D500 General Discussion Thread

Ironheart

Almost certainly. The Fn1 button next to the mount is in the same place as the DoF preview button on every Nikon DSLR that has one.

Coastalconn

Does any one know does the D500 have depth of field preview? If it is in the specs somewhere I missed it.

Yes, it's on the d500 website. Called PV button. I think it is above the front function button

retread

Does any one know does the D500 have depth of field preview? If it is in the specs somewhere I missed it.

Yes, it's on the d500 website. Called PV button. I think it is above the front function button

Thanks. I thought that may be it but just could not confirm it.

Ironheart

@coastalconn is correct. It's above the button I was describing. On page 10 in the brochure labeled Pv.
http://chsvimg.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d500/common/pdf/technology-digest.pdf

heartyfisher

is autofocusing in dark lighting. does anyone ever have a problem with this?....

The SU-800 will solve both problems. You can have the AF-assist, and commander mode. A used SU-800 can be had for less than $100, and there isn't much to break or wear out on this device. There are knock-offs that are really cheap as well.

yeah i've thought of using that... but at the same time, i'm kinda waiting for them to update it, it came out in 2005(!), surely the update to it is coming soon, and with radio support..

The AF in very dark places can be a problem, I have the D7000 and D610 which is better but still hunts in the dark. Having the AF assist from my SB800 is very useful ! Lets you AF in total darkness :-) The af assist light on the body also good but its so Bright when in the dark places that It distracts and draws attention Much more than the AF asssist red beams.

The Nikon SU-800 as mentioned by Ironheart is a great solution the 3rdparty option is the Debao SU-800 which has more range and is cheaper.

Another option is the Yongnua YN-622N Radiotrigger which has an af assist light.

However, the the D7200 can AF very very well in the dark.(-3EV) (the D750 has the same rated sensitivity of -3Ev) and The D500 is rated even better (-4EV) so maybe the AF-Assist light is less of a concern :-) I know that my D7200 AF is not the limiting factor :-) My eyesight is .. The High ISO is also more limiting than the AF.. but its less of an issue as you really cant see what you are shooting at anyway :-) and I have very good night vision!

Mackxs

I do not understand the desire to have a DX wide or midrange. Most everything under 200mm is probably better shot on FX. Yes you could argue that DX lenses are smaller than FX ones, but we are talking about the D500, a camera that is bigger and heavier than several FX cameras. If Nikon really wanted to pair this camera with a DX lens, they would have made a PF version of the 200-500 with a DX image circle (e.g. make it super tiny and light weight). THAT would be an amazing lens and a dream come true, as the best benefit of the D500 is in allowing one to remain mobile while shooting telephoto action.

Most DX cameras are sold to people who are not pro (or even amateur) sports and wildlife shooters). They go to owners who do general shooting and travel with them and who experiment with photography with their first DSLR. They need range from wide to tele. And then there's me who walk many kilometres around the city shooting. I want an ovw and I want fast, reliable autofocus and responsiveness, so my answer lies in a small DSLR. I often wonder why they don't have wider zoom lenses. The 16 - 80 is great. A 14 - 50, if they could make one, would be awesome.

Mackxs

Speaking of the 16-80, have you all been happy with its auto-focus performance? The review of it on LensTip was quite critical of its AF speed and accuracy, which if true makes it seem like an odd pairing with a sports camera that needs quick and accurate AF.

http://www.lenstip.com/458.10-Lens_review-Nikon_Nikkor_AF-S_DX_16-80_mm_f_2.8-4E_ED_VR_Autofocus.html

I pretty much disagree with this part of the review. I use this lens on a D7200 and it focuses as fast as any other lens I have. This part of the review leads me to believe they have a bum copy, as mine is 0 across the board:

"What’s more, the lens didn’t avoid back focus problems in their worst possible form so depending on the focal length value. The autofocus fared well only after applying 15-16 units of microcalibration at the shortest focal length, 6-7 units in the middle of the range and 3-4 units at the longer focal length.""

This is probably contributing to the slowness and focus hunting. Their lens (and/or D7000) clearly needs to go into the shop.

I wish I had that combo! Do you have a link to some photos taken with it?

Ironheart

I'll post some on PAD in the next 24hours

DaveyJ

We have made the decision to buy a D500 as soon as we can get one. For the last few years we use Nikons everyday at work and the few times we are off recreating, so the D500 seems like the camera for us. We are buying a underwater housing for it with the ports for the wide angle UW lens we are getting with it. My son was amazed at how much the 16-80 VR lens adds to the package but from my use of it on D7100 and D7200 it is worth it! Used underwater though wide angles including fisheye are the usual.

One_Oh_Four

We have made the decision to buy a D500 as soon as we can get one. For the last few years we use Nikons everyday at work and the few times we are off recreating, so the D500 seems like the camera for us. We are buying a underwater housing for it with the ports for the wide angle UW lens we are getting with it. My son was amazed at how much the 16-80 VR lens adds to the package but from my use of it on D7100 and D7200 it is worth it! Used underwater though wide angles including fisheye are the usual.

:-O

And there goes one of the rocksteady facts of life that I knew..... Davey retires his D7200!!!

