After 6 years with Df... I would like to change

[gatto]

Hi all,

I'm a "family photographer", so photography it's my (only) hobby and I use to carry the camera with me when I go out.

In 2015 I bought my first FF and interchangeable lens camera: the Nikon Df. I am happy with it: I like the RAW and its portability,,, but I'm now thinking to change it... why? Just because I would like to try something new, may I say it?

Therefore, I'm writing here to share my thoughts and hopefully receive your feedback, this community is very valuable to me.

Plan A: go for the D780 and enjoy the hybrid system, plus video. Just in case after years, I could go for a used D4s...

Plan B: go for the Z6II, and slowly replace my F lenses with the Z... then following for the future the ML mainstream

Plan C: exit the FF world, I was always tempted by Fuji but recently I am also looking at Olympus E-M1 MkIII to go for portability as first priority

All the above plans assume to sell the Df, I want to avoid to have more than 1 body.

Any feedback from your side?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

 

[Fortesmentum]

It all depends on whether you want to give up the classic slr dials for menus. The reason I use the df is that it's the closest thing I can get to a film Nikon F. I have a d810 but it looks and feels ugly. The df gets used daily. What do you want from a camera?

 

[wilberforce_1]

Z6II. It is the future, and backwardly compatible with your current lenses (via the FTZ).

Fujifilm APS-C cameras aren't really much smaller.

Olympus is obsolete.

Just my opinion, of course. As a Nikon, Fujifilm and Sony owner.

 

[Fortesmentum]

Olympus obsolete? I still use my OM-1 that I bought in 1976

 

[toomanycanons]

Hi all,

I'm a "family photographer", so photography it's my (only) hobby and I use to carry the camera with me when I go out.

In 2015 I bought my first FF and interchangeable lens camera: the Nikon Df. I am happy with it: I like the RAW and its portability,,, but I'm now thinking to change it... why? Just because I would like to try something new, may I say it?

Therefore, I'm writing here to share my thoughts and hopefully receive your feedback, this community is very valuable to me.

Plan A: go for the D780 and enjoy the hybrid system, plus video. Just in case after years, I could go for a used D4s...

Plan B: go for the Z6II, and slowly replace my F lenses with the Z... then following for the future the ML mainstream

Plan C: exit the FF world, I was always tempted by Fuji but recently I am also looking at Olympus E-M1 MkIII to go for portability as first priority

All the above plans assume to sell the Df, I want to avoid to have more than 1 body.

Any feedback from your side?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

Moving away from the form factor of the Df to try something new is a good idea.

Get a D780. It's a fully modern camera. You didn't say you were desperate to go with a lighter kit (which is where the Z and other mirrorless might help) and you already have F mount lenses.

 

[TheMerchantofVenice]

With the rumor of a D850 replacement there are some outstanding deals on used cameras out there. If the rumored D880 actually does appear the used prices will drop further as the early adopters jump ship for the new body. If it's the end of the line for the D8xx series it's still a great body at an appealing price.

If you are ok with the physical size of the body and don't have any overwhelming desire to go mirrorless, it's going to be hard to identify a better general purpose camera.

You can use all your existing lenses natively, enjoy the resolution increase, and don't really give up anything other than the camera nearing the end of it's production cycle.

 

[TOF guy]

All the options you mention will likely be adequate for family pictures.

Switching systems is expensive. If you seriously consider it, you may want first to rent the camera for trying out during a w-e and confirm that you like it.

Why not a Zfc ?

 

[Daniel Bliss]

On the face of it you have about as perfect a selection of lenses for a Df as I could imagine.

But with switching......

the D780 solves the biggest problems of the Df, its slightly oddball battery, the need to "shift through" locking buttons to operate some of the dials, and the lack of video support. We get to a very standard full-size Nikon camera battery and on-sensor live view autofocus, and I think with an improvement in battery life too.

The z6II if you're OK shooting your current lenses on an adapter throws in image stabilization as well across the board though you give back some battery life as that bigger battery is now doing a lot more work. But those lenses are going to seem a bit front heavy when pushed 3cm out from the camera body. Note also that the non AF-S lenses you have (85, 180 etc.) won't work here with autofocus.

My sense is the D780 would seem obviously faster to shoot with, but that you might want an image stabilized zoom in the mix especially if you're thinking about video. With the Z6 the temptation is going to be mirrorless-specific lenses. On those counts, mirrorless's biggest advantage over DSLR seems to be with mid-range zooms; they are much smaller on mirrorless and consistently somewhat better optically while the optical margins with other types of lens seem much more nit-picky to me.

