Nikon Df Retro camera review
First Impressions
Okay Photography friends here we have one funky Retro looking camera unit that from my opionion is quite capable as being used as a Professional Camera.I recall when I began as a professional all the camera’s had gone plastic. Don’t you remember those days of all those awesome looking metal body camera units advertised in National Geographic. These camera’s like chunky sophisticated diving watches really looked the part. Well Nikon have addressed this love of yesterday and come out with a really impressionable camera unit.
Some Facts
This is a 16MP full-frame DSLR with a sensor from the D4. It comes with a 39-point AF system from the D610. Based on the film cameras from the 1970s it is bound to stir up some enthusiast emotion. ISO rates from 100-25,600 (expandable to ISO 50-204,800 equiv). 5.5 fps and a 3.2″ LCD screen. It takes a single SD card. Comes in black or metal finish. Retails in Australia for a bit over $3000.
Likes
Hold this baby in your hands and it just feels darn good. It’s light and yet robust. The dials on the top feel well built and the camera looks very nice. Press the shutter and even the release has a nice almost film like sound to it. What I like best is how light it is. When I first started out I’d always have 2 cameras dangling around my neck with mono pod attached but now Id give anything for a light unit. And this little baby is just that. Being 16MP your RAW files unlike the Nikon the D800 are quite manageable in size.
Dislikes
Personally there is not a lot to dislike. The dials on the top are a little hard to read if you don’t have your reading glasses around ( thats if you use them). It does take a while getting used to using the dials switching back and forth from a Nikon D800. But patience and practice fixes that. At the time of this blog shooting in RAW mode you will not be able read your files in LR4 or Photoshop CS5. Dam frustrating. I got around this by installing the supplied camera software and converting to jpeg. Doesn’t support Movie capture ( but that does not fuss me).
Verdict
For the pro photographer if your wanting a light weight durable great looking camera unit this baby fits the spot. It feels good to hold can take all your Nikon lenses and is a pleasure to own. For the camera enthusiast that wants a retro looking camera unit built like those cameras from the 1970s this camera will have you drooling. So overall I’d definitely recommend adding this body to your collection.