Nikon Customers

[mercer]

4 hours ago, jhnkng said:

That was all auto white balance by the way, which I've always found works pretty well. And I have played with the Electronic VR, and it's a mixed bag. There's a crop for starters, I'm not totally sure what it is but it seems half way between normal and the 4k crop, so maybe 1.7x -ish? And while it does a great job if you want to hold the image completely steady, if you try to pan or tilt there's a lag so the image stutters as you move -- not even remotely close to being smooth. It basically mimics a tripod. The good news is that you can turn it on and off in the movie quick menu that's available when you're in live view, so it's easy enough to turn it on and off, but it's nowhere near a regular use feature.
 

Yeah, Auto WB is pretty decent with Nikon, that's what I've been using and I have had zero issues. Thanks for the info regarding the in camera VR. For run and gun static images, it could be useful. I mostly use a monopod with a ball joint and feet. It's great for reproducing short slider and jib movements but to do this, you keep that joint loose and micro jitters can be an issue, so hopefully that can help.

[mercer]

1 hour ago, Geoff CB said:

Nice, would maybe be useful in a wedding situation though...

Thanks for posting the footage. Just like the D750 image, very clean with a great organic noise. If the D760 offers 4K full frame like this I will have to buy it. D500 crop is just not worth it for me right now.

Yeah, I have been really impressed with their 4K. I hate the crop, but for me the 4K will be a bonus feature for establishing shots, or just to have in case I want a little extra resolution. It also gives me a reason to buy the Tokina 14-20mm f2...

I assume Nikon will funnel 4K video into their other cameras and the D760 seems like the next logical choice. But even with the full frame camera, I would suspect an aps-c crop in 4K... I think the UHD crop of the D5 is 1.45x so logic dictates a hypothetical D760 with 4K video would have the same as the D5.

I would love to see them implement a DCI 4K mode which will lessen the crop even more.

It would be great to see DCI implemented via firmware in the D500 to get it down to a 1.9 or 2x crop.

[jhnkng]

10 hours ago, Geoff CB said:

Nice, would maybe be useful in a wedding situation though...

Thanks for posting the footage. Just like the D750 image, very clean with a great organic noise. If the D760 offers 4K full frame like this I will have to buy it. D500 crop is just not worth it for me right now.

It would be amazing to map the eVR to a button, so you can easily turn it on and off as required. I can totally see myself using it tons more if I can click it on when I want to hold steady, and click it off when I move. But since it crops the image I can't imagine that will ever happen.

The image is at least as good as the D750, but I think the D500 has a slightly better metering system. It makes a difference for any of the auto functions like Auto ISO, which is freakin' INCREDIBLE. Being able to follow someone from outside to inside and have the camera just sort it out is brilliant. Match that with the excellent Auto WB system and it makes run and gun weddings just that little bit easier.

But I agree, if you have a D750 and don't need a second body it's not worth switching. 

[jhnkng]

9 hours ago, mercer said:

Yeah, Auto WB is pretty decent with Nikon, that's what I've been using and I have had zero issues. Thanks for the info regarding the in camera VR. For run and gun static images, it could be useful. I mostly use a monopod with a ball joint and feet. It's great for reproducing short slider and jib movements but to do this, you keep that joint loose and micro jitters can be an issue, so hopefully that can help.

I just tried the movements you mentioned and with a little practice I think it could work for you. As far as I can tell it doesn't work for random movements -- but a simple left - right or up - down the system works pretty well. When I get the chance I'll play with it more and maybe post something else.
 

 

9 hours ago, mercer said:

Yeah, I have been really impressed with their 4K. I hate the crop, but for me the 4K will be a bonus feature for establishing shots, or just to have in case I want a little extra resolution. It also gives me a reason to buy the Tokina 14-20mm f2...

I assume Nikon will funnel 4K video into their other cameras and the D760 seems like the next logical choice. But even with the full frame camera, I would suspect an aps-c crop in 4K... I think the UHD crop of the D5 is 1.45x so logic dictates a hypothetical D760 with 4K video would have the same as the D5.

I would love to see them implement a DCI 4K mode which will lessen the crop even more.

It would be great to see DCI implemented via firmware in the D500 to get it down to a 1.9 or 2x crop.