:P

heartyfisher

We have made the decision to buy a D500 as soon as we can get one. For the last few years we use Nikons everyday at work and the few times we are off recreating, so the D500 seems like the camera for us. We are buying a underwater housing for it with the ports for the wide angle UW lens we are getting with it. My son was amazed at how much the 16-80 VR lens adds to the package but from my use of it on D7100 and D7200 it is worth it! Used underwater though wide angles including fisheye are the usual.

:-O

And there goes one of the rocksteady facts of life that I knew..... Davey retires his D7200!!!

:P

Yeah there goes another inspiration for me keeping my D7200...
|)

BVS

We have made the decision to buy a D500 as soon as we can get one.

Just curious, what about the D500 convinced you to buy it?

manhattanboy

We have made the decision to buy a D500 as soon as we can get one. For the last few years we use Nikons everyday at work and the few times we are off recreating, so the D500 seems like the camera for us. We are buying a underwater housing for it with the ports for the wide angle UW lens we are getting with it. My son was amazed at how much the 16-80 VR lens adds to the package but from my use of it on D7100 and D7200 it is worth it! Used underwater though wide angles including fisheye are the usual.

FYI the folks at B&H said it is ~$3 cheaper to NOT buy the kit and to buy the lens and camera separately. They said that's because of some stupid MAP for authorized dealers from (drumroll....) the geniuses at NikonUSA. [$3,066.95 versus $1,066.95+$1,996.95=$3,063.90]

spraynpray

Bodies with kit lenses should come pre-AF fine-tuned IMHO - that would be worth $3! :-)

heartyfisher

Bodies with kit lenses should come pre-AF fine-tuned IMHO - that would be worth $3! :-)

) You are forgetting D500 has auto AF fine tune !!! >:D<

pictureted

Bodies with kit lenses should come pre-AF fine-tuned IMHO - that would be worth $3! :-)

I agree!

) You are forgetting D500 has auto AF fine tune !!! >:D<</p>

That should make it easier for Nikon to do it for us.

retread

My current camera does not have fine tune so I hove only read about it. With auto fine tune does the camera do it every time you change a lens or can it remember each lens? Starting over each time sounds like a bad idea.

manhattanboy

My current camera does not have fine tune so I hove only read about it. With auto fine tune does the camera do it every time you change a lens or can it remember each lens? Starting over each time sounds like a bad idea.

See this excellent post on how it works.
lensrentals.com/blog/2016/01/how-to-use-af-microadjustment-on-your-camera
Short answer is it keeps it in memory for each lens.

retread

My current camera does not have fine tune so I hove only read about it. With auto fine tune does the camera do it every time you change a lens or can it remember each lens? Starting over each time sounds like a bad idea.

See this excellent post on how it works.
lensrentals.com/blog/2016/01/how-to-use-af-microadjustment-on-your-camera
Short answer is it keeps it in memory for each lens.

Yes that is what I had read about. Does auto fine tune work the same or is it something different?

manhattanboy

Yes that is what I had read about. Does auto fine tune work the same or is it something different?

No one has published their experience doing it, however, what can be gleaned from D500 Japanese pdf (page 17 of that document) is that it uses live view contrast detection to automatically adjust the corrections for the phase detection system, after which you just store those values for the lens. The target Nikon used in their pictures is just a yellow and black square Nikon symbol on a white background... perhaps any target will work though. In comparison to the method detailed in the lensrentals link, Nikon's method appears to equalize the phase system performance to that of the contrast system (hence the ability to automate it without you telling it that it is back or front focused).

donaldejose

We will see whether it is different or not much different when the bodies are released. My impression was that this works differently than what we have now. I think the new system allows you to focus in live view, which is very accurate, and then have the body automatically apply that focal point to the lens you are using. My guess is that it uses the same + or - system of the current system but you don't have to go though the steps of taking a lot of photos at different + and - settings and then look at them enlarged in order to see which number is the best focus. My understanding is that you will no be able to focus in live view and the camera will detect the difference, if any, between that focal point and the one achieved through the optical view finder and then automatically apply the correct + or - number to that lens. I hope for zooms the system is variable enough to let you set separate focal adjustments of the wide end, the long end and half way in between those two. We will see when it arrives.

retread

Thanks guys. I have zooms for wildlife and sports so we will see how that works out.

ads

In Australia the price equation is far less appealing. Right now the D750 is A$2000, while the launch price of the D500 is A$3000! So the question Nikon Australia are posing with their pricing is whether the D500 is a A$1000 better camera than the D750.

To mix the equation up even more you can get a grey market (Hong Kong) D810 for A$2800.

At launch I was all over the D500, but its hard to justify in that pricing equation. I think I'll wait until the price settles down a bit. My next African trip isn't until next year so I can wait.

DaveyJ

While we are buying a D500 ASAP it doesn't mean the D7200 gets retired. Both the D7100 and D7200 will still be my primary using camera.The D500 will get out in a underwater housing and used mostly for that. The D500 will get used in applications where we think the high burst rate is needed. I have no doubt that this camera will get it right.

VisualUniverse

I was done with cropped frame cameras. Sold off all my DX lenses. Committed myself to FX format only. Then the D500 happened, plus I just ordered a Nikon supertele lens (500 f4E), and now I'm actually considering doing a pre-order, despite taking a vow I would never again be a beta-customer for Nikon. < s i g h > This camera intrigues me greatly. The draw for birding/wildlife opportunities is too strong to resist.