Nikon D500 - first impressions

[dslater]

There are tangible proofs that these new materials are weaker than the traditional ones when it comes to impacts to the camera mount. Thus while their use might improve some construction problems, they certainly create new ones.

Even the most careful of users can encounter mishaps in the field. When the choice is between having a camera being misaligned or completely broken when an accident should occur, I for one much prefer the first alternative. One can then, with some extra attention, still use the camera, whilst a broken camera with the mount ripped out is completely useless. I have experienced both scenarios over the years.

Perhaps Nikon should put steel inserts into the mount foundation of the last generation plastic/thermoplastic/carbon fibre or whatever material is used, to make them more robust?  I have seen too many problems crop up with my Df cameras over the last years to believe the new material is a progress of camera construction. Sorry, but true.

The above is particularly relevant for D500 users with long lenses attached to their cameras.

This was the solution I suggested at some point; either using larger diameter screws with more thread area or threaded inserts of some sort,,,,

Good idea. Unfortunately it would probably negate the primary motivation for using thermoplastic instead of metal, which is most likely production cost reduction. I'm sure that stamping out thermoplastic components is cheaper and faster than machining out metal parts. Adding these reinforcements would likely slow down production and increase cost to the point the advantage would be lost.

[Andrea B.]

How much of an improvement in IQ do you see compared to your D300?

I have both the D300 and D500. Subjectively speaking, the D500 is leaps & bounds better than the D300. I do not disrespect the D300 because it has a very fine "drawing" capability at low ISO IMHO, and I loved using that camera in its day. But the increased number of pixels, the improved high-ISO capability and the better colour of the D500 should be immediately obvious. For me, the best improvement in the newest Nikon DSLRs (and other brands, too) like the D500 is the improvement in dynamic range. It handles highlights and shadows better. (Note:  I make full use of the D500 in-camera ADL for shadow improvement. This requires a converter which will respect that.)

Rent a D500 and try it out!

[dslater]

How much of an improvement in IQ do you see compared to your D300?

I have both the D300 and D500. Subjectively speaking, the D500 is leaps & bounds better than the D300. I do not disrespect the D300 because it has a very fine "drawing" capability at low ISO IMHO, and I loved using that camera in its day. But the increased number of pixels, the improved high-ISO capability and the better colour of the D500 should be immediately obvious. For me, the best improvement in the newest Nikon DSLRs (and other brands, too) like the D500 is the improvement in dynamic range. It handles highlights and shadows better. (Note:  I make full use of the D500 in-camera ADL for shadow improvement. This requires a converter which will respect that.)

Rent a D500 and try it out!

Thanks for the info Andrea. Do you find ADL is improved in the D500 over the D300? I use ADL on my D300, but find if I set it any higher than normal, I don't really like the results

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The D500 has remarkably consistent colours under a wide range of lighting scenarios and can safely run at ISO say 3200 and still deliver excellent detail. Its dynamic range is several stops larger than what D300 could deliver.

Do note that the D500 apparently is set by maker default to expose scenes quite "bright" and some of the dynamic headroom might be lost that way unless the user takes corrective steps and dial in a global meter correction. I don't think my RAW software is to blame as the same tendency to overbright images occur when NEFs are brought into NX-D as well.

Eventually, longevity of any camera runs out and then it is good to know these units might have an afterlife for non-photographic purposes. Like the D1 clunker seen below, acting as a door stopper.

(D500, AFS 300/2.8, ISO 1600)

[Frank Fremerey]

I love love love the Doorstopper image!

I award the Frank Price 2016 for it!

[ColinM]

I have both the D300 and D500. Subjectively speaking, the D500 is leaps & bounds better than the D300.

Oh Andrea, you're not helping.
I have a trip to Mongolia planned for 2017 and my only camera is a D300.....
..... sadly funds for the trip aren't all secured yet so I'm not sure how I handle this (other than sending the kids out to work)

I have got very used to the D300 and about the only thing I've missed over the years is low light capability closer to its FX cousins

Like the D1 clunker seen below, acting as a door stopper.

Only in Bjornland

[David H. Hartman]

Thanks for the info Andrea. Do you find ADL is improved in the D500 over the D300? I use ADL on my D300, but find if I set it any higher than normal, I don't really like the results

I've set a friend's D300 to Active D-Lighting of Normal. The camera is also setup for NEF + JPG fine and large. I also set -2/6 stop exposure fine tune and the standard picture control. She uploads her photos to a laptop in JPG only and I backup the NEF and take them home for post processing.

