D500 General Discussion Thread

Sports

My D500 is here.
All webshops in Denmark still have many orders and pre-orders, but my friend found a "real" shop more or less invisible on the internet, but with a D500 sitting on the shelf, just waiting for me. What a surprise. I took 600 shots Sunday without having learned anything about the new AF (or anything else) (and I actually got the AF settings quite wrong, LOL).
The good (so far): IQ. Very fast. Worked fine with my Sigma 70-200. Good display. Nice shutter sound.
The bad (so far): It locked up once (I had to take out battery). The handle puts high pressure on my middle finger (D300 feels more relaxing). Had to upgrade LR to v.6 in order to get D500 support.
The even worse: No time available, and sohhhhhh much to learn and try when you've been shooting with a nine years old body until now.

DaveyJ

Sure will be interesting to see Thom's review!

heartyfisher

How good is the D500 really ? The D810 price is dropping now and I can get one cheaper than a new D500.. isn't the D810 a better all round camera ? I mean I really dont shoot sports .. would be interested to get more into wild life but my D7200 is no slouch there.. (and I am not spending 5000 to go to wildlife reserves. maybe $20 for a bus ride to a local nature reserve :-) ) Wouldnt the D810 be a much better proposition ? not that I even need one :-)

rmp

I have three cameras: D4, D810, and D500. I use each one for different jobs. I am an image quality nut, so, if I were forced to choose only one camera it would be the D810. If I were allowed only two cameras, it would be the D810 and the D500. The D500 with the 16-80 mm, 2.8-4 lens is becoming my "carry one all day" camera just because of weight. (IQ on cell phones is just not there -- yet.)

A D7200 is a fine camera. Justifying the "need" for an upgrade will be hard. Now, if you "want" a new camera, that is a different story. Since you have the D7200, the D810 sounds like a reasonable addition. Good luck.

retread

I have a D500 and a D5100. I hope to get the D810 or its successor in a few years when I can afford it. It has been 5 years between the D5100 and the D500. The D500 and D810 will be my cameras of choice for the jobs they are best suited for.

I have never used a D7200, it would be my choice if there were no D500. I still think it would be nice to have but can't justify it when I have a D500. I have a grip on the D500 and so far love it. Size is not a big concern for me but it comes off if I need a smaller camera unlike the D4/D5.

As I am a collector and not a seller the D5100 will be the loaner for the grandkids as they learn. Great fun teaching them.

ajm057

I took my new D500 on a shoot yesterday (together with a D810) and it performed amazingly, with one exception (see Card Err below) - longer reach of a DX sensor -vs- FX, fast accurate focus, 10 fps, all great for birds in flight etc.. The D500 has a higher pixel density than the D810 and for shots that I would have to crop heavily on the D810 - I am much closer with the D500 and with equally as good resolution. I've not seen an analysis of the sensor's dynamic range or comparison to the D810 yet, but I suspect that the D810 will still provide better results at lower ISOs. However, since I expect much of my shooting to be of wildlife in low light it is the dynamic range and noise levels at ISO 640 and above that really interests me. A recent lab test of the D5 sensor showed this sensor to provide significantly better performance at medium and high ISO levels to the D4 or D4s, but was comparable or slightly worse at low ISO levels. I'm very happy with the D500's overall performance, it will not replace my D810, but I no longer see the need for a D4/D4s..

All this praise, however, is overshadowed by the gloom of Card Err faults -- it is simply amazing to me that Nikon would invest so heavily in what should be and when it works is such a fantastic camera body as the D500 and yet in one morning shooting the camera froze indicating Card Err - In an all Nikon setup with fully charged batteries the camera freezes. (see http://www.dslrbodies.com/cameras/the-d5d500-blog/). I did not lose any of the shots I had taken yesterday -- I do not know if that was luck or not, I am very concerned that this fault, while fixable by turning the camera off and on again, may corrupt one or more of my cards and I loose that day's shots.

