There are specific lighting situations where the latest and most excellent camera will not make all that much difference.

Whenever the ISO is around 3200, I believe the differences are not as noticeable at first glance as when your ISO is, say at ISO 16000, for example.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 16000, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

There are moments like this when the stage during the theater performance is dark, and the ISO 16000 gives me a spotless file.

If you shoot a lot of stage performances, then you know, sometimes the lighting isn’t all that great. A lighting tech forgets a lighting cue, and the light isn’t correct, but you still need a photo. Hey, the Nikon D5 will now let you get those moments.

Now, if you are shooting studio strobes like these headshots, there is minimal difference.

Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM Art Lens, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/200

The headshot here is a great film, but so was the Nikon D4 file I shot earlier.

Nikon D4, Nikon 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 100, ƒ/5, 1/200

By the way, I shot the Nikon D5 after the actor went to the beach last week.

If you are in situations with good light, you will not necessarily see a big difference in the camera upgrade.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 1100, ƒ/5.6, 1/100

I shot this photo in the Flat Picture Control setting. I think the dynamic range is much better over earlier Nikon models. Shooting a dress rehearsal gave me some pretty extreme situations because I didn’t set the lighting for the witch to make her as visible to the audience as Rapunzel in the tower. So you can see that is quite a range.

Now I can say that the results using the Highlight-weighted metering mode compared to the Nikon D750 aren’t giving me the same results.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 2800, ƒ/4, 1/400

In this situation where there was a lot of black, the Nikon D5 Highlight-weighted metering mode worked great. But the exposures were way underexposed unless the frame is mainly black with a spotlight.

I think I trust the Nikon D750 Highlight-weighted metering mode more than the Nikon D5 at this moment. First, however, let me say that this is just a preliminary comment. I believe every new camera takes a little while to run through all the situations many times before I can rule out my errors using the new tool.

Nikon D5, Sigma 120-300mm ƒ/2.8 DG OS HSM | S, Sigma TC-2001 2x, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.6, 1/400

Conclusion

Unless you need those higher ISOs, then in general, you will not benefit from the Nikon D5 say over the Nikon D4. However, as you can see for theater, you will see a noticeable difference.

If you are primarily a studio shooter, then I hadn’t seen any significant differences except when it came to a resolution. Higher resolution will let you make more oversized prints, and as we know, you can sell a giant print for a lot more money.

Nikon D5, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, ISO 9000, ƒ/5.3, 1/400

I included this last photo to highlight how much background can impact an image. The first night I shot the dress rehearsal, they didn’t have the woods background. I think the background made a HUGE difference and helped to visually take the level of production of the musical to a different level.

Just like in real estate LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION makes a big difference. For photography, it is often the same thing, but we say it this way: BACKGROUND, BACKGROUND, BACKGROUND.