Nikon Announced D5, D500, and SB-5000

<p>here's the link: (http://www.dpreview.com/news/8529664044/here-at-last-nikon-announces-d500)<br>

specs:</p>

<ul>

<li>20.9 mp</li>

<li>153-pt AF</li>

<li>Expeed 5 processor</li>

<li>10fps</li>

<li>200 shot RAW buffer</li>

<li>4k video</li>

</ul>

<p>Eric, I kept your thread but updated the title since the announcement actually comes from Nikon, not DPReview.</p>

<ul>

<li>D5 Nikon | News | Digital SLR camera D5</li>

<li>D500 Nikon | News | Digital SLR Camera D500</li>

<li>SB-5000 Nikon | News | Nikon Speedlight SB-5000</li>

</ul>

<P>

Nikon USA Press Room: Nikon Press Room | Press Releases from Nikon

</P>

Edited January 7, 2020 by ShunCheung

<p>For the source, <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/en/about-nikon/press-room/press-release/iihiz19a/Conquer-the-Dark%3A-The-New-Nikon-D5-DSLR-Shatters-Expectations-for-Thrilling-New-Levels-of-Low-Light-Performance%2C-Image-Quality-and-Speed.html">D5</a> and <a href="http://www.nikonusa.com/en/about-nikon/press-room/press-release/iihiz234/Pro-Pedigree%2C-DX-Agility%3A-The-New-Nikon-D500-Establishes-a-New-Era-of-DX-Format-Performance.html">D500</a>. I put a few comments on the end of <a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon-camera-forum/00dfX5">this thread</a>, but wasn't organised enough to start a new one.<br />

<br />

Edit: Crossed over with Shun. I'll keep this in case the sources are somehow different (though the content seems roughly the same).<br />

<br />

Have I missed us gaining a subject line in replies? I've not been posting for a bit...</p>

<p>the wait is over! $2000 for an APS-C flagship? if it performs well, why not?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>the wait is over! $2000 for an APS-C flagship? if it performs well, why not?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The wait maybe over, but of course a $2000 DX body is roughly twice as expensive as the sale price for the Canon 7D Mark II during the recent holiday season. The new complaint will be that the D500 is too expensive and not competitive.</p>

<p>Well, it's certainly solved the buffer problem of the D7100. My concerns would be a) that it's using XQD, and almost nothing else does (presumably it also has either SD or CF, but that's an annoyance either to D300s upgraders or D7200 upgraders), b) it's only 20.9MP (not that I need more, but if I was going to shoot DX, it would be for reach), and c) someone's going to compare it to the NX-1, which could do 15fps with AF at 28.2MP and had even more phase-detect AF points (although I'd really hope the D500 is another step forward in AF quality). I see absolutely no problem with $2000 for a professional-grade DX body, not that I personally want one.<br />

<br />

Of course, that Nikon decided the DX lenses to launch alongside this were two types of 18-55 budget zoom rather than a new f/2.8 DX pro zoom does suggest that someone in Nikon is still not paying much attention to the prosumer DX market (at the risk of channelling Thom Hogan and his "there aren't any decent DX lenses" rants). But as a purely FX-shooter, I'll just roll my eyes, carry on, and hope that the D3x00 and D5x00 shooters keep subsidising Nikon to make my toys.</p>

 

 

<blockquote>

<p>The new complaint will be that the D500 is too expensive and not competitive.</p>

</blockquote>

 

 

Always something to complain about, right? $2k is not cheap, no. But this is a performance camera, right? So... if it performs well with existing lenses out in the field, it will be competitive. the XQD slot seems a bit confounding, but there's also an SD slot. There's always the cheaper option of a d7200 as well. I'm curious to see how the Expeed 5 handles AF. also says 200k shutter and weather-sealed. looks pretty comparable to the 7dmkII, right down to the 20mp sensor and 4k video. im not sure the $1500 current price of the Canon is enough to compel switching, especially if you've been holding out waiting for the "d400."