The crop would probably be more, since the D750 is 24MP (6000x4000). Looking over those short clips I shot, I think the 4k looks even better than the 1080p, there's more texture to the image. I have a Tokina 11-16, and that's wide enough for me even in 4K, so while I hadn't planned on it I might actually use the 4K mode more now. So thanks for giving me the incentive to test it out! :D

Would I would love (and would never happen) is for Nikon to go crazy and do a 2.39:1 scan in 4K, so 5168 x 2160. The sensor width is 5568px so it would just fit. The XQD card is plenty fast enough to write it, and I should think the new Expeed 5 chip is fast enough to handle it. It's not real anamorphic, but gee it would be an epic crop!

[mercer]

10 minutes ago, jhnkng said:

It would be amazing to map the eVR to a button, so you can easily turn it on and off as required. I can totally see myself using it tons more if I can click it on when I want to hold steady, and click it off when I move. But since it crops the image I can't imagine that will ever happen.

The image is at least as good as the D750, but I think the D500 has a slightly better metering system. It makes a difference for any of the auto functions like Auto ISO, which is freakin' INCREDIBLE. Being able to follow someone from outside to inside and have the camera just sort it out is brilliant. Match that with the excellent Auto WB system and it makes run and gun weddings just that little bit easier.

But I agree, if you have a D750 and don't need a second body it's not worth switching. 

Do you know how well the metering works with ai/ai-s lenses?

Also, do you think it would be a good investment for me... I'll do 90-95% video with it.

Right now I have the D5500 for 1080p and a GX85 for 4K. I also have the XC10, but I am pretty sure I am selling it. I'd really like to have one camera that covers the minimal amount of 4K I will shoot and also handle the majority of my shooting in 1080p. By going with the D500, I can also sell 3/4 of the lenses I have that will be incompatible with the F mount, however I will keep the D5500 as a B-Cam/Crash Cam. Any insights you have would be much appreciated.

[jhnkng]

1 hour ago, mercer said:

Do you know how well the metering works with ai/ai-s lenses?

Also, do you think it would be a good investment for me... I'll do 90-95% video with it.

Right now I have the D5500 for 1080p and a GX85 for 4K. I also have the XC10, but I am pretty sure I am selling it. I'd really like to have one camera that covers the minimal amount of 4K I will shoot and also handle the majority of my shooting in 1080p. By going with the D500, I can also sell 3/4 of the lenses I have that will be incompatible with the F mount, however I will keep the D5500 as a B-Cam/Crash Cam. Any insights you have would be much appreciated.

 

I've not had any experience with AI/AI-S lenses so I couldn't say, but I get the impression that it should work, but only in M mode. Not sure how that affects the Auto ISO function though. I like to go into camera stores and ask if I can put one of my lenses on to check it out. I also like to bring a card in and record something as well.

As far as which camera to keep or buy... I guess it depends on much you love the image, and how much you love using the camera. Do you love the Nikon or the Panasonic? If it's the Nikon, do you love the image so much that you can put up with the differences in ergonomics? To me, it's always easier to stick to one system, so you'd only need spares for one system of camera. And your colours will match with less post work. And the less thought required to work the different cameras, the more brain power you can devote to making the film. 

If you don't mind a detour I can speak to how I decided on my current system. I previously shot motion with a GH4, and that was a good experience overall. But there were things that got in the way for me. I liked the GH4's image outdoors in good light but not indoors in low light, and I while like using the GH4 by itself it became heavy and unbalanced once I had to rig it up. And the image never really popped for me so I found it difficult to concentrate on the edit when I wasn't 100% confident I can get the image to look great. So out of all that I decided I needed a camera that is balanced in weight even with a bunch of extra stuff rigged to it so it's easy to use, that had good dynamic range and good colour, and I could put up with everything else. I ended up getting a BMMCC that I've rigged to be like an FS7, and it's great. It can go on the shoulder, I can handhold it, I can rig it with extra audio or strip it if I need to save weight, and with the V-Lock it runs for 6+ hours on a single 95wh battery. It's heavy, but it's balanced, so I'm not fighting the weight. With a speedbooster and my 1.8 lenses I get pretty good low light, but more importantly I like the look of the noise (I use Neat Video to remove the colour noise but I like to leave the luminance noise) . I LOVE the look, and I can put up with everything else. And as long as I shoot a colour card in the different lighting conditions I can pretty accurately match the colour of the BMMCC and my D750/D500, so I have tons of options depending on the job. Interview? D500 in 4K. Fast paced run and gun wedding? D750/D500 combo. More considered pieces, personal pieces, narrative pieces, and documentaries? BMMCC, with maybe the Nikons as B Cams.

