Nikon Announced D5, D500, and SB-5000

[NetR]

<p>An earlier respondent got it. A D500 with a 200-500mm f/5.6 zoom (crop 300-750mm) is going to be way cheaper than any FX body with an 800 f/5.6 prime. A lighter weight, professional build, fast shooting, decent sized buffer, sport and birding combo. Spend the funds you save on a decent gimbal tripod head.</p>

[Barry Clemmons Photography]

<p>Just noticed the D500 has a round viewfinder, normally reserved for what Nikon considers their professional line. So that is what the extra money is for. :)</p>

[NetR]

<p>The other thing about the D500 is that it cruelly exposes the lack of professional quality zooms and primes in DX. We've got a 35, a 17-55 and little else.</p>

[Barry Clemmons Photography]

<p>I may be reading it wrong, but according to Nikon's description the dual card slots will accept XQD cards or SD cards if you "are not ready to upgrade to XQD".</p>

[peter_mcmonigle]

<p>3,280,000 ISO??<br>

The photographic equivalent of gangsta rap--nothing but noise.</p>

[Two23]

<p><<In the mean time, mirrorless technology will continue to mature so that IMO, the next generation of sports/wildlife cameras will likely be mirrorless to achieve higher frame rates that some need. >></p>

<p>I have a small collection of old photography journals. In one, from ~1905, there was a lengthy article from a leading authority on bird photographer at the time. He gave great detail on how he used his 8x10 view camera with a 14 inch (350mm) lens for all of his bird shots. Cameras have been getting smaller ever since.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>Kudos to Nikon. With 20 MP and 199 focus points in their best camera, it appears they have seen the threat posed by Sony (42 MP, 399 focus points) and met them half-way - almost.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>except that the 5fps of the Sony model is not a threat to the d500's 10fps for sports/action. and it's a false equivalency to compare a $3000 full frame body to a $2000 APS-C body. a more apt comparison is the A60o0, which has some performance limitations in its UI and also lacks a complete lens set. I dont think the D500 touches the A7RII shooter at all, different market altogether. But i'm sure Nikon appreciates the faint praise and backhanded compliments. </p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>The other thing about the D500 is that it cruelly exposes the lack of professional quality zooms and primes in DX. We've got a 35, a 17-55 and little else.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That could be a good thing, though, if it results in more attention to the DX lens line.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>The photographic equivalent of gangsta rap--nothing but noise.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>actually, i think experimental electronic music would be the musical analogue to "nothing but noise." and gangsta rappers, for what it's worth, can be quite photogenic. in any event, i would wait to see image samples before commenting on their quality. </p>

[nick_baker]

<blockquote>

<p>They provide a spec chart that compares the D500 with the D7200 and the D300s. About the only thing that is left out are the sizes of the cameras. There is a reason for this and that is that the D500 is larger than both of the other cameras. For that matter, it is larger in every dimension and heavier than the full frame D750. It is the same width as the D810, .3" shorter and only .1" thinner.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>I noticed that too and was disappointed initially. But I realized that the D500 is not meant to be a DX D750 or D800. It is a DX version of the D5, and much smaller and cheaper than a D5. If the specs are to be believed, it will blow D750/D810 away for certain kinds of uses, almost as a D5 would.</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=2199211">Barry Clemmons </a>writes:</p>

<blockquote>

<p>I may be reading it wrong, but according to Nikon's description the dual card slots will accept XQD cards or SD cards if you "are not ready to upgrade to XQD".</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I went back and checked Nikon Japan and Nikon USA's web sites, as well as DPReview, etc. Nikon's description is a bit ambiguous, but I am quite sure that the D500 has one SD slot and one XQD slot. The XQD card is thicker than the SD card, and the electronic contacts are difference. Hence it is essentially impossible for one card slot to be compatible with both cards. I am not aware of any adapters (i.e. similar to those Micro SD to standard SD adapter).</p>

<p>I'll try to verify this with Nikon.</p>

<p>On a related note, I wonder whether one can send a D5 to Nikon and have them swap the memory card module to convert a CF-type D5 to an XQD-type D5 or vice versa. I know that is not switchable by the user, but a technician should be able to make the switch after taking the D5 apart.</p>

[Mary Doo]

