pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

This is nonsense. All the Nikon full frame cameras from D600 to the most recent and costly do about the same (within half a stop) at high ISO in the image (RAW) they actually capture.

Sinewsworn Loc: Port Orchard, WA

pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

I think what you mean is High ISO Noise Reduction or High ISO NR. Many other Nikon cameras have it, certainly back to the D7000. It applies noise reduction, in camera, to Jpeg files. The problem with that is that NR inevitably costs you detail. To preserve the maximum amount of detail it may be better to shoot (in RAW) with High ISO NR off and do your noise reduction in post processing. As to whether your camera can do better NR than most third party software, that's a complicated issue depending on the camera and the software.

GPS Phil Loc: Dayton Ohio

I snapped this with my Nikon Df @ 3200 ISO hand held with only firelight, it does about the same at 6400.

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pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

D750 at ISO 12,800.

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cfbudd Loc: Atlanta, Georgia

I too miss my D700, replaced with a D800. Sellers remorse.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Granted what you referenced was indeed nonsense. But your numbers are slightly out of date.

The D810 comes in at the lowest, and the D5 at the highest. The D5 is more than 1 stop better for a dynamic range of 6.5 stops (ISO 3206 for the D810 and 6982 for the D5).

Except for the new D5, the highest Nikon camera is the D4S, which gets 6.5 stops of dynamic range at 4756. That is just over 1/2 a stop higher than the D810 and just under half a stop higher than the D610.

A list of ISO values for Nikon FX cameras at a dynamic range of 6.5 stops from Bill Claff's webpage at http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm

pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

You have chosen a metric which I find questionable in terms of most real life shooting. Rather than debate which metric is more suitable I refer you to DxO's review of the D5 at
https://www.dxomark.com/Reviews/Nikon-D5-sensor-review-A-worthy-successor
which finds the D5 to be strikingly INFERIOR to both of its predecessors the D4s and the D3s in their measure "Sports (Low Light ISO). In this measure the D5 is also inferior to every other recent Nikon full frame camera. In Dynamic Range as meaured by DxO it is also inferior to D4s by a whole Ev. The crux of the matter seems to be that the D5 was optimized for extremely high ISO at the cost of inferior performance in the range where most photography is done.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Well, actually I didn't choose that metric. Check out the cited web page. Bill Claff chose the metric, and I agree with it! The ISO at which a Photographic Dynamic Range of 6.5 fstops is achieved is precisely appropriate. Most prints can not display more than 6 stops, and most monitors cannot do better than maybe 7 fstops. Using a value of 6.5 stops essentially puts it in an area where a precisely exposed image, with the white point and black point properly set, will display with essentially no noise at all. An excellent metric point to determine Low Light performance.

Sorry, but using DxO's qualitative analysis does not provide an accurate picture for our specific purpose. We just do not care about "the range where most photography is done". The D5 (as was the D4 and D4S before it) was purposely designed for low light, high ISO use. The fact that it compromises unused dynamic range at ISO 800 and lower in order to get a faster frame rate and high dynamic range at higher ISO's is exactly what those who purchase a D5 are looking for. The compromise is of zero significance! This is not a pickup truck for the farm, it is a race car for the track.

You apparently didn't notice that for all ISO values above 800 the D5 is equal or better than the D4S. That is true for the DxO graphic, and also for Bill Claff's chart shown below. If you are shooting indoor sports, as an example, which camera would you want! The D5 wins hands down...

D5 over the D4S, which is the same as the D4 and better than the D3S

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pmackd Loc: Alameda CA

I'm aware that the D5s is designed for high ISO and said so. I guess I'm prejudiced. For me such a camera is useless.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

And for me, and my action sports work, it's exactly what I need and use. My D810 covers everything else, while my D500 does both. I've never found a single camera good for all my work or I would buy it!

JoeJoe

Its not about your hand speed..... or stiff focus rings were it fails... The DF needs to be in live view to get true sharp images are you advising the prospective buyer to go into live view to get sharp images of their sport..... Sorry RWR but if I spend this type of money on a camera I'd expect it to at least perform for purpose...and sports in low light isn't a strength for this camera..

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

These last four posts (including this one) are the absolute perfect example. I have little need for a D500. My most used camera is a D810. If I could only have one camera I would have very hard time choosing between the D4 that I've been using since the first week it was available... and the D5 that is on the way with the USPS folks. (If it isn't obvious, a D5 upgrade wasn't worth Nikon's price when it was released, but at $2300 below list price with 500 clicks on it, I just now am picking one up.)

We four cover a diverse range that does have some overlap. Camera manufacturers have no choice but to try hard to match, with one model or another, all of our needs, plus those of others that are even more divergent than we. I wouldn't touch any DX model nor the Df, the D610 or the D750! They still strike me as wonderful cameras though, just not the best for my needs. But they are perfect for others!

Just for fun, consider something else... As I've done with all of my previous DSLR's, in about a month (when the new D5 is comfortable) the old D4 will be gifted to an aspiring young local photographer that I expect will benefit from it. So far that has been about 50% successful. Not everyone can actually benefit from such cameras!

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

if it has that much noise at 3200, 6400 must be a real booger bear to clean up.

Lupane Loc: Gainsville, Ga.

A D500 or a D5 will do the job without having to worry about light flicker.