Nikon D500 announced

After a very long time, as far as modern technology goes, Nikon has announced the successor to its D300—the D500. Presumably, Nikon has skipped the D400 name so that the new DX body is more closely aligned to the new FX body—the D5. Both of these cameras should be exceptionally capable for low light sports photography.

Looking at the specifications, it’s clear that Nikon is aiming to present both of these bodies as top-tier professional tools, the only real difference being that one has a smaller imaging sensor than the other. Interestingly, both the D5 and the D500 have a lower resolution (21 MP) compared to what appeared to be the new Nikon standard (24 MP), as seen in my previous guide to choosing Nikon DSLRs.

Nikon D500 (US$2,000; probably around $2,500 in Australia). This model replaces the D300 from 2007 (the D300S from 2009 was only a minor improvement on the D300), and is somewhat a competitor to the Canon EOS 7D Mk II, which I covered some months ago. While the D500 looks better on paper, we have to remember that the 7D Mk II has been around for more than a year already, and is cheaper. There’s no doubt that Nikon has been very late in introducing the D500, and in some ways it has not caught up with the 7D Mk II.

• Viewfinder: 100% (0.67x).
• AF points: 153 (99 cross).
• Base sensitivity: ISO 100–51200.
• Frame rate: 10 fps.
• Buffer size: 79–200 JPEG or RAW (depending on the memory card).
• Sensor resolution: 21 MP.
• Battery: EN-EL15 (1,240 frames).
• Card slots: SD and XQD.
• Introduced: January 2016.

Here are some links that provide more information:

• Preview and specifications at Digital Photography Review.
• Specifications at Thom Hogan’s DSLR site.
• Comments and comparisons at Ken Rockwell’s site (including a comparison to the 7D Mk II).

Nikon D5 (US$6,500; probably around $8,000 in Australia). This model replaces the still relatively new D4S from 2014, which I’ve also described previously. The main changes are in the autofocus module (far more AF points) and battery life (around 25% longer). Where the D4S had ‘unlimited’ buffer capacity, the D5 appears to have the same 200 frame capacity as the D500. Unusually, it seems that the D5 comes with either two CF memory card slots or two XQD memory card slots. I don’t expect that having such an option would have helped keep manufacturing costs down, and I can imagine that some professional photographers (perhaps many) would have preferred to have one of each type.

• Viewfinder: 100% (0.72x).
• AF points: 153 (99 cross).
• Base sensitivity: ISO 100–102400.
• Frame rate: 12 fps (14 fps without autofocus).
• Buffer size: 200 JPEG or RAW.
• Sensor resolution: 21 MP.
• Battery: EN-EL18a (3,780 frames).
• Card slots: 2x CF or 2x XQD.
• Introduced: January 2016.

Here are some links that provide more information:

• Preview and specifications at Digital Photography Review.
• Specifications at Thom Hogan’s DSLR site.
• Comments and comparisons at Ken Rockwell’s site.

There are also some general comments on both new models from Thom Hogan and Mike Johnston. I expect we’ll see many more analyses and comments from other photographers in the next few days.