Wednesday, May 25, 2016

REVIEW: Nikon D5 – Part I of II featuring burst mode testing on video

Nikon D5 Rear View
Nikon D5 Rear View

I’ve had the Nikon D5 for a couple weeks now and have been gaining a lot more insight as to what it’s like to live with this camera on a day-in / day-out basis. Initially my rose-colored glasses were so thick, I couldn’t find any faults but that was because I tested it in ideal conditions and my love for the D4s gave me a slight bias that this camera was going to be even better than its stellar predecessor.

Like all my reviews, this review isn’t for the fan boy looking for validation for plunking down a bundle for one of these cameras or those looking for a reason to move up to a D5. Instead, it’s an honest opinion of what I loved and hated about this camera during an extended test period, along with my final verdict.

While I am a Canon 1D X shooter, I’ve never hesitated to say that the D4s is a superior body to what I shoot with. In fact, going into this review I was very serious about purchasing a D5 as my primary sports body and taking a pass on the 1D X Mark II. You’ll have to wait until the next part of my review to find out what I will do, but it’s a big expense to switch platforms so this camera wouldn’t have to be just great – it would have to be game changing on a level greater than the stellar D4s.

A Video Tour of the D5

I despise editing video but it’s always fun to see a video that shows off the burst mode of sports cameras, so I decided I’d include one here. As I set up to do the video, I figured I’d give a tour of the body while I was at it. The tour is geared for both existing Nikon shooters as well as those who haven’t held a Nikon body before:


Visit YouTube to see the 1080p version

Go to the 7 minutes and 40 second mark in the video if you are only interested in the burst mode testing.

Burst Mode

For my burst mode testing, I recruited a physically fit young man who ran a series of routes repeatedly so I could try out various settings and compare the results.


53rd frame of this 56 shot RAW+JPEG series

At first things seemed VERY promising as I used continuous focus with a single AF point – which is what I do with my 1D X and my preferred choice with previous D series Nikon bodies.  I managed to get 56 frames before my subject reached my minimum focus distance of the 70-200 lens. These were all done with active matrix metering mode and shot in uncompressed RAW + JPEG, and the results were similar to what I saw with my son in my First Look article – every frame was in focus. Click the image above to see the beginning of the series and feel free to download and examine the shots to validate my claim, but please delete them when you are done with your inspection.

Please note that all images featured in this article and on this blog are copyright Ron Martinsen or their respective copyright holders, and all rights are reserved. You may not edit, print, or use these images for any purpose beyond visual inspection while viewing this article.


D5 autofocus is very good, but definitely not infallible

Would single point AF be the only way I could get this level of accuracy? Check back for part II of this review to learn more about what other settings and scenarios I tried and what lessons I learned about the D5 autofocus system.

Beware Highlight Spot Metering

As a Canon shooter, I shoot in evaluate mode and almost never change it. Issues with exposure are never a problem so every time I review a Nikon I struggle a little bit to get used to how it meters a scene. Eventually I learn that for most shots spot or center-weighted metering is the way to go. With that said, I made a mistake and accidentally chose highlight spot metering (which has an icon like spot but with a asterisks).

For better or worse, I quickly discovered this mode does in fact do a good job of spot metering based on the highlight in the frame and NOT area around your AF point (which is what my definition of spot metering is). Consider these three photos:


Highlight Spot Metering chooses to expose for the highlight on the floor


Highlight Spot now appears to meter for the bright spot of the column behind the baby


Highlight Spot finally gets it right when my son's head blocks the bright spot on the floor

Notice how the scene is roughly the same but there are three radically different results?

Click here to see the manual for the D5 to learn more about its metering modes.

Real World Shots

I already posted some real world shots in my article entitled Nikon D5 First Look, but here are a few more:


f/2.8 @ 135mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 640

In random shooting where I didn’t know what to expect from the model,
I was able to get a reasonable number of focused shots


f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 180

In evenly well lit scenes, matrix metering worked similar to what I’m used to seeing from Canon


f/11 @ 92mm for 1/160 sec at ISO 100

In harsh lit scenes, matrix metering actually does an ok job but the highlights were a tad more harsh than I would have liked from a metering mode that looks at the entire scene


f/2.8 @ 135mm for 1/1000 sec at ISO 1600

Normal spot metering behaves like you would expect by metering on your AF point


f/4 @ 200mm for 1/200 sec at ISO 100

Spot highlight metering chose to meter for the trees in the background instead of the brightest spots around the AF point like I would have expected / hoped


f/2.8 @ 98mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 1800

Sometimes matrix metering did exactly what I wanted the camera to do


f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 2500

For those who plan to do other things besides sports shooting with this camera, you’ll be very pleased that this sensor is still capable of some very nice bokeh even as the ISO starts to climb

Visit the gallery to see my latest uploads both now and after the final review is published.

