N-Photo

Group Area AF

Four points acting as

one replace the single

point used as the basis

for the Dynamic Area

AF mode. It helps with

small, erratic subjects.

72-point Dynamic

Area AF

25 selectable AF points

with non-selectable AF

points in between –

these are used to help

track movement.

55 selectable

AF points

Of the 153 autofocus

points, only 55 can be

selected directly. They

are spread across the

whole focus area.

f/8-compatible

focus points

If you’re using a lens or

a lens/teleconverter

with a widest aperture

of f/8, these are the

focus points available.

153-point Dynamic

Area AF

Uses the full autofocus

area, including all 153

AF points. Use this for

subjects moving

around erratically.

15 selectable

AF points

You can switch to

a 15-point selection

mode to simplify

and speed up focus

point selection.

Crop in

THE D5 OFFERS

DIFFERENT CROP

SETTINGS

5:4 ratio

Matches the dimensions of

many popular print sizes,

for example 10x8 inches.

1.2x crop

This offers a slight

increase in effective focal

length, albeit with a slight

loss in resolution.

DX crop

This matches the DX

sensor size. Note how the

AF area now fills the width

of the image.

Dust- and water-

resistant seals have

been added to all the

D5’s body seams

and placed around

external controls

like the shutter

release button.

The new, powerful

153-point autofocus

sensor is housed in the

base of the mirror box

and ‘sees’ the scene

you’re shooting via a

sub-mirror on the back

of the main mirror.

The D5 takes

FX-format Nikon

lenses, but physically

the mount is the same

as those on DX-format

Nikons. You can use

full-frame lenses on

the DX models too.

The D5 has a

20.8-megapixel

sensor, offering a

modest 25 per cent

resolution increase

over the D4S but a

much higher ISO

range (see page 14).

The optical viewfinder

uses a pentaprism

design – the highest

standard – and offers

100 per cent coverage

of the scene. There are

also 1.2x, 5:4 and DX

crop modes (right).

where the maximum aperture
may be at or near the autofocus
sensor’s limits. All of the
Multi-CAM 20K sensor’s 153
autofocus points will work with
f/5.6 lenses, but the centre 15
points will work with f/8 lenses.
All of Nikon’s pro telephotos
are f/5.6 lenses or wider, but

some third-party zooms dip

below that. The f/8 sensitivity

becomes especially important

if you use teleconverters to

increase a telephoto’s reach.

A 1.4x converter reduces the

maximum aperture by one

f-stop, while a 2x converter

reduces it by t wo. If you’re using

an f/4 lens with a 2x converter,

you’re working with an effective

f/8 lens combination. That’s

when the autofocus sensor’s f/

sensitivity will pay dividends.

The DX boost

The use of the same autofocus

sensor in the D500 means the

autofocus point area extends

practically to the full frame

width. This is one of the

advantages offered by the

DX-format sensor, along with the

effective 1.5x magnification. For

example, on the D500, the Nikon

70-200mm f/2.8 lens effectively

becomes a 105-300mm f/2.8.

UNDER THE HOOD

D

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com March 2016 13