 

[CliveTJ]

I went Z. It compliments my Df brilliantly, I still use the Df and won’t sell it. I enjoy reduced bulk of the Z and the tech…it is surely the way forward though for BIF and fast sports it’s not quite there yet as in Nikon product. For most people it works just as well as DSLR or better once you get used to operating the camera a little differently. It’s a more expensive route than the D780, which was an option for me….the expense is due to my buying Z lenses. The Z6II is probably the sweet spot…even so I went Z7II and love it.

 

[Steady Rolling]

One big difference with the Z6 is that while the Df is ready to shoot whenever it's turned on, the Z6 goes into sleep mode after a short period. As a result, even if you leave it on during an event, or whatever, when you want to take a photo, you have to wait for it to turn back on. It's pretty fast, but this is annoying and inconvenient, if you're used to the camera being always ready.

 

[TOF guy]

One big difference with the Z6 is that while the Df is ready to shoot whenever it's turned on, the Z6 goes into sleep mode after a short period. As a result, even if you leave it on during an event, or whatever, when you want to take a photo, you have to wait for it to turn back on. It's pretty fast, but this is annoying and inconvenient, if you're used to the camera being always ready.

Can’t you change the time after which it goes to sleep?

 

[gatto]

Thank all of you for the answers, they are helping me a lot.

My thoughts:

- changing the system (FF -> M43 or APS-C) is a “big step” that I can postpone: it requires more investments and honestly I would not know what to choose

- let’s stay on Nikon: D780 or Z6, but in order to squeeze the F mount (hence my lenses) as much as possible, I would go for D780

Additional doubts:

- when 6 years ago I bought the Df, one of the main drivers was the sensor (the review where stating a sort of “film like” output) and I must confess I am very happy with it: am I going to lose this “magic” with the new D780 (same of Z6) 24,5Mpixel sensor?

- would you buy a used D4s instead of the D780?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

 

[JakeB]

Thank all of you for the answers, they are helping me a lot.

My thoughts:

- changing the system (FF -> M43 or APS-C) is a “big step” that I can postpone: it requires more investments and honestly I would not know what to choose

- let’s stay on Nikon: D780 or Z6, but in order to squeeze the F mount (hence my lenses) as much as possible, I would go for D780

Additional doubts:

- when 6 years ago I bought the Df, one of the main drivers was the sensor (the review where stating a sort of “film like” output) and I must confess I am very happy with it: am I going to lose this “magic” with the new D780 (same of Z6) 24,5Mpixel sensor?

- would you buy a used D4s instead of the D780?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

One thing to keep in mind if you have/plan to buy heavier/longer lenses is that the D780 doesn't take a battery grip, whereas the D750 does.

Once you use a battery grip with heavier lenses/vertical shots, you really miss it when you don't have it.

Just something to consider.

Best,

Jake

 

[toomanycanons]

Thank all of you for the answers, they are helping me a lot.

My thoughts:

- changing the system (FF -> M43 or APS-C) is a “big step” that I can postpone: it requires more investments and honestly I would not know what to choose

- let’s stay on Nikon: D780 or Z6, but in order to squeeze the F mount (hence my lenses) as much as possible, I would go for D780

Additional doubts:

- when 6 years ago I bought the Df, one of the main drivers was the sensor (the review where stating a sort of “film like” output) and I must confess I am very happy with it: am I going to lose this “magic” with the new D780 (same of Z6) 24,5Mpixel sensor?

- would you buy a used D4s instead of the D780?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

Everyone else won't notice. If you base your buying choice solely on Df owners rhapsodizing about their Df you'd come away thinking no other camera could possibly have the same magic.

Read the review here on DPR on the D780. It's got all the modern stuff that goes into the Z line in a DSLR body that uses your current lenses.

I had a Z5 for a month, just to try out a Z. I returned it as I just couldn't get used to the different ergonomics nor did I like looking through an electronic viewfinder. Others take to all of that instantly, I never did. I'm just a DSLR guy.

 

[scokill]

Thank all of you for the answers, they are helping me a lot.

My thoughts:

- changing the system (FF -> M43 or APS-C) is a “big step” that I can postpone: it requires more investments and honestly I would not know what to choose

- let’s stay on Nikon: D780 or Z6, but in order to squeeze the F mount (hence my lenses) as much as possible, I would go for D780

Additional doubts:

- when 6 years ago I bought the Df, one of the main drivers was the sensor (the review where stating a sort of “film like” output) and I must confess I am very happy with it: am I going to lose this “magic” with the new D780 (same of Z6) 24,5Mpixel sensor?

- would you buy a used D4s instead of the D780?