Not sure if any of that has helped, but I thought if you can see how my brain works it might help you frame your situation and help you make a decision. Good luck!
 

[mercer]

5 hours ago, jhnkng said:

I just tried the movements you mentioned and with a little practice I think it could work for you. As far as I can tell it doesn't work for random movements -- but a simple left - right or up - down the system works pretty well. When I get the chance I'll play with it more and maybe post something else.
 

 

The crop would probably be more, since the D750 is 24MP (6000x4000). Looking over those short clips I shot, I think the 4k looks even better than the 1080p, there's more texture to the image. I have a Tokina 11-16, and that's wide enough for me even in 4K, so while I hadn't planned on it I might actually use the 4K mode more now. So thanks for giving me the incentive to test it out! :D

Would I would love (and would never happen) is for Nikon to go crazy and do a 2.39:1 scan in 4K, so 5168 x 2160. The sensor width is 5568px so it would just fit. The XQD card is plenty fast enough to write it, and I should think the new Expeed 5 chip is fast enough to handle it. It's not real anamorphic, but gee it would be an epic crop!

I don't expect the EVR to be revolutionary or take the place of a steadicam, but if it is remotely helpful, that's a tick in the pro column. 

I just realized that the D5 and D500 are 20mp cameras... I guess I just assumed they were 24mp, so yeah the crop should be more, unless they go away from the 1:1 crop method. 

My only concern in getting the D500 now is the fear that the D7300 will have 4K video at $1200, but that seems highly unlikely and most likely the lower end models won't adopt it until the next cycle. I really thought the D5600 was going to have it. I supposed it could trickle down to the D7300 depending upon how quickly Nikon wants to add what they consider higher end features to lower end models.

As far as the crop goes, I have an old RMC Tokina 17mm which won't get me that wide, but it will do for now until I save up for a 11-20mm or the 14-20mm.

The 2:39 scan would be cool, but you're right they'd never do it... I don't even think it would enter their minds. If they would just offer focus peaking, I would be elated. 

[mercer]

3 hours ago, jhnkng said:

 

I've not had any experience with AI/AI-S lenses so I couldn't say, but I get the impression that it should work, but only in M mode. Not sure how that affects the Auto ISO function though. I like to go into camera stores and ask if I can put one of my lenses on to check it out. I also like to bring a card in and record something as well.

As far as which camera to keep or buy... I guess it depends on much you love the image, and how much you love using the camera. Do you love the Nikon or the Panasonic? If it's the Nikon, do you love the image so much that you can put up with the differences in ergonomics? To me, it's always easier to stick to one system, so you'd only need spares for one system of camera. And your colours will match with less post work. And the less thought required to work the different cameras, the more brain power you can devote to making the film. 

If you don't mind a detour I can speak to how I decided on my current system. I previously shot motion with a GH4, and that was a good experience overall. But there were things that got in the way for me. I liked the GH4's image outdoors in good light but not indoors in low light, and I while like using the GH4 by itself it became heavy and unbalanced once I had to rig it up. And the image never really popped for me so I found it difficult to concentrate on the edit when I wasn't 100% confident I can get the image to look great. So out of all that I decided I needed a camera that is balanced in weight even with a bunch of extra stuff rigged to it so it's easy to use, that had good dynamic range and good colour, and I could put up with everything else. I ended up getting a BMMCC that I've rigged to be like an FS7, and it's great. It can go on the shoulder, I can handhold it, I can rig it with extra audio or strip it if I need to save weight, and with the V-Lock it runs for 6+ hours on a single 95wh battery. It's heavy, but it's balanced, so I'm not fighting the weight. With a speedbooster and my 1.8 lenses I get pretty good low light, but more importantly I like the look of the noise (I use Neat Video to remove the colour noise but I like to leave the luminance noise) . I LOVE the look, and I can put up with everything else. And as long as I shoot a colour card in the different lighting conditions I can pretty accurately match the colour of the BMMCC and my D750/D500, so I have tons of options depending on the job. Interview? D500 in 4K. Fast paced run and gun wedding? D750/D500 combo. More considered pieces, personal pieces, narrative pieces, and documentaries? BMMCC, with maybe the Nikons as B Cams.

