Nikon Df Low Light performance

W44NNE

W44NNE

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I picked up a Df today after recently trying both a D610 and D800e. Up until now, the D800e was my favourite camera, but although the Df has its foibles, I think it's an incredible piece of kit so far. For a lot of people, it seems to cause controversy and doesn't make too much sense, but I just wanted something smaller than the D800e with good low light performance. I'm not bothered about looks too much (I bought the black one BTW) and if I use video, it's usually on my iPhone rather than my cameras, so it really won't bother me.

The files sizes are excellent at "just" 18mb or so in RAW. Compared to the D800e at 40MB or so, and the D600 and 24MB or so, this makes for easier file handling. 16MP seems enough for me to crop into so far and I believe from reviews, the battery life is 1500 or so shots, which will be great on my travels.

Here are some very uninspiring test shots taken this evening in 4.5 degree weather whilst I was being battered by winds... glad it's weather sealed!! Apart from the bottom photo, these photos have only been converted to RAW and then compressed to 800x600 for the forum. No other editing such as noise reduction etc has been implemented.

1) Camera placed on a wooden plinth in order to attempt to keep it steady in the wind - ISO6400, f18, 0.6sec using 24-85mm VR lens



2) Same setup - ISO1600, f18, 3 seconds using 16-35mm VR lens



3) The following two were both hand-held at ISO12800! Using 16-35mm at f4, 1/20th second





4) Hand-held on my couch... ISO3200, 24-85mm VR lens, f4.5 @ 1/4second...



5) Edited a little but hand-held at 12800ISO, using 24-85mm lens, f4.5 @ 1/4second



I'm going to use the camera on a trip abroad soon, and I'm hoping it'll make a great travel companion as the ISO will come in handy when visiting buildings etc. It's not a camera for everybody, perhaps not even myself, but it's impressed me more than I expected so far.
 
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Its a nice sensor, thats for sure, but what do you think about the AF? I hated it on my old D600.
 
I thought it would be a come down from my 51 point D800e, but in all fairness, it's good enough for me.

I haven't tried it with my 24-70 yet but it just hunts a little in darker situations with the other lenses. I was playing with the manual focus on the inclusive 50mm and that was fine though.
 
You are too fussy Wayne. These are quality images. Bring on the next ones.
 
Good to see a a little bit of a write up on the DF. There seems to have been quite a bit of negative press around on it but not a lot from owners and there own impressions. I guess it works for some and not others like any other camera.
Be good to hear a long life test on it especially after your trip away. I had a look at one recently and it was a fairly hefty piece of kit. I didn't consider it in terms of ownership personally as it's a fair bit of £ for me especially after I only got an XPro a couple of months ago haha.

Those low light high ISO shots look really good in terms of quality! Keep us posted with how you get on
 
Seems mighty impressive at low light. I love the look of the Df, I'm not so keen on the price and it's a lot extra to pay over the D800 for rather less and without the video (not that I use video functions).
 
Ruffmeister said:
Good to see a a little bit of a write up on the DF. There seems to have been quite a bit of negative press around on it but not a lot from owners and there own impressions. I guess it works for some and not others like any other camera.
Be good to hear a long life test on it especially after your trip away. I had a look at one recently and it was a fairly hefty piece of kit. I didn't consider it in terms of ownership personally as it's a fair bit of £ for me especially after I only got an XPro a couple of months ago haha.

Those low light high ISO shots look really good in terms of quality! Keep us posted with how you get on
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Thanks, yes I'll happily sort another mini review once I've finished on my trip. I'll be taking at least two lenses so I should be able to show a broad range of photos hopefully.

ShinySideUp said:
Seems mighty impressive at low light. I love the look of the Df, I'm not so keen on the price and it's a lot extra to pay over the D800 for rather less and without the video (not that I use video functions).
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I think your review sums up the feelings of a lot of people there, however I'd say it's all people who either don't own one, or possibly haven't even tried one out.

If a D4 and a D610 had a baby, this would be the result. You get a little bit of each and that's no bad thing. You can see it as a D610 minus a few functions, with the guts of a D4 in a more focused package. The dials are easy to use, and the thumb dials are nice and customisable, so I've found ways around what some of the reviewers are saying in regards to it "slowing you down".

I plan on taking it everywhere with me on my trip so I'll see how it behaves... And if I decide to return to my D800e.
 