Ironheart

Which card? Which lens? And also, a V1 or V2 battery? Grip battery?

ajm057

I was shooting with only Nikon lenses and accessories -- latest generation Nikon 300mm and 400mm E FL f/2.8 and 70-200 VRII, a MB-17 with a fully charged EN-EL18a and a fully charged EN-EL15 and 2 LEXAR cards a Lexar 128 GB 2933X Professional XQD CompactFlash Card and a Professional 64 GB Class 10 UHS-II 2000x Speed (300 MB/s) SDXC Flash Memory Card - both cards were formatted on the D500 at the start of the day and work fine on my other gear. E

I took 1,560 images using the D500 of birds of prey in flight and static setting during the morning and in the final 1/3rd of the morning had a series 6-10 card err failures during the shoot. Most, but not all, of these occurred after I reviewed images (I do not delete in camera). N-EL15 was fully charged at the end of the day and the EL18a had 2/3rd charge.

I did not lose any image I had taken - they all saved to both cards, but I had to turn the camera off and back on again to resolve the issue. So I lost some shooting time. I understand that if a card write issue occurs the card's file record could be damaged and I could lose the entire contents of the card. I don't know how true this is, but I will be using many more cards during a shoot, than I am used to on my very stable D810s

My storey appears to be common, rather than uncommon.

That said - it was a great day and the D500 worked great in all types of light from bright sunlight to dark shade deep in the woods.

spraynpray

The images would be recoverable using Sandisk recovery software or similar, but it does sound like a firmware update will soon be with us. I hope you have discussed this with Nikon?

ajm057

Yes - re Nikon - an me and lots of other owners if Thom Hogan is to be believed, who says that Nikon and the other card manufacturers (so not just Lexar) are working on it. A firmware update would be welcome and it is good design that many issues can be fixed through firmware updates. I just want it fixed before I fly out to Botswana and Namibia in a couple of weeks.

donaldejose

I have had some Card Err readings with a sandisk ultra card. I just opened the door, popped the card out and back in without removing it from the slot and everything was fine never lost an image. Over time we will probably determine which SD cards do not produce this occasional error or Nikon will fix it with a firmware update.

pictureted

I haven't (knock-on-wood) had any card issues with the Sony XQD 32GB card. I have a Sony 128 coming next Wednesday, so I hope that won't be an issue. Other used cards are Sandisk.

autofocus

No problems with the Lexar 64 GB 2933x so far.

phylo

I have ordered genuine Nikon EN-EL15 batteries from Japan. They do NOT work in my D500, but they DO work in my D800. The EN-EL15 Battery from my D800 does work in my D500. Why would Nikon do this??
Phylo

spraynpray

Sorry to hear you have a problem phylo and welcome to NR.

I don't think Nikon have intentionally done anything except try to protect their own interests from third party sub-standard battery suppliers. From what you are saying, there is a problem which is particular to your equipment which needs to be sorted out by them. Perhaps the best way to address this is to get them to verify the batteries you bought from Japan are not fakes. Are you sure the batteries you ordered from Japan really are genuine? If someone is slipping you fakes (I have had this and it is impossible for us to tell the difference) it all makes perfect sense. If they are genuine, it is for Nikon to sort it out.

In my actual experience, the only reason not to buy Nikon batteries is cost as they are perfect on quality - they last ages and perform brilliantly - but if we were Canon owners, their batteries don't last as long as Nikon batteries and performance is actually less good than the best quality non-OEM batteries around. Supposedly high spec non-OEM batteries for Nikon (even with substantially higher mA/hr ratings) are less good than the genuine ones.

Sports

phylo said:

I have ordered genuine Nikon EN-EL15 batteries from Japan.