 

<p><a name="pagebottom"></a></p>

<blockquote>

<p>someone's going to compare it to the NX-1, </p>

</blockquote>

<p>in all likelihood, that person will not be an NX-1 owner. from all reports the NX-1 was the best APS-C camera on the market, but who wants to invest in (what appears to be) a discontinued system?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I assume they mean the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80/2.8-4E ED VR - otherwise that would be a very expensive AF-S 16-85/3.5-5.6 G VR lens!</p>

<p>Thank goodness they finally have ISO 3,280,000. Don't know how I've lived without that all these years. <br>

<br>

What exactly would you shoot at that ISO?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>The new complaint will be that the D500 is too expensive and not competitive</p>

</blockquote>

<p><br /> Agree with Eric, reading the specs i think 2000$ is not a bad price.. :</p>

<p>http://chsvimg.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d500/common/pdf/technology-digest.pdf</p>

<p>And i now understand the VR-less 18-55 mm lens, seems Nikon starts building VR into the camera body too ..</p>

<p>Eric, first of all, I will be the first one to point out that for years I have held the idea that Nikon is not interesting in continuing the D200-D300 series. Clearly I am wrong about that, but it is very strange that there is a long gap between the 2007 D300 (with a minor 2009 update to the D300S with the same electronics) and the 2016 D500. Maybe Nikon has a change of heart.</p>

<p>The problem is that whoever was desperate to get a high-end APS-C body should have jumped to Canon a long time ago or found other alternatives years ago. IMO whoever is still holding out for a D400/D500 is not that eager for one. I wonder how many D500 Nikon can sell and more importantly, how long the $2000 initial price can hold. That is a major negative. Canon wasn't able to hold the 7D Mark II's price at all and had to start discounting it quite soon, within 4, 5 months. Maybe the D500's initial $2000 price is set high to begin with to allow room to drop.</p>

<p>Concerning memory cards, the D500 has dual SD and XQD card slots. The weird part is that the D5 has two flavors: two XQD cards or two CF cards. That tells me that Nikon themselves are not very confident about the future of XQD, some 4 years after the introduction of the D4. So why should I believe in the XQD's future, or should I opt for the old CF card? Having two different versions of the D5 will also lead to inventory headaches.</p>

<p>Eric: Well, yes. Disclaimer, work for Samsung, blah blah - but I've no idea what the long-term plan is there. They lost me at "flange distance too big for M-mount lenses". Still, it's interesting that the flagship DSLRs can't beat specs for this kind of thing (or the 1-series).<br />

<br />

Peering at the D5 pictures, I notice they've added a couple(?) more Fn buttons, which is a good thing in my book (chording would be nice, too). They've also put ISO on the right (which is where I end up putting it on the D8x0 by reprogramming the movie button) and mode on the left. I'm unsure about this - I certainly want to reach ISO, but do occassionally need to switch mode in a hurry when moving from outdoors (usually at base ISO because of good light, want a variable shutter speed that can change in a hurry based on lighting) to/from indoors (usually at higher ISO and wanting to trade shutter speed, ISO and aperture myself). Not that I own a D4s to compare against (donations gratefully received) - my F5 isn't really a good reference point for modern pro bodies.<br />

<br />

This may be a bad time to mention that when cleaning out my study over Christmas, I found a spare D700 (and therefore D300) battery - I no longer have my D700. With no promises about what state it's in other than that it's an original EN-EL3e and it's been sitting around for a while, if anyone in the UK still wants it and isn't about to upgrade to a D500, message me. First come, first bunged in the post (or dropped off, for locals). I'm not after money, it just seems a shame to bin it and I'd rather share good will than faff with ebay.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"According to Nikon, the higher ISOs benefit from improved light transmission of the color filter array to get more light to the sensor."</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I'd like to think they've been listening to my rants about over sharply-cut Bayer filters for the last 5 years or so, but I doubt that. At least maybe it's a step in the right direction toward getting rid of stupid RGGB arrays altogether.</p>

<p>I was holding out for this replacement but got a D7200 a year or more ago. Have since invested quite a bit in the Fuji X-T1 system so not too sure the D500 would tempt me too much at $2k in price. It would have at the time I was looking though.</p>

<p>BTW, the SB-5000 uses radio communication. Therefore, the four-digit model number indeed shows a major departure from the iTTL flashes that use infrared.</p>

