Nikon D500 review

J. Ramon Palacios (jrp) on October 26, 2018

(Edited by jrp Friday, 26 October 2018 ) Hi Helen. The D500 has brought much joy to many Nikonians members. Resolution is more than enough for all sizes of prints. And yes, the AF-S lenses perform beautifully with this body. If you want more opinions on this topic, make your question(s) in our D500 forum here: https://www.nikonians.org/forum/464/nikon-d500

I hope someone can help. I am looking to buy a new camera. My D5200 is not enough anymore. The D500 is one I have on my list but I see that the resolution is 20.9 where the the D5200 is 24.1. The D850 is over 45. Should I be concerned about that? I would be printing the images. And can it be used with the new Nikon AF-S 500mmf/4E FL ED VR lens?

A number here have listed their "one disappointment" of one kind or another and I find nothing serious, really except perhaps that some do miss the handy if weak pop-up flash. My one disappointment is the name! I spent so many years thinking about and looking forward to a D400 that I feel unfairly tricked somehow. Still, I am honestly just happy that we finally got the kind of camera some of us have come to enjoy (the D200 was my first Nikon).

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on June 14, 2016

@himtree: Glad to hear it! I am sure you will enjoy your D7200 :-)

Thanks very much. I purchased the D7200, and so far I have been very happy with it. Prior to buying the 7200, I read through the D500's user manual, and it seemed that while that camera was a super model, it is probably more complex than I need or would have the time to learn well. Thanks again for your reply.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on June 13, 2016

@himthree: First of all, these are very different cameras. I always recommend a potential buyer to check them out in a store, compare how they feel in your hands. Rent them if you can and try them out. I personally love the format of the D500. It is just perfect for my (fairly large) hands. I further enjoy the built of the D100...D500's compared to e.g. the Nikon D7k bodies. Technically you may reach higher grounds with the D500 vs the D7200, but skills are so much more important! So, if you shoot a lot and you know photography very well, then the D500 is probably a good buy, else if you are rather intermediate, I think you will be happy with the D7200. It is also a marvelous camera.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on June 13, 2016

@mariekaz. Yes, Nikon's numbering system is indeed a bit hard to follow. Basically: single digits are pro bodies (D5, F6 ...) Triple digits are "prosumer" bodies (D300, D500, D750, D810). Four digit bodies are consumer bodies. We used to have two digit consumer and prosumer bodies as well (D70 and D90 for example). The D600 and above are FX. Below are DX.

Thanks for this article. These photos appear to be 1200 pixels wide. Are the originals that heavily cropped? Also the contrast is not great on my monitor I know this is a common problem with light and dark colored birds on any un-processed photos. Bottom line, not to be critical, but this article doesn't seem to favorably highlight the capabilities of the D500. Furthermore, it was promised that this article would be updated, but I believe it has been a full month since the last update(?) i.e. Why is this thread pinned to the top of the D500 forum?

For what I would describe myself as, an avid photographer with no really "professional"l skills, in looking at the D500 vs the D7200 (upgrading from a D5100), it seems that the 500 is probably a bit too complex at my skill level. Is there anything that someone shooting mainly grandchildren, birds and landscapes would get from the D500 that would make it a better choice than the D7200? Thanks.

I noted in an online search that in 2015 Nikon released a D5500 for an "entry level" camera. The D500 is meant to replace the D300. I know there is a D600. Obviously I'm not up on releases or numbering of series. How do I jump in and make sense of Nikon's D series numbering system? It seems to jump around a bit.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on May 14, 2016

@aerox: thanks. I am really looking forward seeing more of us Nikonians getting our hands on this great camera, making us able to share insights and experience.

We are all accustomed to patiently waiting for new Nikon's we love to arrive. D500 is no exception, but your early-bird insights make the wait less painful. Thanks!

