D500 General Discussion Thread

heartyfisher

I don't think the missing pop-up flash on the D500 will be of any significance. You can get an SB400 for fill flash or a radio transmitter for less than $200.

SB400 does not have commander mode (i think) and radio transmitters dont have AF assist lights.... (cheap ones anyway..)

I guess all you need to get is a second or third SB600/SB700/SB800/SB900/SB910. and have some juggling skills ;-) instead.

heartyfisher

Seems to me that if you don't need the FPS and rugged build then the D500 not having an onboard flash is a mute point. Why even consider it? On the other hand, if you want the FPS and rugged build then not having the flash is no big deal. I'm not sure I get this whole "I'm not buying it because..." stuff. This thread turned into a discussion of flash equipment rather than the camera itself. Stick with what ya got if you need the flash. You probably don't need the other abilities of this camera. It's that simple.

The D500 is much more than just 10 fps and rugged build... :-) I kind of like the rugged build but I couldn't care less about the 10fps. its the other dozen or so features I am kind of interested in. and, yes having to factor in an extra $400 for flash commander functionality is .. well needs to be considered.

I agree though.. needs its own thread ...

retread

There are a few things I would change about the D500,

I would like the tilting screen to be like the D5___ cameras
I was hoping for 24 MP
my current flash is a Metz 45CL-4, too large to carry all the time. I use an old suitcase when I take it out which is not often. It works great but is big. I will have to add the cost of a small flash to the cost of the camera, one more thing to carry. I very seldom use flash.
I would like the cards to be two of the same with XQD the preferred card.

I don't think any of these are real deal breakers for me. I will not be getting one soon as I just don't have the funds available.

I am anxious to see what the D810 replacement is. If it has advancements as impressive as the D5 and D500 I could see myself using both the D810 replacement and the D500. Different tools for different jobs. They can act as backup for each other if I were to have any problems. The cost of a D5 is just too high to consider.

My lenses are all FX except a couple on the wide end of DX. I am building my kit width shooting both DX and FX formats in mind.

donaldejose

You can get a Nikon SU-800 commander or a Nikon SB-700 (with commander built-in) on e-bay for about $200 so there are lots of inexpensive options for those who normally use the pop-up flash to control off-camera non-radio speedlights. There will also be a lot more of these units on the market over the next few years and prices will drop because many people will be moving to the new radio flash system. The "missing" pop-up flash on the D500 won't be an issue any more than it has been on a D3 or D4. Better viewfinder, best AF system on the market, auto flicker control, better high ISO, more robust build, great fps, etc will be why so many people will be purchasing a D500. But KenRockwell will still complain that it doesn't have the U1 and U2 controls in the dial on top!

heartyfisher

what !! no U1 U2 !

retread

U1 U2 would be useful too but guess we can't have everything.

WestEndFoto

U1 U2 would be useful too but guess we can't have everything.

If you are like me and only shoot raw, is U1 U2 useful?

manhattanboy

If you are like me and only shoot raw, is U1 U2 useful?

Yes. Its the fastest way to know that your setting are correct and you can just start shooting without thinking. Here's the problem I have on the 810: camera in bag and the dials get accidentally turned or bracketing gets accidentally pushed with my movement. I see a great shot of bird as I'm walking, then immediately whip out the camera and start shooting. Look later in post and now see the exposure was off as I now have an unnecessary bracket sequence, or slower than expected shutter speed, etc. Yes I can "correct" SOME of this in RAW but it only does so much and does not do anything for when the shutter speed dial accidentally gets turned the wrong way. Having the U1/U2, when I grab the camera out of the bag, I give it a quick twist and that automatically resets everything to how I want it. End result is a happy customer.

WestEndFoto

Hmmm....I almost always shoot on aperture priority and with most shots, I decide which aperture I want and adjust. I have been caught unintentionally bracketing on occasion.

starralazn

if i need to take a shot at a moments notice, my camera would already be out?

but yeah.. putting it in a bag may mess up your settings

Paperman

Don't own a D7xxx so just curious ...

