The Nikon D5 & D500

On the camera calendar the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, known as CES is a big one! We’ve already seen Canon announce a flurry of new compact models, video cameras and a printer, now it’s Nikon’s turn.

So far the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas has given us a lot of exciting news in the world of photography but perhaps the most exciting so far is the announcements from the Nikon camp. With the unveiling of the Nikon D5 and the D500, Nikon have surprised us all in a good way. These are both flagship models with the Nikon D5 being their top full-frame model and the Nikon D500 being the best cropped-frame sensor model.

Nikon D5

It’s been rumoured for a while and its development was officially announced in November but it’s finally here in the flesh, or should we say magnesium-alloy. The Nikon D5, expected to be available from March, will be the company’s flagship camera taking the top spot from the Nikon D4s. This powerhouse camera is designed to shoot action in the most demanding conditions. It boasts a newly developed 20.8MP CMOS sensor designed by Nikon themselves and features a native ISO range of 100-102,400, expandable to ISO 3,280,000. This will allow the Nikon D5 to capture images in near darkness and still get professional-level images. The Nikon D5 can capture 12 images in a single second or 14 frames per second with the mirror locked up. This will undoubtedly appease many sport photographers attending the Olympics this year as well as professional action and wildlife photographers.

The Nikon D5 certainly doesn’t disappoint professionals with a strong need to capture video. It can record in a 4k resolution at 30 frames per second without needing an external recording device. There’s also the ability to shoot time-lapses in 4k resolution, all in-camera.

As well as the optical viewfinder for composing images there’s also a 3.2inch touchscreen with a 2,359,000 dot resolution. We love the Nikon D5500 for its ability to pinch zoom to check focus when reviewing images as well as picking a focus point with the screen, so we’ll no doubt love the D5’s touchscreen functionality.

The Nikon D5 is available at Jessops.

Here’s the top line specifications:

• 153-point Autofocusing System

• 20.8 Megapixel FX Sensor

• ISO 100-102,400 Native ISO (expandable to 3,280,000)

• 3.2-inch Touchscreen with a 2,359,000 dot resolution

• Expeed 5 Processor

• In-camera 4K-Video Recording and 4K T

Nikon D500

Many photographers have waited a long time to see a successor to the Nikon D300s which was released in September 2009 and now it’s finally here! Like its predecessors, the Nikon D500 is designed to offer a large portion of the features offered by Nikon’s flagship model, in this case the brand new Nikon D5. These pro-level features are housed inside a much smaller body and the camera has an APS-C sized, cropped frame sensor rather than full-frame.

Like the Nikon D5 the Nikon D500 boasts the 156-point autofocusing system with a total of 99-cross-type focusing points and as the sensor is APS-C the points fill the frame from edge to edge. This is expected to be one of the most advanced autofocusing systems we have ever seen; making it great for shooting moving subjects and useful for acquiring focus in low-light situations. Also, the benefit of an APS-C crop sensor is the x1.5 crop meaning a 100mm lens will give the 35mm equivalent focal length of 150mm. This is very useful for photographers that want to shoot with large telephoto lenses.

The D500 also shares Nikon’s new Expeed 5 Processor with the D5. This allows the camera to capture a very impressive 10 frames per second shooting speed with a total of 79 14-bit raw files to be buffered at any one time. The new processor also allows photographers to shoot 4K USH video at up to 30 frames per second and an option to record 4k time-lapse footage in-camera.

Another similarity to the D5 is the 3.2inch touchscreen with a 2,359,000 dot resolution, although the D500 has a tilting type instead of fixed which is useful for shooting and high or low vantage points.

At the heart of the D500 is a 20.9 megapixel CMOS DX-Format Sensor. While the ISO doesn’t go as high as the Nikon D5, it’s still rather remarkable with an ISO sensitivity of 100-51200 (expandable to 50-1640000). This should deliver clean, sharp and punchy images even in extreme low-light situations.

Like the D5, the body design is intended to withstand extreme conditions. It features solid weather sealing and the top and bottom are constructed from magnesium alloy with the sides from a reinforced carbon fibre to provide strength and also ensure the camera is lightweight.

Nikon have also made steps to improve the camera’s connectivity with SnapBridge technology. This is intended to allow photographers to pair their smartphones and tablets easily with the device via WiFi and also, Bluetooth.

Nikon D500

Many photographers have waited a long time to see a successor to the Nikon D300s which was released in September 2009 and now it’s finally here! Like its predecessors, the Nikon D500 is designed to offer a large portion of the features offered by Nikon’s flagship model, in this case the brand new Nikon D5. These pro-level features are housed inside a much smaller body and the camera has an APS-C sized, cropped frame sensor rather than full-frame.

Like the Nikon D5 the Nikon D500 boasts the 156-point autofocusing system with a total of 99-cross-type focusing points and as the sensor is APS-C the points fill the frame from edge to edge. This is expected to be one of the most advanced autofocusing systems we have ever seen; making it great for shooting moving subjects and useful for acquiring focus in low-light situations. Also, the benefit of an APS-C crop sensor is the x1.5 crop meaning a 100mm lens will give the 35mm equivalent focal length of 150mm. This is very useful for photographers that want to shoot with large telephoto lenses.

The D500 also shares Nikon’s new Expeed 5 Processor with the D5. This allows the camera to capture a very impressive 10 frames per second shooting speed with a total of 79 14-bit raw files to be buffered at any one time. The new processor also allows photographers to shoot 4K USH video at up to 30 frames per second and an option to record 4k time-lapse footage in-camera.

Another similarity to the D5 is the 3.2inch touchscreen with a 2,359,000 dot resolution, although the D500 has a tilting type instead of fixed which is useful for shooting and high or low vantage points.

At the heart of the D500 is a 20.9 megapixel CMOS DX-Format Sensor. While the ISO doesn’t go as high as the Nikon D5, it’s still rather remarkable with an ISO sensitivity of 100-51200 (expandable to 50-1640000). This should deliver clean, sharp and punchy images even in extreme low-light situations.

Like the D5, the body design is intended to withstand extreme conditions. It features solid weather sealing and the top and bottom are constructed from magnesium alloy with the sides from a reinforced carbon fibre to provide strength and also ensure the camera is lightweight.

Nikon have also made steps to improve the camera’s connectivity with SnapBridge technology. This is intended to allow photographers to pair their smartphones and tablets easily with the device via WiFi and also, Bluetooth.