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Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

CES 2016 saw the announcement of two important DSLRs from Nikon, including an update to its flagship line, as well as an almost mythical product many had given up hope of ever seeing: a true D300 replacement.

The newly announced D5 is Nikon’s top-of-the-line professional DSLR, with a 20.8MP full frame sensor capable of shooting at up to 12fps with AF and 14fps without (with the mirror locked up). The headline feature, though, is arguably the new 153 point AF system with 99 cross-sensors. AF tracking with this new system will also benefit from the doubling in resolution of the RGB metering sensor used for scene analysis, and the D5 is the first Nikon camera capable of 4K video.

The biggest news though may be the long-awaited replacement of the D300S. The 20.9MP APS-C D500 is Nikon’s ‘best enthusiast DX offering’, and the term ‘enthusiast’ might be an understatement. With continuous shooting speeds of 10 fps and a 200 shot buffer for Raw images, the camera is aimed squarely at action and fast-paced photographers who don’t mind the smaller sensor, or even benefit from its extra reach. It features the same 153-point AF system and 180k-pixel RGB metering sensor of the D5, along with the EXPEED 5 processor. It can also capture 4K/UHD video and also features ‘SnapBridge’, a constant connection to a smartphone using Bluetooth.

Join us as we take a closer look at the technologies inside these cameras.* Pro tip: you may find viewing this slideshow easier if you hover over and click the ‘fullscreen’ button at the upper right of the slide, and use left/right keys to leaf through the slideshow.

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* Some of the information in these slides come from Nikon’s technology digest on the D500, here.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Let’s start with the AF module, which is shared between both the D5 and D500. Here is the Multi-Cam 20K in all its glory. It’s a major step up from the Multi-Cam 3500FX module, variants of which were found in the D4s, D810, and D750. Up from 51 total AF points with 15 central cross-sensors, the module in the D5 and D500 offers 153 phase-detect points with 99 cross-sensors spread across much of the frame. 

The improvements don’t stop there though: the module has its own dedicated processor, to deal with the computationally intensive information coming from 153 AF points cross-referenced with the scene analysis system (more on that later). The center AF point is now sensitive down to -4 EV. All 152 other points are sensitive down to -3 EV, much like the D750 and D7200, albeit now with an even wider spread of points.

If Nikon’s claims are true, we can expect formidable AF performance in low light from the D5 and D500 – possibly the best from any DSLR. Although we’ve previously found Sony’s a7S to focus in at nearly -5 EV, its contrast-detect AF, and associated hunting, made it quite slow in practice. -4 EV phase-detect AF on a DSLR should be seriously impressive because it will likely be far more decisive than mirrorless, contrast-based systems. Additionally, cross-type sensors tend to perform better in low light and with low contrast subjects: cross-sensors are able to make focus measurements from subjects containing both horizontal and vertical detail (or, at least, detail that has either a horizontal or vertical component to it). In low light or backlit situations, where lowered contrast already makes it difficult to distinguish subject detail, sensors looking along multiple axes for detail to ‘lock on’ to simply have a higher chance of success than sensors that can only ‘see’ detail with a, say, horizontal component.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Here’s the spread of AF points across the frame in the D5. The new AF module appears to provide more AF coverage across the frame than any previous Nikon full-frame camera (and likely any full-frame DSLR), though not quite as much coverage of phase-detect points as Sony’s recent Alpha 7R II mirrorless full-frame.

55 of the points are user-selectable, indicated by squares. The AF points indicated by dots are essentially assist points, used by the camera if your subject moves to or simply happens to fall in between the user-selectable points. What makes these assist points particularly useful in a Nikon? Nikon’s industry-leading 3D tracking, which’ll select any one of them for you automatically if your subject happens to move, or you recompose, such that it falls under one of these assist points (in AF-C ‘Auto’ and ‘3D’ modes, that is). The video below shows how 3D tracking can be used on a D750 to precisely track an eye, so those wondering how 153 points might be useful, well, imagine this sort of performance but even more precise, with wider AF point coverage.

35 of these 55 points are cross-type: the outermost two sections of 10 points each as well as the central section of 15. This is more clearly demarcated in the next slide.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Here’s what you get by putting the designed-for-full-frame Multi-Cam 20000 module inside the APS-C D500. The AF points stretch out to the literal edges of the frame. Red points indicate cross-sensors. While Canon’s nearest competitor, the 7D Mark II, comes quite close to this level of coverage – with all cross-sensors to boot – it doesn’t quite match it.