If one's setting is at U1 and he accidentally presses a button/changes setting/starts bracket mode etc., doesn't the setting change ? Is U1/U2 totally locked for instant /accidental changes ? ( I doubt it ).

Asking because any change made in a D300 while in one of the 4 user banks does end in a change and stays that way ...

WestEndFoto

I think that is Rockwell's complaint against Nikon and why he prefers Canon.

donaldejose

For those of you new to this issue:

From Ken Rockwell's review of the D7000

"The D7000's U1 and U2 positions finally address my biggest beef with Nikon, which is the lack of any fast way to save and recall complete banks of camera settings.

With all my other older Nikons, it takes too long to reset a camera to go from people to landscape photography, so I keep one camera for each kind of shooting. With the D7000, I now have two cameras in one, each recalled in the flick of the dial.

Gone are Nikon's two sets of four stupid settings banks, which took as long to select as not having them at all, and they never locked or could be saved anyway. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

The U1 and U2 modes are easy to set in MENU > SETUP > Save user settings > (select U1 or U2) > Save settings, and the camera's settings are burnt into that spot on the dial.

My white balance and trims, exposure compensations, exposure modes, AUTO ISO minimum speed settings, flash modes and everything else I want in each setting follow along, and instantly recall as I set either on the dial. This is even better than Canon, whose C1, C2 and C3 settings remember everything, but Canon's Auto ISO can't be programmed to higher speeds to optimize it for action as I do on my Nikons.

Better than Canon's C1, C2 and C3 positions on their mode dials, Nikon's U1 and U2 settings save whatever tweaks you make to them, even if you turn off the power, and then reset to your personally preset defaults any time you switch to a different setting and return! Yay! This way if I have to tweak a white balance it stays that way for the duration, and next time I select U1 or U2, I'm back to my personal defaults. I love it!

If you want to make a permanent change to either of these settings, simply make the changes while in the U1 or U2 position, and then MENU > SETUP > Save user settings > (select U1 or U2) and you're done."

Ken has been pushing for U1 and U2 on all Nikon bodies ever since and calls the professional series memory banks "stupid."

From Ken's review of the Nikon D800

"Very sadly, the D800 still uses the same horrible Custom Settings Banks and Shooting Banks from the D300 of 2007. These don't work:

1.) Banks can't be locked; as you change settings, you never can get back to where you were, and

2.) Even after you jockey two sets of banks (Custom and Shooting banks), even then the two banks together only recall a limited subset of all the camera settings.

In other words, these settings banks only half address the problem, and what little they cover is only fast enough to recall settings when changing from assignment to assignment (Presidential portrait sitting versus Route 66 road trip).

If you're shooting indoors and suddenly want to turn and shoot out the window, or recall a different set of AF settings, you have to play in the menus and recall both banks, which requires a load of clicks to navigate around."

Many people have differing opinions on this issue depending upon their normal shooting style. Nikon disagrees with Ken and keeps putting the U settings on its enthusiast bodies and the banks settings on its professional bodies. I am assuming the D5 and D500 continue with that pattern.

haroldp

Some wireless triggers simply duplicate the on camera signal so that off camera flashes all think they are on camera. I have not tried this but using such a trigger, a flash that can be commander mode on camera should work off camera. The interesting part is that triggers that di this tend to be the cheapest (I use pixel kings but there are several generic chinese products that look identical).


... H

donaldejose

good idea Harold. I think you will be able to use an inexpensive radio trigger on the hot shoe (on e-bay for about 20) to trigger an off camera flash set in commander mode which then controls all your other flashes. However, you won't be able to control all your off camera flashes from the camera. You can also set all your flashes to manual and use inexpensive radio triggers on each of them or on just one with the others set to fire in slave mode. I have been shooting in the studio with LED monolights and with flash monolights so I have not been using speedlights for some time other than as a fill flash outside (the SB400 is powerful enough for this) or as a bounce flash inside (the SB400 is weak for this and it is better to use an SB900 or 910 but even an SB600 will work fine in normal sized rooms). The pop-up flash is something I rarely use anymore.

retread

From Thom's commentary "What to Expect from Nikon in 2016".