All of the shots featured in this article are unedited and come from the in-camera JPEG, but RAW’s were taken at the same time. No processing (not even cropping) has been performed on these images.

All images are copyright Ron Martinsen and may not be used in any way beyond viewing in conjunction with viewing this article. Downloading, printing, copying, editing, linking, etc… is prohibited.

Conclusion

Click here to see my conclusion in part II

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site. I opted for the dual CF version, but an XQD version is available at no extra charge.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Final Hours - $200 Off The Topaz Collection until May 22

403x403

I just found out that my friends at Topaz Labs are running an incredible sale on their entire suite of products with $200 off! Normally you don’t see these kind of deals until the end of the year, so it’s a great time to buy if you have been thinking about getting this collection already.

Click here to learn more and/or order. Be sure to use the coupon code SpringSummer 2016 to save!

Other articles you may enjoy

Here’s some of my Topaz Labs software reviews:

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these articles:

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Monday, May 23, 2016

Thanks! The sale has ended!

 

The sale has now ended.

For those of you who purchased and helped to raise $50,000+ for charity – thank you!

 


5DayDeal Learn More Button

The 5 Day Deal is back and this time it’s targeted at video creators.

One of the questions about these deal bundles I get asked is “what do you really get”? Well, it starts with an email that includes links to download the products that you get which looks like this:

In addition to the downloads, there are also products that need registration codes so there are also a series of those which appear like this:

Promo Video

Conclusion

It’s a lot of cool stuff offered by video industry experts targeted for the video enthusiast which would cost a fortune if purchased separately, so I’m excited to be able to share this deal with you. The fact that they also share a portion with charity makes it even better!

Where to order

Click here to learn more.

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Nikon D5 First Look

Nikon D5 DSLR Camera
Nikon D5 DSLR Camera

I’ve been a fan of the Nikon D series pro bodies going back to the D3, and the D4s was one that I loved so much that I almost sold my 1D X to switch to the Nikon camp. As a result, when I heard the D5 announcement I quickly made arrangements to review it even before the Canon 1DX Mark II. Would this be the one that makes me switch camps? Read on to get my initial thoughts.

The AF system is scary good and the range at which you can move your focus point across the 55 physical points (but the system has 99 cross-type points for tracking). What this means you can easily put your AF point where you want it – especially at all rule of thirds points where most cameras fall short – and once you are in continuous mode the AF system will track your subject extremely well.

The touch screen support is pretty comical as its primary value seems to be in playback mode for swipe and pinch to zoom. In live view you can tap the screen to move your focus point, but it doesn’t actually focus until you press the shutter button. As a result, I don’t see much value in the touch to focus point feature other than the fact it might save a millisecond or so.

Thankfully the body is an evolution over its processor in that it offers more programmable buttons without removing all of the features D series bodies users have come to love. A fast 1000 Base-T (Gigabit) Wired LAN port, USB 3 and HDMI port (for the 4K UHD 3,840x2,160 / 30 fps video support) means its well equipped to interface with your accessories, but wireless still requires the optional  WT-6A Wireless Transmitter.

I haven’t tried out the ISO 3,280,000 yet, but I was playing around when I unboxed it and got this ISO 14,400 shot that impressed the heck out of me given how crazy low the noise was as well as how readable the text was – handheld in low light at 200mm standing about 6 feet away:


f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/400 sec at ISO 14,400

Normally I’d delete a garbage shot like this, but this is definitely an impressive case of real world performance of the in-camera noise reduction being very impressive.

Here’s a better real world shot where ISO 5600 is as clean as some cameras minimum ISO setting:


f/2.8 @ 130mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 5600

I was also aiming at Kai’s left eye when he jumped and the AF did a good job of staying focused on his eye despite his arm creating a distraction that would trip of older AF systems.

