Vape and Crepe: Hands On the Flagship Nikon D5 + SB-5000

There are some cameras that you can’t help but be impressed with, and as Nikon’s latest flagship it should come as no surprise that the D5 is one of those cameras.

Disclaimer: Although this is an article about photography, the views on vaping expressed in this video are those of the individuals alone and do not reflect the opinions or policies of B&H Photo.

In our hunt for a subject to test the camera with, we found Wilfredo Ortiz, a 26-year-old Air Force veteran who recently opened up two businesses on Wyckoff Avenue in Bushwick, Brooklyn. His primary focus is Creative Vape: a hip-hop-inspired vape shop that also serves as a gallery for local artists to show off their work and as a lounge for the community members to come and hang out. Next door you will find his second endeavor, Creative Crepe and Coffee, which he operates with his business partner Malwina Gutierrez. After looking up some vape tricks and always being in the mood for a delicious crepe, we got in touch to put the D5 to the test.

Left: ISO 2000; 1/100 sec.; f/2.8   Right: ISO 25600; 1/640 sec.; f/3.5

Another reason that vaping piqued our interest was because of the huge explosion in popularity over the past year or two, and new FDA regulations set to take place today, August 08, 2016, concerning how the vaping industry will function and evolve in the near future. As an interesting and newsworthy topic that can deliver some unique shots, it felt like the perfect opportunity for this flagship camera.

Refined Feel and Controls

When you are out shooting, the last thing you want to do is think about how to change a setting. You need it to be second nature so there is nothing preventing you from capturing the decisive moment. The D5 is near perfect in this regard. Almost everything is mapped to a physical button, dial, or joystick and on top of that the D5 adds what I found to be the near perfect amount of touchscreen functionality.

At first, the 3.2” 2.36m-dot touchscreen seemed out of place on a “pro” camera, however after swiping through images to review and tapping to select AF points during video it just made sense. They don’t go overboard with it, which is why it shines. You won’t be using it to navigate the menu or select settings (there are buttons for that) but the added functionality is a very nice touch. Two extra screens are also available to check a variety of settings, one on the top panel and one underneath the touchscreen.

Picking up the camera, it felt surprisingly light compared to its looks. I’m not saying it is a lightweight camera by any means, but it’s balance and ergonomics positioned the weight well, and didn’t wear me out after a day of shooting. The grip is also perfectly contoured and has just the right amount of “stick.” The camera feels secure but you can still move around with ease. And, of course, the camera is built like a tank. The D5 is a camera that can go through hell and back and still work perfectly fine afterwards. Also, during some rainy days in NYC, or a few hours in a vapor-filled storefront, I never felt worried that the camera was going to falter or that I had to put it away before an errant drop ruined everything.

Something I’ve missed since going mirrorless is the optical viewfinder, and the D5’s makes me want one even more. Spacious, comfortable, and bright, this finder makes it easy to compose your shots. One other thing that makes the D5 great is an abundance of function buttons. Never a bad thing, these programmable buttons can be a game changer if you have an uncommon setting that you need to adjust often. These can be found on the front around the lens mount, near the vertical shutter release, and on the back of the camera. A bonus feature I discovered was that most of the rear buttons are backlit, making it a great camera for working in dim locations.

Stellar Low-Light Performance & Image Quality

Along with a body design that helps out in low light, the D5 has a mind-boggling top sensitivity of ISO 3,280,000. Now, this maxed out setting isn’t exactly usable and the native range “only” goes up to ISO 102400, but this camera gives you the freedom to shoot at some pretty high ISO settings without any worries. For example, I was comfortable going upwards of ISO 6400 in order to grab action shots in the relatively dim shop.

Besides low noise levels and good dynamic range, the D5 manages to impart a feeling into the images it creates. It is almost indescribable, but in the way it handles colors, highlights, and shadows it is able to create a photograph that is so much more than just technically sound. There is a three-dimensionality brought to the photo that gives it a bit more nuance, texture, and depth.

Dynamic range was great. I used Capture One 9 to process the images and it was surprising how much detail could be pulled from what I thought was a blown out window. Shadows are equally malleable, with underexposed images able to transform into well-lit scenes with ease. This is due to the sensitivity of the 20.8MP FX-format CMOS sensor. Resolution is respectable as well; it may not be the 36MP of the D810, but it is the perfect tradeoff for the type of photography the camera is designed for, namely sports, action, weddings, and photojournalism. Enough detail is retained without slowing down your camera or computer, saving you time when you transfer or process your images.

 

Blazing Fast

Shooting at 12 fps with AF is impressive, but what is arguably more impressive is the speed with which it can write to the dual card slots. Using a pair of Lexar 2933x XQD 2.0 cards, with one set for raw and the other to fine JPEG, any reasonable burst of 1-3 seconds was done writing before I had time to check if the green writing LED was on. Also, startup was instant, shutter lag was nonexistent, and button presses had an immediate effect. What really makes a camera fast is how easily a photographer can use it and change settings. In this case the D5 and its EXPEED 5 processor could easily be faster than the shooter.

