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Nikon D500 review

Our Verdict

With its speedy performance and height notch image quality, the Nikon D500 is a great pick for enthusiasts and prosumers who desire to pace up their game.

For

  • Splendid image quality
  • Responsive performance
  • Good low light capabilities
  • Dual card slots
  • Built-in time-lapse

Against

  • Cropped 4K video
  • Less than stellar video/Live View autofocus
  • Limited touchscreen functionality

Tom's Guide Verdict

With its speedy performance and top notch prototype quality, the Nikon D500 is a great option for enthusiasts and prosumers who desire to step up their game.

Pros

  • +

    Excellent image quality

  • +

    Responsive performance

  • +

    Good depression light capabilities

  • +

    Dual menu slots

  • +

    Congenital-in time-lapse

Cons

  • -

    Cropped 4K video

  • -

    Less than stellar video/Alive View autofocus

  • -

    Limited touchscreen functionality

Nikon D500: Specs

Prototype Sensor: twenty.0MP APS-C CMOS
Storage Media: SD/SDHC/SDXC and XQD
Prototype Stabilization: via OIS lenses
Brandish: 3.2-inch bear upon LCD
ISO: 100-51,200 (expandable to 1,640,000)
Max video resolution: 4K UHD iii,840 10 two, 160/30 and 24 fps
Shooting Speed: upwards to 10fps
Wireless/Bluetooth/NFC: Aye
Ports: 10-pin remote concluding, HDMI, USB, Stereo microphone and headphone jacks
Battery life (CIPA): 1,240
Size (body): 5.eight x 4.6 x 3.2 inches
Weight: 26.nine ounces, body only

Sitting at the top of Nikon's DX (APS-C) DSLR line, the Nikon 500 is a solid option for enthusiasts and semi-pros alike. It's also a cracking back-up for professionals shooting full-frame who want a smaller and lighter but highly capable second camera. Sports and wildlife photographers, regardless of expertise, volition benefit from its i.5x crop and speedy autofocus.

Read the full review of the Nikon D500 to come across why we're excited about this camera (and a couple of things we're not so thrilled about).

I tested the Nikon D500 under a diverseness of atmospheric condition using several different lenses including the kit AF-Southward DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8, 70-200mm f/2.8 and f/4 models), 200-500mm f/5.6 and, ane of my best favorites, the lightweight 300mm f/4E PF ED VR. Check out our sample photos and videos below to see how well the Nikon D500 and these lenses performed, and why information technology'due south i of the all-time DSLR cameras.

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Nikon D500: Price and availability

The Nikon D500 was introduced in 2016, and is all the same the company'due south premier DX-series DSLR. The Nikon D500 is available starting around $1,500. A kit with the NIKKOR 16-80mm VR lens volition set you lot back effectually $2,100. Both DX and FX format lenses can exist used with the Nikon D500, and so if yous already take Nikon lenses, you're ahead of the game.

Nikon D500 review: Design

At 5.viii ten 4.6 x 3.2 inches and 26.ix ounces, the Nikon D500 isn't the smallest or lightest DSLR on the market (that honor goes to the Footling Canon EOS Insubordinate SL3) just compact enough for one-handed shooting with a short lens similar the NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8. The solidly built photographic camera trunk is besides well-balanced even with telephoto lenses thanks, in part, to its deep grip and comfortable handhold.

A big, bright optical viewfinder features 100% coverage, and the ability to display grid lines on the viewfinder helps with composition and level horizons. With a -two.0 to +1.0m diopter adjustment, I was able to easily adapt the viewfinder to accommodate my eyesight with and without glasses.

Nikon D500 review

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Nikon D500'southward 3.2-inch touchscreen LCD is brilliant and clear. Unfortunately, the monitor's bear on capabilities are limited. It has bear on focus and impact shutter, and can exist used to curlicue and zoom images in playback. To navigate menus, though, you'll need to use the four-way controller. Non a huge deal but somewhat disappointing. And, rather than having a fully-articulated LCD, the D500's monitor only angles up and down, which is also a bit disappointing. A meridian control panel provides an at-a-glance view of exposure settings, number of shots remaining, battery life, etc.