<blockquote>

<p>They provide a spec chart that compares the D500 with the D7200 and the D300s. About the only thing that is left out are the sizes of the cameras. There is a reason for this and that is that the D500 is larger than both of the other cameras. For that matter, it is larger in every dimension and heavier than the full frame D750. It is the same width as the D810, .3" shorter and only .1" thinner.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>It doesn't seem to be much larger/smaller nor heavier/lighter in any meaningful way. Here are the dimension and weight comparison (from Nikon USA):</p>

<p>D500: 5.8 x 4.6 x 3.2 inches || 26.9 oz<br /> D300: 5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 inches || 29.3 oz<br /> D300s: 5.8 x 4.5 x 2.9 inches || 30 oz<br /> D750: 5.6 x 4.5 x 3.1 inches || 26.5 oz<br /> D810: 5.8 x 4.9 x 3.3 inches || 31.1 oz</p>

[Two23]

<p>Reading the only available review I could find, it sounds like the XQD cards are the only ones capable of keeping up with 10 fps. As to weight, I think we should be comparing it to the D5. Clearly the D500 has an advantage here. Will have to wait for more real life reviews, but this just might be Nikon's best wildlife body. Reading the review, I would be a buyer at $1,200 for a used one. This camera coupled with two or three of the new flash would be great at weddings. The SB-900 flash I use are bulky, and if the SB-5000 retains their power in a smaller form, that's a notable plus. The biggest negative for me on D500 is still no availability of wide angle PC-E lenses.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[eric_arnold]

<blockquote>

<p>Will have to wait for more real life reviews, but this just might be Nikon's best wildlife body.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>well, it supercedes the d7200 for sure. interesting there's less discussion around the D5. the wireless flash is also a step forward for Nikon. </p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Had I not recently bought a D7200, would I be considering the D500?<br /> For me, I'd summarise the pros and cons of the D500 like this (big likes and dislikes in bold).<br /> Pros:</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>Tiltable screen</strong></li>

<li><strong>Retains 10 pin socket</strong></li>

<li>Better build quality?</li>

<li>Eyepiece blind</li>

<li>Extended ISO range</li>

</ul>

<p>Cons:</p>

<ul>

<li><strong>Use of XQD card</strong> and not even with identical card slots!</li>

<li><strong>Twice the price of the D7200</strong></li>

<li><strong>Built-in flash incompatible with optical AWL<br /></strong></li>

<li>Heavier by 85 grams</li>

<li>Only 20 megapixels as opposed to 24</li>

<li>Loss of 1/320th flash X-synch - not a really big deal but still a backward step</li>

</ul>

<p>So you see the Cons largely outweigh the Pros for me.<br /> All the rest of its features I have no real need for, or have doubtful value. Faster frame rate and bigger buffer - I'm not into spray and pray. More AF points - but are they any more accurate? 4K video - what can I view that on? Bluetooth - old hat technology. Expeed 5 - I see nothing wrong with Expeed 4 at sensible frame rates. More sensors in the metering - but will it make the metering any less flakey?</p>

<p>In short, had the D500 come to market 6 months ago, would I have chosen it over the D7200? Almost definitely not.<br>

And in view of the fact that cost and weight-wise there's very little penalty in moving to FX, why would anyone else choose it?</p>

<p> </p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>Hi Rodeo Joe, the D500 has no pop-up flash. I am pretty sure that it is the first Nikon DSLR outside of the single-digit D series (D1 to D5) that has no pop-up flash. With the migration from infrared iTTL to radio trigger, you no longer need the pop-up flash to be the master flash.</p>

<p>New York photographer Todd Owyoung was a beta tester for the D500. Here is his impression on the new camera. Obviously Nikon paid him to test and capture images with the new D500 for Nikon's marketing, so don't expect Owyoung to have anything negative to say about the new camera:<br /> http://www.ishootshows.com/2016/01/05/shooting-impressions-on-assignment-with-the-nikon-d500-and-sb-5000/</p>

<p>It should also be clear that the D500 indeed has one SD slot and one XQD slot. The SD slot is UHS-II (UHS 2) compatible. Most likely you need the speed from either XQD or UHS-2 to sustain a fast frame rate.</p>

[mag_miksch]

<blockquote>

<p><em>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</em></p>

</blockquote>

<p><em><br /></em>You just have to interpolate the D400^^</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>I can see the D500 is going to be a polarizing camera.</p>

<p>I think many are thinking it's the next step from the 7200 and are nit-picking the differences.</p>

<p>If you're a D7x00 user I suspect the D500 wasn't made for you in mind. If you are a sports photog who has to make his dollar stretch further because that world is shrinking, but photos still need to be made... if you are an action or journalism photographer... that's your camera. One of those and a D5 both around your neck at the next Olympics will be a sweet deal. Wildlife photographer on safari? Ideal. Soccer Mom? Er... nope...</p>

<p>If you're doing landscapes, portraits, studio photography, it's wrong. Nikon knows that.</p>

<p>Frankly, I think both of these cameras are potentially big home runs.</p>

[Two23]

<p>I wonder if Nikon's strategy is to put a body out there that appeals to users of "serious" long lenses. Those are big bucks for Nikon, and a camera like this will certainly drive some sales of them. As for the using two card formats, I have that on the D800E and it is a pain in the butt, not a deal killer though. If an XQD is what it takes to get 10 fps, there's your answer. OTOH, you can't just walk into a local Walmart and buy an XQD. Having a slot for the ubiquitous SD card is a plus if you run out of memory and need to quickly buy more. So, the flexibility allows you to have your cake and eat it too.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>Congratulations to the D400 loyalists, you have your prize, and it is a dandy! Nikon really hit it out of the park with the D5, and especially the D500.</p>

<p>Sitting here thinking about buying a D500, so I need to go fondle my Df, LoL.</p>

<p>At least until the FX version of the D500 is released, and I bet that's not far down the road. Better yet, a Dfx with the D5 goodies inside, please.</p>

[mag_miksch]

<p>good news for the friends of the D200 body, 7xxx users will not understand.^^</p>

[ShunCheung]

<blockquote>

<p>At least until the FX version of the D500 is released, and I bet that's not far down the road. Better yet, a Dfx with the D5 goodies inside, please.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The FX version of the D500 is already released; that is called the D5. :-)</p>

<p>I am sure Nikon will update the D810 to either D820, D900, or whatever model number they choose with the new Multi-CAM 20000 AF module, 4K video, EXPEED 5 and whatever 42MP or 50MP .... I expect that in the 2nd half of 2016.</p>

<p>Wouldn't hold my breath on the Df update. Would you like to have 4K video on it? :-)</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>The only way we get a Dfx is if Df sales have been stronger than expected, and it's hard to tell about that? Video not needed, but OK if included. The AF would be very nice to have, and the even higher ISO performance, of course.</p>

<p>The D900 is inevitable, but I assume Nikon will want to sell a good number of D5's before the D900 gets announced. Still, I think it will be announced this year.</p>

<p>We'll see...</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The D5 and the successor to the D800/D810 serve different needs. Recall that back in 2012, Nikon announced the D4 in January and then the D800/D800E in February. There isn't much conpetition between them. However, the big difference back in 2012 was that there was no accompanying D400 to go along with the D4.</p>

<p>There are a lot of other activities going along with a product launch: obviously manufacturing, distribution, marketing, getting repair parts ready, training technicians to repair the new products .... With both the D5 and D500 in progress, I don't think Nikon will announce another DSLR in the next three months. And the next announcement will likely be some consumer-grade D3000 series.</p>

<p>With a brand new Multi-CAM 20000 AF module, EXPEED 5 and other new parts, I think it is inevitable that there will be some glitches that require recalls, repair, and firmware upgrade .... With the Rio summer Olympics coming in seven months, I am sure Nikon's priority is to perfect the D5 (and D500) for the games.</p>

<p>2016 is an even year with Photokina in September (starting on September 25). I would expect new camera announcements after the Olympics (August 5 to 21) in late August to early/mid September, not only from Nikon but also from other manufacturers.</p>

[Peter_in_PA]

<p>Shun, EXACTLY!</p>

<p>I think some people still remember the D3/D700 launch. Identical sensors, similar AF capability, much more overlap. There is really very little significant overlap between D500 and D7x00. And there is REALLY very little overlap between D5 and the rest of the FX lineup.<br>

People complain I guess, but that is a brilliant product strategy!</p>