Thanks,

Lorenzo

I wouldn't carry around a D4s for family photos, and unless your Df is broken and the sensor is the main driver then I would just keep your Df.

 

[WildlifePhotog]

If you love the files and the way the Df/D4/D4s sensor looks, I'd go for the D4s in a heartbeat. It's an awesome camera and until recently I kept my D4s as a backup even though I have two D5's and now a D850 with grip. I am one of those who really fell in love with the files that sensor produces and the D4s is actually the best of the three. Nikon claims it's a new sensor in the D4s, but in reality they just changed the micro-lens array and AA filter in front of the sensor. So the D4s actually does produce sharper images than the Df or D4 did, and much sharper video over the D4. However the D4s is a heavy camera and it's only 16mp, so you have to decide if you're okay with those two things. If so, then I'd say get a low mileage D4s, there are some out there, the one I sold recently only had 742 shutter actuations. I got it with zero, and put one shot on it to double check it was at 0 like the seller said. I put it aside and eventually just decided I wasn't going to use it much. I tried shooting one last time at a baseball game, but decided to just sell it afterwards. Not because it's not an awesome camera or anything, in fact it's an all time favorite of mine. I've just moved on and the D5 has taken its place for me.

As far as the D780 is concerned I personally would not consider one, although I must say I do like the specs and way it looks. The issues for me on it are lack of vertical grip, slow dual SD cards and mainly the price. It's just way too close in price in the D850, at least a used low mileage D850 these days. For awhile the D850 was $2499 and the D780 was like $2200, so it just does not make sense to me economically. The Z6 II is less money and you can easily get a very low mileage like new D850 for the cost of a new D780. As long as you buy a USA model D850 with a 300xxxx serial number and less than 30K on the shutter, in mint or like new condition you will be okay. I just did that exact same thing myself, although I bought a new MB-D18 and EN-EL18c battery which set me back another $600. However I really need the 9FPS and the battery grip. Most people don't and therefore a really clean low mileage USA used D850 is about $2100 give or take. I'd personally much rather have that over the prosumer grade D780. Not that the D780 is a bad camera, in fact it appears to be an awesome camera. It's just too expensive. Anyways you can't go wrong with a D850 or D4s, you just need to decide if you can live with 16mp.

 

[Steady Rolling]

- when 6 years ago I bought the Df, one of the main drivers was the sensor (the review where stating a sort of “film like” output) and I must confess I am very happy with it: am I going to lose this “magic” with the new D780 (same of Z6) 24,5Mpixel sensor?

The Df does have a fantastic sensor. I don't believe that the number of megapixels matters very much. I went from a Df to a D850, which I had for three years, and never got the same results -- not that the D850 is bad. It just didn't have the same "magic", as you put it.

 

[Stan Disbrow]

Hi,

A year ago I took a hard look at both the Z7 and the D850. I needed higher resolution than the Df has. So, I spent a weekend with each. And wound up with a digital medium format setup instead. This for specific shooting needs where I am going to print large.

So that leaves me with all the other shooting. And the Df does just fine. I had reservations about the AF in the Df. Motorsports mainly. But it does just fine. So much for all the chatter around here. However, should I ever run into a situation where I finally find where the Df AF doesn't work out....I am adding a D4s. That over a D4 or a D5.

Stan

 

[P450]

I bought and sold a D4s twice. Pro bodies are bulky (why I sold them), but a joy to use. I went with a Df for a while to have "the sensor". What sold me on Z was OIS and on sensor focusing; my 1.4 G/E lenses focused more reliably and were now stabilized. And the images look no different from the ones I captured using the Df except I have more crop leeway.

I suggest you rent a Z6/Z7 with FTZ for a few weeks and see how you feel about having OIS + 58 and 85 1.4. Also rent a 50 or 85 1.8 S. If it's no go, get a D780 if you want a change.

 

[NCB]

If you really must try something different, reckon it boils down to D780 or Z6ii, in many respects very similar cameras. The D780 fits nicely with what you've got. The Z6ii + 24-70 f4 is a dream of a kit; I wouldn't get a Z without getting at least one Z lens which does it justice. The 24-70 f4 is that good that in practice I rarely bother with the Z 50 f1.8 which I have.

I have both the Df and the Z6. I know what you mean about the Df magic. The Z6 is different, but the Z6 + 24-70 has something all of it's own. A different sort of magic.

Reckon any of Df/D780/Z6 wouldn't be the wrong decision. It's up to you. If I was in your shoes I'd raid the piggy bank and see if I could keep the Df for the moment, while going for the Z6ii + 24-70 f4.