But it’s not even these headline features that excite us the most. It’s details such as the addition of an automated system for applying AF fine tune that have really caught our eyes. We’ve written before about how mirrorless cameras, with their direct measurement of focus (rather than a secondary sensor, acting as a proxy) tends to be more accurate when it comes to fine-focusing, especially when using fast lenses. However, we’re not alone in proposing the idea of using DSLR’s often slow, but highly precise live view autofocus to help make it easier to correct for the cumulative errors that can undermine dedicated sensor phase detection systems. Patents have been issued yet this is the first time we’ve seen it implemented in a final product. Automating the process means far more photographers may actually calibrate their lenses for more accurate focus. Furthermore, the reality of DSLR AF is that the optimal calibration values can depend on lighting, environmental factors, wide or tele end of zoom, and subject distance; hence, automating the process will realistically allow users to calibrate more often for any given scenario. Sadly, there’s no indication that calibration values can be saved for different focal lengths or subject distances (a la Sigma lenses via their USB dock), nor is there any mention of higher precision central points that give the latest Canon cameras’ central AF point nearly mirrorless-levels of precision.

We’ve not yet had a chance to use the D5/500’s automated AF fine tune but you can be sure it’ll be one of the first things we try when one gets into our studio.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Remember that ‘scene analysis system’ the AF system cross-references with information from the 153 AF points? It’s enabled by essentially a whole separate image sensor in the DSLR whose sole job is to analyze the scene to understand how to expose and focus it. Now with 180,000 pixels in the D5 and D500, this sensor has doubled in resolution compared to the D4s, D810, and D750.

Confused by how this works? Let’s break it down. Your smartphone or mirrorless camera projects light from the lens directly onto the imaging sensor, which can ‘see’ the scene to focus and expose it properly, even find faces or other subjects and track them no matter where they move to in the frame. DSLRs have it much tougher – all the light entering the lens is being diverted either upward to the optical viewfinder, or downward to a dedicated AF module with its phase-detect sensors that understand only distance. Some of that light going to the viewfinder is itself diverted to a metering sensor, which determines appropriate exposure. Some time back, DSLR manufacturers replaced this rudimentary metering sensor with an actual RGB 2D array or, essentially, an image sensor.

While years ago this image sensor started at a measly 1,005 pixels in the D300, it did enable rudimentary subject tracking (‘3D tracking’ in Nikon terms), since the sensor provided some color and spatial information about the subject underneath any AF point, which the camera could combine with an understanding of subject distance from the phase-detect AF sensors to understand where your subject of interest is at any given moment. Today, cameras like the D750 and D810 provide uncanny subject tracking with their 91,000-pixel metering sensors – able in many cases to track even objects as specific as a human eye. Nikon DSLRs are the only DSLRs we’ve tested to-date that are capable of the level of class-leading tracking precision you see in the videos linked above (Canon’s newer DSLRs do well with distant subjects well isolated with respect to depth, but lag behind in more demanding applications requiring higher precision). Hence, a doubling in resolution of the metering sensor is likely to further Nikon’s lead in this arena. Furthermore, metering applications also benefit from the increased resolution: as the flowchart above indicates, numerous features like face exposure, fill-flash, Active D-Lighting, and highlight-weighted metering will experience increased accuracy. 

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

So what exactly does this 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor ‘see’ such that it can aid the camera in finding faces and tracking subjects? We’ve taken the liberty of doing some guesswork to simulate a ‘worst case’ representation of how a 180k-pixel sensor might ‘see’ a typical scene being photographed.

If we assume that the 180k figure refers to the total number of red, green and blue pixels, then we can surmise that there’s only, at best, 60k pixels of true spatial information for any given color. For a 3:2 aspect ratio, that’s about 300×200 pixels. So we’ve taken an image and reduced it to 300×200, then blown it back up for ease of viewing. That’s what you see above.

In reality, the metering sensor is likely to ‘see’ a bit more resolution, since the above only represents the spatial resolution of any one color channel (or 3 R, G, and B pixels combined). Even still, you can get an idea of how the sensor can detect faces, and even understand what was underneath your selected AF point when you initiated focus in order to track it even if it moves to a position underneath a different AF point. With such increases in resolution of the scene analysis system, we wouldn’t be surprised if DSLRs one day were capable of eye detection. And while we fully expect the D5/500 to be capable of tracking an eye, it’ll only do so in ‘3D tracking’ mode once you’ve ‘told’ the camera where the eye of interest is by initiating focus with your focus point over it. We’ll be curious to see if the automatic face detection in ‘Auto’ area mode prioritizes eyes of faces. 

