The Nikon Df has been unveiled today, it's a retro-styled DSLR covered in manual controls and built around a full-frame sensor. It's a significant departure from Nikon's existing digital SLR line-up. Gone are the curvy lines in favour of a more angular design that recalls film cameras such as the Nikon F series. Even the Nikon logo is a throwback to the past, with a squarer typeface that the company last used in the 1980s.
The Df gazes winsomely out of the window at its launch event
This retro appearance is reinforced by no less than eight dials dotted about the body, covering exposure mode, shutter speed, ISO speed, exposure compensation, drive mode and metering mode, plus dual command dials. It's further reinforced by support for a huge number of lenses, going back to the first F-mount lenses from 1959. This includes old manual focus models (known as non-AI lenses) that can damage other digital SLRs.
It's dials akimbo on top, with exposure compensation and ISO speed on the left, shutter speed and drive mode to the right of the viewfinder and a simple PASM mode dial on the far right
There's a new 50mm f/1.8 lens to accompany the camera. It's optically identical to the existing Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G, but it follows retro design cues to complement the Df. However, it's disappointing that this lens doesn't have an aperture ring to match the camera's plethora of dials.
The kit lens is a reworked version of the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G
At 710g body only, this is the lightest Nikon full-frame digital SLR to date, trimming 50g off the weight of the Nikon D610. This weight is without the battery, though. It's unlikely to be lighter than the Canon EOS 6D, which weighs in at 755g with its battery and memory card. Even so, it's quite an achievement considering the Df's metal construction and vast array of physical controls.
It looks more like a modern digital SLR from the back, with a similar layout to the D800
We expected battery life to suffer as a result of the trimmed down design, but in fact, the 1,400 shots per charge is well above average. There is one casualty, though, with a single SDXC slot beside the battery. Its position means it may not be accessible when the camera is mounted on a tripod (depending on the size of the tripod head).
The combined battery and card compartment won't please everyone
Inside, the Df brings together components from various other Nikon full-frames SLRs. The 16-megapixel sensor and Expeed 3 processor are both taken from the flagship D4. It might not have the detail-harvesting prowess of the 36-megapixel D800 but it seems safe to expect some incredibly low noise levels and a wide dynamic range from this camera. The ISO speed range is 100 to 12,800, expandable to 50 to 204,800.
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