<p>Shun: Well, I pointed out that you had me worried about the D300s successor on the 18-55 thread, so not <i>first</i>... :-P Your logic made perfect sense - I stand by the belief that Nikon will have done this as a "me too", because they look bad with Canon otherwise. Having said that, I'm interested that this time Nikon got the D5 announced first; IIRC, the 1Dx announcement predated the D5. This might suggest that Nikon are worried that something big is coming from Canon. Or not. The trouble is there's so much space between the lines for reading!<br />

<br />

I'm very confused as to whether dual XQD/dual CF is better or worse than a combination. I've been put off hiring a D4 partly because I knew I was going to shoot a lot, and while I had many CF cards, getting hold of XQD cards would have been a pain. I actually tried to find a D3s to hire, and in the end just went with the D810. There are certainly a lot of people out there with a lot of CF cards kicking around, but there are also people who have been very complimentary about the speed of XQD, despite the lack of market penetration. I can understand Nikon wanting to hedge their bets - both in case XQD fails (more) and as future proofing for when CF cards cease to be practical if we're really at the end of the format. I begin to wonder whether it would be better to just put USB C connectors on the cameras and let people plug in USB keys for storage. I don't know that CFast is doing all that much better than XQD - but I've not seen so many devices with UHS-II SD, either. It'll be in everyone's interest for the industry to get its act together and stop competing so we can all move forward. Again. (Not that I've had enough of VHS/Betamax, HD-DVD/Blu-Ray, etc... 3" floppy disks FTW!)</p>

<p>I can see a market for the D500, though it might not be a large one. There is an explosion of web sites and small companies that have tapped into the high school sports markets. I see these kids (okay, they're probably in their twenties and thirties, but to old farts like me they seem like kids), at every game, three or four of them, and they're all shooting for these web companies and they shoot hundreds of shots per game and just upload them all to the company web site. (I guess the high school kid's parents go to these web site and buy pics of their kids playing). </p>

<p>And anyone who has ever covered high school sports knows how unbelievably dark it is, so a DX camera that has some of the same low light and high speed shooting capabilities as the Nikon D5, at less than a third of the price, I think that could sell well.</p>

<p>D500 = rear cap for my 200-500/5.6</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Eric, first of all, I will be the first one to point out that for years I have held the idea that Nikon is not interesting in continuing the D200-D300 series. Clearly I am wrong about that, but it is very strange that there is a long gap between the 2007 D300 (with a minor 2009 update to the D300S with the same electronics) and the 2016 D500. Maybe Nikon has a change of heart.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>most likely, as Thom Hogan has speculated, this camera (D500) has been in the pipeline for a long time. Nikon clearly missed a window of opportunity for its release (or two), and knew it needed to hit a home run if/when the camera finally appeared. Other than the XQD slot, the specs suggest they may have done that. Whether it's too late to stop leakage, only time will tell. But at least there's hope...</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Maybe the D500's initial $2000 price is set high to begin with to allow room to drop.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>makes sense. if they would have set it at $1800, which is what D300s originally sold for, it would be $1500 within months. One can argue that it should be $1500, but then the NFC/bluetooth, 4k video, and radio frequency flash compatibility are all new things which arguably justify the extra cash. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Disclaimer, work for Samsung, blah blah - but I've no idea what the long-term plan is there.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>have a feeling your bosses don't either. pity, because the NX-1 looked like an awesome camera, but really requires system buy-in, which requires confidence the company will support its product over the long term.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Have since invested quite a bit in the Fuji X-T1 system so not too sure the D500 would tempt me too much at $2k in price. It would have at the time I was looking though.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This goes to Shun's earlier point. But if you're still holding on to Nikon glass and havent bought a new DX body since the D300(s)--there are more people who fit this category than most realize--then D500 may appeal. Nikon needed to do something before Fuji releases the XPro2, it looks like. </p>

<blockquote>

<p>What exactly would you shoot at that ISO?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>UFOs, obviously.</p>