Let’s talk about autofocus now. It is among the best I’ve ever used. No longer can photographer blame a missed shot on their camera, if you missed focus it’s because you missed the shot. Spec-wise the AF system uses 153 points on a dedicated sensor to track subjects, and it does so with ease. Users can choose a variety of different focus point settings and have full and immediate control using the rear joysticks. The 3D tracking mode was surprisingly good, not being distracted even in a vapor-filled environment with individuals who are creating clouds in front of themselves. This would no question be a problem for many other AF systems, but the D5 manages to track a face and eyes despite these obstacles.

Taking things up a notch I put it in 3D tracking and bumped the continuous shooting speed up. The D5 delivered with ease. With this level of reliability in a focusing system, it means that the photographer is now free to focus on the more important things, such as composition. Here is a series of images showing how the D5 handled a dark scene and vape tricks.

I could talk all day about how good the autofocus is and how well the camera performs in low light, but I want to get to some of the smaller features that make the D5 a complete system. For tethering and file transfer shooters can use either a USB 3.0 or Ethernet connection, both very fast options for filing your photos. Also, users can choose from a variety of image qualities, including a 12-bit small raw file that can improve file transfer speeds without sacrificing too much quality. Another nice feature is the automatic AF Fine Tune which has the camera automatically detect and assign a value to correct for back and front focusing with each individual lens.

One thing I haven’t mentioned is the battery life, which is very long. For a weekend of shooting I didn’t need to worry about running out of juice.

Bringing Radio Flash into the Mix

The D5 and D500 introduce a new radio flash system with the SB-5000 AF Speedlight, something I did have the opportunity to play with during my time with the camera. I’m happy to say that the system is very reliable, once you get it going that is. The system is a little convoluted to set up, and then once it is you are reliant on the D5’s menu system to making changes to your groups and flashes.

This Advanced Wireless System is a welcome addition to the Nikon ecosystem, as many photographers have been waiting for a native option. But, many other photographers have already made the jump to one of many currently available radio triggers. These third-party options are generally more simplistic, but that is also considered a plus for many working photographers who prefer manual control. In all honesty, I don’t think I would quite understand the new Nikon system if I didn’t work for B&H. It requires the WR-A10 and WR-R10 to add radio transmission to the camera, and even then you have to make sure that they have the firmware updated at the factory to v3.0 in order to get functionality.

After you get the right tools to work this system, you have to work with the SB-5000 as there is no way to bring older flashes into the system. You can use a flash on-camera as an optical master, allowing for triggering of multiple flashes in a variety of different systems if you please. And while pairing is a relatively simple affair, this whole process is not intuitive and not that streamlined.

The new SB-5000 flash is great however, and smaller than the previous SB-910. Controlling the flash from its own screen and menu system is quite intuitive, though a few exploratory button presses were required to learn about it anyone familiar with Nikon’s flash system will feel right at home. While being triggered wirelessly it was perfectly reliable, always going off, and since it has a new cooling system I wasn’t concerned about rapid firing. It is definitely deserving of its flagship position.

4K Video

Moving beyond stills we have a new to Nikon option for recording UHD 4K video. This was one of the most talked-about features when the D5 and D500 were announced and I was interested in testing it out. It takes a central crop of the sensor, about 1.5x or DX format, in order to achieve a 1:1 pixel readout, resulting in less moiré and aliasing, which I can say it definitely didn’t have. Not having the option for full-frame shooting was a little annoying but for UHD 4K video dealing with a Super35 equivalent area is not a huge deal as most professional video cameras offer the same sensor size.

When we delve deeper into the 4K specs, it is great that we have internal recording, and as of the latest firmware update, the D5 can now record up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds without stopping. One caveat to this is that it will split the files into smaller 4 GB chunks, which can be a hassle in post-production. For external recording the D5 has a Mini HDMI port which can output an 8-bit 4:2:2 image with greater color fidelity. And, along with all of this we have access to Nikon’s Flat Picture Control mode, which provides more flexibility during color grading. It isn’t quite as good as a genuine log gamma, but it is much better than using a basic neutral picture profile.

At 100 Mbps, the D5 retains great detail in the internally-recorded footage. The color is also quite good, likely pulling some magic from Nikon’s stills processing in order to reach a very similar look. One feature I personally found spectacular was that you could set a Picture Control, such as Flat, to be the video setting without affecting your stills choice. This made switching between stills and video on the fly much, much easier. AF for video is effectively nonexistent, though choosing a focus selection with the touchscreen is really nice.

Overall, the UHD 4K video is a great addition to an already spectacular stills camera, but if you are looking exclusively for a top notch video camera you should look elsewhere at this price point.

Conclusion

As a still photographer’s camera, the D5 will meet and exceed the professional demands that will likely be thrust upon it. It is speedy, reliable, and most certainly deserving of its position as Nikon’s new flagship. The SB-5000 AF Speedlight sits nicely right alongside it, but a slightly complicated system keeps the radio system from really hitting its full potential. For dedicated video shooters it gets a little tricky, as the UHD 4K video option, while quite nice, doesn’t ‘wow’ when compared to more video-centric options. As a new flagship hybrid camera for photographers looking to expand into video, it would be tough to find a better option.

Special thanks to Wilfredo Ortiz and Malwina Gutierrez of Creative Vape and Creative Crepe and Coffee, located in Brooklyn, NY at 894 Wyckoff Ave. You can follow them on Instagram @CreativeVape and @CreativeCrepeandCoffee.