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D5
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Aug 23, 2019 12:00:21   #
RahulKhosla
 
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?

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Aug 23, 2019 12:08:25   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
IMHO, the D5 is Nikon's finest overall camera body. It is clearly designed for professional sports action shooters, which is what I do, and is also very expensive. Would it be good for BIF, sure! If you're not a professional, I think it is an expensive choice. If you can afford it and you want it, buy one. You don't give me enough information on what you want to do, specifically and what you already own to comment further. If you'd have any interest in a crop frame camera, I can state that I consider the D500 to be a 'baby' D5. The D850 also comes to mind as do the new Z series bodies. More information please. Best of luck.

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Aug 23, 2019 13:13:41   #
RahulKhosla
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?


Thanks. I’m an amateur photographer- an enthusiast but certainly not a pro.
Very interested in wildlife including bird photos.
I have a D850 which is fabulous and am looking to accompany it with a genuine ‘fast’ ( AF and FPS) Nikon camera that I can take along with the D850 on wildlife shoots. I have several Nikon lenses that I can share with the second body to provide versatility. The D5 specs and reviews seem great and seem to tick the boxes on what would work for me. Yes it’s expensive but then, I’m reasonably sure this is a purchase that’ll last a long while. I’ve seen the specs and reviews for the D500 and while it’s very impressive, I felt the D5 may be a better buy.

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Aug 23, 2019 13:25:36   #
Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio
 
I've shot well over 100,000 wildlife images with my D5 and it's a wonderful camera. However, it's also relatively low res compared to cameras like the D850 or even the Canon 5DIV. So, filling the frame and keeping cropping to a minimum is critical if you want to get the most out of it. If you find you're cropping the D850 heavily, then you probably will be disappointed in the D5. However, if you can typically fill the frame (or close), it's a phenomenal action camera. It "just gets the shot" :)

That said, also keep in mind that the D6 is due out soon - probably announced by early January and it will certainly up the game. The D5 is great, but it's also about a 4 year old camera - ancient by consumer electronics standards. Personally, although I love the D5, if mine died today, I'd just use my D850 until the D6 came out. $6500 is a lot to shell out on something that's about to be replaced. Of course, if you could find a good used one for less than $5000, that wouldn't be so bad :)

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Aug 23, 2019 13:55:10   #
cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA
 
What Steve Perry said. If you already have a D850 for wildlife, you already have the best camera for the job in your hands. The D850 shares the processor and the focusing system with the D5 and there are none better, IMHO, at this time in the Nikon lineup. Either buy another D850 (if you must) or wait for the D6, depending upon what it might offer. The Z7 might be a lighter weight alternative, but I'd still go with the D850 for what you want. If you really want to make it a bit faster, invest in the battery grip and the EN-EL18 series batteries and charger. The latter would be money better spent, IMHO. I wouldn't trade my D5 for Sports, but I wouldn't trade my D850 for everything else. If you must spend the money, buy yourself a new lens! Best of luck.

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Aug 23, 2019 14:27:10   #
Scruples Loc: Brooklyn, New York
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?


I don't shoot Nikon. I have a 5D as my hard worker. Running neck and neck is the Canon 1Dx Mark II. Basically same features and functionality and price range. I did not want this model series because I felt it would be more camera than I am a photographer.
Go with a camera you have a great deal of comfort with. If you wish a challenge take care. You may have more camera than you bargained for.

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Aug 23, 2019 22:37:22   #
RahulKhosla
 
Thank you Steve. One of the main reasons I was going with the D5 is to enable higher FPS. While 9 FPS (with the battery) on the D850 is great, in your own words (quoting your fabulous book 😊), the difference in FPS between 9 and 12 seems quite significant, doesn’t it? In addition, while the Res on the D5 is relatively low, isn’t it also true that the lower density of pixels would enable different and often better images?

All that said, I do agree i should wait for the D6....after all, why not wait a few months.

Many thanks for your advice.

