Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2017
I love it, but didn't really want to buy a new expensive digital camera for only thieves to steal.
Purchased the body which included the "AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR" lens. I additionally purchased the "AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR"
The reason why I choose Nikon over Canon (whom apparently does WELL SUPPORT Linux), I required good low-level light camera for both my work and hobby. The Canon 7D Mark II was just well over my price range, with both the Nikon D7200 and it's less costing sibling Nikon D5500/D5600 being in within a descent price range. The more costly $1,000 camera bodies have something called an "Extended Mode" ISO range, and from the costs of these cameras, still the Nikon D7200 Extended Range ISO model capable is far cheaper of the bunch of de facto name brand cameras. If you're planning on working with a majority of low-light scenarios, I would then definitely start with the Nikon D7200 or the D7200's successor. (eg. The D5500/D7200 models are several years old as of this writing, with the D5600 just released within the past year.)
As far as being supported with Linux, I just crossed my fingers (due to the lack of documentation) and looks like I'm now having significant difficulties with Nikon's NEF RAW format, as I've yet to get duplicate results when compared to Nikon's (bulky) bulky Windows O/S software. I'm performing a lot more research than normally required with hardware products, with software tools dcraw, ufraw, gphoto, etc... Great software tools, just lacking duplicated Nikon results.
INITIAL NOTES
Camera formats the SD cards as exfat, and the camera writes only NEF RAW or JPEG image files. (No TIFF files, as the NEF RAW file is apparently 3-4 times less the size of TIFF or PPM.)
The camera, as well as the lens, all have their separate firmware files. So, not only should the user upgrade the camera firmware, users also have to apparently hunt down the lens firmware and upgrade that as well nowadays. As of 2017.03.23, only a firmware update for the D5600 camera body, while no firmware updates for either of the lens' I purchased. (Lens models previously mentioned above.)
Using DPReview.com's comparison Studio Image, the D5600 (having the Exceed 4 processor) provides slightly better detail resolution in comparison to the D500/D7500 (for which uses the Exceed 5 processor), the higher resolution likely due to the D5600 having a 24.2MP CMOS sensor versus the D500/D7500 20.9MP. On the flip, the D500/D7500 provides slightly less noise with higher ISO images, but at the expense of a slightly heavier and larger casing. A good example, I can take a maximum of 1600 ISO with minimal (if any) noise showing using the D5600 at night within low interior lighting without using a flash. Using the DPReview.com's Studio image comparisons, it is evident the D500 (or the Exceed 5 processor) can take the same image I can with producing similar noise at 1600 ISO, but at 3200 ISO and while under similar lighting levels. As such, the Exceed 5 processor can likely take adequate less noisy images at half the amount of light I have at previously mentioned low interior lighting levels. (Sorry, no light meter here!) If you're still following along here; lighting levels, especially exterior or outside light levels can rarely ever be controlled and I'm further guessing the photographer is merrily gambling if they think they'll gain any benefit from "slightly" less noise within higher ISO speed images. So I'll likely stick with the D5600 instead of buying the D7500, as I'm only getting older and the requisite of carrying lighter devices seems to be inevitable. And sooner or later, the device that supersedes the D5600 will contain the later Exceed 5 processor within a year or so. The only thing that extremely bothers or hinders functionality, there is no second dedicated dial for aperture as further noted below!
PROS
1) The camera is really small and light. Great if you hate carrying around a large heavy items, but could be frowned upon big people with big hands due to the smaller distance between buttons, wheels and/or knobs. Being small and light is the main difference between the D5600 and the D500/D7500.
2) the D5600 and D500/D7500, the D5600 contains the Exceed 4 processor for which provides 24.2MP providing a slightly higher resolution when compared to the 20.9MP Exceed 5 processor. (eg. See DPReview Studio image model comparisons.)
3) Unlike the limited LED panel movement of the D500/D7500, the D5600's LED panel swivels 360 so that the panel can be completely hidden or protected while stored, or utilized from almost any direction.
4) Lens's were all seemingly crystal clean upon unwrapping and camera software menus were almost already set to sane defaults.
