Nikon Just Df things, seen by M shooter

mike3996

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Finland
First things first, help! My Df doesn't factory reset!

The two-button trick clears some of the shooting settings but there's still plenty, an absolute plenty that remains set by the previous owner.
 
Appreciated. 8)

To be brutally honest the first outing around the block was a bit lackluster in shooting feel.

As with all things, I'm just too anxious, eager to come up with a solution and then execute that solution. The anxious me is thinking I can save a few euros by calling it quits and utilising the 2-week return period... the alternative is to live with the camera for a few months or years and then sell with some depreciation. The right solution is to live with the camera and learn to use it. So what if the depreciation at resell time costs me 100, 150 euros. That's the cost of the hobby, and it's not a very huge cost at that.

As I might share more of my frustrations down the road please keep in mind I don't shoot DSLRs and the last time I did, was also a very lackluster experience to me. Whatever frustrations I have, they probably would be shared by all DSLRs, by all manufacturers.

Most cameras are best bought early into the spring so that you can enjoy them at their best. Df is something you might best buy in the fall and really use the night vision it has.

The files are certainly clean.

The high ISO stuff is really good. They weren't lying when they said ISO 102400 was usable. It is! I very well might see myself using that sensitivity when in very dark street action. Files start to show banding noise quickly if you push high-ISO files so in this manner Df behaves much like Leica -- you have to be careful with your exposure.

And at base ISO too.

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Hi, do you have manual? Page 236 Shooting Menu Bank reset and page 245 Custom Settings Bank reset. Is this something you’re looking for?
These help some, but it's sad there's no full reset like for most cameras.

Like something that resets the camera so hard it forgets the time and date and whether it's a Nikon or Canon camera.
 
Take the battery out turn the camera on and forget it for a week or so. When the internal battery finally gives up you can start over. I had to do this to one of my cameras (Nikon) years ago. I'm guessing this one is the same. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
 
Take the battery out turn the camera on and forget it for a week or so. When the internal battery finally gives up you can start over. I had to do this to one of my cameras (Nikon) years ago. I'm guessing this one is the same. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
That's not good is that. :D

Shooting menu and Custom menu can be cleared; the only place where I had to clean a bit was in Setup menu. I guess the camera is mine now.
 
Hey Mike - hope you don't mind these being dropped here
Thanks Gordon for these. My copy is also sharp at close distances but goes soft afar. The post picture kind of seems to exhibit the same?

Regardless, I'm returning the VR. It's a decent chunk of change for a lens that either is soft at 70+ or has to be shot super carefully -- either way, not my kind of tango. :) And actually, my test shots show quite a bit of softness at all focal lengths.

The AF-D 24-70 is soon here so maybe it provides a greater option.
 
About direct controls on the Df.

The dials are all fine but I'm kind of disappointed in the aperture ring. I thought as an option I can adjust the aperture on the lens ring (when there's one) but the camera won't fire.

That's okay, there's the front dial that seems to be largely dedicated to aperture. That's almost like a direct control if the ring always does the one thing.

Except that it won't change anything if the camera is sleeping or in playback mode. Sigh.
 
Thanks Gordon for these. My copy is also sharp at close distances but goes soft afar. The post picture kind of seems to exhibit the same?

Regardless, I'm returning the VR. It's a decent chunk of change for a lens that either is soft at 70+ or has to be shot super carefully -- either way, not my kind of tango. :) And actually, my test shots show quite a bit of softness at all focal lengths.

The AF-D 24-70 is soon here so maybe it provides a greater option.

You're welcome. I never noticed softness as bad as what your shots are showing, I couldn't find a shot that would be considered "infinity" or close to it. But, like I said, I didn't really use it a lot on the Df.
 
About direct controls on the Df.

The dials are all fine but I'm kind of disappointed in the aperture ring. I thought as an option I can adjust the aperture on the lens ring (when there's one) but the camera won't fire.

That's okay, there's the front dial that seems to be largely dedicated to aperture. That's almost like a direct control if the ring always does the one thing.

Except that it won't change anything if the camera is sleeping or in playback mode. Sigh.

You should be able to use the lens aperture ring. Try Custom Setting f7 Customize Command Dial > Aperture Setting.

edit - if you use non-Ai lenses, make sure to go to page 163 in the user manual and read the section regarding non-Ai lenses. The indexing tab has to be flipped up or you can damage the metering ring.
 
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You should be able to use the lens aperture ring. Try Custom Setting f7 Customize Command Dial > Aperture Setting.
I'll have a look, thanks! 👍

Today Df betrayed me in the worst way; the battery died on my walk. Why is it that all the DSLRs with their greatest battery lives always are resold with the poorest batteries?
 
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