D500

holty said:
Hi GIL
at what length did you fine tune your 200-500 ? did you fine tune using the camera fine tune program? or a 3rd party
i also have the d500 and 200-500 and find its a great combo
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I had a ruler propped up with a shallow incline - and I made sure my camera was stationary on a tripod perpendicular to the ruler and at the shortest focusing distance from the lens (ie the ruler as close to the lens with focus still being achievable with AF at 500mm). Through the viewfinder I took note of the number on the ruler that was in the centre focus spot. Took a series of test shots at f5.6 with fine tuning set at -10, 0 and +10 (manually defocusing before using AF to focus with each setting)

Compared the photos. At first I thought there was no difference between the pictures but realised I wasn't looking for 1 sharp number - but to be able to see how far in front and behind the number on the ruler the 'in focus' area was. So say you were focusing on the 15cm marker on the ruler - and in first picture you saw that everything from 12 to 16 was in focus, then on that particular fine tune setting you were front focusing - as more that was in focus before the 15 was in focus compared to after. Likewise if you got a result where it was between 14 and 18 that was in focus then you would know that the lens was back focusing on that particular fine tune setting.

Then by methodically taking note and adjusting the fine tuning setting accordingly I was able to work out the setting that would give me a result of 13cm to 17cm all being in focus (an equal distance in front and behind the 15). At this stage I new that I had the correct fine tune setting for that lens.
 
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Although I've been getting much sharper results after doing this - there's still room for improvement I think.

I found that there were quite a few possibilities of introducing error using this method as I wasn't sure my ruler was aligned straight and perpendicular to the lens and I wasn't convinced AF was always working as well as it could given the shiny metal ruler I was using.

In the end I purchased a Spyder Lenscal to help me with these problems. It also means I always focus on 0 rather than a random number on the ruler dependant on how the ruler and camera are placed. The method is predominately the same, however in the instructions on the Spyder Lenscal they say the optimal distance to have your ruler / lenscal is 5 to 10 times the focal length. So between 2.5m and 5m away. I think that's a bit further away to my first method.

I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, only completed the process with the lenscal on my 16-80 so far with noticeable results.
 
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500mm - although I don’t think you will ever get equally as sharp results throughout the 200-500 range even after fine tuning.
 
I was going to ask you guys what you use for portraits and events. I love candid shots but with my 16-80 it's often not practical to get close enough to people and get the f2.8 - and I can't do street photography and get nice closeups without people knowing I'm there - which spoils the natural behaviour unfolding.

I'm considering moving to full frame eventually - so I'm considering a FX zoom with a constant maximum aperture.

Do any of you guys use an FX lens on your D500, if so, how does it compare to the awesome 16-80 DX lens? If you were to give up your 16-80 for a FX lens what would you recommend and why?
 
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I have the d750 and my goto lens on that is the nikon 70-200 2.8 vr1. Great lens. Also works really well on the d500.
I don't really do much of what your after doing. But I'm sure it may fit in well and fill your needs
 
I’ve used a 24mm 1.8 for group portraits occasionally.
It’s a very good lens so the results are excellent.
For longer the 70-300 af-p is great value.
It was on cash back, worth buying if it still is.
 
I'm using the 17-55mm f2.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 VRII on the D500's. I've also got the 24-70mm f2.8 VR but seem to favour the 17-55mm most of the time. Having a gap between 55mm and 70mm has never posed an issue.

GC
 
Gil Bev said:
Although I've been getting much sharper results after doing this - there's still room for improvement I think.

I found that there were quite a few possibilities of introducing error using this method as I wasn't sure my ruler was aligned straight and perpendicular to the lens and I wasn't convinced AF was always working as well as it could given the shiny metal ruler I was using.

In the end I purchased a Spyder Lenscal to help me with these problems. It also means I always focus on 0 rather than a random number on the ruler dependant on how the ruler and camera are placed. The method is predominately the same, however in the instructions on the Spyder Lenscal they say the optimal distance to have your ruler / lenscal is 5 to 10 times the focal length. So between 2.5m and 5m away. I think that's a bit further away to my first method.