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

Compare the last image to this one (use the left/right keys on your keyboard for ease): a 213×142 pixel representation of the same image that simulates the spatial resolution of any one color channel for the 91,000-pixel RGB metering sensor in previous full-frame Nikon DSLRs. It’s not hard to imagine how even with this level of understanding of a scene, previous Nikon full-frames were able to track quite well. But every bit of resolution helps increase precision of tracking, so while the image above isn’t a huge step down from the last image representing what the new 180k-pixel sensor sees, there’s still a significant difference.

And remember, Nikon already led the industry with its previous 91,000-pixel RGB sensor, even performing better at subject tracking than the Canon 5DS and 7D Mark II with their 150,000-pixel RGB+IR metering sensors. Hence, we expect the doubling in metering sensor resolution to further widen the gap in performance between Nikon and all other DSLRs, potentially making the Nikon platform the best for applications that benefit from continuous subject tracking (barring any missteps on Nikon’s part). Continuous eye tracking on a Sony a7R II is still likely to give the D5/500 a run for its money, but general subject tracking of any subject, even to aid ‘focus-and-recompose’ by having the camera automatically select an appropriate AF point to stick to your subject as you recompose, will likely remain unparalleled on these Nikons compared to any other camera. 3D tracking’s ability to combine scene analysis with the distance information reported by every AF point on the phase-detect sensor makes for subject tracking that I, personally, find indispensable shooting candid portraits or weddings and events in a more photojournalistic style: I ‘define’ my subject by initiating focus on it, and the camera retains focus on it no matter how I recompose or where the subject moves to as long as I keep the shutter button half-depressed.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Click on the button at the upper right of the image to view this entire slideshow in fullscreen for a better view.

The 180k-pixel metering sensor is a huge step up from previous DX offerings from Nikon, which only featured – at best – a 2,016-pixel RGB metering sensor. The 90-fold increase in metering sensor resolution should bring a level of subject tracking to the DX format never before seen.

Above is a 55×37 pixel representation of our previous image – and this time that’s a sort of ‘best case’ representation of what cameras like the D7200’s scene analysis system ‘saw’. Instead of showing you what any one color channel sees, we’ve decided to show you what 2k pixels in total looks like, as one-third of this resolution is a pixelated, unintelligible 32×21-pixel mess (from this forum discussion). In other words, the image above represents only a 30x drop in resolution compared to our previous 180k-pixel representation, and so likely underestimates the increased performance the scene analysis system in the D500 is likely to exhibit compared to previous DX offerings (which still performed surprisingly well for their low resolution metering sensors).

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Another feature enabled by the RGB metering sensor is flicker reduction. While this is only available in video on the D5, the D500 is capable of waiting until the right moment to fire the shutter under flickering light, so as to achieve and maintain proper exposure. Although Canon has been offering this since the 7D Mark II, it’s the first time we’re seeing this feature in a Nikon camera.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

It’s worth emphasizing here something Nikon clearly emphasized in their press conference: one of the true advantages of a DSLR over current mirrorless cameras is the lack of viewfinder lag and the true view of the scene – at least in between mirror blackouts – compared to the typical stop-motion sequence of last-shot images most mirrorless cameras exhibit during fast bursts. This simply makes it easier to follow action with an optical viewfinder than with a mirrorless camera, which is why in the video screenshot above, the photographer was able to maintain the center AF point over his subject with the D5, while missing the subject with the ‘mirror-less’ camera example on the left. It’s worth noting though that Nikon’s own 1-series cameras provide a live feed even during continuous shooting, which actually circumvents this shortcoming of mirrorless (hint: that’s how mirrorless cameras will undoubtedly address this issue in the future).

DSLRs have also been optimized to make quick phase-detect AF measurements in between those quick mirror blackouts, allowing cameras like the D5 and Canon’s 1D X to acquire AF almost instantaneously even during 12 and 11 fps bursts. Impressive to say the least. That’s not to say mirrorless cameras aren’t catching up – in good light, Samsung’s NX1 can often successfully continuously refocus at 15 fps. Which means, yes, we do have to call out Nikon for suggesting that all mirrorless cameras have ‘soft and slow AF’: we can’t help but wonder if in that particular video sequence, the Sony Alpha series camera were left in AF-S, as cameras like the a7R II can, in fact, successfully refocus on approaching subjects (and when it can’t, the box doesn’t remain green as it does in the out-of-focus example in the Nikon press conference video – unless the focus mode is left in AF-S).

Regardless, though, with mirrorless cameras you’re still left with the issue of difficulty in following the subject without a live view during bursts.

