I have shot with Nikon cameras for many years, from film to digital. However, the D5 provides me with an experience that I have been waiting for, for some time. I have shot outdoor photos in low light without a tripod and got great shots. I have shot indoor events without a flash and got incredible shots. In both cases there was minimal to no noise. For me, that makes the D5 a great digital paint brush.
Prior to the D5, I have been shooting with the D2x. Granted their have been improvements on newer cameras since the D2x, such as the D3 and D4 series, but for me this was a jump well worth the wait.
I connected the SB910 to the D5, it worked like a charm. The SB910 is a great companion for the D5, when you need quick illumination. But, I found that I wasn't shooting with flash as often as I did when shooting with the D2x. The D2x was poor in low lighting, except when on a tripod and a shutter release, with Mirror-Up in lock mode.
I am very impressed with the speed of the continuous frames per second. The XQD memory is the way to go, because of it's fast write speed. There are more focusing points than I am use to, but I will take advantage of as the need arises. I still have to play with the newer features of the D5 that my D2x does not have. But thus far, I am not disappointed at all. The image results are stunning.
Now with the full frame, I can take advantage of all of my full frame lenses. This is one of the first photos I shot in low lighting, https://1x.com/photo/1157555/all:user:553461, without a tripod. I could never have captured this shot with the D2x. Had I taken this photo with the D2x, with the ISO at 800 or above would make the noise level so out of control that even with Noise Reduction turned on and noise reduction software, the photo would be horrible.
The learning curve isn't to too high, going from the D2x to the D5. The menu system is very similar to the D2x. Nikon simply added a menu for the video, as well as, additional menu options for newer features. Some of the exterior buttons have been moved around to accommodate new features. It's not enough to make me loose my mind.
I briefly tried the video. It recorded nicely, but I need to spend more time with the video to offer a better review of that component of the camera.
Some folks don't like the weight of a big DSLR, I happened to prefer it. The D5 is approximately 4.1333 lbs., and that's just the body. The D2x body was only 2.76 lbs. So, I am getting a good workout with the D5. :)
Now that I am shooting with a large memory capacity of 2 XQD cards (128gb each), I can shoot up to approximately 5.4K (2.7K per card) RAW images. I would really, really, really, without a doubt, need to use Adobe Lightroom to handle that many photos, if I ever shot that many photos. I chose to use the large capacity memory for video recording. I can't ever see my self shooting that many photos in one shoot. I don't believe I would shoot that many photos in a sporting event. Although, now that I have the appropriate gear to shoot sporting events, I will see how many shots I get with Continuous Mode on.
Overall, this is going to be my camera of choice for a very long time. It gives me incredible results, with a large ISO range to work with. I haven't had full frame photo since the days of film, so I am happier than ever. To me, it is painting with a digital paint brush.