Not sure if any of that has helped, but I thought if you can see how my brain works it might help you frame your situation and help you make a decision. Good luck!
 

I was mainly asking because I know you do a lot of stills work and since the D500 seems to be geared more towards sports and wildlife, I wasn't sure if the camera made sense for someone like me that will do 90% narrative work with it... mostly amateur, hobby work.

I've owned about 10 cameras over the past year and I've come to realize I prefer the form factor of a DSLR over cinema cameras and mirrorless rangefinders. And with my skill set as a shooter and in post, that Nikon Flat image has been a Godsend to me, I would just like a few extra exposure tools that the D5500 doesn't offer with my ai-s lenses. I've contemplated picking up the 35mm 1.8G lens but I can imagine the focus ring isn't the most ideal for manual focus? Also, out of curiosity, do you know if AF Lock works in video mode with Nikon DSLRs? You'd think that would be an easy question to answer but surprisingly it is not. 

BTW, I had the Micro for a while, and I agree... what a lovely image... I just could not stand the form factor. I held onto it for a while hoping I could make it work, but it just never felt right shooting with it.

After shooting with it for about two months, I decided to go the opposite route and find a run and gun machine, so I bought the XC10 and wow what a cool camera that is... except I love shallow depth of field and the tactile feel of my manual lenses.

So, on a whim I picked up a D5500 because I had heard so many good things about it and it was dirt cheap... and I just fell in love with that Nikon image. I would plan on going out and shooting with the XC10, but would usually bring the D5500 instead. So, that brings me to here...

Anyway, thanks for your help, much appreciated!!!

[hansel]

Dear @mercer,

I pretty much only shoot with AIS lenses. I don't have any expensive cinelenses but handling the "ice" gives me uncontrolable hard-ons, if not to say they are rather pleasing my tactile sense. I never had a problem metering them. If I am out and about I pretty much only use auto ISO. But maybe you are using different metering mode than I do....

[mercer]

26 minutes ago, hansel said:

Dear @mercer,

I pretty much only shoot with AIS lenses. I don't have any expensive cinelenses but handling the "ice" gives me uncontrolable hard-ons, if not to say they are rather pleasing my tactile sense. I never had a problem metering them. If I am out and about I pretty much only use auto ISO. But maybe you are using different metering mode than I do....

Which Nikon camera do you have?

[Rodolfo Fernandes]

I do some video with a D800 and 35mm Sigma Art Lens, and the detail surprises me always, i also have a 85mm f2 AI-S but it doesn't cut it, i honestly never tried the Flat profile that comes with the camera i always use Flaat11, you guys prefer the Flat profile to the Flaat11 ? if so, why is that?

[dahlfors]

3 hours ago, Rodolfo Fernandes said:

I do some video with a D800 and 35mm Sigma Art Lens, and the detail surprises me always, i also have a 85mm f2 AI-S but it doesn't cut it, i honestly never tried the Flat profile that comes with the camera i always use Flaat11, you guys prefer the Flat profile to the Flaat11 ? if so, why is that?

Avoid the flaat profiles on D800. They are only useful if you need to cram out the most dynamic range for some special shots. D800 will produce the best results if you use the standard / profile / neutral profiles as-is - or tweak them a little bit.

I also have the 85mm f/2 AI-S on a D800 - and I really like that lens.

[Rodolfo Fernandes]

3 minutes ago, dahlfors said:

Avoid the flaat profiles on D800. They are only useful if you need to cram out the most dynamic range for some special shots. D800 will produce the best results if you use the standard / profile / neutral profiles as-is - or tweak them a little bit.

I also have the 85mm f/2 AI-S on a D800 - and I really like that lens.

Will do, i thought the Flaat profiles was the way to go

[Arikhan]

@mercer and all Nikon fans:

Fotodiox just announced an adapter for Nikon F-Mount lenses to Sony mount...adapter supports AF and lens stabilisation (VR).

