Nikon D5/D500 hands-on review (video)

I think a continuous connection to the smartphone is the best way to reduce the gap between smartphone camera connectivity and DSLR connectivity. It looks like Nikon is on the right track. I am sure you can turn it off if you would rather not connect to the internet.

A tilt screen does not force the relocation of the buttons normally to the left side of the LCD. Thus the user interface is not compromised. For video, the camera is always in horizontal orientation and the tilting screen allows high and low vantage points with comfort. The tilting screen is also bigger than what a fully articulated screen would likely be. As to which functions should be implemented in touch screen and which should have dedicated buttons, Nikon probably starts by erring on the conservative side. A touch screen probably doesn’t work well in rain or when the photographer wears gloves thus none of the actively used controls that are frequently needed during shooting should be behind a touch screen interface.

You make many points, some valid, some idiosyncratic and many should be’s and likely be’s.
The ignorance and the perception – As touch screen interfaces have been implemented (over the past many years) few if any mandated its use. Ignorance of how it has been implemented leads some to the false idea that control point are moved to the monitor – When in fact the non touch interface is always intact. So touch is an option, but never the only way to control the camera.
Some of what you guess; controlling in snow with gloves would and all that type of gussin’ criticism is of course still present in this new Nikon touch non-interface, right? So perhaps your lack of experience with touch devices leads you and Nikon to different conclusions, because they did include a limited touch interface, right? So if it was close to what you say – No one would really bother to try to implement them and we wouldn’t be discussing this new feature that Nikon has sold for how many years on how many models and NOW IT HAS COME to this body – So I think ignorance and prejudice guide some of your opinions.
And to those who suggest you can set focus points – You are simply WRONG. Pinch, swipe, scrub in playback – Period. Oh yes, you can also use it to (get this) touch type copyright and other EXIF data settings! Worthless.

What a false argument…How often do I use gloves with my camera…Almost never – But the important point is that NO ONE EVER removed any buttons when they added touch interface – So if it is raining or you can’t remove your gloves – THERE IS NO REAL PROBLEM!
Simply use the buttons as you have done for 45 years…
Now, back to today – What about phones? Seem to be pretty important to modern life and they DO NOT HAVE ANY ALTERNATIVE controls. They are touch only operation.
I am only suggesting adding additional methods of control – As every implementation of touch has been on DSLR’s…
The (dumb) argument that many have made “Touch doesn’t work well” BUT “Nikon got this touch implementation just right” is stupid, partisan lies. It either works or it doesn’t. If it suck so bad (as so many express) that it is actually USELESS, then it is no help to include it for some functions, because it doesn’t work (well enough) and it isn’t any good when you’ll need it most.
Regardless, it is what it is and that’s the state of the Art today – As of 1987…
Nikon added some almost useless touch review controls and no amount of ignorant fan boyism will change that in a few years (how long do PRO bodies last..?) this will look like a antique.

I did start my post with “I think …” Usually my guesses are more fact based and accurate than most people’s “facts”.

I’m not sure which part you question. With regards to SnapBridge, here is Nikon’s own explanation: http://www.nikon.com/news/2016/0106_snapbridge_04.htm. Basically the main advancement is that you only need to connect the devices once and from that part on, until you disconnect the pair, they’re always connected (within the range of distances that bluetooth supports). So it is almost as convenient to use as images captured directly with the smartphone. You can even have the phone send them to Nikon’s image sharing site directly and automatically without having to fiddle with the phone. As for what kind of remote capabilities people need, there are those who do all kinds of advanced stuff such as focus bracketing controlled from the laptop etc. These kinds of functionality are needed by a few specialists who go through the trouble of using a tripod and focus stacking software for extreme depth of field and image quality, and IMO they can pay for the software to do so. E.g. Helicon software does this (and is cheap), so do others. But the more common requirement for remote control is just to see the live view image on the phone screen, focus and shoot. And then receive the images on the phone for social media / e-mail uploading. I don’t think this is something questionable – if you regularly meet other people who actively use photography, you will probably come to the same conclusion that most people need simple functionality and ease of use and the minority of camera users are willing to do highly technical activities which combine multiple shots and so on. If you need advanced functinality, you can pay for it. Most people use cameras to communicate and they want to do it digitally, not by showing prints on papers. And they want it to happen instantly, not though a separate computer since they are busy and not concerned with technical aspects of image quality etc. Why do they need a dedicated camera? To capture subjects such as birds, or anything that requires a long lens, zoom, or macro etc. There is a lot of middle ground between serious photographers who work on images on a computer and edit them extensively, and mobile phone users who snap pictures and post them sometimes indiscriminantly on social media. It is imperative for Nikon to make the use of a “serious” camera for mobile sharing applications as smoothly as possible. Today the new generation of amateur photographers do not normally print their images and many of them are interested in the quick sharing aspect not so much about the “slow photography” as practiced formerly in the darkroom. SnapBridge sounds from the initial information like it is the first “serious” attempt at bringing dedicated cameras to the reality of today’s photographers’ needs. I work with the “slow photography” approach myself and take a great deal of care in my photography from planning, execution and editing, but a lot of the photographers that I know today will never want to do that. The mobile phone camera has effectively decimated the dedicated compact camera market because the latter was too inflexible to use for fast sharing online. Nikon is trying to change this and take back some of the market they had before mobile phone cameras matured. This is not my opinion; it is reality. You can see it in Nikon’s interviews as well, they have many times in the past five years commented on how the way images are used is changing and it caught them off guard.

Since I live in a cold climate I know that operation of touch screens is compromised if using gloves. This is why it is important that all the primary functions that are needed to use the camera are not based on a touch screen. Rain is similar – a few drops doesn’t kill the touch screen but if it rains a lot then the screen is inoperable. Thus it is crucial for field applications in a serious camera that the main controls are not implemented in a way that could compromise getting the shot in adverse weather conditions. Of course it is possible that a new touch screen technology could work better but I think there is little chance that we wouldn’t first see it in a smartphone rather than in a camera. This is because smartphones are sold in the hundreds of millions of copies whereas cameras are sold at best in the hundreds of thousands, so the smartphone manufacturers will always have the best technology for a primary feature (their user interface is solely relying on the touch screen).

My point was not excitement that the new Nikons met the similar standards of other cameras…
When they raised the MP’s with the D800…They didn’t wait on the competition – Did they?

You ask “A tilt screen, really? WTF is that good for?”
Actually a big deal for those of us seeking viewpoints other than eye level. Answers:
A) Up shots from down low without having to get on one’s knees or belly, which takes time and involves groveling in the dirt.
B) Down shots from higher than eye level:
– Have you never been in a queue of photogs all trying to get a pic? Or trying to shoot over someone’s head?
– Have you never had a high tripod or tripod+ladder shot set up?

Shit man, have a Coke and a smile!