I haven't gotten around to doing it yet, only completed the process with the lenscal on my 16-80 so far with noticeable results.
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That seems a bit close for a 500mm. Canon recommend that you do their lenses at 50 times focal length if possible with a minimum of 25 times focal length which would be 12.5 metres at 500m which seems a bit more real world.
 
Gaz J said:
That seems a bit close for a 500mm. Canon recommend that you do their lenses at 50 times focal length if possible with a minimum of 25 times focal length which would be 12.5 metres at 500m which seems a bit more real world.
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I'll give both a try when I get round to it, and see what kind of differences I get with the fine tuning value I come to
 
Here`s Mr Magoo, just the tiniest of crop.

Lens was Tokina 100mm and a flash unit with diffuser.

Mr Magoo by Graham, on Flickr
 
Gaz J said:
That seems a bit close for a 500mm. Canon recommend that you do their lenses at 50 times focal length if possible with a minimum of 25 times focal length which would be 12.5 metres at 500m which seems a bit more real world.
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I think when the D500 was about to come out a Nikon rep at the The Photography Show giving a demo and said that the AF Fine Tune should be done at 30x the focal length. When I asked what happens with zooms, he said do it for the focal length you use most often. :thinking:

I tried the AF Fine Tune when I got the D500, but found it too variable in the measured results. My lenses seemed to be pretty close anyway thankfully, and indeed my Nikon 70-300mm VR came alive on the D500, especially wide open compared to how it was on the D300S. Saying that, I'm considering getting the new version of the 70-300mm VRas Nikon have reduced the price, and also have a lens cashback offer on too. :) I doubt it will be this cheap for too long. Fingers crossed the new lens focuses as well, if not better than the current one should I get it. ;)
 
redhed17 said:
I think when the D500 was about to come out a Nikon rep at the The Photography Show giving a demo and said that the AF Fine Tune should be done at 30x the focal length. When I asked what happens with zooms, he said do it for the focal length you use most often. :thinking:

I tried the AF Fine Tune when I got the D500, but found it too variable in the measured results. My lenses seemed to be pretty close anyway thankfully, and indeed my Nikon 70-300mm VR came alive on the D500, especially wide open compared to how it was on the D300S. Saying that, I'm considering getting the new version of the 70-300mm VRas Nikon have reduced the price, and also have a lens cashback offer on too. :) I doubt it will be this cheap for too long. Fingers crossed the new lens focuses as well, if not better than the current one should I get it. ;)
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Watched a few you tube videos what they have said is do it about 10 times and then do a mean average.
 
Well, I've got my new D500 and 2000-500mm - a Nikon user for the first time!
Not a great image, but just something to post from an extremely quiet morning at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve - extremely overcast and gloomy!
I think it's going to take a great deal of playing around with various focus settings before I get some really good BIF images!

Juvenile Grey Heron by Malcolm Fisher, on Flickr
 
What I tend to do @Malfis Is use grp for bif.

What I've set up on the camera is assigned the front lower right fn button. (Looking from the rear of the camera) I've set that button to swap to grp focus. As I normally use single point. Tbh it took all of about 5-10 mins to get use to. I have found it slightly harder for bif shots with the 200-500 compared to the sigma but it's just a new lens and there is a bit of weight difference too.
But cracking sharp first shot mate
 
kingo15 said:
What I tend to do @Malfis Is use grp for bif.

