go with the 600. Now if say you're doing a lot of AF intensive work that will have your subject moving around the frame a D800 (since you're looking at the DF budget wise you're already in that ballpark) could be nice with it's 51 point AF that has a lot more coverage than the D600/Df which is just too small and was one of the reasons I didn't buy that camera. Though personally I went in the other direction with the D7100 and have been very happy.

Oh and 1 additional thing, ergonomically if you're like me the D800 will feel much more at home after shooting the D200 for so long. The D7100/600 are similar in their physical controls and I'm finally getting used to them but my D700 and Fuji S5 (Nikon D200 with a different sensor) are still a lot more intuitive especially with the dedicated buttons.

jmphotocraft

I like retro and manual controls too, but the only way the Df is worth $1000 more than a D610 is if you have a closet full of old Nikon primes. Otherwise forget it, the D610 is technologically superior and a much better value.