Nikon D500 horrible 1080p quality

[Jusberi]

I don't know or have a lot of experience on DSLRs and the D500 isn't mine so it might be just some simple fix that I don't realize?

 

So the footage shot on 1080p is pretty much equivalent to my Samsung S3 phone.

At 4K it is significantly better but when comparing it to other videos on Youtube I don't think that is right either.

 

I have tried playing with the AF stuff and other different focus settings, tried it on manual etc. but no difference.

I tried the AF fine tune calibration but also that didn't help.

 

Samples:

1080p: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLdmqqQyctA

4k: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b08N7R56n2E

 

[tikker]

Can't really judge the 4k quality on my 1080p screen, but the 1080p from the 4k indeed seems better than the normal one. Compression maybe? I don't really have much video knowledge so can't help much

[AkiraDaarkst]

14 minutes ago, Jusberi said:

I don't know or have a lot of experience on DSLRs

 

I have a feeling this might be the root of the problem.

[Jusberi]

7 minutes ago, AkiraDaarkst said:

I have a feeling this might be the root of the problem.

Exactly, could you give me a hint what I might be doing wrong?

[AkiraDaarkst]

6 minutes ago, Jusberi said:

Exactly, could you give me a hint what I might be doing wrong?

Sure, I can help.

• Which lens are you using?
• Do a Google search for "focus test chart" or read this article: https://photographylife.com/how-to-quickly-test-your-dslr-for-autofocus-issues/
• Print out the test chart in the article and/or the chart from this discussion: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/54034945

Put your camera on a tripod or at least some stable surface and zoom in/focus on the printed test charts.  Using test charts like these will help determine if the camera or lens has a focusing issue.  Then you just use the AF Fine Tune feature in the camera menu to make adjustments if there are focusing issues.

 

I'm looking at the technical specs for the D500 on their website, and while 4K video they offer 144mbps bitrate, I'm not particularly impressed by the bitrates for 1080p.

 

What do you want to use the D500 for?  I see Nikon as mainly a photography camera manufacturer, they have very little background in producing video cameras.  At least compared to Sony, Canon and Panasonic.  If you want good quality video from a Nikon camera:

• Get things right in camera so minimal color grading, noise reduction, color correction, sharpening, etc. is needed
• OR use an external recorder like an Atomos device to record the higher quality output from the HDMI out.

And if you're going to use the D500 for video, you need to learn, practice, experiment (because different cameras can have different "quirks" that you need to figure out to capture the best image).

[cybartek]

I see the topic is quite old, but I think I know what causes the poor quality of your image.
It looks like you have image stabilization turned on. Images stabilization on D500 is not doing a good job. 4K mode doesn't support image stabilization so your image looks better. 

I suggest turning it off and using a lens with VR (vibration reduction) or external gear like 'flycam' to grab fluent movement shots.