What’s Old is New Again
Color me intrigued.
With all the whizbang technology under today’s camera hoods it has been an interesting revival of so-called retro body designs. I’m no historian, but for me personally I started paying more attention to such styling when Leica started making noise in the digital realm and bringing their classic rangefinder motif into the modern era. And the first Olympus PEN similarly caught my eye (and more recently the amazing OM-D line). Now these old-is-new designs are very prominent in the industry. And it appears Nikon is poised to dive in with an announcement of their own.
Fuji & Sony
Fuji X100s. Photo Credit: Fujifilm Canada Inc.
I have been lusting after the Fuji X100, and now the updated X100s, since it first launched. Purist doesn’t begin to describe it. A fixed lens (35mm) in a beautifully designed body with few frills. One day I’ll pick one of these up as it motivates a more measured style of photography. Fuji followed up with similarly awesome classically styled cameras (X-E1/2, X-Pro1) that along with the X100 got me re-thinking the whole SLR thing. After a while it really does become a PITA to lug around a D700. The Fuji X-E2 offers a much smaller interchangeable lens alternative with exceptional image quality and, while not yet on par (for me at least) with DSLR’s for handling, is still very spry in the hand. So also on the wishlist.
The only “limitation” with Fuji’s current offerings is their APS-C sized sensor. Same sized chip as in most DSLR’s and larger than is typical in the smaller body cameras. Which is great. But not quite full frame which is my preference for dynamic range, depth of field, and the certain liquid look that those bigger pixels provide (all else equal). Options have been limited to date for smaller full framers. Leica has the amazing M for the equally amazing price of around Seven Grand. Sonuva. Then Sony drops a recent bomb.
Sony A7. Photo Credit: Sony Electronics, Inc.
Sony has been sporting what by all accounts is the amazing RX1 (now RX1R), a ground-breaking “mirrorless” camera in a small form-factor with full frame sensor. But fixed focal length and $2,799 is a tough pill to swallow (although a bargain compared to the Leica where primary criteria are small+full frame). Sony has just released another potential game changer in the A7. Kinda blew my mind when I read the announcement. Mirrorless, small, full-frame, interchangeable Zeiss lenses, and at US$1,699 (body only) is again a bargain (and, again, relatively speaking). Sadly, around the time Sony announced their latest camera Nikon offered the Update That Nobody Was Asking For in the D5300 SLR. A release that annoys me in several ways that I won’t bother listing.
So it took me by surprise to see there is a pending Nikon announcement regarding their foray into the “classic modern” with their Nikon DF.
Nikon
Nikon FM2. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The game gets a bit more interesting now. When Nikon jumped into the mirrorless system market with the J/V1 cameras I was immediately put off by their choice of a too small (in my opinion) sensor. Granted, their focus (pardon the pun) was on AF speed which at the time was a limiting factor in most non-SLR designs, but I simply do not like the tradeoffs in DR, noise performance, and depth-of-field inherent in small chips. With the pending release of the tentatively-dubbed DF, Nikon brings a nostalgic design that evokes visions of being a member of the Bang Bang Club; word on the street (ie. Nikon Rumours) is that it will mimic the venerable aesthetic of the FM2 or F3. It is even slated to ship with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 prime to further emphasize its old-school pedigree.
Which is another point of interest for me. Part of my hesitation in the past with the Sony NEX-7, or Fuji X-E1/2, or the new Sony A7 is introducing another system of lenses on top of what I already own from Nikon. However, the DF is looking to include Nikon’s standard F-mount, so all of Nikon’s lenses will attach. I’m not getting rid of my D700 or D3s any time soon so that’s a real plus. And, it gets sweeter…
The rumoured specs also include the amazing 16MP sensor from the D4 – would be pretty amazing if this comes to pass. State-of-the-art full frame fidelity and low light performance in what until now is only available in a $7K’ish pro body. Megapixel count be damned.
The Catch
It also appears from the suggested spec that this will not be a mirrorless design but rather a conventional pentaprism configuration. Don’t know exactly how it’s expected to work out. The advances in LED viewfinders has been pretty amazing, with the ability to see an abundance of camera data including live histogram being a tremendous advantage so would really like to see that integrated somehow. Likewise a quiet shutter as I’m sick of hearing my DSLR’s cracking away like pistol fire. And the price; with Sony’s A7 creating buzz at a very competitive price point I’m curious what Nikon’s move will be here.
Interesting times indeed for camera technology. Still won’t create better pictures but brings other advantages with each generation. And we can thank the proliferation of cel phone camera usage to the expanding range of larger sensor options in non-DSLR designs.
Like this:
Like Loading...