What I've set up on the camera is assigned the front lower right fn button. (Looking from the rear of the camera) I've set that button to swap to grp focus. As I normally use single point. Tbh it took all of about 5-10 mins to get use to. I have found it slightly harder for bif shots with the 200-500 compared to the sigma but it's just a new lens and there is a bit of weight difference too.
But cracking sharp first shot mate
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Interestingly enough I did quite a lot of research on YouTube when I was waiting to get the camera - there’s a chap called Mark Smith who posts on the D500 and focus settings.
When I’ve got mine set to continuous focus, I’ve got group focus on the shutter button, single point focus on the ‘AF on’ button, and dynamic 25 point on the joystick - so that gives 3 continuous focus options.
If you’re interested, here is the link:

View: https://youtu.be/MCI1tL-aHcE
 
Yeah I watched that one too. I only use grp and single. But after reading some posts on a couple of Facebook groups I can see the advantage in some circumstances of using the 25 point option
 
After getting the heads up here of the price reduction and cashback offer, I've just got Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f4.5-5.6E ED VR Lens to replace the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR Lens. :) I ordered yesterday, and got it today. There seems to be limited stock about, you would think maybe having something to do with the recent price reduction plus the cashback offer. ;)

One store said they had them in stock, so I called first to check. 'Oh yes we have it in stock'. So I register, order, all seems to be OK. Three hours later I get an emails saying that they haven't any in stock. :eek: :mad: I called them and said I called earlier to check you had stock, and you said you did. 'Er, sorry about that'. :rolleyes: Ok, cancel the order then please.

So I phoned another site that said they had one left. I told the chap what had happened with the previous store, he said would I like him go and check, I said yes please. :) He said yes they had one. So I ordered from them, and it has come today. :D

Updated the camera to the latest Firmware and Lens distortion data just in case there may be any issues with what I had. It's raining here, so just a few pics out the window and indoors into the other room. It seems a bit quicker to focus, and the VR seems better up to now. If the weather is OK tomorrow I will go and take pics of the Cricket in the park and try and compare the new with the old. :)

I got the lens for £519 (+£5.95 for next day delivery) With the £90 cashback that will be £429 which is a huge saving over what it was a couple of week ago. WEX and Mifsuds are still selling it for about £750. :eek:
 
redhed17 said:
After getting the heads up here of the price reduction and cashback offer, I've just got Nikon AF-P 70-300mm f4.5-5.6E ED VR Lens to replace the Nikon AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 G IF-ED VR Lens. :) I ordered yesterday, and got it today. There seems to be limited stock about, you would think maybe having something to do with the recent price reduction plus the cashback offer. ;)

One store said they had them in stock, so I called first to check. 'Oh yes we have it in stock'. So I register, order, all seems to be OK. Three hours later I get an emails saying that they haven't any in stock. :eek: :mad: I called them and said I called earlier to check you had stock, and you said you did. 'Er, sorry about that'. :rolleyes: Ok, cancel the order then please.

So I phoned another site that said they had one left. I told the chap what had happened with the previous store, he said would I like him go and check, I said yes please. :) He said yes they had one. So I ordered from them, and it has come today. :D

Updated the camera to the latest Firmware and Lens distortion data just in case there may be any issues with what I had. It's raining here, so just a few pics out the window and indoors into the other room. It seems a bit quicker to focus, and the VR seems better up to now. If the weather is OK tomorrow I will go and take pics of the Cricket in the park and try and compare the new with the old. :)

I got the lens for £519 (+£5.95 for next day delivery) With the £90 cashback that will be £429 which is a huge saving over what it was a couple of week ago. WEX and Mifsuds are still selling it for about £750. :eek:
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Yes, I ordered mine (£519) from Amazon last weekend - it’s on back order with no delivery estimate.
 
I’m stuck trying to change the card viewing slot.
At the moment the display shows slot 2 jpg.
Does anyone know how to change this to slot 1?

I’ve read the manual and googled it but so far I can’t see how.
 
Peter123 said:
I’m stuck trying to change the card viewing slot.
At the moment the display shows slot 2 jpg.
Does anyone know how to change this to slot 1?

