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The Nikon D500 is one of the best DSLRs out there when it comes to shooting sports, wildlife and action shots in general. It comes with fantastic autofocus and ISO capabilities, it is fast, accurate and the image quality is outstanding. On the downside, while it can shoot in 4K, video is not its biggest strength and the price of the D500 is a bit steep.
The Nikon D500 is the top model of the DX range, with impressive qualities in terms of high-speed shooting, sports, wildlife and action shots in general.
While it is not described as a professional camera by Nikon, but rather as a model for the ‘enthusiast’ photographer, mainly because of its sensor size (23.5 mm x 15.7 mm), the D500 is clearly a flagship model and a good alternative to the Canon 7D Mark II.
Here are the main specifications of the Nikon D500:
Though launched two years ago, in 2016, the D500 is still a pretty expensive camera, going for almost $2,000 for just the body.
The D500 weighs 26.9oz (just the body) and has the following dimensions (W x H x D): 5.8 x 4.6 x 3.2 in. It is quite a large and chunky camera, but it has a good and comfortable grip. Some of the new additions to this model are an XQD slot for the second card slot, plus the SD one, and more buttons on the left (all of them light up, which is a life saver when you are using the camera in low light conditions).
The viewfinder is optical and with a 100% field of view. There’s a rubber all around, so it will feel comfortable. The LCD in the rear received a big upgrade, too, it is a 3.2 inch (diagonal) TFT touch-sensitive LCD with 170 degrees viewing angle, 5 levels of brightness and a resolution of 2,359,000 dots. The touch screen is really responsive but the touch controls are limited for live view and image review, allowing you to scroll, zoom and to input text (for copyright info for instance) but that’s about it.
In short, the Nikon D500 is a wonderful camera for shooting sports, wildlife and moving subjects, which can focus and shoot really fast. It comes with an autofocus module with 153 points and an 180,000 pixel RGB metering sensor. The metering module is way improved compared to older models, helping you get far better results in low light conditions.
The focus speed is really impressive, as is the continuous focus, which is why the D500 is a great camera for sports and wildlife. Of the 153 detection areas, 99 are cross-type, although you can only see and control around 55. The buffer for continuous shooting refreshes really fast. The central point is sensitive down to -4EV, while others are down to -3EV, which means the D500 is really capable when it comes to shooting in low light.
You’ve got a maximum continuous shooting rate of 10 frames per second, for up to 200 compressed raw files.
The image quality is excellent, with sharp, detailed and realistic images, superb yet natural colors and the D500 is great when it comes to ISO settings, too. The great image quality and the colors maintain even at high ISO settings. The ISO sensitivity is 100-51,200, expandable to 50-1,640,000. Up to ISO 6400, the image resolution is still superb, and even at ISO 12,800, you can obtain great results. At the highest native value, which is 51,200, results are still decent but you do experience image degradation. While Nikon does offer the option to use the D500 at ISO 1,640,000, the results are not satisfactory.
In terms of video capabilities, the D500 allows you to shoot in 4K, up to 29:59 minutes and the video quality is really good. You can record to the SD or XQD card at the same time, you’ve got microphone and headphone sockets for audio monitoring and when you are in movie mode, you can change the aperture. There are also exposure highlights warnings. What you don’t have is a focus peaking option and overall, in terms of video tools, the D500 is a bit limited, with its image capabilities far exceeding the video abilities.
The Nikon D500 has WiFi and Bluetooth, but no GPS and no built-in flash. Thanks to its WiFi abilities, among others, you can initiate remote shooting.
The EN-EL15 Li-ion battery gives you up to 1,240 shots on a single charge, while the Nikon D7200 only has 1100 and the D300s, 950 shots per charge.
The D500 is without a doubt a great camera that really shines when it comes to shooting sports, wildlife and the like and it is impeccable when it comes to find and follow subjects. Its fantastic autofocus performance, the 10 fps shooting and great ISO capabilities make it a really competitive DSLR, one of the best on the market.
You can get the D500 starting at $1,900, for the body only.
Phone: 1-800-645-6687; Monday – Friday, from 9 am to 8 pm EST
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In addition to phone support, you can also contact the Nikon team via e-mail. They have a reply time of max. 48 hours. There are helpful materials on their website too (articles, manuals, firmware updates, service advisories, etc.) and you can also sign up for the Nikon School: 1-800-645-6687 (Monday through Friday) or to schedule a repair at a Nikon Repair Service.
Our editorial staff evaluates products and services independently, but Best Review Guide may earn money when you click on links. Read our advertising disclosure.