What'south not disappointing, though, is the D500's dual card slots that conform SD and XQD cards. The secondary card slot tin exist configured to store overflow (when the primary card is full), backup (a shot-by-shot duplicate of the primary card) or to save RAW files to the chief card and JPEGs to the secondary card.

Nikon D500 review

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Nikon recently released a firmware update and so the D500 — every bit well as other Nikon DSLRs — are compatible with the faster and college capacity) CFExpress Type B cards (up to 2TB). Since CFExpress is the aforementioned form gene as the XQD, no changes to the camera body are required.

Typical for this class of camera, there's no built-in wink. As expected, it has a hotshoe to attach an accessory wink when needed.

Nikon D500 review: Controls

Buttons and dials are plentiful and ergonomically positioned for quick access. Current Nikon users will feel comfy with the external controls and menus. And in one case y'all ready the camera to your liking, you'll rarely have to phone call up the piece of cake-to-navigate card arrangement.

Nikon D500 review

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

In add-on to front and rear dials, the Nikon D500's defended buttons include movie record, ISO and exposure compensation located but off the shutter release/power switch. The tiptop left panel includes access to white residue, exposure mode, metering and quality along with a release manner dial (single, continuous low speed, continuous loftier speed and two placidity shutter release modes).

The rear console is home to a long listing of other buttons/controls including playback, menu, zoom, AF-ON, 4-way controller, a joystick for choosing AF points, Live View, function and info buttons. At that place'due south as well a depth-of-field preview button and another function button on the front of the camera. Amend yet, many of the Nikon D500 controls—higher up and beyond the 2 function buttons—tin be customized.

Nikon D500 review

(Paradigm credit: Tom's Guide)

One of this photographic camera'south absurd features is its backlit buttons. Rotate the power switch to the lilliputian light bulb icon and you'll be able to see the buttons and their identifying marks in the night. This is a existent bonus when shooting in low/no low-cal, similar in the press pit during mode week.

The D500's carte du jour is long but well organized and easy to navigate, specially if y'all're a Nikon user. Printing the question mark push button to the left of the LCD for detailed and helpful explanations of many of the menu settings.

Nikon D500: Epitome quality

f/4.0, 1/2500, ISO 125 (Epitome credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

In a give-and-take, the Nikon D500's image quality is excellent. In fact, I was as comfy submitting this camera'south images to a wire service news bureau as I was images from the college terminate Nikon D4s and D850.

Colors were authentic and looked natural with only the right amount of saturation and sharpness, equally shown in this image of a kitesurfer.

Even under mixed lighting that is normally found at fashion shows, auto white residual worked well. When the lighting temperature was known, I switched from auto white balance to the appropriate Kelvin temperature.

Auto white residual hands managed to keep these bridal gowns white even in this shot, which mixed natural light through the large windows and artificial lite.

f/5.6, ane/400 sec., ISO 500 (Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

White balance can, of course, be adapted in mail processing when shooting Raw. In fact, the D500's Retouch Menu offers in-camera Raw processing capabilities—including white rest adjustments.

Nikon D500 review

D500 Retouch Menu (Image credit: Tom's Guide)

f/4, 1/thou sec, ISO 2000 (Paradigm credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

Exposures were generally spot on both when shooting in program car, semi-manual and transmission modes. For the latter, the exposure meter was, for the most function, accurate. As always, the manual exposure mode immune me to tweak the exposure when shooting in challenging conditions. Overall, dynamic range was quite adept, equally shown in this photograph of a hawk with its night and low-cal markings.

Native ISO ranges from 100-51,200 and is expandable to a low of l and a loftier of 1,650,000. Even at ISO 6400, the D500 kept prototype noise to a minimum, as shown in the image below. At the same fourth dimension, the camera maintained details and sharpness fifty-fifty at higher ISOs.

Nikon D500 review

f/six.3, ane/200 sec., ISO 6400 (Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

Nikon D500: Video

One of the beginning DSLRs to offer 4K video, the Nikon D500's video options range from 4K UHD (30/24 fps), Total Hd (threescore/30/24fps) to HD at 60fps. Complementing its video capabilities are a congenital-in stereo microphone, an external microphone jack as well equally a headphone connector. You can besides add an external monitor or recorder.