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 29, 2016

@PRW: yes and no. Nikon is tagging a piece of hardware inside the camera EXPEED. This is the main piece of processing hardware, a custom circuit based upon ARM, earlier Fujitsu. It is also a trademark and marketing thing and here it gets fuzzy. I would assume that just like e.g. Volkswagen (take any automobile manufacturer here) does not like to talk about that an Audi A8 or A6 is using much of the same system components as a Volkswagen Passat or a Golf (or Skoda Octavia...), Nikon is in one way not too keen on making things appear too similar. From an electronics standpoint, I would personally try to use as much circuitry as possible across as many models as possible and then fine tune firmware for various things such as the specific sensors and actors around that piece.

I always believed that EXPEED was an image-processing system, and it does not refer to particular individual components within a camera. Therefore there isn't actually an EXPEED processor as such, and I sincerely doubt that the D500, as good as it will be, contains the same processor as the D5.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 27, 2016

@steve_king Thanks for reporting in, much obliged. Yes, every photographer I have met so far says the same: killer good AF!

Bo, I echo your sentiments about the D500 after using it since last Thursday when it arrived. I've been using it mostly for sports at this point, but I will be testing it out on birds and landscapes this coming weekend. So far it works very well, is very light (which I was looking forward to), performs admirably at 9fps for sports, works great in low light, for me so far at ISO12800-25600 it's great. The autofocusing engine is the best I've used too.

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 26, 2016

@richardd300: Yes, it is really irritating us in Europe have to pay so much more compared to the US. Hopefully you get your hot, sweaty hands on her this week though :-)

Can't wait and for once I feel all the hype will be worth it. My only slight disappointment, apart from the fact I haven't got it yet, is the UK price compared to the US. I really didn't think Nikon would ever get down to producing such a highly specified camera, but better late than never! These hot sweaty hands want it NOW! Richard

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 25, 2016

@Garret Hayes: Yes, Darrel is going to write a D500 book. He is just finishing another book project.

any talk of Darryl doing a book on the D500? With all my previous Nikon's (the Df apart) I have relied heavily on his books. I would love to hear that he is preparing one while I wait for delivery on my D500

looks to handle noise well , I'm tossing between the d810 or d500 , the 500 might win as I only have one good fx lens the 105mm macro

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 23, 2016

@beccas, We should be able to get samples soon I hope. We will post about it in the newsletter.

Hi Bo, Is it possible to take some 4K video in Flat and Standard/Natural profiles and upload a few samples uncompressed? Thanks, Bec

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 21, 2016

@richardd300: I don't believe we have to be disappointed with the camera, with some statements of people though :)

Bo Stahlbrandt (bgs) on April 21, 2016

@seyfert137: Thanks for your input. The D7200 is for sure a great camera. As you know, the popup flash is fairly weak and can be considered a "super emergency" item. The best thing with it is IMO to use it for remote control of other flashes. For a planned shoot, it plays no role whatsoever (since for a planned shoot, you would bring enough light and that is not a popup flash). I think the main issue comes in when you are using the camera for unplanned things and then of a sudden miss that little light source, no matter how weak.

I am an original D300 user. Have been waiting for its legitimate replacement. When I see that Nikon eliminated the onboard flash my heart sank. I do not intend on mounting an full size flash unit to use as fill flash. I cannot believe they did that on a prosumer camera. The onboard flash is way to handy. I decided to go with the D7200. Not only does it cost about half as much, it has an onboard flash!! I am finding out that the D7200 is a complex piece of photographic equipment and takes startling great photos. I ordered Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon D7200 book and am wadeing through its 550 pages. This camera is light years ahead of my beloved D300. The D300 still takes great photos and will be a backup for the D7200.

Good news ...

Thanks Bo and I for one am eagerly awaiting its arrival. Like so many who have waited so long I am sure it will be everything we wished for and hopefully more. I am a little disappointed however, that there are some predicting problems with poor ISO noise handling before we have even got the camera in our hands. For me though, it is an exciting thought to finally be so close to geting a new semi pro DX for my wildlife photography. I am first on the list of my local camera store :-) Richard