Nikon Df SLR with Special Edition 50mm Lens (Black) Accessory Bundle

I would give this camera a perfect 5 stars except its not holding up well. The shots are fantastic and I have no problem with the quality of the images as they are excellent. I also have a Nikon D4 and the shots are very similar in contrast, latitude, etc...my problem is in surface of the camera. The material that is glued to the front is coming off (and I even use a retro leather case to protect most of the camera all the time). The fabric over the round front aperture dial also came off. The battery door in the bottom of the camera wants to fall off when you open the door. I have tape holding it as you are at a shoot, open the door and it falls off....not a good thing. It took me a while to get used to the placement of the dials but eventually you can get to everything quickly with practice. As I said before the quality of the shots you will get (especially using 24-70 nikkor 2.8 or 70-200 VR) will amaze you. Note other Nikon cameras Ive owned: D300, D700, D4 have also had the fabric start to fall off and I sent those back for Nikon to repair as Ill be doing with the Df. Seems their glue gives up in less than a year of use. With the Df I got it as soon as it was released (November of 2013) and it was already coming off after 3 months.

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For me, this is a camera of compromises. They tried to harken the feeling of a Nikon F3, with the conceive and performance of a digital body. Unfortunately I think they fell a bit short on both. The best thing about the old F cameras is the all metal build and feel. This camera is much more plastics in comparison. It still feels well made, just doesn’t inspire me the same way an F3 does. The control layout is NOT good for working quickly in the field when compared to a DSLR. I can overlook this with an old school film camera because they’re just so well built and fun to use. The DF just feels inconvenient. Make no mistake, the images out of the camera are very nice. I’d rather just use a DSLR or modern mirrorless body

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Okay, first to bust a myth propagated by Amazon and Nikon alike. This is not a "nostalgia" camera. Film cameras were never like this. It is a camera for purist photographers who like to shoot manually, dont want 4 lbs. of camera body, and want a very good sensor, as opposed to amateurs who rely on A mode, and photographers who want all-in-one packages that can shoot video, auto-stitched panoramas, etc. The mechanical dials are not just for aethetics. They make it easy to see your settings and adjust quickly without slogging through a menu system. Well, most of your settings (see below). Overall, a nice, light camera with pretty good light sensitivity, but a number of drawbacks. Chief among them are the following 4, in my opinion: (1) very slow and imprecise Nikon autofocus (if you rely heavily on autofocus, youll be much happier with the Sony A99, which has vastly superior autofocus). (2) the inability to switch easily between auto ISO and manual. You have to go through the menu system to do this, which is flatly idiotic. There is simply no reason for it. (3) No playback through the viewfinder (again, compares unfavorably to the Sony A99). If youre in bright and sunny weather, good luck checking your shots, which is especially frustrating because the autofocus is so unimpressive. (4) short battery life. This is partly a function of how light the camera is -- it doesnt require you to tote around enough battery for 2 days of uninterrupted shooting, like the Nikon 4S. But I do not view this as a serious drawback, because, hey, carry a few spares. Big deal. Overall, a solid camera with some unfortunate and seemingly avoidable weaknesses.

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I really like this camera, but it is definitely for a bit of a niche audience and there are definitely some things that Nikon really could have done better. First what Nikon did right: The sensor is simply incredible. Ranging from ISO 100-12800, 12800 is actually completely usable with almost no noise. Dimly lit subway tunnels? No problem. If you need to shoot indoors or dimly lit environments without a flash this will handle it. The styling is great. I find the ergonomic similar to the F3 (though chunkier) and compared to the other Nikon pro and semi-pro bodies it is incredibly light. The fact that you can use an old school shutter release is a nice touch (though it would be nice if you could also use a modern remote). The viewfinder is great and while it does not have the old school split prism focusing screen, manual focusing is a breeze. The dial controls have been a bit of controversial topic. Personally I find them reasonably easy to use, and they can easily be bypassed for those who cannot be bothered. The ability to use Non-AI lens is huge if you like manual focus primes, especially if you like to shoot film too. Non-AI lens are dirt cheap and great lenses. Unfortunately there are a few things that Nikon really could have handled better. First for a camera in this price range, there is no excuse for not building these with the 1/8000, 200,000 release rated shutter. The 1/4000 shutter works fine and will probably not be hugely limiting factor, but since Nikon is charging about the same for a Df Kit, as a D810 body, this seems like a strange place to cheap out on. The front command dial is not as difficult to use as some have claimed, but it is not as easy to use as the standard command dial design Nikon uses for everything else, and I dont think it really would have harmed the retro design any more than the current stylized front dial (the rear dial is the Nikon standard. The complaints about the Single SD card/Battery Compartment combination is not well thought out, and totally unnecessary. Personally I think this is a case of Nikon slavishly following Fuji with their X100 set up. Having to pull the SD card from the battery compartment causes unnecessary wear on a plastic part. Even if they couldnt acommodate a two card slot, they could have at least placed it in a dedicated slot on the side. As good as the sensor is in low light, the auto focus system is terrible in low light. I am constantly switching to manual focus in low light because the autofocus wont stop hunting. I have a D5300 with the same system that has a much easier time. But the D5300 has an assist lamp, where one was not included on the DF. The kit lens is pretty and works OK, but it is definitely not worth the premium you pay for a DF kit. Honestly the old plastic AF 50mm 1.8 looks more retro, is lighter, takes great pictures and can be had for about a $100.00 new. Unless you get a deal, just get the body. I guess the big question is it worth paying the same price for this as opposed to a D800 (or D810 now). Honestly other than the ability to use non-AI lenses and extreme low light capabilities, the D800 is a lot more capable camera. This is a great camera, but I would not have paid full price for one (I got an open box kit at a pretty steep discount). On the other hand I love using this camera, and I seriously doubt I will be selling it later down the line. So it definitely has a subjective "it" factor that cannot be denied.

