N-Photo

SnapBridge

TRANSFER PHOTOS

DIRECT TO YOUR

SMART DEVICE

With the D500, Nikon has

introduced SnapBridge, a

new wireless technology.

This uses Bluetooth LE for

an always-on connection

to your smart device.

Take a picture and it’s

transferred automatically,

ready for sharing.

Bluetooth doesn’t offer

the same transfer speed

as Wi-Fi, and images are

resized to two megapixels

(HD size) for transfer.

Nikon says full-size images

can be transferred, but it’s

not clear whether this is

via the D500’s built-in

Wi-Fi. Controlling the

camera from a smart

device still needs to be

done via Wi-Fi.

The D500 is built to

survive much more

punishment than

Nikon’s ‘consumer’

cameras like the

D7200, with a tough

alloy chassis and

weather-proof seals.

The D500’s

professional

capabilities are

underlined by the

inclusion of the same

brand-new, high-

powered autofocus

system used in the D5.

You can use full-frame

FX lenses on the D500,

which is ideal for

giving pro telephotos

1.5x more ‘reach’.

You’ll still need DX

lenses for wider focal

lengths, though.

Although the DX

sensor in the D

is smaller than the full-

frame FX sensor in the

D5 (as you’d expect),

the resolution is

practically identical

at 20.9 megapixels.

Like the D5, the D

has a pentaprism

viewfinder with 100

per cent coverage.

Unlike the D300S, its

spiritual predecessor,

it d o e s n ot h ave a

built-in flash.

ikon’s previous pro

autofocus sensor, the

Multi-CAM 3500, had

been around for so

long and gone

through so many

updates and improvements, it

had become part of the scenery

on Nikon’s top-end D-SLRs. But

rumours about a new 153-point

AF system, improbable as they

sounded, proved to be true. The

new Multi-CAM 20K autofocus

sensor offers the same

autofocus modes Nikon users

will be accustomed to, but with

improved accuracy.

The total number of autofocus

points is three times greater

than before, but there are

improvements in their type and

quality, too. Of these 153 AF

points, 99 are more accurate

cross-type sensors. Regular AF

points check focus only along

one axis, but cross-type sensors

check two axes at right angles to

each other (hence ‘cross’-type).

All 153 AF points are sensitive

down to -3EV. That ’s roughly

equivalent to the light cast by a

full moon! The central AF point is

twice as sensitive, operating at a

light level of -4EV. That’s twice

as sensitive as the old Multi-

CAM 3500 sensor.

Open wide!

There is another autofocus

sensor specification to be aware

of: the minimum aperture the

sensor will work at. It ’s not

something you need to worry

about in everyday photography

since most lenses have

apertures large enough for this

not to be a factor. It becomes

important with telephoto lenses,

Autofocus MORE AF POINTS THAN EVER, AND THEY GO RIGHT TO THE EDGES OF THE FRAME

25-point Dynamic

Area AF

Akin to nine-point

Dynamic Area AF,

but in between the

selectable points are

16 non-selectable ones.

Autofocus

points and

modes

THE NEW AF

MODULE OFFERS

SOME NEW

MODES FOR

IMPROVED

PERFORMANCE

Single-point AF

Not all of the 153 AF

points can be selected

individually. You can

select 55, including 35

cross-type and nine

f/8 sensors.

UNDER THE HOOD

D

12 March 2016 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

SPECIAL FEATURE THE NEW NIKON D500 AND D