Image quality is quite good, with accurate colors and exposures. Item capture is better than expected. Keep in mind, though, that 4K recording uses only function of the sensor. Add that crop cistron to the photographic camera's APS-C ane.5x native crop and you need to figure in a little more than a total of 2x crop when choosing a lens. For instance, a 14mm lens volition evangelize the same field of view as a 28mm lens, which may or may not be broad enough for the shot you planned.

The Nikon D500 did a good job of balancing the exposure in this high dissimilarity scene. Simply given the tendency of the Nikon D500's autofocus to occasionally search for focus and the fact that seabirds might fly into and out of the scene, I thought manual focus would work improve here.

The Nikon D500 makes time-lapse video incredibly easy. Set-upward is elementary: just choose the interval (fourth dimension betwixt shots) and the full shooting time and you're good to become. One of the really dainty features is the "smoothing" choice, which compensates for extreme changes in exposure during the recording. Once all the images are captured, the camera combines them into the terminal video like the one you come across beneath.

Nikon D500: Performance

Solid performance is ane of the Nikon D500'south strong suits. While many photographers have started gravitating towards mirrorless cameras for sports, the D500 can shoot upwardly to 10 frames per second with swift and accurate autofocus (when shooting with the viewfinder). The D500 was responsive and capable of capturing these horses and riders in motion during a polo scrimmage.

f/5.0, 1/1250 sec, ISO160 (Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom'southward Guide)

The Nikon D500 was also a great companion when shooting models on the rails at New York Fashion Week—regardless of lighting conditions.

f/five.six, 1/400 sec, ISO 2500 (Prototype credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom'southward Guide)

f/8.0, 1/200 sec, ISO chiliad (Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

And the camera was perfect for capturing fast moving kite surfers on a windy day.

f/v.6, 1/3200 sec., And then 125 (Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom'due south Guide)

Autofocus is less speedy when using Live View but it's unlikely that you'll be using Live View to shoot action.

Shutter speeds are available from 1/8000th 2d to 30 seconds. There's a Bulb setting for actress long exposures. The camera has a sync speed of 1/250th second and several self-timer modes. The latter include 2, 5, 10, 20 second durations with i to 9 exposures at various intervals.

Battery life is great, too, which is super important when you're making apply of its 10fps continuous shooting speed. The D500 can capture up to 1250 shots per charge and I never had to change batteries when covering 2 or three back-to-back style shows.

Nikon D500: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC

Nikon's gratis SnapBridge app is available for iOS and Android mobile devices and works with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. Set-up is relatively easy and while I've occasionally had some bug getting the app to work effectively, information technology's generally smoothen going.

Every bit expected, the app facilitates transfer of images from camera to mobile device. Users tin can add copyright or other information (upwardly to ii pieces) to the images.

(Image credit: Theano Nikitas/Tom's Guide)

The app and mobile device can likewise be used to shoot remotely with options to shoot in program auto, shutter priority, aperture priority or manual exposure modes. Exposure compensation, ISO and white balance adjustments can be fabricated directly from the app. It'south pretty typical when information technology comes to functionality and can be a existent bonus when yous want or need to share images in the field.

Nikon D500 review: Verdict

The Nikon D500 is one of my all-time favorite Nikon DSLRs thanks to its excellent image quality and performance. Enthusiasts and even newcomers who desire to step up to a higher end APS-C photographic camera tin do so cheers to its more affordable price.

Although it's more expensive, the twenty megapixel Canon EOS 7D Mark II ($1800) might be a good fit, peculiarly if y'all already have a set of Canon lenses. You'll have to surrender 4K video just you lot'll still get 10fps continuous shooting and gain better video AF and likewise as a congenital-in flash.

But if you take Nikon lenses and are looking for a step-up camera that's a solid performer with great image quality, you can't go wrong with the Nikon D500.

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Theano Nikitas is a freelance journalist and photographer. She's been writing well-nigh photography for more than 20 years, contributing countless reviews of cameras, lenses, accessories and software packages to Tom'southward Guide. Her work has also appeared in dozens of other magazines and websites, including CNET, DPreview, PopPhoto, Professional Lensman and Shutterbug.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/nikon-d500

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