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I finally took the plunge and bought one of these, so I figure I might as well give my 2 cents. Also I read a gazillion reviews before buying it and there are a few things I dont recall seeing mentioned that I thought others might want to know about. I opened it last night and used it for a while walking around near dusk with the 24-70 2.8. Here are my first impressions: (1) It feels solid and the small size is nice when in "walkaround mode" like I was doing yesterday. When I picked up my big one this morning it felt awkward in comparison. (2) The images are great and the high ISO performance seems to be everything they say it is. I dont think it will let me upload a sample photo but here is a link for one I took last night when it was getting dark, ISO 5000. Tough to argue with that noise level. [...] (3) A number of people expressed concern or dislike about "balance" with a modern zoom lens. I was trying to understand what they were talking about but honestly I really dont get it. To me it felt fine with this lens attached. Maybe they meant if you wanted to hold it in one hand, which I never do anyway unless I have to reach for a very unusual angle I cant get to otherwise. Seems to me best to use two hands at all times for maximum stability. (4) One annoyance - which I have yet to determine how much of an annoyance it is - is that the clips where you would attach the neck strap are angled toward the front like you would see on an old SLR. I like to use a handstrap for those occasions when I do have to go one-handed and because of the angle of the clip the handstrap doesnt really stay on very well. I think I might be able to tinker with it so that it works better. Although I never used a handstrap with my old SLR it was never an issue. (5) As a lot of people have mentioned, there is only in SD card slot. Although I personally have never experienced a card failure Ive heard enough horror stories to be wary about relying on just the one card for a paid shoot. I thought about this and decided on the balance I could live with it, since I will be using the camera either for personal/walkaround/street purposes - or as a second body for event purposes. In the latter case I would have the big one with the 70 - 200 2.8 as my main camera and the Df in a holster with the wide angle. So worst case scenario its not like I would lose everything. (5) There is no 1/750 shutter speed, which is a setting I use a lot. For most action I use 1/1000 but if I have to cheat I go down to 1/750. With the Df I would have to go down to 1/500 - but my thinking is that with the great high ISO performance its kind of a wash. (6) The styling is relevant and irrelevant at the same time. Personally I like the new/retro fusion idea in cars and I think its fine but not a big deal one way or the other in a camera. Ive heard about people getting dirty looks from "serious photographers" when carrying this but I really dont worry about that sort of thing. There might be a bit of an advantage with respect to the general public in that people sometimes have strange reactions when you point a big camera with a grip and big lens and lens hood at them. This one might be more subtle and less likely to produce the annoying response that I must have a really expensive camera, implying that is why my pictures are better than the average persons. (7) The autofocus might have had a bit of trouble last night at dusk. Will need to experiment more. (8) For me at least changing shutter speed with the dial on top is much faster and more intuitive than the other way. (9) I guess everyone uses the camera differently and for different purposes but for me being free of the built-in flash and video are like having a weight lifted from my shoulders. I never use either of those features and its great not to have to see them or deal with extra weight or settings. (10) On the balance I really like the camera. Its a solid machine that feels great in your hands, similar to the way the old ones did. I think it will be great as both a walkaround/street camera for personal day-to-day use and as a "sidearm" for professional event use.

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