Companies make design choices and Nikon has positined the D5 a bit more as a specialized tool from what I see. And here again, the difference isn't huge.
I would have to agree that the Canon 1Dx II is the better all-around tool (especially with the 4K) than the D5, with the D5 being the better action/high-ISO tool.
What no one seems to mention, however, is
how well the Nikon D500 stacks up, not just to the old 1Dx, but to the
new Canon 1Dx2 as well.
If you check out
the DxO Mark on the trio, the D500 compares impressively.
The D500 actually has better dynamic range than either version of the 1Dx up to ISO 1000 ... and comparable Dynamic Range to IS0 2000.
Therefore, if the Canon 1Dx II is being favored over the D5 for having "better Base ISO" ... then shouldn't the D500 be favored over the Canon Dx II if that's our yardstick?
Not only that,
the D500 has better Tonal Range than *both* FF Pro DSLRs all throughout the ISO spectrum:
It is unprecedented that a crop camera can whip top pro FF DSLRs like this (albeit, the FF cameras have better SNR and color sensitivity).
Now, if you want to talk about image quality, here are some actual photos from the
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, not just together, but
with the Nikon 2x TC III (
@ 900mm)
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II (@ 450mm, no crop)
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II + Nikon 2x TC III (@ 900mm, no crop)
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II + Nikon 2x TC III (@ 900mm, no crop)
Now, the above are admittedly still subjects, so let's talk about action shots under challenging conditions. If you think following a full-sized human being on a giant horse (or following a human-sized soccer player out on the field) is tough to do ... try following a finger-sized
Pepsis wasp ... furiously scurrying over flower tops ...
on a windy day ... and yet this is what I was able to accomplish @ 900mm
with 50% crops:
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II + Nikon 2x TC III (@ 900mm, 50% crop)
Not only was there a challenge of capturing erratic-moving tiny critters, not just doubly-so due to a high-wind, but triply-so because of getting the exposure right due to their extreme-black on top of extreme white flowers.
Nikon D500 + Nikkor 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II + Nikon 2x TC III (@ 900mm, 50% crop)
For an APS-C camera, using a 2x extender (@ 900mm), and then cropping to boot, I am simply thrilled with the results here.
I realize this is slightly off-topic, as we're discussing the "pro" cameras of the Canon 1Dx II the Nikon D5, but make no mistake, the D500 is
every bit as "pro" a camera as these two.
The D500 produces comparable image quality, it has both
better AF coverage and better AF tracking than the new Canon 1Dx, on top of which don't forget about
the 1.5x reach advantage as well.
If you want to see a Matrix Table as to the pros/cons of each, I have made
This Matrix as a comparison.
I won't discuss the D500 on here again, but I thought it was worthy of mention to include it here, because it while the D500 falls short to the Canon 1Dx II in certain categories, it actually eclipses the 1Dx II in as many categories as it falls short, and compares very favorably overall.
And don't forget it does all this for $2,000 as opposed to $6,500.
Jack
