[K-9]

It disappeared from the Best Buy website recently, and I know someone who works for a local camera shop and they also said it's been discontinued. We'll see if the rumors of a Df2 become reality or not.

[Na Horuk]

Well, the Df had a pretty good sensor, which hasn't really been improved in the "following" generation. And the Df's feature-set was a bit.. odd, due to its "omg retro" style. Don't really see how Nikon could update the model anytime soon.
I'm only interested to see how it sold, to see if Pentax can maybe make their own retro DSLR or if it would be financially a bad decision

[pathdoc]

, to see if Pentax can maybe make their own retro DSLR

IIRC the thing Nikon went to a lot of trouble to do was to ensure that the Df would work "properly" with all the ancient lenses. And there is only one way to do that for a Pentax DSLR, at least insofar as K-mount glass is concerned.

Now if you wanted to make a camera that would seamlessly handle both K and M42 with full aperture reading of both K and SMC Takumar lenses and auto stopdown on the M42s, yeah, that would be too much of an ask. I suspect you would be looking at the loss of shake reduction to fit all the aperture-reading gear back in, and almost certainly the SDM/powerzoom/DC contacts as well. Whether you could keep even the screwdrive motor would be touch-and-go; I suspect the M42 flapper plate would get in the way there.

OTOH if you wanted to limit yourself to merely handling all the K-mount lenses seamlessly, then you can keep the screwdrive (and if you build an M42-only DSLR you don't need it). I can't recall off the top of my head whether any of the film bodies had both the aperture arm and the power zoom contacts, but if you can do it with film, you ought to be able to do it with digital (although again, can you also keep the shake reduction mechanism?).

[Na Horuk]

Oh, I would never hope for direct m42 support, or even Powerzoom. Only thing I would be happy if they just make a mount that works with KAF4 and has aperture compatibility with Pentax K (the one before KA)

[tuco]

... Don't really see how Nikon could update the model anytime soon.

As a Df owner I could give them a list of improvements even if the sensor is not much different.

[Na Horuk]

As a Df owner I could give them a list of improvements even if the sensor is not much different.

How do you like it? I've read really different opinions on the Df, some love it, some hate it. Its almost like the Pentax K-01 in that regard (though, obviously different in many ways)

[tuco]

How do you like it? I've read really different opinions on the Df, some love it, some hate it. Its almost like the Pentax K-01 in that regard (though, obviously different in many ways)

We all have different points of view. But I shoot different cameras and even old-school cameras. And the Df is a digital camera throughout. It doesn't feel like a film camera and doesn't shoot like one either with old-school dials or not.

I shoot primarily auto ISO with that camera changing the max ISO and minimum shutter speed as my mostly only menu contact. And Nikon has a user defined menu you can make to put all your most accessed features in it. I assign a function button to that menu and it is quick and easy. And it has front and rear command dials much like my D810 and really they shoot the same.

But overall I like it. And it's a go-to camera getting the job done. It weighs less than a K3 and pretty easy to carry around. I shoot mostly primes on it and occasionally mount my 70-200/2.8 VRII sports lens on it where its focus gets much faster and does pretty good at modest action.

[UncleVanya]

OTOH if you wanted to limit yourself to merely handling all the K-mount lenses seamlessly, then you can keep the screwdrive (and if you build an M42-only DSLR you don't need it). I can't recall off the top of my head whether any of the film bodies had both the aperture arm and the power zoom contacts, but if you can do it with film, you ought to be able to do it with digital (although again, can you also keep the shake reduction mechanism?).

PZ-1 works with PowerZoom and has aperture sensing as I recall. I don't have a battery in mine at the moment to test.

[stevebrot]

Now if you wanted to make a camera that would seamlessly handle both K and M42 with full aperture reading of both K and SMC Takumar lenses and auto stopdown on the M42s, yeah, that would be too much of an ask.

Yes, full support for M42 would be difficult and not worth the effort. There is a reason why stop-down metering with manual aperture was the only option on the original K-mount.

I suspect you would be looking at the loss of shake reduction to fit all the aperture-reading gear back in, and almost certainly the SDM/powerzoom/DC contacts as well. Whether you could keep even the screwdrive motor would be touch-and-go

With M42 compatibility out of the equation, Decrippling the mount would not affect any of those other features. They were all present on KAF2 film SLR models up through the MZ-S. FWIW, the decrippled mount does not read the aperture. All it does is drive a variable resistor to attenuate the meter voltage in relation to the position of the aperture ring.


Steve

[stevebrot]

And the Df is a digital camera throughout. It doesn't feel like a film camera and doesn't shoot like one either with old-school dials or not.

Yep, the main element that is "old school" is broad backward F-mount compatibility.


Steve

[Winder]

Nikon could have done a much better job with the implementation. With the D5 getting a new sensor my guess is that the sensor used in the Df has also been discontinued. Hopefully Nikon introduces a new DF body with the same D5 sensor. D750 AF and better build quality.

[pathdoc]

FWIW, the decrippled mount does not read the aperture. All it does is drive a variable resistor to attenuate the meter voltage in relation to the position of the aperture ring.

Yes, I know. Technically it knows how many stops you will be from wide open when the aperture actuates, which is the important thing. Of course with no firm knowledge of what 'wide open' is, it indeed does not know the actual aperture. Of course if you could set this in camera as you do the focal length, that would change everything.

[K-9]

I'd like to get a Df, for the right price. I don't think they will ever upgrade it, but I'd be interested if they did. I like the low light sensor, lower megapixels (than the other FF Nikon behemoths), and lightweight body.

[tuco]

I'd like to get a Df, for the right price. I don't think they will ever upgrade it, but I'd be interested if they did. I like the low light sensor, lower megapixels (than the other FF Nikon behemoths), and lightweight body.

I bottom feed and picked up a bargain condition M9 not long ago. It was still kind of expensive for an older camera but within reach. I bet you'll be able to do the same with a Df if you keep looking. The cheaper you get it, the better it is kind of thing.

One improvement they need to do is its low light focus ability. Which is odd and an engineering misstep, IMHO. I mean, for its time, they put in a good low light sensor but failed to give it the systems to support it.

Some people marvel over these high ISO numbers that current cameras are doing. But each time I see their DR vs ISO chart, they all still can't capture a lot of light at these high ISO values and hence produce good tonal scale. For me, if the DR drops below 7 or so stops, I'm not interested in taking the picture most of the time. And that means about ISO 6400 even for today's cameras.