Blogger Local Photographers is starting to get incredibly excited about the coming year and all of the new advancements in equipment, software and techniques that will be developed and available to purchase or try out for yourself. Kansas City get excited, because the folks at Nikon were kind enough to have an early release of what should be one of their most talked about cameras of 2014. The most striking and obvious thing you’ll notice upon first glance is that the body and controls are styled almost exactly like its predecessors from the SLR analogue days of decades past. Despite it’s analogue aesthetic, the Nikon DF is a high end DSLR camera with an FX series, full-frame sensor that accepts most any Nikon full-frame lenses. The FX sensor is the same 16MP full-frame sensor found in Nikon’s iconic D4 camera.
The DF appears to be a great middle ground for photographers who may have gained their experience with analogue SLR cameras but want the control and detail of a high end DSLR camera. Nikon built the DF (Digital Fusion) with the tactile, hands on user in mind. The camera should be a great fit Kansas City portrait photographers who are used to traditional SLR cameras and rely on adjusting control settings instead of correcting in Photoshop. The precision metal dials allow for photographers to adjust their settings without having to take their eyes off of their subject to check the view finder. The new Nikon camera will also be likely to become a favorite of Kansas City event photographers since the camera weighs in at just 710 grams, making it the lightest FX sensor camera from Nikon. Kansas City event photographers will also appreciate the DF’s low light capabilities. The full-frame sensor is ideal for low light situations and has the capability of attaining an incredibly high ISO of 12,800.
“The Df employs a high-speed and high-precision sequential control mechanism that drives the shutter, mirror and aperture independently.” -Nikon
The camera despite its’ light weight is designed with the durability of an analogue camera. The body draws on magnesium alloy for strength and is sealed in key areas to protect against damage from dust or weather related elements. The specifications for the weather protection are actually the same as the Nikon D800 series. According to Nikon, “The Df employs a high-speed and high-precision sequential control mechanism that drives the shutter, mirror and aperture independently.”. The shutter inside of the DF is rated at 150,000 cycles for its’ lifetime, which should provide years of capturing the moments you depend on. Kansas City newborn photographers are sure to benefit from the newly designed quiet shutter-release mode. The mode is designed to reduce the amount of noise created when shooting single shot photos. The mode works by keeping the cameras internal mirror from clicking back into place as long as the shutter-release button is depressed. For example you could snap a wonderful picture of a sleeping newborn and hold your finger down on the shutter-release button, until you stepped back a couple of feet and let it go. This way the sometimes noticeable clicking of the mirror going back into position does not have to interfere with the subject or the moment.
One of the only criticisms that the cameras has received is that it isn’t capable of shooting video. For dedicated photographers this isn’t really a drawback since the design of the camera is wholly geared towards photography specifically. Overall the camera looks like it will be a prized possession of experienced photographers and those who wish to have tactile control over the camera.
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