Tuesday, November 05, 2013

What the Nikon DF should have been

I have been reading with interest the hype and the websites about the new Nikon DSLR DF. And then I thought that maybe I should get my two cents into the fray as well.
My reaction to it after all the build up is rather underwhelming. Nikon had this great chance to score a slam dunk but all they have done is a rework up of the Nikon D4 sensor in a faux-'retro' body.
The advantages of retro, in my opinion have been glossed over favoring form rather than function.
My ideal Nikon DF would have been a DSLR with
  1. No in-built AF motor. Low cost, Non-AI lens support, support for people with AF-S lenses and manual lenses. Screw drive lenses used in program manual mode.
  2. A D4 Sensor: Good for older lenses
  3. A F3 viewfinder: My biggest problem with the DF. The viewfinder is the same as the D800 and D600 (0.76X mag). The eye point is a paltry 15 mm. There is absolutely nothing that makes it easier to use manual focus nikkor lenses on this DSLR. How can a retro DSLR be retro if it wont make using Manual Lenses any easier. If only Nikon had handled this, I would have brought this camera.
  4. Only one SD card slot. Having used the D600, two SD card slots should be standard.
  5. Price is too high and the product is not, in my opinion premium enough.
I will just put this down as a missed opportunity. My wait for a DSLR that I can use with legacy manual focus Nikkor lenses continues. 

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