No products in the cart.
Nikon’s welcome return to the premium APSC DSLR market is marked with the D500. Since its predecessor, the D300s, has been around for a respectable six and a half years, many people have come to assume Nikon has given up on this market, leaving it to Canon’s EOS 7D series. Although the D7000 series is clearly impressive for the money, it lacks the features, build, speed, and connectivity that professionals and demanding hobbyists want. During this time, Nikon consistently maintained three lower classes of APSC DSLRs. But when the D5’s flagship model was introduced at the beginning of 2016, the D500 appeared alongside it unexpectedly.A brand-new professional APSC/DX-format body had finally been released, and as befitted a camera with its history and standards, it appeared to live up to expectations in both the classic and modern senses.
The D500 will be a favourite among sports and wildlife photographers, I’ll say it straight up. A new 20 Megapixel APSC sensor, 10 frames per second continuous shooting, a large buffer (particularly if using XQD cards), and a new 153-point AF system shared with the D5 all combine to create a camera that is incredibly confident. The D500 only strengthens my conviction that Nikon has an advantage over Canon in terms of continuous AF. In my tests, the D500 reliably followed whatever subject I aimed it at and spewed out bursts of sharp images with unsettling constancy and precision.The fact that the AF region covers practically the whole side margins of the DX frame and only leaves tiny strips at the top and bottom unattended is another feature I adored. The D500 can track, focus, and measure for subjects practically everywhere on the frame thanks to a new metering sensor that has enough resolution to do passable face detection through the viewfinder.
In addition, you get a big viewfinder, two memory card ports, a sturdy construction, and lighted keys that make it simple to operate at night. However, the D500 is more than just conventional photographic principles. It is one of the first Nikon cameras to introduce the company’s SnapBridge wireless technology. It also has a sizable, finely detailed touchscreen that is touch-sensitive and tilts vertically. I discussed each of these in great detail in my original review, but I’ll simply restate the advantages and disadvantages here.
Although you already know about the focusing, I’ll restate that the D500 is excellent for shooting sports and animals. It has the best AF system I’ve ever used, and when combined with quick continuous shooting, deep bursts, and a big optical viewfinder, it feels like it can handle just about everything. Yes, an XQD card is required to reach the 200 frame RAW buffer, however I was still able to capture more than 30 RAW frames or more than 100 JPEGs with an SD card.
It makes sense that using the body would be extremely pleasant. If you’ve shot with Nikons in the past, you’ll find it to be challenging but comfortable. The new AF joystick, a handy feature for moving the AF point around, and the illuminated buttons, a first on a DX body, were both really appreciated by me as someone who routinely takes long exposures in low light. However, Nikon has not remained still. If you don’t mind the weight, Nikon and Canon’s higher-end bodies are a joy to shoot with since they have ergonomics down pat.
If you’ve read any of my reviews, you’ll know how much I value having an articulated touchscreen. Nikon has been a little more restrictive than, say, Panasonic when it comes to what you can do with a touch, but it’s still a helpful tool for focusing in live view or while recording video. The bracket has a similar strong feel to the D750 when in use.