5) Focus Assist LED light does not turn on when the light meter reads adequate lighting such as sunlight. However if you frequently take photos of hostile people, you may want to switch off the Focus Assist light. Can also create a custom menu entry for this item, saving time hunting for the default menu entry.
CONS
1) Manual Mode is a nightmare to work with! Instead of having a second wheel knob, this unit has only one wheel (AKA command dial) with two shifted or modifier buttons for selecting shutter and ISO speed. Having to use one modifier button for ISO speed is a hassle as it is, but two modifier buttons including the tiny finger spacing for shutter speed modifier and a flash activation switch immediately above the ISO speed modifier button is surely calling for a nightmare scenario!
2) No USB power charging when connected via USB. Not only this, but when connected via USB the device remains powered significantly wasting battery life/power. (More than once, I've found the device with low battery reserves because I forgot the device was connected via USB.)
3) Wi-Fi or Wireless features appear almost useless with almost all wireless devices such as printer, and only seems to be compatible with Android mobile phones and iOS mobile phones. (Switch this function off, setting Airplane mode to on.) I tried the SnapBridge within Android Virtualbox having USB Bluetooth and PCIE Wireless/Wi-Fi devices, and Android finds the camera's bluetooth device, but likely further fails with no debugging output likely due to having only a PCIE wireless card here and no PCIE passthrough for VirtualBox. The Wireless and Bluetooth functions definitely appear to be a complete waste of hardware and resources. No way am I buying more hardware after this hardware already has the hardware I need, with Nikon refusing to properly write code benefiting the public whom purchase their products, and instead supporting only a select few!
4) The camera does not save user profiles containing aperture, ISO, shutter speed, ISO or Active-D Lighting or other menu settings. (eg. Nikon D7200 U1, U2) eg. I enjoy Astro-photography and would like to save a grouping of settings to a profile called "Astro-photography" containing settings for Manual Bulb Exposure, ISO speed, disabling Active-D Lighting, enabling Long Exposure NR, etc... The only profiles a user can set are called Picture Settings, merrily augmenting lighting conditions and special effects, and is basically useless. One would think with all the needless features integrated, the necessity of user focus/aperture/ISO settings would take prescedence!
5) Nikon's software applications contain confusing menus, with tiny application buttons. I prefer simple to use, GNU/Linux command line utilities, and at most graphical interfaces with big buttons and easily navigated menus.
6) Battery doesn't seem to last very long. Probably took about 40 photos (RAW NEF + JPEG), while playing with the menus for the past six hours. The excessive usage was likely due to the needless Bluetooth and Wireless features being activated by default, and/or Live View or Auto Focus light being activated as well. Most users will likely require at least two batteries. Four batteries if you frequently travel with the camera.
7) Lithium battery plastic cap protector fell off inside box during shipping, including the entire battery fell out of it's protective protective plastic bag. All other parts were apparently well packaged, and easily removed without hassles. The camera body opening cap (which protects the mirror when no lens is attached) also fits very loosely, and easily fall-off the unit as well.
8) Confusing lens attaching and detaching. Backwards; righty loosy, lefty tighty. (This is likely a camera industry standard.)
9) The D500/D7500 using the Exceed 5 processor provides slightly less noise at higher ISO levels, but at the expense of less resolution due to the D500/D7500 Exceed 5 20.9MP sensor in comparison to the D5600 Exceed 4 24.2 MP sensor.
TIPS
1) Disable Wi-Fi or wireless function by activating the Airplane Mode. (Seems the explicit Wi-Fi off mode was dropped in favor of calling this Airplane mode.)
2) For seeing the common Live View (of the lens view) via the LED/LCD monitor, pull the right top lever marked Lv, alongside the mode dial.
3) Use Program mode for better control when the flash flashes, and avoiding unnatural color and effects filters.
4) If the auto focus light bugs you, as it does me, this can be disabled within the Custom Setting > Autofocus menu.
5) Rangefinder can also be enabled within the Autofocus menu just mentioned above, for aiding with manual focus. (One of those features that should have been enabled by default!)
