Give Yourself to the Dark Side...
Post updated January 2018: Apologies, I couldn't resist the Star Wars analogy given that the latest film has been a stonking blockbuster. And the newly announced Nikon D5 can shoot at an eye-watering ISO 3,280,000!!! A possible blockbuster in its' own right. Just look at it...go on, look!
I remember being amazed when the original Canon EOS 5D came out with highly usable photos at 3,200 ISO. The Nikon D5 is 1000x more sensitive!?!?!? I am dying to see the quality at such high ISO. If Nikon have learned anything from Sony and the A7 series, perhaps we are in for a treat.
Reading the rest of the specs, I could easily be persuaded to "come over to the dark (or brighter) side".
Nikon D5 - Basic Specs
Nikon D5 - 4K Video Recording
4K video recording in a full frame "mirrored" DSLR. That's what I have been waiting for. Canon, you are so far behind. You'd better make the 5D Mark IV or whatever update to the Mark III you release a good 'un : )
4K (UHD) video can be recorded either internally to two CF/XQD cards, or captured uncompressed (via HDMI) onto an external video recorder. There's also the option to capture stunning 4K time-lapse video directly from the camera.
Some may say that the super high ISO is a gimmick but it has so many uses for photographers like myself.
ISO and Megapixels
Assuming that the quality is highly usable even at the lowly, non-expanded ISO 102,400, wedding photographers will revel in the low light capabilities. Sports photographers can shoot almost any indoor/outdoor event at 8000th/sec shutter speed. All using natural or ambient, available light.
I am also glad to see that they have kept the resolution at a sensible 20.8MP. This is suitable for many types of photography and saves valuable space on our hard drives.
Sure, 36MP has its usefulness with regards to stock, fine art and fashion/commercial photography. However, if I owned the D810, I would be tempted to shoot at this resolution for everything thus filling my drives far too quickly!
To be honest, the Nikon D5 has all the specs I desperately wanted from the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. That's coming from a long time Canon shooter.
For me, the Nikon D5 is a one stop shop for sports, wedding, stock, portrait and commercial photography whilst having the loveliness of high quality 4K video.
Looking through the specs and information over at Nikon, I am finding it hard to find fault with this beauty. Except maybe for a possible firmware update later to give us 4k @ 60fps!
Please share your thoughts below and share this post with your photographer friends…
Nikon D5 - Price
You want the goods, you gotta pay for it. Specs like these come at a price and the new Nikon D5 is expected to be priced at £5199.99 ($6,499.95). It will be available from March 2016.
Nikon D5 - Gallery








Nikon D5 - More Specifications (Click for Larger Pic)

(Source: Nikon)