I’ve read the manual and googled it but so far I can’t see how.
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In some views, when reviewing images, zoom out, and at a certain point you can flip between cards. Hope that makes sense. :)
 
I went out today with the new 70-300mm. Not 100% sure it is not back focusing. :thinking: I was so keen to get out and back for the footy I forgot my tripod. :rolleyes: I'll have to do some more testing, hopefully tomorrow.

As for a few other things. The AF is silent. :eek: I'm used to a little bit of noise or feeling in the hand as the lens sorts itself out as it focuses, but nothing. At first, if it was just changing the focus slightly I wasn't sure it had changed, :thinking: so focused somewhere else and re-focused. :LOL: It was focusing and it seemed to focus a bit quicker than the previous 70-300mm. That was getting a bit old though, 8 years looking back to when I got it. :eek:

There was no slight 'clunk' in the hand as the VR kicks in either which I get with the old lens. It just gets steadier in the viewfinder, and it seemed to be steadier on the new lens. :)

Focus speed and VR are a subjective feeling and hard to measure reliably, but I feel they are better, which you would hope with the many years of development between the lenses. :)

It is hard to get too excited about a lens that has virtually the same specs as a lens you already have, but it seems all good so far. Just need to check if focus and sharpness is as good, but hopefully better, than the old lens. :)
 
redhed17 said:
A pic from a recent trip to Venice. This was the view from where I was staying. :) This a boat passing late at night. The D500 isn't just for sport and birds. ;)
20113-1531944257-bc7567b0523dfd890e0e325c836ab881.jpg
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You’re right, and that’s a cracking picture.
 
redhed17 said:
A pic from a recent trip to Venice. This was the view from where I was staying. :) This a boat passing late at night. The D500 isn't just for sport and birds. ;)
20113-1531944257-bc7567b0523dfd890e0e325c836ab881.jpg
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Whilst I have used it on the odd occasion for non sport and wildlife stuff.

Having a fx body aswell, when working with the raw files you can notice difference and whilst I am lucky enough to have both. I tend to always opted for the d750 for non sports and wildlife stuff.

That is a cracking shot thou
 
trevorbray said:
You’re right, and that’s a cracking picture.
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Thank you Trevor. :)
kingo15 said:
That is a cracking shot thou
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Thank you kingo15. :)
kingo15 said:
Whilst I have used it on the odd occasion for non sport and wildlife stuff.

Having a fx body aswell, when working with the raw files you can notice difference and whilst I am lucky enough to have both. I tend to always opted for the d750 for non sports and wildlife stuff.
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FF will always have an advantage over DX for high ISO performance and maybe dynamic range, if you also have that option for certain subjects.

Over the last year or two I have been in a financial situation to have got a FF camera with a lens or two if I'd wanted, but I haven't really been tempted. For what I do, which is a bit of everything, DX is the best format for me. I don't want larger + heavier cameras and larger, heavier lenses, and definitely not two systems. ;) Some people have 2, 3. 4 systems on here, and good luck to them, and yourself. Thankfully I'm happy and content with what I have. :) You sound like you are too. :)

I don't think there is a better overall crop sensor DSLR than the D500 and I'm so happy that Nikon finally got round to replacing the D300S. :)
 
redhed17 said:
Thank you Trevor. :)

Thank you kingo15. :)
FF will always have an advantage over DX for high ISO performance and maybe dynamic range, if you also have that option for certain subjects.

Over the last year or two I have been in a financial situation to have got a FF camera with a lens or two if I'd wanted, but I haven't really been tempted. For what I do, which is a bit of everything, DX is the best format for me. I don't want larger + heavier cameras and larger, heavier lenses, and definitely not two systems. ;) Some people have 2, 3. 4 systems on here, and good luck to them, and yourself. Thankfully I'm happy and content with what I have. :) You sound like you are too. :)

I don't think there is a better overall crop sensor DSLR than the D500 and I'm so happy that Nikon finally got round to replacing the D300S. :)
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I totally agree the d500 is a great crop sensor camera I'm so glad I have one.
 
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