D500 General Discussion Thread

DaveyJ

@rmp: That is a nice fish. We rarely target Marlin and my guess is you already know why? They are not a common catch, even if you are mostly after them! We mostly work out of the Florida Keys. Most Marlin are sure a ways out. Our boats are equipped with some pretty nice navigation gear as my family was quite documented in Scandinavia centuries ago as pioneering in ocean guidance. Great you released the fish.....Some day we may hook up with you. Our fun imagery is on Black Sky Films U Tube but the research vessel offshore videos have not been made public as yet....we even wonder about the impact of possible over exposure.....and I am not talking about using to slow an ISO setting on a D810.....Also there are some legal issues in terms of how photos are taken....we are using cutting edge gear, but some fishing programs are using the same stuff....We do worry that higher food chain sport species are taking a lot of heat and even catch and release is tough on individual fish. Sure beats factory boat gear after tons of fish and an incidental Marlin does not get treated well in that often and sad encounter....For camera gear on your boat.....I like the D500 or D7200 and I favor a 16-80 on the boat.....that can get the boat, the crew (this is a team effort, not just the guy on the rod), the blue sky and the water, and you'd better have some way of having your camera and lens gyro smoothed to accommodate the almost constant rock and roll of the boat. Better to stick to stills than video if you don't get that motion smoothed out. My younger guys have demonstrated to me that video done with gyro smoothing can capture really amazing action and have it silky smooth. One video of ours worth a view is called Unadilla 2015 awesome start.....that is in the thick of action....from multiple cameras by the way.....but just one POV video on a gimble can record amazing happenings....I have unreleased videos of Big fish being released that are not released to the public.....but they are pretty tame to what can be done....if I were you I'd add at least one POV camera, find out how to smooth the rock and roll, and add that to a D810. Now down to your camera...the D810 or to me even better a D500 or D 7200.... In fact why not your already D810, and a ZOOM lens and a second body, like the D500 with another ZOOM. Those two zooms should take you from wide to long. Use the appropriate one. Pretty tough to juggle this if you are the rod guy!

Lastly again...Nikon Rumors is such a good site....great advice, and not a lot of chipping on each other....a nice port to come to on a stormy day when National Security Issues and Global Climate Shift, energy and environmental battles are getting shot across our bow each day. No matter how tense things seem to get, here there is solace in new once cameras, jumping Marlin, and here progress (in cameras) seems to be the friend, not the enemy! For fast up on deck camera....I need a mirror camera with a viewfinder.....Quickly finding a jumping fish out there always, means getting on target ASAP! The D500 would be as fast up and shooting as any rig I know, even though a D7200 could get it done. While you are there be sure to take photos of particularly working fish eating birds, that is often a aerial big view tip of where the fish are.....get your camera quite pre-focused on a possible fish on...this works great for us from Orcas to schooling tuna....nice work if you can get it!

rmp

My plan is a D810 with a 70-200, plus a D500/80-400, when the D500 gets here.

retread

rmp said:

My plan is a D810 with a 70-200, plus a D500/80-400, when the D500 gets here.

I like that choice with the crop factor of the D500 you will have a nice overlap where one ends and the other begins.

Photobug

Oh my, big difference with 300 meters. Yea, you need that 200-500+TC 1.7 or a 600mm or longer prime. Agree with fiziks and Sports.

donaldejose

But how are you going to keep the fish in your viewfinder with such a long telephoto in a bouncing boat?

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donaldejose said:

But how are you going to keep the fish in your viewfinder with such a long telephoto in a bouncing boat?

80-400 FX on a DX is 120-600 and 5.6 on the long end. More than enough on a sunny day at sea IMHO.

rmp

Keeping a fish in the viewfinder is not easy especially if I zoom too close. Even with the long zooms, I will probably shoot wide and crop in post processing (and still spray-and-pray).

haroldp

rmp said:

Keeping a fish in the viewfinder is not easy especially if I zoom too close. Even with the long zooms, I will probably shoot wide and crop in post processing (and still spray-and-pray).

That is why I like my long lenses on a D810, and will go to a higher mp FX when available.

rmp

A 10% discount on the D500 and Nikon has not starting delivery -- what does Nikon know that I do not know?

Sports

The 10% discount could be a mistake ....
But as far as I remember, the D750 was also priced very high at the beginning in Europe, and almost immediately discounted. Strange.
Maybe it's been the plan from the start that European and US prices (before VAT) should be the same, and they just added some initial buffer to enable them to reduce the price to hit the target.

Ironheart

It looks like it was a mistake/scam. There was only one available at that price.