Video: Matt Granger

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Another feature that really helps fast-paced photography is direct access to AF point selection. The D500 is the first DX-format Nikon to sport a dedicated AF-selection joystick, pictured right below and to the left of the AF-ON button. In fact, short of the D4/D5-series of cameras, it’s the only Nikon camera to feature this joystick. Cameras like the D750 and D810 dedicate their D-pads (pictured here above the ‘info’ button) to AF point selection, which works well, but never felt as fast as Canon’s dedicated AF-selection joystick. So the joystick is a welcome addition.

And if we understand correctly, the D500’s touchscreen LCD can also be used to directly access AF point selection (don’t quote us on this yet though). We first saw this on the D5500, where in OVF shooting you could dedicate the right half of the touchscreen to AF point selection. This made it really easy to use your thumb to instantly jump over to any AF point instantaneously, without your eye ever leaving the viewfinder. It’s actually faster than using a dedicated joystick, and we’re hoping to see similar functionality in the D500. The D5 does not retain this functionality with its touchscreen, though.

This brings me to a point I’ve made for some time to manufacturers now: why not just replace the AF joystick and area where your thumb rests with an AF touchpad? It could be relatively small, but with a 1:1 mapping to selectable AF points such that – over time – your thumb would learn to quickly jump to, or near, any desired AF point. For enhanced precision of selection, make the touchpad pressure sensitive and have different pressures activate different granularity of AF point movement. Want to avoid accidentally shifting the AF point? Allow the user to adjust pressure sensitivity of the touchpad. The possibilities are limitless with some good hardware and some clever programming.

Speaking of fast AF point selection, those fond of the ‘focus and recompose’ technique should take note: turn on Nikon’s ‘3D tracking’ in AF-C, place your selected AF point over your subject, half-press and hold the shutter button, then recompose. This is probably the fastest way to select a different AF point: by having your camera do it automatically using Nikon’s industry leading subject tracking. If your subject falls outside of the AF area, just let the camera track it all the way out to the nearest AF point, then hold down the AF joystick (‘sub-selector’) to lock AF, and continue recomposing.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Speaking of ergonomic improvements, notice anything different near the shutter button? That’s right, you no longer have to re-assign the movie button to ISO, because there’s now a dedicated ISO button! This is a boon for one-handed shooting: previously, I’d always reassign the movie record button to ISO so I could change ISO setting during one-handed shooting (since the ISO button is usually on the left side of Nikon DSLRs).

It’s also worth pointing out the button next to the ISO button: the dedicated exposure compensation (EC) button. Common to most higher-end Nikons, this button is really not to be overlooked. It means easy, consistent access to exposure compensation no matter what shooting mode you’re in, including M mode with Auto ISO. Certain competitors without dedicated EC dials or buttons make it it quite difficult to bias brightness in M mode with Auto ISO engaged (looking at you: 1D X, which will make you sacrifice the SET button for EC or make you pull your eye away from the viewfinder to use the Q menu to adjust EC in M mode).

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Not to be overlooked is the new SB-5000 Speedlight: the company’s new flagship flash. Its standout feature is its ability to operate and trigger via radio frequency, a first for Nikon’s line of portable flashes. This brings the Nikon system in-line with what Canon has offered for some time now, and also obviates the need for 3rd party accessories.

Nikon claims that when the flash is paired with the WR-R10 Wireless Remote Adapter set and a D5 or D500, the flash will operate without a direct line of sight at a range of up to approximately 98 feet (30 meters). With that same combination, the flash will be able to control up to six groups or 18 Speedlights. Photographer Todd Owyoung confirms that Nikon CLS features like TTL, Manual power, Groups, and Flash Exposure Compensation settings are all accessible directly via the camera menu system as it essentially always has with Nikon’s sensible flash system design. Just with the added power of radio control, now. And with Nikon’s extensive button customization, this will all be accessible with just one button press.

The SB-5000 is a significant addition to Nikon’s flash line-up, not only for the radio-triggered control it brings during applications where line-of-sight isn’t feasible or practical, but also because pairing flashes to the WR-R10 is arguably preferable to pairing to the outdated SU-800 commander – which is so dated that it attaching it to your camera disables Auto ISO. That said, we really hope to see an radio-controlled update to the SU-800 commander, since the WR-R10 remote adapter doesn’t have an IR/red AF assist beam, which I personally find indispensable for dance floor photography at weddings where I typically only use off-camera flash anyway and, therefore, prefer not to waste the weight of a full-blown flash on my hotshoe.

