I had a chance to try out a new Nikon D500 camera at the Denver Zoo on Saturday. The camera boasts some major improvements over its predecessor the Nikon D300, including 10 fps continuous shooting, a 20.2 MP sensor, and a greatly improved 154 point autofocus system. My overall impression of the camera is that it is capable of taking pictures that rival full frame in quality, especially from a high ISO noise perspective.
For the test, I coupled the camera with a Nikkor 300 f4 PF ED VR lens. This made for a lightweight yet relatively powerful telephoto combination for animal photos. I put the camera through a whirlwind of tests including indoors at Bird World.
Autofocus
The new autofocus system is much hyped. And for the most part it delivered during my test. I used continuous autofocus with a 4 point zone. The autofocus responded well in most situations but had trouble tracking at closer distances. In particular, I tried to shoot my son doing a standing broad jump, but the camera couldn’t keep up in this situation. It also had some trouble with birds in the relatively close quarters of Bird World. I would want to do more testing and pair it with a 70-200 2.8 or 300 2.8 lens for more precise testing. Ultimately, I would want to try it out at some sporting events and see how it handles erratic moving subjects. My sense is that this camera won;t live up to the performance of its big brother the D5 but will still be quite good.
Image Quality
The Nikon D500 provides a big step up in image quality. It lacks an AA filter so images are very crisp and don’t suffer form the slight blurring an AA filter creates. The images are contrasty and punchy straight out of the camera. More impressive is the noise or lack thereof. You’d be hard pressed to tell an image shot at ISO 6400 came from a 1.5 crop DX sensor. This was quite an achievement. This shot inside Bird World was taken at ISO 16000!
The picture of the Lorikeet below shows the crisp color and detail this camera is capable of, even at ISO 2000.
Here is a photo of an iris to examine fine detail in the beard.
Ergonomics
The camera fits very well in my large hands. I am used to Canon so some of the controls and motions are backwards from what I am used to, however. Overall, I was able to figure out most functions relatively easily. The buttons are well-labeled and laid out. The one thing I wish was easier to access was focus mode. It wasn’t obvious how to change between continuous and single shot and then the various other modes like zone focus or tracking.
Metering and Dynamic Range
The metering in this camera was okay. The camera underexposed some shots in the shadows. I had also heard so much about the dynamic range of Nikon and Sony sensors as compared to Canon. I was underwhelmed in this regard. This shot of a Cassowary shows what I am taking about. Some areas of the beak are blown out while some areas like the eyeball are quite dark. I was able to pull some detail back in Lightroom.
Overall, I thought the D500 looks to be an amazing camera for the price but will require further testing to see if it can be used reliably for sports photojournalism.