Now that we’ve had some photo leaks of the body, we also know that Nikon is moving some cheese around (button and control shifts). Sadly, it doesn’t look like Nikon has recognized the need for camera-wide customization via button/dial, so we’re likely still stuck with banks. Indeed, the controls suggest that very little changed from D4 to D5 other than location. This has implications on other cameras, particularly the other pro body, the D810, which has the old control locations. Suggestion to Nikon: since “mode” (exposure mode) is button+dial, simply add C1, C2, C3 options to PASM and M*. Add the consumer models "Save to C1/C2/C3" function in the SETUP menu. Leave the banks. Bingo. Full programmability that’s easily switched and has depth/breadth.

Maybe Thom and Ken agree!

WestEndFoto

Thanks for the clarification Donaldjose. I suppose that since I am shooting raw, there are a limited number of parameters that I wish to change (aperture, ISO, shutter speed, exposure comp, metering mode, white balance, bracketing and focus modes are all I can think of), they are never the same twice and they are quick to change with the buttons. I am learning my wife's D5500 so I can teach her to use it. Maybe I will find an application there.

CaMeRaQuEsT

Looking right now at Amazon's best selling ILC camera charts, the D500 has basically popped and fizzled. It had ascended up to 3rd within a few days after pre-order books were opened, but now after less than 2 weeks it is way back at 28th. I remember the 7dii fighting with the D750 for the #1 position for a couple of weeks back when those were introduced. Meanwhile the X-PRO2 is already at #3 on its second day.

PB_PM

You cannot expect high end, higher price, cameras to stay high on those charts. Lets face it, the the D500 is not a mainstream product vs the sub $1000 ILC will be.

Mirrorless is all the rage, and the mirrorless fanboys are quick to buy the latest and greatest, even if they sell it 5 months after they buy it, because the next version came out (not that Fuji does that...).

donaldejose

Wait until the D500 is out and has lots of reviews before judging how many people will be purchasing it.

heartyfisher

Some wireless triggers simply duplicate the on camera signal so that off camera flashes all think they are on camera. I have not tried this but using such a trigger, a flash that can be commander mode on camera should work off camera. The interesting part is that triggers that di this tend to be the cheapest (I use pixel kings but there are several generic chinese products that look identical).


... H

Had a look at the Pixel kings you suggested.. The Yougnuo still seems better.. here is a comparison with the canon versions but the Nikon versions should be similar I think... http://www.pabstphoto.com/yongnuo-yn-622c-vs-pixel-king-flash-triggers/

FreezeAction

For someone who like pixels and lots of them for my purpose the D500 could have came with 12-14 MP with 12 fps and a very clean ISO 25,600 would have me elated. The reality is no one body can be all things to all shooters.

pictureted

For someone who like pixels and lots of them for my purpose the D500 could have came with 12-14 MP with 12 fps and a very clean ISO 25,600 would have me elated. The reality is no one body can be all things to all shooters.

Absolutely true - especially when you consider that there will always be inherent advantage in both DX and FX formats. Given a choice I can always imagine wanting one of each.

WestEndFoto

For someone who like pixels and lots of them for my purpose the D500 could have came with 12-14 MP with 12 fps and a very clean ISO 25,600 would have me elated. The reality is no one body can be all things to all shooters.

Absolutely true - especially when you consider that there will always be inherent advantage in both DX and FX formats. Given a choice I can always imagine wanting one of each.

To me, my D800 is nearly perfect with the D810 wrapping a bow around it. A D820 will likely be a natural upgrade for me. If I wanted something different, it would be a DF with 36 megapixels and two SD card slots.

NSXTypeR

I wonder what the birders on the forum think about this camera- specifically CoastalConn. I don't think he missed out, as he went to a 7D MkII with a telephoto for about $3,500. I think any competent photographer would have been able to get great shots out of a DSLR and a decent telephoto.