Old Nikon EN-EL15 batteries labeled 'Li-Ion1' don't work properly.
New Nikon batteries labeled 'Li-Ion20' work.

donaldejose

Something interesting. Note on this list the D500 was rated higher than all cameras reviewed, including full frame bodies (but they did not do a full review and rating of the D4 or D4s or D5 so those are excluded). The D500 even beats the D810 overall (not in image quality). Of course, one can debate the methodology but the general point is that the D500 is a "winner" for Nikon. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews?category=cameras&sort=rating

Paperman

Every camera is rated in its own class ( based on sensor size ) as far as I know .... So the 91% of D500 does not mean it is better than the 86% D810.

Plus .... The D600 being rated better than the D810 is also an indicator their numbering system has flaws . The % figures only make sense if they are compared to the ones tested within the same year or couple of years - I guess ... If they go back and test the old DSLRs today, they won't get half the point they got 6-7 years ago.

Unfortunately, they are stuck with the top figure of 100 meaning they have to be careful from now on. There is not much room left to rate the performance of future generation cameras without scrapping the old ratings.

donaldejose

Good points. I don't know how they arrive at their percentage points. You are correct. "All scores are relative to the other cameras in the same category." Comparing camera only with the same senor size would make eminent sense. However when they list there categories it does not distinguish between FX and DX. "SLR / interchangeable lens camera categories:

Entry-level
Mid Range
High End Enthusiast / Semi-Pro
Professional

In the D500 review they say it is: "Category: Semi-professional Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR"

In the D750 review they say it is: "Category: Mid Range Full Frame Camera."

In the D810 reveiw they say it is: "Category: Semi-professional Full Frame Camera"

In the D7200 review they say it is: "Category: Mid Range Interchangeable Lens Camera / DSLR"

This is how they explain how they get their numbers. http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4416254604/camera-scores-ratings-explained?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

Assuming the D500 is not in the same category as the D810 because of its sensor size, it still is a remarkable achievement for Nikon. Let us hope Nikon scales up the D500 sensor and uses similar software for the D810 replacement later this year. Sure the fps will drop due to processing more megapixels but that is fine for landscape and studio use.

I treat camera ratings the same way I treat car ratings: find the top 3 or 4 or 5 rated, try them out and pick the one that best "fits" your needs and you like driving (or shooting) the most. There is no one best car (or camera) for everyone because we each have different needs and different preferences.

Paperman

" A camera's score represents 'a moment in time' - the date the review is published"

I see they also have this note about their rating system ( to cover their a...es ) . One can not just go back to the D300/s review and say it is better than the DSLRs of today it outscores ...

pictureted

I just shot the San Francisco Carnaval Parade with the D500 and 16-85 and 70-300VR. The lighting was horrible. In order to salvage results (RAW) the DR was sorely tested - my opinion is that I got more hits from the D500 than I would I would have gotten with a D810 and 24-85 and 70-200/4. The D500 got more in focus shots than I would have gotten with the D810, making up for the loss in DR (my guess - about 2 stops). When they put the AF from the D5/500 in a high DR, MPs body, I'm all in.

DaveyJ

Sounds like the right camera, and lens!

donaldejose

"When they put the AF from the D5/500 in a high DR, MPs body, I'm all in." This should be what is in the replacement for the D810 and it should be out later this year. I want that body also! It should be a real killer of a camera.

retread

donaldejose said:

"When they put the AF from the D5/500 in a high DR, MPs body, I'm all in." This should be what is in the replacement for the D810 and it should be out later this year. I want that body also! It should be a real killer of a camera.

That is what I want also. Will the earthquake slow the release down? It will be awhile before I can get it as I just got the D500 and have some saving to do. They should be a great combination. I hope the "cheese" as Thom would say, is at least near the D500. How about the D810 body with D500 controls? Keep them sharing as many accessories as possible so there is less to carry in the bag.

I have FX glass waiting for it and more on the wish list.

Switching between the D5100 and the D500 I need to stop and think. I hope that will become automatic when I get all the setting I use figured out.

donaldejose

Fro has his review up. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm007Dml4lc