Nikon D500 - first impressions

[Andy]

Similar to the thread with the D5, I'd like to share my experiences with the D500 in a kind of ongoing story.
Got my camera earlier today, chose the Kit - D500 camera with the 16-80mm lens.

Didn't have much time today, took only the test images for Bill Cliff so we are able to see the D500 sensor performance in the context of
http://photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm and to get a deeper insight into Dynamic Range, Fixed Pattern Noise and Dark Noise of the D500 sensor.

more info to come.
rgds,
Andy

[Jakov Minić]

Andy, I am really looking forward to your impressions.
I have followed the link but I couldn't find the D500 listed?

[Andy]

Andy, I am really looking forward to your impressions.
I have followed the link but I couldn't find the D500 listed?

Hi Jakov,
I just sent the 170 RAW files to Bill for his analysis.
Hope he has time. As soon he is done, they will appear on the link above.
rgds, Andy

[Andrea B.]

Andy, this is exciting! I just got my D500 2 days ago. I'm eager to see your analysis and hear your impressions.

My first impressions of the D500 are very, very favorable, especially w.r.t. the colour. This is not something I typically pay all that much attention to as colour interpretation can be so subjective, but there seem to be some improvements?

I mounted up the 70-200/4 AFS VR on the D500, set everything to "rat-a-tat-tat" mode and aimed at little moving critters like birds & squirrels. Seems to me that the D500 is blazing fast and both the AF and the basic AF-C & d25 tracking are excellent. I speculate that the birders will find the D500 to be the camera of choice for their work. Perhaps the sports photographers also?

[[Yesterday I tried to post some photos of a robin in flight only to realize that they had not been well converted, so I'll need to update the bits and pieces of my software.]]

There are some new D500 settings - new to me anyway - which need investigation. For 3D Tracking there is now a Wide vs. Normal setting and Subject Motion setting for focus tracking with lock-on.   

Ergonomically the D500 seems solid, well-built. The right-hand grip is slightly different now with a deeper 'overhang' giving a more secure grip. A couple of other changes also, but I don't want to intrude further on your thread!!

One more note - if anyone is hesitating over the XQD card, then do get it. My XQD is fast, fast, fast and I don't think I even got the fastest one. Also the card is a nice solid thing unlike the little bendy SD cards. Size is in-between CF card and SD card.

[armando_m]

Nice to see the D500 is on hand by a few fellow NG members , looking forward to more of your comments and images

Regarding the XQD card, how do you transfer the raw files file to the computer ?  do you use a card reader plugged to the computer USB ?

[Andrea B.]

My particular XQD card - a 32GB Sony G series @ 400 MB/s - was packaged with a USB reader. The adapter is 1.75 x 3" with a card slot in one end and a capped USB connecter in the other. Thus, I am currently limited to a USB 2.0 readout on my old Macbook Pro Retina.

However, the D500 has wireless. So today I'll set that up and give it a try for transferring photos. And the D500 will also connect to smart device. So maybe I'll try that too. Download some Jpgs to my iPad maybe??

[Frank Fremerey]

Nikon Germany seems not to have an awful lot of these. My dealer spoke to them this morning.

I may have mine by the weekend. Doves, Squirrels, parrots are my first planned targets all of them
on an old cemetary round the corner.

XQDs are in the mail.

Until I get a card reader I download from the camera.

For the time being I have to cope with Lightroom for development or is PN ready for D500?

[Andrea B.]

Photo Ninja is quite happy to handle the D500 if you have the updates.

[Hermann]

For the time being I have to cope with Lightroom for development or is PN ready for D500?

I heard from a friend of mine in the US that he prefers NX-D for the D500 at the moment. He thinks the results are better than with other converters.

Hermann

[Frank Fremerey]

Thank you Herrmann and Andrea. I will try both. Update PN and try NX-D to compare

[Andy]

As "promised", a "real time" experience sharing.
I had the camera today with me during a trip, together with the 16-80mm 2.8-4 lens. This combo is definitely lighter than the D5+24-120mm (1320gr vs. 2115gr). In other words, the D500 incl the lens is lighter than the D5 body alone. Or the FX Combo is 60% heavier. Whatever you prefer.

The shutter sounds softer, kind of what I heard with the D810. Nice frequency.

The D500 has a flicker supression feature. Cool. Can be seen in the viewfinder when active (lower right corner). Seems to be a capability in the exposure meter (the sensor does not get light in viewfinder mode)

The D500 and the 128GB 2933x XQD cards work well - no issues detected (unlike with some SDXC cards - according to some Posts @dpreview). The camera and the XQD cards are super fast. Haven't checked if the D500 has the same speed as the D5. Will be intersting to see the battery life of the D500. Won't be as high as with the D5, where 4-5000 photos per charge is rather normal.
 
The viewfinder: Joy. The size is really great for a DX camera. Very close to the FX experience. One of the highlights of this camera.
Unfortunately the diopter in the viewfinder can only compensate for -2EV . Don't know why the D500 can't get to the usual -3EV most other Nikon bodies can.
 
A few images while on the go in the airports (all NEF versions of the images can be accessed <here>. Just use the filenumber as an index)

1) ISO 3200
2) ISO 6400
3) ISO 1000
4) ISO 1600

 

[Andy]

1) ISO 3200
2) ISO 3200
3) ISO 3200
4) ISO 3200 as captured
5) Picture (4) -2EV, plus ADL

[Andy]

1) ISO 1600
2) ISO 3200
3) ISO 6400

[Erik Lund]

Thanks Andy et al for the early images! Nice to hear all the positive reactions;)

[Andrea B.]

Using the D500 + 70-200/4G AFS VR, I stress tested the XQD card and the battery this afternoon by shooting 731 NEFs (19.8GB) of hopping squirrels with a few birds thrown in for good measure. As well as some tests in which I initially focused on some trees probably 50 feet behind my yard fence and then slowly panned into the yard (across the fence) and through the various plants in the garden until I finished with focus on the bricks about 4 feet away.
 

I worked mostly using AF-C with d25, d72 or the amazing d153 together with various combinations of a3 lock-on. I also tried the AF-C + Auto combo (which would work much better on a subject moving against a plain background). I flipped back and forth with focusing: sometimes using the shutter and sometimes using AF-ON.

Summary: the D500 is an excellent tracker. As is always wise to remember, the D500 can't track "on its own". You have to really work and practice with these settings and know which one is appropriate for which moving subject. Well, **I** have to practice this stuff, YMMV.  But it is fun, and the D500 makes it easier than it used to be.

The first 5 in a sequence of 15.
f/5 for 1/1000" with auto-ISO varying from 2000 to 3200.
Only one in the sequence was slightly oof.
Cropped and resized for posting, no edits.
The crop area (prior to resize) was 8% of the area of the original photo.

[[I am really tired of squirrels.]]