D500

Thanks Jerry,
It was from a hide at a Wetlands centre in Jersey

Ray
 
I'm slowly getting used to the slightly different layout and extra functions of the D500, but so far I am very happy with just a few niggles. A huge increase on my D300S in every way, which is why I waited so long to replace it. Glad it was the D500 I got rather than the 7DII, which it was so close to being. :)

Has anyone got any compatible batteries in the UK that work with the D500 yet? I'm feeling very vulnerable with just one battery atm, especially as I experienced the quick discharge when first used. It seems to have settled a bit to what I would expect now.

I have been used to 3-5 batteries, just in case, ;) so just one battery is a bit scary. Luckily I haven't been in a position where it has been a problem yet, but I want to be prepared as soon as possible. .
 
micloi said:
I got the grip and, surprisingly, when using 3rd party D4/D5 batteries in the grip they work fine! And they last more than twice as much as the normal batteries.
Click to expand...

I also have the grip and the en-el15 3rd party battery I have behaves the same as if it were in the body i.e not working. If you don't mind me asking what brand of 3rd party battery are you using in the grip ? I looked and the Nikon en-el18a which are expensive, then dismissed the idea altogether due to the totally ridiculous price of the Nikon charger.
 
Much as I'd like one and will doubtless end up buying one, I went online today to buy only to find it's still on back order at all the major UK stockist and the grey importers with stock are taking the pi$$ with only £100 off. I'll give it a couple of months and see....
 
Hi Guys and to all i know too.. Just bought my first Nikon in the guise of the D500 specifically for sports and motorbike racing cars etc, also bought the Sigma 600mm C couldn't do the sport too heavy for carting round the track. also got the Tokina 11-16mm. i now toying with what DX lens to buy for walking about. My Main camera is a Sony A7rII with 24-70 so I'm kinda covered but I'm thinking when i shoot sports what shall i have as the middleground... Reading Thom Hogans posts the 18-140 looks like a winner anybody any ideas what we all use that's good for walk about , i hear bad things about the 16-300 and 18-300
 
redhed17 said:
I'm slowly getting used to the slightly different layout and extra functions of the D500, but so far I am very happy with just a few niggles. A huge increase on my D300S in every way, which is why I waited so long to replace it. Glad it was the D500 I got rather than the 7DII, which it was so close to being. :)

Has anyone got any compatible batteries in the UK that work with the D500 yet? I'm feeling very vulnerable with just one battery atm, especially as I experienced the quick discharge when first used. It seems to have settled a bit to what I would expect now.

I have been used to 3-5 batteries, just in case, ;) so just one battery is a bit scary. Luckily I haven't been in a position where it has been a problem yet, but I want to be prepared as soon as possible. .
Click to expand...
What's the niggles?
 
snerkler said:
What's the niggles?
Click to expand...
Mmm, the battery is not lasting as long as it should. It has improved, but it should be lasting a lot longer according to what others are experiencing. So far I haven't seem anyone say that they have bought a compatible battery that works with the D500 yet. :( :rolleyes:

I had the camera lock up once within hours but it has not done that again, and I have Lexar 32Gb SD and XQD cards in all the time, though I have not filled the XQD card to overflow onto the SD card yet.

I find the new direction joystick on the back useless. Everything it was designed to do I'm used to doing with the normal direction pad. I think it was added to give a similar layout to the D5.

Still have not got used to the touchscreen yet, and so am not using it. It does catch me out when I'm reviewing images and I try to wipe a smudge of something off the screen and end up either zooming in or scrolling through a few images. :LOL:

When I have tried the AF Fine Tune I get wildly varying results, so have switched it off. I have been getting pretty sharp images with my Nikon 70-300 atm, so I'm not so worried about that yet.

Atm I'm having to convert all the NEF's to DNG's because my software is not compatible. I installed the Nikon software but I don't get on with it. :(

When I read of SnapBridge I wanted to use it to transfer location info from my tablet to the camera and embedded into the images, rather than transferring images. Sometimes I can't get the location data to transfer. I don't know whether it is me, the camera, the tablet, the SnapBridge app, or a combination of either or all. When it works it is great and something I wanted in a camera, to embed GPS. I would have preferred the GPS built it, but you can't have everything.

Saying all that, the AF is amazing. :D The 10fps has led to more images of ball in shot for Cricket pics I've been taking, compared to the 7-8fps with the D300S. Coming from the D300S there is a huge improvement in Dynamic Range and High ISO performance. :)

Others are reporting more serious problems, but I'm not sure how widespread they are. :thinking: As usual the silence from Nikon if deafening. :mad: :rolleyes: I'm so glad I got the camera as soon as I could even with the above (personal) niggles. It is a quality machine. :D
 
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redhed17 said:
Mmm, the battery is not lasting as long as it should. It has improved, but it should be lasting a lot longer according to what others are experiencing. So far I haven't seem anyone say that they have bought a compatible battery that works with the D500 yet. :( :rolleyes:

I had the camera lock up once within hours but it has not done that again, and I have Lexar 32Gb SD and XQD cards in all the time, though I have not filled the XQD card to overflow onto the SD card yet.