Automatic AF Fine Tune Feature

I was planning on doing a video on this feature but this one on YouTube was very good so I decided to point to it instead:

In theory this is how things are supposed to work, but in practice it was finicky and difficult to make it happy enough to get the shot with the 70-200mm that I’m testing with. I finally got it to work with the camera body on a firm surface on the floor pointing at a Datacolor SpyderLensCal Autofocus Calibration Aid, but that wasn’t as easy as what you see in the video. Granted, I was indoors so I’ll do more testing outdoors on a sunny day and see if that helps.

I’m very excited about this feature as AF microfocus adjustments are a pain even with some of the advanced software that’s out there like Reikan FoCal, so this is a game changing feature I hope they can perfect with firmware updates. In the meantime, FoCal, is still the way to go!

Real World Shots – A Walk In The Park

This is just a tiny sample of what’s to come, so check the gallery to see my latest uploads both now and after the final review is published.

These photos were taken during a casual walk through the park with my kids at the end of a sunny day. While the target demographic for D5 is sports photographers, any parent can confirm that keeping up with the kids will show the flaws of even the most advanced pro camera bodies. As a result, I’m impressed with what I’m seeing so far:


f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/200 sec at ISO 280

At first you might be thinking, why are you showing me this fat baby shot?
The answer is because I pushed the stroller and let it roll on a flat surface, then I raised the camera and took the shot pointing at her left eye WHILE WALKING – at 1/200 sec!!!
I quickly saw the AF system was good, but this was ridiculous – I’ve never had a camera pass this test – until now.


f/2.8 @ 78m for 1/2000 sec at ISO 5000

Kai was hyper and jumping off the rocks, but it was no problem for the D5
as every frame I took came out with sharp focus


f/3.2 @ 80mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 900

As a Canon shooter, I always struggle when I do my D series reviews at first because the metering doesn’t work the way I’m used to it performing with the Canon bodies. As a result, the images were darker than hoped, but you see 14 frames starting here that came in perfectly focused while shooting RAW+JPEG. I did this test 5 times and got identical results each time – all in focus.


f/3.2 @ 200mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 1800

Same with the running test where I repeatedly got 42 shots in focus time and time again – also shooting RAW+JPEG. This indicates a very big and fast buffer to keep up with 14 frames per second even with the dual CF option I chose over XQD.


f/2.8 @ 200mm for 1/2000 sec at ISO 3600

Kai is unpredictable so when he randomly decides to jump on a swing the wrong way and gives me a funny shot like this, I was delighted that the D5 nailed it before I even knew what was happening. This is true point and shoot!

All of the shots featured in this article are unedited and come from the in-camera JPEG, but RAW’s were taken at the same time. No processing (not even cropping) has been performed on these images.

All images are copyright Ron Martinsen and may not be used in any way beyond viewing in conjunction with viewing this article. Downloading, printing, copying, editing, linking, etc… is prohibited.

Conclusion

Click here to check out my review.

Where to order

Click here to learn more or order on the B&H web site. I opted for the dual CF version, but an XQD version is available at no extra charge.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

$10,000 Giveaway by Adobe, Sony & More

Click here to learn more

My friends at 5DayDeal.com are giving away some great prizes in advance of the deal coming up this week. It’s free to enter, so go check out and sign up to win!

Ron

Disclosure

This is a contest provided by external party and is not directly affiliated with this blog. Your click will be tracked to this site.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

REVIEW: Fujifilm X-Pro 2 – The Best Fujifilm Camera To Date (Part II of II) and Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens

Fujifilm X-Pro2 Mirrorless Rear View
Fujifilm X-Pro2 Mirrorless Rear View

If you are just joining me, please start by reading the first part of my review entitled Fujifilm X-Pro 2 & 16-55mm f/2.8 – The Auto Focus King?

As you can tell from the first part of this review, I am very happy with the auto focus performance of this camera and for the remaining weeks I tested it nothing it did disappointed me. .The image quality and auto focus performance combined with outstanding selector buttons with a glorious joystick to span all 273 focus points made this camera a delight to use. FINALLY, a camera that lets you put the focus point EXACTLY where you want it – not near by requiring a focus and recompose!

So yes, I love this camera and highly recommend both it and the outstanding Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens  that I reviewed with it.In this portion of the review I’m going to show you what else I love about it and finish up with my final recommendation – as a Fujifilm owner myself.

Video Walkthrough

In this video I do an overview of the body and demonstrate burst mode with both RAW and JPEG as well as the cool joystick feature. Along side the X-Pro 2 I also show how it compares in size to the Sony a6300 and the X-E2.