Steve Perry wrote:
I've shot well over 100,000 wildlife images with my D5 and it's a wonderful camera. However, it's also relatively low res compared to cameras like the D850 or even the Canon 5DIV. So, filling the frame and keeping cropping to a minimum is critical if you want to get the most out of it. If you find you're cropping the D850 heavily, then you probably will be disappointed in the D5. However, if you can typically fill the frame (or close), it's a phenomenal action camera. It "just gets the shot" :)

That said, also keep in mind that the D6 is due out soon - probably announced by early January and it will certainly up the game. The D5 is great, but it's also about a 4 year old camera - ancient by consumer electronics standards. Personally, although I love the D5, if mine died today, I'd just use my D850 until the D6 came out. $6500 is a lot to shell out on something that's about to be replaced. Of course, if you could find a good used one for less than $5000, that wouldn't be so bad :)
I've shot well over 100,000 wildlife images with m... (show quote)

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Aug 23, 2019 22:40:15   #
RahulKhosla
 
Thanks, as I replied to Steve, 9 FPS (with the battery) on the D850 is great, but the difference in FPS between 9 and 12 (on the D5) seems quite significant. Also, 21 MP is nothing to sniff at in terms of resolution? Agree with you on being patient and wait for the D6!


quote=cjc2]What Steve Perry said. If you already have a D850 for wildlife, you already have the best camera for the job in your hands. The D850 shares the processor and the focusing system with the D5 and there are none better, IMHO, at this time in the Nikon lineup. Either buy another D850 (if you must) or wait for the D6, depending upon what it might offer. The Z7 might be a lighter weight alternative, but I'd still go with the D850 for what you want. If you really want to make it a bit faster, invest in the battery grip and the EN-EL18 series batteries and charger. The latter would be money better spent, IMHO. I wouldn't trade my D5 for Sports, but I wouldn't trade my D850 for everything else. If you must spend the money, buy yourself a new lens! Best of luck.[/quote]

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Aug 24, 2019 07:14:40   #
CO
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Thanks. I’m an amateur photographer- an enthusiast but certainly not a pro.
Very interested in wildlife including bird photos.
I have a D850 which is fabulous and am looking to accompany it with a genuine ‘fast’ ( AF and FPS) Nikon camera that I can take along with the D850 on wildlife shoots. I have several Nikon lenses that I can share with the second body to provide versatility. The D5 specs and reviews seem great and seem to tick the boxes on what would work for me. Yes it’s expensive but then, I’m reasonably sure this is a purchase that’ll last a long while. I’ve seen the specs and reviews for the D500 and while it’s very impressive, I felt the D5 may be a better buy.
Thanks. I’m an amateur photographer- an enthusiast... (show quote)


I don't see where the D5 is a better buy than the D500. The D5 is $5,996 and the D500 is $1,496 right now. They both have the same autofocus system. I just bought a second D500.

The D5 has an anti-aliasing filter over the sensor. The D500 and D850 do not have an anti-aliasing filter. You might actually be able to get a little better sharpness out of the D500 and D850 than with the D5.

Stick with your D850. It's an awesome camera and has the same autofocus system as the D500 and D5.

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Aug 24, 2019 07:43:02   #
Collhar Loc: New York City.
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?


The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

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Aug 24, 2019 08:08:41   #
billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?


The D5 is a wonderful camera in low light. But, so is the Nikon D3s.
I had the opportunity to shoot the D5 last year in Florida wildlife preserves, I also shot with the D850 and D500. I will be honest and say I let the D5 go because I was also getting great results from my D850 and D500 in low light situations.
The D5 shot faster, but the extra 3.5 frames per second was not enough to justify the cost difference. With the D850 and D500, I still had enough money left over to get the new 500 5.6.
However, the shot below was taken with the D5 with the 70-200 2.8 FL lens. It is an image of a adult Sand Hill Crane feeding it's colt a dragon fly. The original image was cropped about 60%. I could have been using the D850 to get the same shot.
If your a professional shooter who can easily afford the D5, I say go ahead. But to be honest, I do not miss it.
If you like the shot, it is one of my featured shots in my photo show.
My photo show will be at the Weller Gallery at the Davis Education and Visitors Center in Fellows Riverside Gardens, Youngstown Ohio. 123 McKinley Ave. Tuesday-Sunday 10-5. Closed Monday. 330-740-7116. The show will run from August 17th to October 13th. Meet the artist date is Sunday, September 8, 1-3 pm. See you there.



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Aug 24, 2019 08:25:40   #
Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada
 
I prefer my D5 over my D850. It feels better in my hand and the battery life is twice as long. In low light, it is the master and top gun.

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Aug 24, 2019 09:02:44   #
DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Views please ?
Pros / cons ?
Main interest - wildlife and action.

For those who’ve used it, are there any watch outs or ‘be careful’s’ or ‘remember to....’’s?


I have a D4, which I have used a lot. Around 2016, in a fit of GAS, I got a D5.