I find the new direction joystick on the back useless. Everything it was designed to do I'm used to doing with the normal direction pad. I think it was added to give a similar layout to the D5.

Still have not got used to the touchscreen yet, and so am not using it. It does catch me out when I'm reviewing images and I try to wipe a smudge of something off the screen and end up either zooming in or scrolling through a few images. :LOL:

When I have tried the AF Fine Tune I get wildly varying results, so have switched it off. I have been getting pretty sharp images with my Nikon 70-300 atm, so I'm not so worried about that yet.

Atm I'm having to convert all the NEF's to DNG's because my software is not compatible. I installed the Nikon software but I don't get on with it. :(

Saying all that, the AF is amazing. :D The 10fps has led to more images of ball in shot for Cricket pics I've been taking, compared to the 7-8fps with the D300S. Coming from the D300S there is a huge improvement in Dynamic Range and High ISO performance. :)

Others are reporting more serious problems, but I'm not sure how widespread they are. :thinking: As usual the silence from Nikon if deafening. :mad: :rolleyes: I'm so glad I got the camera as soon as I could even with the above (personal) niggles. It is a quality machine. :D
Click to expand...
Thanks, it's because of stuff like this that I won't buy another Nikon until it's been out for a while. WIth regards to the fine tune, can you do it manually or is it auto only?
 
gramps said:
This is a known issue (amongst others) which Thom Hogan has been documenting: http://www.dslrbodies.com/cameras/the-d5d500-blog/
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Not sure if it's the same, but the D750 has this too very infrequently. Only way to solve it is to turn it off, take the battery out, replace it and turn back on. If it's the same it's bizarre that Nikon would release another camera with the same issue :rolleyes:
 
snerkler said:
Thanks, it's because of stuff like this that I won't buy another Nikon until it's been out for a while. WIth regards to the fine tune, can you do it manually or is it auto only?
Click to expand...
I said that to myself a few years ago, but after waiting so long for a D300S replacement, and within weeks of getting a 7DII because I had almost given up waiting, whilst I had the money I couldn't take the risk of waiting, as I fear my work is about to go t**s up. :(

The AF Fine Tune is an automated process best done on a tripod. It could be implemented better by using the timer or a remote so as you would not have to press a button on the camera, and potentially move it slightly during the process.

I've added another niggle about SnapBridge above which I forgot. :rolleyes:
 
redhed17 said:
I said that to myself a few years ago, but after waiting so long for a D300S replacement, and within weeks of getting a 7DII because I had almost given up waiting, whilst I had the money I couldn't take the risk of waiting, as I fear my work is about to go t**s up. :(

The AF Fine Tune is an automated process best done on a tripod. It could be implemented better by using the timer or a remote so as you would not have to press a button on the camera, and potentially move it slightly during the process.

I've added another niggle about SnapBridge above which I forgot. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
That's frustrating if you can't choose to manually fine tune as well, from what I hear the auto fine tune is hit and miss and therefore would prefer to do it myself.
 
snerkler said:
That's frustrating if you can't choose to manually fine tune as well, from what I hear the auto fine tune is hit and miss and therefore would prefer to do it myself.
Click to expand...
You probably can do the AF Fine Tune the way you may have done it in the past. I never tried it on previous cameras.

I have been reading Thom Hogan's D5/D500 Blog. He's a good source of info on what is going on with Nikon, from his own experience, and from a lot of users getting in touch with him and giving him feedback. :)

This is a good article from his Blog about whether to buy now or not. :)
 
sk66 said:
My experience with the automated AF fine tune (D5)...

don't bother...
Click to expand...
Can you shed light on whether you can also do it manually?

Out of interest, does the auto tune tune it at different focal lengths, or just a global average?
 
snerkler said:
Can you shed light on whether you can also do it manually?

Out of interest, does the auto tune tune it at different focal lengths, or just a global average?
Click to expand...