6) Shoot in both RAW+JPEG mode, to further ensure the acquisition of attaining good quality photos! I noticed on Linux, I was having a difficult time getting the overall composition of JPEG and RAW photos to match during raw processing, as the Nikon codec is proprietary and Windows/MAC O/S only. I then realized, the exposure of one RAW image was far better than it's JPEG image, as the camera obviously incorrectly processed the JPEG photo after shutter release. (I would love to explain the error and process for Nikon to correct, but my knowledge can be proprietary too! ;-) In brief, take both RAW+JPEG photos, especially if you're taking photos in a difficult environment or performing legal work. As mentioned above, JPEG mode can and will unknowingly apply further color, effects and/or apparent correction filters or algorithms to the image, when creating the JPEG file. It maybe, the RAW image is already held in memory for creation of the JPEG image, so the process RAW+JPEG process is only requiring further bus and SD memory resources.
7) It would be nice to completely disable SCENE and EFFECT modes, as I primarily use Program and Manual modes only, similar to most amateur/professional photographers. (eg. Option for disabling these functions within the software settings, and reassigning the dial position for something else, likely also saving memory within the small portable device.)
8) Focus/Exposure lock seems to lack a Focus Lock Toggle and/or Focus/Exposure Lock Toggle! Nor do the existing available options for this button seem to work all that well, as this lock function usually requires the button to be held. (Only one option, the Exposure Lock Toggle currently exists.) Users can more easily just hold the shutter release button halfway. During landscape photos, I'm constantly focusing halfway up to the horizon, increasing aperture and would be nice just to lock the focus & exposure at my preferred point before repositioning the camera for a fuller photograph. Nor am I seeing any icon stating this function or button has been activated.
9) Create custom shortcuts to the following setup menu items:
Active D-Lighting - Set to off for most manual mode exposures, and on for difficult or quick/automatic photos.
Long exposure NR - Used for low-light or astrophotography.
d1 Exposure delay mode - Delays shutter release for one second, to avert vibration.
a3 Built-in AF-assist illuminator - Usually on except when taking photos of possibly hostile subjects.
Optical VR - Supposedly suppose to be turned-off while the camera is on a sturdy tripod, else blurry exposures may occur.
RATING RATIONAL
I initially negated two stars, one for no simple method for converting a NEF Raw into TIFF, using simple open source tools. Another star for wireless and bluetooth being non-functional for anything but a select few mobile phones (eg. No PC computer compatibility), which appear to also require both wireless and bluetooth in order to even begin operating! There are also no additional compatible wireless accessories for providing such features for this camera to work around the previously mentioned onboard wireless/bluetooth problems. The camera does appear to take good photos though. I later decided reducing only one star, as Nikon likely is just shooting themselves in the foot with the previously stated unsupported features.
MY NIKON NEF RAW WORKFLOW ON GNU/LINUX
Either use dcraw command line program which is quicker, or use a combination of UFRAW + GIMP applications.
WORKFLOW: DCRAW
$ dcraw -6 -T -c -p /YOUR/PATH/ICC/nikon/NKsRGB.icm -o 1 -v -w INPUT.NEF > OUTPUT.TIF
Can also try this after using dcraw, or using Gimp's Color Auto Level Tool.
$ convert -auto-level -gamma .9 INPUT.TIF OUTPUT.TIF
WORKFLOW: UFRAW & GIMP
UFRAW
Tab 1: White Balance
White Balance: Camera WB
Tab 4: Base Curve
Base Curve: Camera Curve
Tab 5: Color Management
Input ICC Profile: NKsRGB
Gamma: 0.45
Linearity: 0.305
Output ICC Profile: NKsRGB (Nikon's ViewNX2's default) or sRGB
Output Intent: Perceptual
Output bit depth: 16
Tab 6: Correct Luminosity, Saturation
Contrast: 1.10
Saturation: 1.40
Ensure all the tabs are set correctly, then return to "Tab 6: Correct
Luminosity ..." and toggle "Auto Adjust Black-Point" button in the middle left
side of the interface, choosing whichever default or auto is best. Return to
"Tab 1: White Balance" and adjust the Denoise slider appropriately, along with
filtering hot pixels and providing a dark frame.
