We've got used to serious digital cameras looking like large, black, plastic boxes. The more cutting-edge technology the manufacturers cram in, the uglier the camera seems to get. But photographers, by their nature, are interested in aesthetics. Gorgeous-looking cameras were perfected the Sixties and Seventies - the1966 film Blow-upwould look very different with a Canon 5d mk III at its centre - but it's taken a very long time for anyone to make a high-performing digital camera that matches the beauty of its film ancestors.

The Nikon Df was released at the end of 2013, and it may have changed the way digital cameras look forever.

The Df is a state-of-the-art piece of digital equipment transplanted into the body of something very close to a 1978 Nikon FE 35mm SLR. Aimed at romantic, design-loving photographers, it places beauty and form before all other considerations. Even the name, Df, sheds Nikon's usual number-naming conventions, reflecting the camera's fusion of digital chops with a film photography bloodline.

It's certainly meant for dedicated photographers. The price - RRP £2749.99 - puts it out of reach of most casual snappers right away, and if you're looking for something serious to take arty shots of children and landscapes then Nikon has plenty in a lower bracket that would be better suited (not least 2013's all-singing, easy-to-use D7100).

The Df comes in a kit with a newly retro-styled 50mm 1.8 lens, which feels a bit unnecessary given that most people thinking of buying the camera will already have a perfectly good 50mm in their bag. Still, the lens sets off the Df's vintage aesthetic, even while inspiring me to go rummaging around for oldNikon AF lensesto complete the look. Because, joy of joys, the Df has unrivalled lens compatibility: it supports almost every auto or manual focus lens Nikon has ever made, including the original F Mount lenses from the Sixties.

Once you've slotted your beloved antique glass into place, the rest of the camera's spec is state-of-the-art. The Df is vintage from the front, fresh from the back. Turn it around in your hands and you're into modern DSLR territory: a roomy, bright LCD screen surrounded by digital menu buttons. Inside is the same full-frame 16.2 megapixel sensor as the flagship Nikon D4, and 204,800 ISO sensitivity with exceptionally clean results way beyond 12,800. The battery life is almost decadently long (I have yet to run it down) and the performance of the auto ISO and white balance is flawless.

Back on the outside, an essential part of the old-school look is the external controls. Having dials on the outside might seem basic, but it's something that pro digital photographers have been pining after for years. The warren of digital menus that you usually have to hack through to do something simple on other DSLRs can cost you valuable shooting time.

On the Df, there are tactile clicking wheels for ISO, shutter speed and exposure compensation, as well as the more prosaic shooting mode and on-off switches. The dials are light to move, but they clunk into place with satisfying weight. After a few hours using this camera, the muscle memory in my hands allowed me to change shutter speed before I even had time to think about it. I've heard grumbles that the slightly fiddly lock settings on the dials can make it difficult to change settings one-handed, but I didn't find this a problem after a couple of sessions.

The external dials are beautiful, too: engraved metal and built as solidly as the rest of the (mostly metal) body. For a 21st-century DSLR user, this build quality feels like going from driving an automatic car to flying a spitfire. The camera comes in chrome and in black, with the chrome version a step further from the standard DSLR black-box look and winning the aesthetic edge.

What's it missing? Despite otherwise astonishing low-light performance, the autofocus can go on extended hunting trips. There's no built-in flash, no second card slot, and most surprisingly, no video function at all. For Nikon to release a new top-end digital camera without video looks so careless that it must be intentional: without in-camera flash or video or card back-up, the Df weighs much less than its digital peers, is easier to carry around and unashamedly all about pure stills photography. That's a compromise that some photographers will be more than happy to take.

Where others see a bug, romantics see a feature. If you're desperate for video, seek elsewhere, but if you're an old-fashioned type with a soft spot for stills, the Df will be love at first shot.