Nikon announces 2 new top-line cameras for sale in March

[GrahamL]

Nikon has announced two new cameras to be released in March.

As well as the expected new professional camera the Nikon D5, Nikon has also finally come out with a replacement for the the Nikon D300, jumping to 'D500', not the D400 as was sort of expected.

The D5 has 4k UHD video, improved native iso range, a faster engine 'the Expeed 5' which as well as handling 30fps 4k video can capture full AE/AF at 12 fps (14fps with the mirror locked up in Live View). Also has a new 153 point AF system and comes with a built in Ethernet connection for faster image transfer. Will be yours US-wise for $6,499.95, choice of dual XQD or dual CF card slots.

The half-frame D500 also has a good low-light capability and has the same AF system as the D5. Also capable of capturing 4k video, and 12fps AF. Comes with a fast XQD card slot and an SD card slot. Interestingly will not take CF cards, I guess XQD will be replacing them. To be available in March for $1999.95, or as a kit with the new AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR lens for US $3,069.65.

There is also a new flash, the SB-5000 Speedlight. This will operate via radio frequency at up to 30 metres from the camera/master controller. Wex have the SB-5000 advertised for £499 pre-order.

See http://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/01/05/nikon-announces-the-new-d500-and-d5/#.Vo5dV2e6EuV for more detail. Wex is already advertising them, the D5 for £5,199 and the D500 for £1,729 (body only). The D500 sounds Interesting!

I understand Nikon also has two new Dx 18-55mm lenses out, but these seem a bit less interesting, though have a new 'AF-P' designation a these use stepper motors for faster AF speed. Detail on this new system seems pretty scarce as yet.
See [url]http://www.thephoblographer.com/2016/01/05/nikon-announces-two-new-18-55mm-lenses/#.Vo5jsGe6EuU
[/url]

I guess the next Nikon announcement will be a D810s using the new Expeed 5 with 4k video etc. Maybe...

Graham

[GrahamL]

Some additional background links for those who want to know more:

Nikon info on the D5
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/d5.html

Comparison of the D5 and the previous pro camera, the D4s
http://nikonrumors.com/2016/01/07/nikon-d5-vs-d4s-vs-d3s-specifications-comparison.aspx/

Nikon info on the D500 (micro-site)
http://imaging.nikon.com/lineup/microsite/d500/

Comparison of the D500 vs D7200 vs D300s
http://nikonrumors.com/2016/01/07/nikon-d500-vs-d7200-vs-d300s-specifications-comparison.aspx/
(And it's a lot more money of course)

Nikon info on the new Speedlight SB-5000
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/flashes/sb-5000-af-speedlight.html

Cheers,

Graham

[GrahamL]

One new link with a bit more detail comparing the D500 with the D300S. This includes the item missing burrowed away in the data given out by Nikon, the image size of the D500. This is a little less than that of their other top-line half frame camera - the D500 sensor pixel = 5,568 x 3,712, the D7200 - 6,000 x 4,000. It's suspected that this is to increase the sensitivity by half to one stop. But as yet there appears to be no public data directly comparing the sensitivity of the two. The other item commented on is that the D500 is the first semi-professional Nikon camera without a built-in flash ! I guess that was to keep the weight of the D500 down. Even without a built-in flash the D500 weighs a bit more than the D7200, 760gm vs 675gm. However the D500 does come with a much higher resolution display though, 2,359,000 dots vs the D7200's mere 1,228.000 dot screen, the powerful new image processing capability and XQD memory card slot.

The new link with the comparison of the D300s with the D500 is: https://photographylife.com/nikon-d500-vs-d300s

That's it on this subject from me.

[Mike Farley]

It looks as though we have an early adopter.

[GrahamL]

Not so sure, do I need what it offers vs. the much cheaper 7200? The D500 has an articulating screen, but no built-in flash...