Tab 9: Save
Path: Adjust your save path
Activate "Remember Output Path"
And click save or transfer to the Gimp.
GIMP
Open or transfer the image to Gimp and open the Gimp's "Colors" > "Levels" tool.
Click "Auto Input Levels" button.
Click "Split view" button to increase preview time or better see the changes if needed.
Click, for each red green blue channel value (drop down box near the top of the Levels tool), ensure the right and left arrowed parts of the histogram were not clipped-off by the "auto input levels" function. Adjust as needed, so the left and right arrows embrace the ends of the historgram.
Click on the Channel drop down box and select Value. Now adjust the center arrow underneath the histogram. This increases or decreases the gray point or gamma value. Lighten or darken the image as needed, and finally click apply.
Sometimes no level adjustments or fewer modifications are needed.
WORKFLOW: RAWTHERAPEE
I get better results using Rawtherapee, versus the previous mentioned workflow, at the expence of having to use a big bulky slow graphical user interface application. On the flip, the workflow is more simple. For Nikon NEF Raw files, I tend to reduce the Exposure Compensation by at least -1.0. I then reduce noise by an acceptable amount using the Detail Noise Reduction slider and then compensate for the noise reduction by increasing the Luminance Detail slider by a multiple of 0.5x the amount of the Luminance (denoise) slider. Both dark field images and vignetting images can be utilized, but so far I've only used the Transform Vignetting filter when imaging a blue sky using a 300m zoom lens. (eg. Transform Vignetting Correction; Amount 17, Radius 16, Strength 8) I get better results using the default Rawtherapee default color input profile versus trying to use the NKsRGB.icm color profile.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON GNU/LINUX WORKFLOW
Notice in both scenarios, the colors are not exact. The dcraw seems to get colors most correct, but the result has a white/gray haze over the output image. UFRaw's results omits the white/gray haze over the image, but the colors are not exactly correct. Supposed reason, we lack the exact gamma/linearity values utilized for the NKsRGB.icm file for the specific model of camera? After a few weeks of working with Nikon's NEF Raw files, I'm now migrating to Rawtherapee for editing raw files instead of performing the above, due to the lack of denoise functions within the previously mentioned tools. One note on Rawtherapee besides users are almost required to read the associated user manual for understanding Rawtherapee, Rawtherapee will display over-exposed and under-exposed elements of the photograph during the preview, while the final written file will not display those graphical anomalies.
In brief, the DCRaw command line utility is the fastest and easiest method of acquiring a PNM/TIFF file from NEF raw image file, while only providing generic denoise while inhibiting significant dark tinting. UFRaw also does a fair job, but at the expense of just not having Rawtherapee's luminance denoise function, else UFRaw would likely be adequate for most of my needs. Both these utilities can use Nikon NKsRGB.icm, while Rawtherapee seems to get confused using the Nikon NKsRGB.icm color profile, and maybe something with just the Rawtherapee default profile settings.
TIPS
1) The exposures taken seem overly bright. (Great for taking photos of evidence within dimly lit areas as I previously stated, but poor overly bright exposure for capturing and replicating realistic or artistic photos/images demonstrating or preserving realistic shadows or dark areas.) I tend to reduce exposure by -0.3 within the info menu for all of my photos. Review these exposure and flash compensation levels routinely, as some of the knobs can increase or decrease these values inadvertently. The -0.3 exposure compensation seems to produce a more accurate image, but very slightly darker than what is seen with the naked eye. Within the photo world, it is commonly known to reduce exposure for preserving image detail. Overly exposed images, image detail is more apt to be lost. If the end user desires exact exposure levels, use a dark gray card, or more commonly called "medium gray". (Note the difference, light gray cards are sometimes used for white balance and likely not the same as medium gray!)
2) For most photos, I tend to keep the camera on "Program mode" (with no further adjustment) along with using JPEG format. This Program mode automatically adjusts for all speed, aperture, exposure levels, allowing for quick photos for photo journals or other informational only photos. For more valued photos such as macro photos of flowers, I'll resort to Manual (or Aperture/Shutter priority) modes along with using NEF raw image format. If I have more time, I'll usually then use the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport and/or medium gray test card.