Which reminds me: I don’t mind the lack of a built-in flash one bit on the D500 (or D5 for that matter), as I’ll take the bigger pentaprism box and its increased viewfinder magnification (or space for a higher resolution metering sensor) over an on-board flash that I’ll never use compared to the bounce or off-camera flash of a Speedlight.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

The D5 and D500 are Nikon’s first 4K capable DSLRs, but 4K comes with some severe limitations. On the D5, recording is only available for 3 minutes at a time (29:59 for the D500), and both cameras record 4K UHD (no DCI 4K) with a heavy crop factor. It’s nearly a 1.5x crop factor (nearly Super 35) on the full-frame D5, while the D500 experiences an even larger crop factor for 4K, pictured in red above (the yellow rectangle outlines the DX/Super 35 area on the D500, compatible with Full HD).

All in all – and perhaps we’re being a bit cynical – we’re not terribly excited about the inclusion of 4K on the two cameras. Yes 4K can be a pretty handy thing to have (and the uses for it will only increase as more people buy 4K capable displays), but there are numerous hints that these cameras aren’t making the most of it. Aside from the heavy crop factors above, lack of oversampling and almost certain presence of rolling shutter will likely limit the usefulness of 4K video from these cameras. Furthermore, the continued absence of focus peaking to aid manual focus or zebra warnings to help set exposure are starting to look like major oversights. And, although we’d love to be surprised, we’re concerned that Nikon’s continued adherence to the less efficient 8-bit H.264 compression system and its reluctance to publicize bitrates means the in-camera capture won’t be as exciting as the headline specs suggest. That said, there’s always the option to output 4K over HDMI to an external recorder, so it might find some use for more dedicated video shooters – if a good signal is sent over HDMI.

And then there’s autofocus in video, where Nikon DSLRs tend to fall well behind the competition. Lack of any form of on-sensor phase-detect AF, even available in Canon’s nearest D500 competitor the 7D Mark II, means that AF in video is essentially unusable.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

On a more positive note, there are some solid additions to video on these cameras, like Active D-Lighting (ADL). We’ve always found Nikon’s ADL to be quite effective at reducing exposure to retain highlights, while boosting deeper tones to retain shadows. And ADL does a nice job of this global contrast reduction while attempting to preserve local contrast using its advanced tone-mapping algorithms.

This can be computationally intensive though, so has not been available previously in video. With the new EXPEED 5 image-processing engine, though, ADL is available in movies at resolutions up to 1080p.

For incredibly high contrast scenes, when ADL’s highest setting may not be enough to tame the scene’s extreme contrast, you can use the Flat picture profile and grade your footage later.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

On the D500, the EXPEED 5 processor even enables electronic vibration reduction (VR) in videos up to 1080p. Electronic VR can correct for horizontal and vertical movement, as well as rotation. This helps stabilize video footage, particularly when combined with optical VR in lenses.

The combination of electronic (or ‘digital’) and optical VR or IS (image stabilization) is something we tend to see more of in mirrorless cameras, like Olympus’ E-M5 II or the latest 1″-type sensor compacts from Canon and Sony. It’s great to see in a DSLR form-factor.

There’s no mention of this feature in the D5, though.

Nikon D5 and D500 Push the Boundaries of DSLR

Then there’s that continuously-connected wireless system. Snapbridge sounds very impressive – making use of the low-energy Bluetooth standard to maintain a connection between the cameras and a smart device so that images can be transferred without having to constantly re-establish connections. Our experiences suggest that the easier a feature is to use, the more likely we are to use it and the more likely we are to appreciate its benfits (something that often crosses our minds when DSLR shooters tell us they don’t use video on their camera). 

And in our connected age, there’s no excuse for camera manufacturers to not facilitate ease of image management and sharing. DSLRs have it a little tough in this regard: they’re not running the full-blown OS smartphone cameras have access to, which means that apps and ecosystems are limited in scope. But we’ve seen smartphone connectivity evolving in DSLRs, and we’re all for it. We’ll be curious to test out how SnapBridge functions on the D500.

We’ve covered a bit of ground in this slideshow, so if we were to sum up our overall thoughts on these cameras, they’d be as follows: we’re impressed that Nikon has taken a tried-and-true system and improved significantly on it. Nikon has addressed shortcomings, like lack of cross-type AF sensors, radio-controlled flash, buffer depth and burst speeds in DX format, as well as added some serious goodies: unprecedented AF frame coverage, low light AF ability, and automated focus calibration. Combine these with best-in-class object tracking in continuous AF, and the high performance sensors we typically see from Nikon that offer class-leading ISO performance and dynamic range, and we potentially have some industry-leading DSLRs on the horizon.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)