What’s Old is New Again
Color me intrigued.
With all the whizbang technology under today’s camera hoods it has been an interesting revival of so-called retro body designs. I’m no historian, but for me personally I started paying more attention to such styling when Leica started making noise in the digital realm and bringing their classic rangefinder motif into the modern era. And the first Olympus PEN similarly caught my eye (and more recently the amazing OM-D line). Now these old-is-new designs are very prominent in the industry. And it appears Nikon is poised to dive in with an announcement of their own.
Fuji & Sony
Fuji X100s. Photo Credit: Fujifilm Canada Inc.
I have been lusting after the Fuji X100, and now the updated X100s, since it first launched. Purist doesn’t begin to describe it. A fixed lens (35mm) in a beautifully designed body with few frills. One day I’ll pick one of these up as it motivates a more measured style of photography. Fuji followed up with similarly awesome classically styled cameras (X-E1/2, X-Pro1) that along with the X100 got me re-thinking the whole SLR thing. After a while it really does become a PITA to lug around a D700. The Fuji X-E2 offers a much smaller interchangeable lens alternative with exceptional image quality and, while not yet on par (for me at least) with DSLR’s for handling, is still very spry in the hand. So also on the wishlist.
The only “limitation” with Fuji’s current offerings is their APS-C sized sensor. Same sized chip as in most DSLR’s and larger than is typical in the smaller body cameras. Which is great. But not quite full frame which is my preference for dynamic range, depth of field, and the certain liquid look that those bigger pixels provide (all else equal). Options have been limited to date for smaller full framers. Leica has the amazing M for the equally amazing price of around Seven Grand. Sonuva. Then Sony drops a recent bomb.
Sony A7. Photo Credit: Sony Electronics, Inc.
Sony has been sporting what by all accounts is the amazing RX1 (now RX1R), a ground-breaking “mirrorless” camera in a small form-factor with full frame sensor. But fixed focal length and $2,799 is a tough pill to swallow (although a bargain compared to the Leica where primary criteria are small+full frame). Sony has just released another potential game changer in the A7. Kinda blew my mind when I read the announcement. Mirrorless, small, full-frame, interchangeable Zeiss lenses, and at US$1,699 (body only) is again a bargain (and, again, relatively speaking). Sadly, around the time Sony announced their latest camera Nikon offered the Update That Nobody Was Asking For in the D5300 SLR. A release that annoys me in several ways that I won’t bother listing.
So it took me by surprise to see there is a pending Nikon announcement regarding their foray into the “classic modern” with their Nikon DF.
Nikon
Nikon FM2. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The game gets a bit more interesting now. When Nikon jumped into the mirrorless system market with the J/V1 cameras I was immediately put off by their choice of a too small (in my opinion) sensor. Granted, their focus (pardon the pun) was on AF speed which at the time was a limiting factor in most non-SLR designs, but I simply do not like the tradeoffs in DR, noise performance, and depth-of-field inherent in small chips. With the pending release of the tentatively-dubbed DF, Nikon brings a nostalgic design that evokes visions of being a member of the Bang Bang Club; word on the street (ie. Nikon Rumours) is that it will mimic the venerable aesthetic of the FM2 or F3. It is even slated to ship with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 prime to further emphasize its old-school pedigree.
Which is another point of interest for me. Part of my hesitation in the past with the Sony NEX-7, or Fuji X-E1/2, or the new Sony A7 is introducing another system of lenses on top of what I already own from Nikon. However, the DF is looking to include Nikon’s standard F-mount, so all of Nikon’s lenses will attach. I’m not getting rid of my D700 or D3s any time soon so that’s a real plus. And, it gets sweeter…
The rumoured specs also include the amazing 16MP sensor from the D4 – would be pretty amazing if this comes to pass. State-of-the-art full frame fidelity and low light performance in what until now is only available in a $7K’ish pro body. Megapixel count be damned.
The Catch
It also appears from the suggested spec that this will not be a mirrorless design but rather a conventional pentaprism configuration. Don’t know exactly how it’s expected to work out. The advances in LED viewfinders has been pretty amazing, with the ability to see an abundance of camera data including live histogram being a tremendous advantage so would really like to see that integrated somehow. Likewise a quiet shutter as I’m sick of hearing my DSLR’s cracking away like pistol fire. And the price; with Sony’s A7 creating buzz at a very competitive price point I’m curious what Nikon’s move will be here.
Interesting times indeed for camera technology. Still won’t create better pictures but brings other advantages with each generation. And we can thank the proliferation of cel phone camera usage to the expanding range of larger sensor options in non-DSLR designs.
Share this:
Like this: