Speed of D500 AF

[Barry Clemmons Photography]

<p>Today I was able to get the best example yet (for myself) of the speed of the D500 AF. I was by the lake earlier using the 600mm lens on the D500 trying to get more BIF shots. I noticed some small (about 1") dragonflies flying erratically over the water about 20' away. Just for fun I decided to try to capture a shot of one in flight, not really expecting to get a successful shot. At first I used Auto Area but for some reason it was not able to focus on one of them. A couple of days ago I set up my FN1 button for Group AF so I depressed that and was lucky enough to center it on one of them and fire off a couple of shots. Attached is one of those shots that I have cropped. I tried for another 10 minutes or so to get another shot and was not able to do so. I will have to say that the AF is almost instantaneous using the 600mm on the D500. I'm not sure the 200-500mm would have focused quickly enough for me to get this shot since it focuses just a little slower than the 600mm on the D500 (or D5).</p><div></div>

[Andrew Garrard]

<p>Cool - very nice, Barry. I've tried to get hoverflies in flight with a 300mm f/4, and it was extremely painful and almost impossible (and for some reason flies like to show me their bottoms even when they're in focus). I'll start saving for the D810-successor-with-D500-AF, then. :-)</p>

[ShunCheung]

<p>The first auto-focus SLR Nikon sold widely was the F501/N2020 introduced in 1986. I bought my first AF SLR in 1989, an N8008 (F801) followed by an F4. (There was an earlier F3-AF with a couple of AF lenses, but those are uncommon.) AF was quite primitive in the first decade or so.</p>

<p>While I have been using AF extensively in the last 27 years and have been depending on AF heavily since the D5 (1996), the D5/D500 dual is the first time I feel that AF is very dependable in various difficult situations such that I have great confidence with it nearly 100% of the time. Between 2005 (D2X) and 2015, AF has served me very well, but there are always some difficult situations that AF tends to fall apart. However, I am sure that there is always room for further improvement.</p>

<p>It makes me wonder how photography will be like 27 years from now. Not sure I'll still be around in year 2043.</p>

[eric_arnold]

<p>nice capture, barry. </p>

[mag_miksch]

<p>D500 rocks, not like this 7xxx stuff^^</p>