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Author Topic: Nikon D500 First Impressions  (Read 10941 times)

dwswager

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Re: Nikon D500 First Impressions
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2016, 10:25:23 am »

The new DP Review of the Nikon D500 is in.

Result = Gold Award
"The D500 is the most well-rounded DSLR we've ever tested."

In a nutshell, the D500's image quality is only a hair above the finest ASP-C cameras, but its overall handling, rugged durability, and ability to AF and handle "live action" utterly destroys the competition. Notice I said "the finest," in regards to image quality, which means it's only a hair above the D7200 and Sony a6300 (the 7D II's image quality isn't even in the Top 10).

Other notable quotes:

    • "Cameras such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II and Sony's a6300 appear to offer comparable capabilities on paper, but these appearances prove deceptive in real-world use: the D500's autofocus and continuous shooting performance is noticeably better."

    • "Autofocus is the D500's great strength: along with the D5 it's the best we've ever used. Just as mirrorless cameras appear to be closing the gap when it comes to following simple subjects, the D500 comes and blows them (and its DSLR rivals) all out of the water."

    • " ... as an APS-C sports and wildlife camera, the D500 is without rival, and that puts in on the top of our awards podium."
    Jack

    Still learning mine, but it is sweet.  The D810 produces awesome images for big printing, but operationally, the D500 is just smoother.  I suspect it is the better processor.    And while I have a 2933x XQD, I have not hit the buffer limit with a Sandsisk UHS-I 95mb/s SD card shooting 14bit RAW lossless compressed at 10fps.  High ISO noise is about as good as one can expect from APS-C sensors and the reach the 1.5x DX crop gives to put pixels on target allows me to shoot with faster glass than otherwise available to me.
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    Zorki5

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    Re: Nikon D500 First Impressions
    « Reply #21 on: May 27, 2016, 01:50:08 pm »

    In a nutshell, the D500's image quality is only a hair above the finest ASP-C cameras

    First I was going to comment on that saying that was not what I've seen myself after studying DPR's "image comparison tool" samples and comparing D500 to a6300... But before doing that, I decided to have a second look.

    Yes, a6300 images have more details in them, and yes, they are seemingly at least just as good as those of D500 as far as noise is concerned. But I also noticed that D500's noise pattern was way better (smoother, less blotchy), and blacks were better as well (quite probably, as a direct consequence of the better noise pattern).

    So, in the end, I had to agree with DPR's and your conclusion.

    P.S. My next camera is still going to be a6300, because there's also size and weight.  :) And my beloved kinda-rangefinder form-factor. And EVF with all its goodies.
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    AlterEgo

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    Re: Nikon D500 First Impressions
    « Reply #22 on: May 27, 2016, 02:04:56 pm »

    First I was going to comment on that saying that was not what I've seen myself after studying DPR's "image comparison tool" samples and comparing D500 to a6300... But before doing that, I decided to have a second look.

    Yes, a6300 images have more details in them, and yes, they are seemingly at least just as good as those of D500 as far as noise is concerned. But I also noticed that D500's noise pattern was way better (smoother, less blotchy), and blacks were better as well (quite probably, as a direct consequence of the better noise pattern).

    So, in the end, I had to agree with DPR's and your conclusion.

    P.S. My next camera is still going to be a6300, because there's also size and weight.  :) And my beloved kinda-rangefinder form-factor. And EVF with all its goodies.

    the right thing is actually consider (vs D500) the Sony Semi sensor from A6300 but implemented by other manufacturer like Nikon itself or Ricoh/Pentax, in a non Sony Imaging camera...
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    Zorki5

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    Re: Nikon D500 First Impressions
    « Reply #23 on: May 27, 2016, 02:32:56 pm »

    the right thing is actually consider (vs D500) the Sony Semi sensor from A6300 but implemented by other manufacturer like Nikon itself or Ricoh/Pentax, in a non Sony Imaging camera...

    Well, there are currently none. And it looks like there won't be any any time soon (see item 3: "Sony decided to terminate the development and manufacturing of high-functionality camera modules for external sale, the mass production of which was being prepared at the Kumamoto Technology Center, as a result of a reconsideration of the strategy of this business from a long-term perspective").

    An interesting question though is who made sensor for D500?
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    John Koerner

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    Re: Nikon D500 First Impressions
    « Reply #24 on: May 27, 2016, 10:40:24 pm »

    Still learning mine, but it is sweet.  The D810 produces awesome images for big printing, but operationally, the D500 is just smoother.  I suspect it is the better processor.

    I am jealous you have yours and I don't yet have mine >:(

     ;D

    Still waiting on B&H ...

    I have also noticed (per my earlier Ergonomics thread), that many people find the D500 much more intuitive, because of the better ISO placement, etc.

    Although I criticized the D810 in that thread, I have grown to love it in many respects.

    Interestingly, 2 weeks ago DPReview did a Review on the D810, which still lauds it as a defining camera even 2 years after its release:

    • "THE FINAL WORD
      The Nikon D810 is now nearly two years old, and yet its core technologies still challenge many cameras today, and Raw image quality is unmatched. We still haven't seen another full-frame camera capable of a true base ISO of 64, which gives the D810 medium format levels of clean, noise-free images with comparable dynamic range to boot."

    and also ...

    • So however frustrating the D810's faults are on occasion, they don't detract from the incredible performance of the camera as a total package. This review has taken a long time to complete, but it's testament to the camera that even after two years, the D810 remains a benchmark in many respects for other models in its class. As such, the D810 earns our coveted Gold award.

    And that is essentially how I feel: regardless of some ergonomic (or AF) issues ... I still love this camera ... and can't wait till the D900 :D



    And while I have a 2933x XQD, I have not hit the buffer limit with a Sandsisk UHS-I 95mb/s SD card shooting 14bit RAW lossless compressed at 10fps.  High ISO noise is about as good as one can expect from APS-C sensors and the reach the 1.5x DX crop gives to put pixels on target allows me to shoot with faster glass than otherwise available to me.

    What I am waiting to do (if I ever receive mine >:(), is to use my Cotton Carrier, and have the 2 cameras on the-ready (D500 and D810), with my AF 300 II on the D500 (to take advantage of the superb, modern AF combo of both) and my vintage all-manual lenses on my D810 for shots where I can take my time, compose them, and use a remote switch.

    Jack
    « Last Edit: May 28, 2016, 12:36:40 pm by John Koerner »
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