<p>Mea culpa- I predicted years ago that this camera would be called the D9000 to go along with the other DX cameras. I was wrong. So it looks like now we'll have the D500, D600+, D700+, and D800+ series, all full frame except for the first, and only some at a professional build level. Just like Canon with its 5D, 6D, and 7D iterations.</p>

<p>As others have noted, where are the pro-level DX lenses?</p>

<blockquote>And anyone who has ever covered high school sports knows how unbelievably dark it is, so a DX camera that has some of the same low light and high speed shooting capabilities as the Nikon D5, at less than a third of the price</blockquote>

 

<p>I think it remains to be seen how good the low light is. I'm not expecting it to be better at high ISO than, say, a D750. It will, however, have better AF point coverage, have a higher frame rate, and be cheaper (if lower resolution). Choices choices. I do agree that moderately high ISOs are annoyingly useful - I was often in the ISO 5000+ range with my D810 when shooting in a pub over the last few days (which is a bit of a waste of a D810, but unless I do get that donated D4s I'm not flush with options), and if there's a significant boost in that light level from the new sensor tech without losing the minimum ISO dynamic range, I'll be taking notice. This was with a 70-200 f/2.8 wide open, at 1/50s or thereabouts. I've used my 200 f/2 in the past in similar conditions. This year, I picked up a Niwalker MM15MB (annoyingly, after I'd returned a Thrunite TN36UT which I accused of not working - when actually the Thrunite batteries weren't up to turbo mode) in the hope of improving things, but ran out of places to bounce the light off usefully. I'm looking forward to seeing how the latest LED flashlights can be used photographically, but they're not going to get me down to ISO 64 without blinding people, so high ISO always helps. 3,280,000 - much as I'd like 1/200s and f/5.6, is so unlikely to be useful that I'm not holding my breath, but some kind of bump is welcome.<br />

<br />

Nice though the reviews of Fuji's cameras are, I'm not sure they're setting the sales figures all that alight - I suspect Nikon are far more worried about Sony. The main Fuji thing that appeal to me recently is the 56mm f/1.2 APD...</p>

<p>I suspect the AF system with such a high number of sensor positions (together with the higher resolution RGB matrix meter that provides the ability to identify the subject) will be able to hold focus confidently on a subject moving in the frame without user input after the user has pointed the camera to the subject to keep in focus initially. This would be a huge advantage for action and even portraiture. The D810 already does a decent job at it (much better than the first iteration in the D3) but a much higher density of sensors would be a big advantage as long as the processor can keep up with the data and process it in a meaningful way. Quite a lot of the time I have to play around the limitations of the Multi-CAM 3500 sensor array and it is nice to see a major improvement. The focus sensors of the Multi-CAM 3500 system are way too large for precise focusing (the markers in the viewfinder are smaller than the actual receptive fields of the sensors). I hope this will let the user just point to an eye and the system will follow focus on that eye as the person moves. After a few months we'll know how it works.</p>

<p>Some D3s users didn't buy the D4 because of the different type cards needed to run a D4 with dual card storing active, or other uses of two card slots. This is hugely impractical and one of the things I don't like about the D8x0. One has to keep an unnecessarily large inventory of cards at hand because of this. The D3 family was great because the card slots accepted the same type cards. Nikon is returning to this with the D5. The user can choose based on whether they need the high speed of the XQD and whether they want to pay for the extra cost. The D500 should sell in large enough numbers to make XQD generally available. However, if I get a D5, it will probably be with CF cards since I want compatibility across memory cards used in different cameras and don't really want to pay for the extra cost of current XQD cards, nice as they are.</p>

<p>The D500 seems nice enough. AFAIK the 7D Mark II does not support 4K and it has a smaller number of focus points, and at least in dpreview.com's assessment the existing Nikons manage to keep a subject which moves laterally in the frame during a sequence better in focus than the 7D II (using the 3D tracking / subject identification and tracking features), and the new D500's improved focus system should make this feature work even better. I'm looking forward to a time where I don't have to actively guide the AF system all the time to keep it doing something sensible. It's like autonomous driving systems in cars - they're coming and they will get better. </p>

<p>Hell freezes over. I have not seen so much forum excitement about a camera in some time. All ye thirsty Nikon faithful, drink up your new APS-C savior :)</p>