So, for me - as I just ordered a D750 - and other Nikon still shooters, this will be great, as the Nikon lens collection could be combined for 4K video shooting with Sony cameras as the a6300. I've tested the D750 (stills) and it is an excellent camera, "seeing" and focusing in the dark...Great dynamic range too. And NOW one can use the good 1.8 / 1.4 primes for 4K- shooting in very low light with the cheap A6300...(hope this works as good as the FotodioxPro claims this...)

https://www.fotodioxpro.com/products/nikg-snye-fusion

[hansel]

4 hours ago, mercer said:

Which Nikon camera do you have?

I have the d750 for about 7 month now (better late then never). Two days ago I got a F2 as a backup body ;o ---> snatched it of the internetz for a good price and lots of accessorries.

I bought the d750 with the 24-120 f4 kit lens. The lens is quite nice. I got it mainly for its range and VR but I have it out on sale right now. I feel like I am not using it enough. It vignetts quite a lot and on the last shoot I put it on after one of the primes and it looked like it was almost 2 stops darker than my fiddy at F4. I don't know math but I felt kind of weird about it.

Once it is gone I might slowly go a bit more up market with my manual primes. I have enough of electronic crap that fails and becomes worthless ---> I go AF-D and AI-S it's enough for my little world. In 30 years I'll pop my AI-S on my F2 or what ever camera and it will most likely do. Also the price will be relativley stable for them.

[mercer]

1 minute ago, hansel said:

I have the d750 for about 7 month now (better late then never). Two days ago I got a F2 as a backup body ;o ---> snatched it of the internetz for a good price and lots of accessorries.

I bought the d750 with the 24-120 f4 kit lens. The lens is quite nice. I got it mainly for its range and VR but I have it out on sale right now. I feel like I am not using it enough. It vignetts quite a lot and on the last shoot I put it on after one of the primes and it looked like it was almost 2 stops darker than my fiddy at F4. I don't know math but I felt kind of weird about it.

Once it is gone I might slowly go a bit more up market with my manual primes. I have enough of electronic crap that fails and becomes worthless ---> I go AF-D and AI-S it's enough for my little world. In 30 years I'll pop my AI-S on my F2 or what ever camera and it will most likely do. Also the price will be relativley stable for them.

Yeah the ai/ai-s lenses will meter on every model over and including the D7200. For a while I was planning on just getting the D7200 for the extra exposure tools, but a new D7200 body is $1000. Since I am selling most of my lenses for other systems and most of my cameras... pretty much all of them, I have a little extra money so I was thinking about either the D750 or most likely the D500 for the option of 4K.

I've seen a lot of comparison videos online and IMO the Nikon beats out the A6300, and the GH4 in their respective basic settings. I don't love the 4K crop of the D500, but I can make it work when I need 4K. With the added benefit of eVR in 1080p, the D500 seems like a good fit for me. But I have one final test to do with my GX85 before I make my final decision. If the GX85 passes this test, with flying colors, I may just end up getting the D7200... they sell for $750 refurbished.

As I said before, I've contemplated getting some of the 1.8G lenses, but I love the ai/ai-s lenses I already own and see no need or desire in replacing them with modern, focus by wire equivalents, just so I can use the meter with the D5500.

[Arikhan]

The Fotodiox Nikon lens 2 Sony camera lens adapter seems to NOT work very well. What a bummer! But it demonstrates that manufactureres marketing skills are by far better than the products they offer and sell us. Catchpenny promises...we are not customers, but beta tester....

 

[ThomHaig]

Hey guys,

I've been considering upping my stills game, and have toyed with the idea of getting a D750. Whilst I wouldn't be using it primarily for video, I would potentially get soome b-cam use out of it. Do you guys know if there's a record limit or anything on it? Do any of have much experience shooting with it? I saw Mattias Burling's vids on Youtube saying it's video is a bit downplayed - I'm wondering how inconvenient focusing is without peaking too?

 

EDit... oh yeah, and I'm not suggesting the acquisition of a D750 will immediately up my stills game!

[IronFilm]

IIRC it has the standard 30 minute limit?

[ND64]

On 11/22/2016 at 8:25 AM, mercer said:

The 2:39 scan would be cool, but you're right they'd never do it... I don't even think it would enter their minds. If they would just offer focus peaking, I would be elated. 

Most of decoders have issues with non standard resolutions.