Don't get me wrong, if I had the money I'd have one like a shot, it looks gorgeous.
 
Haha yeah it is quite menacing to look at I suppose, especially in all black like mine. Definitely didn't matter to me though as I quite often go for function over form.
 
Can't view images bigger without signing up for Image Shack. It's hard to see whether it's low light performance is good or not from such small images.
 
Still can't work out why one would buy this over a D800, other than for the retro looks.
 
inkiboo said:
Still can't work out why one would buy this over a D800, other than for the retro looks.
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I was thinking the same, I guess the D4 sensor has an appeal but the D600 A/F would put me right off at this price.
 
gramps said:
I was thinking the same, I guess the D4 sensor has an appeal but the D600 A/F would put me right off at this price.
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Likewise. They're all cameras capable of superb results, but the DF was just a cost cut or two too far for me. I'd love the D4 sensor, but married with the D600 AF was a marketing step I can't understand. However much the cost difference would have been, IMO it would be not only worthwhile but a necessary step. Having leading edge low light performance, with AF that struggles in low light..... How could I risk using the sensor capabilities to "get the shot", when in all probability the AF is going to hunt and cause me to miss it? IMO the one real misstep is the mismatch of AF and sensor capabilities.
 
I think for me its the missed opportunitys, rather than judging it by itself in isolation.
the lack of video, some of the dials not matching up, and have to use menue for some options.
and the price
 
For the types of subjects the Df is suitable for, I'd buy a D800 instead (same price). The D4 sensor is very nice, but that's not what makes the D4 what it is ( a slightly improved D3s really). FWIW, I wouldn't use my D4 at 12800 in poor light... not for anything critical. 4000 seems to be the tipping point... I'll use 6400 grudgingly. (Damn, we've become spoiled!)

The downsampling is making a huge impact on the images...
 
Sorry, I've been quite busy so hadn't seen these replies. The "tiny thumbnails" are showing at a decent enough size for me, but I'll try and enlarge them if I get chance later.

I can assure you, they look no different larger so it is nothing to do with down-sampling.

Nikon are a business. They aren't going to give you absolutely everything you want. Even in versions two and three of the Df in the future, there's going to be detractors. I'm pretty sure these people haven't used the camera properly out in the wild and for myself, after trying these...

D600
D610
D800e
Sony A7r

... Recently, the Df is current my favourite. That's just personal preference and as I stated at the beginning, this camera isn't for everybody.

I found that the D600/D610 was more fiddly than the Df. The D800e file sizes are very, very large and sometimes push even my i7 PC.

The A7r was more like a point and shoot and I didn't like that. Putting my eye to the Df's viewfinder was a nice change after the A7r.

The Df has a fantastic viewfinder, it's very customisable and handles noise superbly.
 
Still not sure why you prefer it to the D800 but there you go. I've used both and whilst there is no denying the Df is a lovely bit of a kit, I couldn't find anything that was better about it over the D800, apart from the weight.
 
inkiboo said:
Still not sure why you prefer it to the D800 but there you go. I've used both and whilst there is no denying the Df is a lovely bit of a kit, I couldn't find anything that was better about it over the D800, apart from the weight.
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The daft thing is, I'm not sure why I prefer it right now either, but I just do.

I didn't buy a Canon 5D because there was no built in flash. It's something I'd use very rarely but I liked how the D800e had it. However, with the df, it has such great dynamic range (better than d800) and better ISO performance, I'll just be able to use these features anyhow.

The camera is smaller and lighter and have I mentioned the file sizes? :-D

I'll give another report after my trip.
 
W44NNE said:
I plan on taking it everywhere with me on my trip so I'll see how it behaves... And if I decide to return to my D800e.
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Looking forward to seeing the images from this trip.
 
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I can completely understand choosing the Df over the D800 simply for file size. If you don't need the resolution of the D800 then there is pretty much no point to using it.

There are MANY times where I will use the D4 body over the D800 body for a given situation simply for the sensor performance at higher ISO's; and for the lower lens IQ and stability requirements.
I just figured that for what *I* would use the Df to shoot the ISO/Lens/Stability issues of the D800 would be of less significance; and having the "option" to produce large(r) "fine art" prints would be nice... That's *why* I bought the D800. Not that it's worked out real well for me... I'm not much of a landscape/fine art photographer :(
 
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