Sports

On day 2, there's still a 10% discount in Germany, so it's hardly a mistake.
They're stating the D500 is "Bestseller no. 1" in DSLRs. The next five spots being held by various entry level bodies. Amazon US lists the D500 as no. 41. What a difference.
Btw. Amazon US states April 21st as delivery date.
Ok, enough Amazon browsing for today ........

Sam

Love to get your advice - I shoot lacrosse - mostly for the NCAA team my son plays for, but occasionally for a group who publishes online and print magazine. I shoot a d750 now, but will upgrade to either the D5 or D500. Now, I could stretch a bit to financially afford the D5, but I'm really wondering if the D500 is the better all around camera. I have no real interest in video. I also own a D800. Love to get your opinions.

manhattanboy

@Sam why do you shoot the 750 over the 800? Your answer for that question will likely help determine which new camera is better for your needs.

Photobug

+1 to manhattanboy's comment.

heartyfisher

the D5 image samples are awesome ! If the D500 are similar but 1 stop less, I will be over the moon .. past mars and on to jupiter!! But pessimistic me says all you will get is the moon ... ;-)

Sam

@manhattanboy , @Photobug - I choose to shoot the D750 over the D800 for a few more FPS. The D5 or D500 both offer huge FPS so the dilemma continues.

manhattanboy

Sam said:

@manhattanboy , @Photobug - I choose to shoot the D750 over the D800 for a few more FPS. The D5 or D500 both offer huge FPS so the dilemma continues.

Your answer is actually more helpful than you think. If reach was your biggest issue, you would still be using the D800 to use DX crop mode, but your 750 suffices suggesting it is not high on your list of needs. In this case I would recommend the D5 (and sell the 750 to help make the cost digestible). The reason is that the image quality will be better than the D500, the speed will be faster, and the AF is slightly better being able to continuously light up the target throughout shooting. Your 750 will feel like a snail compared to the D5, whereas with the D500 you gain a little speed but it comes at the expense of image quality so its not a win all around. Nonetheless, I think you are looking for someone to tell you to get the D500, so here are a few reasons in your case I would lean that way: flicker reduction (is that a problem on your images?), video with the tilt screen, rapidly publishing images by having the snapbridge connection, and cost.

Sam

@manhattanboy - Thank you for a thorough reply. You're right- reach is not my issue. I have a 300/f2.8 and a TC. I get by just fine with that combo. Lacrosse is mostly under natural light (but occasionally night games do happen), so the flicker is not a big concern. I've shot Friday Night Lights Football for years under stadium lighting with my 800 and 750 (lately) with no issue. You helped a lot because I'm looking for someone to tell me that the D5 is really a much better camera ( geez,for the difference in price its got to be, right?). I want to believe (faithfully) that the D5 will be better in low light, that the D5 will be noticeably faster, etc. I will miss having the tilt screen, maybe snapbridge, but the video is no big deal to me. THANKS.

DaveyJ

I,myself would take the D500!

WestEndFoto

Considering the lens that I would likely shoot with it, I would take the D5 to avail myself of all the resolution that the lens has to offer. For example, 24-70. Plus if I am shooting it on a DX, 36-105 seems like an odd range.

DaveyJ

For certain the lens you hose determine what camera, DX or FF you would use! Take just one lens though......Nikkor 200-500......I would use the D500. For the lens you mention....the D5 sounds like the ticket, or a D810? D5 is a higher price for me in two ways, money, and size! The money I might get over.....the bigger camera though for me is a auto pass.....don't want or need the weight.....put a D5 in an underwater housing.....and the bottom line swells to the breaking point! Nikon now has the best of both worlds but not in one camera! And this thread is about D500 best as I an tell! If I had a D5 and good lens for a land camera.....I'd be wondering what I needed for a portable back up field use rig......on our construction sites.....usually we use a small excavator......does what we need with less rip and tear.....only big projects require a big machine! Right now Nikon needs a D3400 update! For you.....that might be ho hum......for a new entrant......just the beginning???

retread

I visited my local camera shop today. If you can call a little over an hours drive "local". I have been waiting for a review of the D500 but pulled the trigger today and preordered. He and a dozen on order and 6 were sold so that should make me number 7 on the list. Hope I can have it for high school graduation in May or at least for air show in September. It would be great if he had them setting in the back room waiting for "the day" .

He said he had gotten 2 of the D5 cameras so having them in the back room doesn't sound promising .

Oh well life goes on.

heartyfisher

are we there yet ....

Photobug

Unbelievable, made a trip to the local dealer and they have no idea when the D500 will arrive. He wanted my deposit for a preorder and they have some pre orders booked. Also have used D4S in stock traded for the D5.