I don't shoot action or wildlife. My primary focus is events, many of which are indoors. For that the D5 is an excellent choice, as the high ISO performance is better than the D4. For low ISO the D4 is probably a bit better. Based on results, I think the D5 gives me about a stop of improvement over the D4 for low light shots (I'm using them both now as I find I have improved response to available quick shots with different lenses on each body).

An interesting comparison can be found by using Bill Claff's dynamic range chart at http://www.photonstophotos.net/Charts/PDR.htm
The D5 has an interesting curve, showing some strange wiggles at low ISO. I suspect that a lot of the performance enhancements over the D4 are due to improvements in signal processing. The D4 has better low ISO dynamic range, but the D5 is better above about ISO 3200. The extreme ISO levels advertised for the D5 are marketing hype. I have tried them out and at least for my purposes, I don't see any good shots above about ISO 100K. And the dynamic range goes to zero out there.

Although I have little experience in wildlife and action, I would expect that higher ISO levels would be useful.

I also have a D800e and that chart indicates that the D800e has a better dynamic range at low ISO than either the D4 or D5. I don't use the D800e that much because it doesn't have the vertical grip and I have come to depend on that.

BTW, Bill Claff's chart linked above will show comparisons to a wide range of cameras of different makes. Interested in the D850? It's there. The Canon 5D? it's there.

Of course, dynamic range isn't the whole story, but it's worth having another comparison point.

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Aug 24, 2019 09:36:03   #
Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio
 
RahulKhosla wrote:
Thank you Steve. One of the main reasons I was going with the D5 is to enable higher FPS. While 9 FPS (with the battery) on the D850 is great, in your own words (quoting your fabulous book 😊), the difference in FPS between 9 and 12 seems quite significant, doesn’t it? In addition, while the Res on the D5 is relatively low, isn’t it also true that the lower density of pixels would enable different and often better images?

All that said, I do agree i should wait for the D6....after all, why not wait a few months.

Many thanks for your advice.
Thank you Steve. One of the main reasons I was goi... (show quote)


Yes, and I still stand by my FPS statements :) - there is a noticeable difference in some scenarios (i.e. action) between 12 and 9 FPS. There are SOOOOO many times I have exactly ONE perfect shot (wing position, pose etc) from a 12FPS series with my D5 that I may not have grabbed with a slower camera. The extra 3FPS gives you 3 more opportunities every second of an action sequence to capture a perfect pose.

As for the larger pixels, yes, they do can have an advantage too. If you don't need the resolution (and, let's face it, most people don't - I unhesitatingly print 20x30 from my full frame D5 images), then it's a good option to consider because there is a noticeable difference at higher ISOs. The D5 is about 1 stop better than the D850 and 2 stops better than the D500 - not insignificant. However, as one poster mentioned, the D5's low ISO dynamic range is lower than the D850 (and I think the D500), so when I don't need the D5's speed, I often shoot the D850 when working in brighter light. I also like the D850 files better - I think they just have nicer color. Tools for the job I suppose. However, that love for the D850 files ends at higher ISO - the D5 retains better colors after ISO 2500 or so.

Some other D5 advantages:

Buffer - the D5 has a 200 shot buffer (as does the D500) vs the much, much smaller buffer of the D850.

AF system - The D5, D500, and D850 share the same AF system - and in general it's hard to tell the difference. However, after shooting tens of thousands of frames between the cameras, I think the D5 is actually a touch faster with initial acquisition in a fast moving situation and a touch better at hanging onto a tricky subject than the D850. The D500 is somewhere between the D5 and D850.

Less Mirror Blackout - the mirror mechanism gets out of the way faster in the D5 than the D850 or D500, which means you see the subject better during action.

Recall shooting - the D5 is the only Nikon with this feature: https://backcountrygallery.com/nikons-new-recall-shooting-feature/

Extra Function Button - this seems minor, but if you like assigning buttons to help you shoot, then the extra one is welcome.

Better Covers - Minor but the D5 has better battery covers and memory card covers then the D850 or D500 - plus the D5 has duel XQD slots with is really nice.

And finally, it just has better ergonomics in my opinion. The integral grip is wonderful and the D5 actually is a tough smaller the the gripped D850. It's also more durable than any other current Nikon and can really take a beating (I know LOL).

Still - I'd wait for the D6 - it'll bring all of the above and then some to the table :)

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Aug 24, 2019 09:54:31   #
wetreed
 
Without doubt forget the D5 and go with the D500, more FPS and better reach. I’ve had mine for two months and love it. You will never regret getting the D500 and with the money you save you can buy a couple of lenses.

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