I don't know about the manual AF fine tune, but I assume it works the same as it has on previous Nikon cameras that had it. It would make no sense to add the auto option, but take the manual option away.It is Nikon though... ;) :LOL:

When I was at the Photography Show in Birmingham, they had demonstrations of the D5 and D500, when the chap was talking about the AF Fine Tune option, he said it should be 30x the focal length. When I asked about zoom lenses he said do at the focal length you use most often. Not sure how that would affect focal at different focal lengths. :thinking:
 
redhed17 said:
I don't know about the manual AF fine tune, but I assume it works the same as it has on previous Nikon cameras that had it. It would make no sense to add the auto option, but take the manual option away.It is Nikon though... ;) :LOL:

When I was at the Photography Show in Birmingham, they had demonstrations of the D5 and D500, when the chap was talking about the AF Fine Tune option, he said it should be 30x the focal length. When I asked about zoom lenses he said do at the focal length you use most often. Not sure how that would affect focal at different focal lengths. :thinking:
Click to expand...
That's what I do (although 30x FL seems a lot). I just happen to use zooms at the long end more often than not so tune to that FL, but I would always recommend tuning at the tele end as this is when DOF will be at its shallowest and AF inaccuracies will be most apparent. I've never known it throw the short end off noticeably though so YMMV.
 
snerkler said:
Can you shed light on whether you can also do it manually?

Out of interest, does the auto tune tune it at different focal lengths, or just a global average?
Click to expand...

I'm doing it manually... same as before. And it's still a global setting.
Personally, I do AFMA at the FL and distance I will primarily be using... (usually a whole lot closer than 50x FL, more like 10x). I also have a couple settings for different distances I just plug in if the situation changes significantly.
 
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They should make the lenses to the correct spec in the first place rather than producing crap and expecting the customer to correct their failures.:eek::eek:
 
shapeshifter said:
They should make the lenses to the correct spec in the first place rather than producing crap and expecting the customer to correct their failures.:eek::eek:
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Sorry, but you're talking out of an orifice usually reserved for other outputs. If they did what you want, nobody would be able to afford to buy the stuff.

Read this excellent blog article by Roger Cicala of Lens Rentals:
https://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2010/03/this-lens-is-soft-and-other-facts/

TL, DR: "I believe we now have camera sensors and optical designs that are simply too good for the current standards of mass-production."
 
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the more you get into it, the more you realise that most people are only using 25% or less of what their equipment can do ....... go back to basics ..... step by step and look at what you can do to improve at each stage ........ be self critical and look at what another guys with the same or lessor equipment are producing (better images), technically and composition-wise than yours

Learn from the Forum and other sites
 
xmh said:
I also have the grip and the en-el15 3rd party battery I have behaves the same as if it were in the body i.e not working. If you don't mind me asking what brand of 3rd party battery are you using in the grip ? I looked and the Nikon en-el18a which are expensive, then dismissed the idea altogether due to the totally ridiculous price of the Nikon charger.
Click to expand...
Put in just the Nikon battery and turn the camera on. then add a 3rd party battery and turn it on again, then you can replace the Nikon with a 3rd party and it will work, just don't let the power run all the way down or it will reset and you need to do the process again. There are also 3d party batteries that have the Nikon chip in them and they work all the time, those are the ones I use and they have more mAh as well so they out last the original OEM batteries.

You can also get 3rd party chargers and even a solar panel recharge set up and charge up in the field. I also have an inverter in the car and charge them there, just plug the charger into the inverter and off you go.
 
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GT von said:
Put in just the Nikon battery and turn the camera on. then add a 3rd party battery and turn it on again, then you can replace the Nikon with a 3rd party and it will work, just don't let the power run all the way down or it will reset and you need to do the process again. There are also 3d party batteries that have the Nikon chip in them and they work all the time, those are the ones I use and they have more mAh as well so they out last the original OEM batteries.

You can also get 3rd party chargers and even a solar panel recharge set up and charge up in the field. I also have an inverter in the car and charge them there, just plug the charger into the inverter and off you go.
Click to expand...
Which ones are those?
 
GT von said:
Put in just the Nikon battery and turn the camera on. then add a 3rd party battery and turn it on again, then you can replace the Nikon with a 3rd party and it will work, just don't let the power run all the way down or it will reset and you need to do the process again.
Click to expand...

I am trying to visualise that, doesn't the battery grip cover the camera battery chamber when fitted? ... Can't visualise how you make the switch. :thinking:
 
You put the battery in the grip. Just that one OEM first so the camera reads the chip data and starts up. It only reads on initial start up.
 
GT von said:
You put the battery in the grip. Just that one OEM first so the camera reads the chip data and starts up. It only reads on initial start up.
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So there must always be a Nikon battery in the camera and if you power down you have to go through the exchange routine with the grip again?
 
Nonono... Just for the initial startup
After that, you can put in a second battery. The camera will sense power still supplied and not reinitialize. You can take out the OEM with the 3rd party one still supplying power and put in a second 3rd party battery. You can remove one at a time, swap in a fresh charged one and keep going, the only time you have to have the OEM is if you remove both batteries at the same time. Then you have to initialize with just the OEM in place at first to let the camera know the power it senses is from a battery they made a profit on.
Even with the power switched off there is still power being supplied to the circuits and to the ram.
 
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