ISO & Image Quality


f/4.0 @ 55mm for 2.6 sec at ISO 200

I fell in love with the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Lens and my bookshelf test didn’t do anything to make me love it in less. With incredibly sharp images even at f/2.8, I found virtually nothing to complain about with this lens from a quality standpoint. Yes, it wish it had OIS and it’s just 0.2 lbs lighter than Canon’s 24-70mm f/2.8L II (and heavier than the 24-70 f/4L IS), but it has pro DSLR performance so it’s worth its weight in good photos!

ISO 6400 from RAW (brightened to show more noise)
ISO 6400 from RAW (brightened to show more noise)
Click image for in-camera JPEG with default noise reduction

The high ISO noise performance was the best I’ve ever seen in a Fujifilm camera – even up to 25,600.


f/22 @ 55mm for 30 sec at ISO 400

Even at f/22, this lens and sensor combo does a great job of still having reasonable sharpness and excellent depth of field so this camera is certain to delight landscape photographers when paired with the highest quality lenses.

With good dynamic range, excellent high ISO performance and minimal diffraction I felt comfortable choosing the settings that were right for the shot without worrying about paying a significant penalty in noise or sharpness. This helps you to focus on shooting, and gives you yet another reason to love the X-Pro 2.

More Real World Shots

Click here to get a full gallery of images taken while I was reviewing this camera, including the ones found in my previous review (which are more people and landscapes. For this add on I thought I’d share some flower shots as the rich colors this camera produces makes it impossibly not to photograph flowers. Here’s some shots with my thoughts:

 


f/4 @ 53mm for 1/125 sec at ISO 4000

4000 ISO – are you kidding me? This is the new Fujifilm for sure – sweet!


f/4 @ 55mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 320

This shot really shows off the dynamic range across a very wide range of tones and colors


f/2.8 @ 55mm for 1/1250 sec at ISO 400

The opposite side shot of the same flower highlights the wonderful bokeh and whites and shadows performance


f/5.6 @ 51mm for 1/500 sec at ISO 200

This is just a sick sharp lens – I own an X-E2 personally and was really lusting for this lens!


f/4 @ 55mm for 1/1700 sec at ISO 400
with Velvia Film Simulation
Click here to see the same shot using Provia instead


f/2.8 @ 55mm for 1/900 sec at ISO 400

Straight out of the camera JPEG’s from Fujifilm are good enough to call done,
no editing is required in my book – and that’s a great thing!

Film Simulation Modes

All of the following shots were taken using film simulation bracketing with identical settings – f/4 for 2.6 seconds at ISO 200:


Provia Standard


Classic Chrome


Velvia Vivid


Astia


Pro Neg Hi


Pro Neg Standard


Acros


Acros Y(ellow)


Acros G(reen)


Acros R(ed)


Mono


Mono Y(ellow)


Mono R(ed)


Mono G(reen)


Sepia

Conclusion

As I said up front, I love this camera but I won’t be getting one to replace my X-E2. While there is so much to love, I really don’t need the optical rangefinder style viewfinder as the wonderful EVF meets all of my needs and more. Instead, I’d rather a body that is lighter like my X-E2 (and sadly the X-E2s isn’t just a cheaper X-Pro 2) or the inevitable X-T2 which hopefully will feature these selector buttons and joystick.

With that said, these are my personal needs and requirements but I can’t fathom anyone who buys an X-Pro 2 being disappointed as it really is a fantastic camera in so many ways. I’ve reviewed a lot of Fujifilm cameras over the years, and at this moment in time this is by far the best Fujifilm camera I’ve ever tested.

The outstanding Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR lens  is one I can wholeheartedly recommend without reservation because the image quality is just so darn good. Currently I only own a the 56mm, and it’s phenomenal but I do miss having a zoom.

Where to order

Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Lens
Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Lens

Click here to learn more or order the X-Pro 2 on the B&H web site, or click here to purchase the Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 R LM WR Lens.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

NOTE: This site requires cookies and uses affiliate linking to sites that use cookies.

If you enjoyed this article, please support future articles like this by making a donation or saving money by using my discount coupon codes. Either way, your support is greatly appreciated!

This blog is intended for freelance writing and sharing of opinions and is not a representative of any of the companies whose links are provided on this site.

The opinions provided are of Ron Martinsen alone and do not reflect the view of any other entity