Graham

[Mike Farley]

Not so sure, do I need what it offers vs. the much cheaper 7200? The D500 has an articulating screen, but no built-in flash...

Graham

Speaking as one who prefers to use natural light whenever possible, the absence of a weedy on camera flash is neither here nor there. The rest of the undoubtedly impressive specs do seem like overkill for most purposes other than fast moving action and/or low light photography unless bragging rights are a priority.

Anyone seriously considering one of these cameras would be wise to wait a few months given Nikon's recent famed build quality. While I cannot imagine that Nikon has not checked, re-checked and then checked again this time around, you never know. Contemporary Japanese appear to be very adverse to falling on their swords, but I can imagine that being a requirement if either of these flagship models is subject to a recall.

[GrahamL]

Hi Mike,

Fair point, I rarely use the pop-up flash myself, but I guess it is a nice thing to have if need arises unexpectedly. The cost of the D500 will of course come down, but probably not until at least late Autumn, i.e. post holiday season. Unlikely HDEW will be marketing them for a little while too I guess.

Regarding the likelihood of bugs, the D500 has an awfully similar spec to the D5, so one suspects they've tried to standardise as much as possible between the two to offset this risk, particularly given their need to encourage the professionals to upgrade to the D5, and the competition to be shortly expected from Canon.... They also will have learned from their D750 launch experience I expect.

I should have mentioned the other thing going for the D500 is that the high articulated monitor display is a touch-screen, Described as very nice to use it is unlikely to change/improve your photography very much unless you use live-view a lot. Powerful beast mind, ideal maybe for action type of photo-capture, not so sure about the sort of photography I attempt. Here's first impressions from a pop journalist given the privilege of working with a pre-production model (he also covers the new SB-5000 flashgun):
http://www.ishootshows.com/2016/01/05/shooting-impressions-on-assignment-with-the-nikon-d500-and-sb-5000/

Personally I'm still waiting to hear about the expected Fuji Pro 2 details. Only have the budget for one expensive camera upgrade.

Still, nice to dream.

[Mike Farley]

They also will have learned from their D750 launch experience I expect.

It was not just the D750 where Nikon experienced manufacturing problems, but quite a few other cameras as well in the past couple of years or so. I would be very surprised if extra attention is not being given to ensure everything is in order this time.

Personally I'm still waiting to hear about the expected Fuji Pro 2 details. Only have the budget for one expensive camera upgrade.

Still, nice to dream.

The Nikons and the Fuji are different kinds of camera and the choice will come down to the type of photography you intend to do and the benefits you expect to gain from an upgrade. Although we do not yet know the spec of the Fuji, or even if there will be an X-Pro2, I do not envisage that it will be directly taking on the D500. My own expectation is that the AF in it or any other Fuji model announced this year will stil not be up to DSLR standards and that comparable performance is still a year or two away. Assuming that the currently mythical X-Pro2 continues with a hybrid viewfinder, you will still need to set it to EVF mode when using anything longer than a moderate telephoto which could introduce a modest delay when shooting action. Just a fraction of a second could make framing difficult for fast moving subjects even if the AF does manage to lock on.

[Mike Farley]

Thom Hogan's view of the latest Nikon announcements. Unsurprisingly Nikon's quality control problems get a mention and Hogan rightly says that this could well reduce initial orders which will sell at the highest prices. Not only will Nikon forfeit income, but if there are any issues with the new cameras the company will also incur unbudgeted costs to rectify them. Note also his comments about the D500 appearing to have been rushed, which is another reason to wait to see how things pan out. That said, Nikon still has a couple of months to fine tune the output from the camera.

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/the ... -d500.html

[Mike Farley]

Thom Hogan has a guide to the current Nikon line-up. The difference between the price of the D7200 and the D500 at launch will be £1,000 and although that will reduce a bit once the D500 starts being discounted in a few months, the law of diminishing returns definitely applies for what is on offer with the more expensive camera.

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/con ... or-fx.html