I set ADL on my D800 and D300s to Low so I can use ADL in Capture NX2 though I seldom use CNX2 now. I find ADL at settings higher than Normal is not a set and forget feature. When using more than normal ADL setting I all but always use exposure compensation, LCH Master Lightness. I may also use the Neutral or Flat Picture Control in Capture NX-D with ADL. I shoot NEF(s) in lossless compression, no JPG(s).

Others my find ADL works for them without further post processing. I don't. If it works better on the D500 in the Auto setting that would be quite a feat.

Dave

[Frank Fremerey]

Colin. The low light capability of the D600 is same or better than
that of the D500. It can be had used for very cheap. Use her along
with the D500 every day. Great camera. Most bang for the buck
by several miles.

[ColinM]

Colin. The low light capability of the D600 is same or better than
that of the D500.

Thanks Frank. A few years back I was almost on the point of moving to FX and D600 was on the wish list at the time.

However some of my favourite subjects are sports & wildlife and the extra magnification from the DX was a factor for me. Already my 300mm and TC14 isn't quite long enough for some things, and I couldn't have afforded longer glass as well as a change of body.

[BW]

Unless you are planning to leave the tripod at home, there is no reason the D300 wouldnt give you pictures on par with what you were able to capture before. Without a tripod you are able to keep on shooting roughly half an hour longer, during dusk and dawn. Stitching, HDR, composites, tripod, graduated ND-filters and knowledge will give you the pictures you are able to imagine, even with the D300.

[Frank Fremerey]

Thanks Frank. A few years back I was almost on the point of moving to FX and D600 was on the wish list at the time.

However some of my favourite subjects are sports & wildlife and the extra magnification from the DX was a factor for me. Already my 300mm and TC14 isn't quite long enough for some things, and I couldn't have afforded longer glass as well as a change of body.

Ah. OK. You are into tele and cropping and you need AF capability too. That is not for the D600.
She is for slow high quality big print shots and wide angle work. My 24mm is a real 24mm with  her.

[ColinM]

Thanks Frank, yes in an ideal world maybe I'd have both.

And thanks too Børge. I can safely say no tripod will be taken - some of this trip is being done by camel & staying in yurts. Realistically I will take the D300 and possibly just a single 18-50 zoom. We are covering a few thousand Km and I expect it to be quite knackering.

[stenrasmussen]

I do like how the D500 keep colors under control when ISO is turned up. The lack of linear read out noise is also brilliant.

[dslater]

I set ADL on my D800 and D300s to Low so I can use ADL in Capture NX2 though I seldom use CNX2 now. I find ADL at settings higher than Normal is not a set and forget feature. When using more than normal ADL setting I all but always use exposure compensation, LCH Master Lightness. I may also use the Neutral or Flat Picture Control in Capture NX-D with ADL. I shoot NEF(s) in lossless compression, no JPG(s).

Based on what my D300 user manual says, my understanding of ADL (at least for a D300) is that it has a hardware component that affects the RAW image itself and can't be fully reproduced in post-processing. Indeed, my D300 retouch menu has a D-lighting menu pick, and so did the original Capture-NX. I do recall Nikon documentation stating that D-lighting in retouch & Capture-NX can't achieve results that are as good as using Active-D lighting when you are shooting.

 Of course, this is something that may have changed with newer cameras.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

These days, I'm slowly exploring the features and image quality of my D500. I gave up on processing wiith the awful NX-D and have run the D500 NEFs through PhotoNinja instead. My version of PN  (1.25) does not directly support D500, but apparently does just fine with a little help in terms of colour profiles. I have compared the output against results from the last version (1.34) that claims to support D500, and difference is frankly negligible.

Some of the lenses used with D500 produce very pleasing output. I already mentioned the old 17-35/2.8 that balances almost perfectly with the D500, and the same goes for the 20/2.8 AIS (CPU-enabled). I used the latter extensively of late.

Here is an example of the D500 combined with 20/2.8. Hand-held ISO 200, f/16, at the near limit. Subject is Cinnamon Rose Rosa majalis, a low-growing rose species native to the Nordic region and adjacent parts of Russia.

Full frame, then 100% crop. No sharpening. Not bad for a DX camera in my humble opinion, despite a possible substandard development through PN.  The 20 does a good service on this camera, as it incidentally also does on the Df.