Nikon D500 review – a joyful experience with rewarding results
Outstanding quality across the board, the Nikon D500 is fast, feature-packed and takes beautiful photos.
Specifications
Sensor resolution: 21 megapixels, Sensor size: 23.5×15.7mm (APS-C), Focal length multiplier: 1.5x, Viewfinder: Optical TTL, LCD screen: 3.2in (2.4 million dots), Lens mount: Nikon F mount, Weight: 860g, Dimensions (HxWxD): 115x147x81mm Buy the Nikon D500 now from Wex Photographic
Image quality
There’s not much to say about photo quality, other than that it was reliably excellent. The 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor helps the camera to understand the range of colours and brightness in the scene and set the exposure accordingly. This was borne out in some expertly chosen settings in tricky high-contrast scenes. Shutter and ISO speeds are adjusted automatically taking into account the increased likelihood of camera shake at longer focal lengths. One thing this camera won’t do is to increase the shutter speed automatically for moving subjects, but most people at this level will be happy to take manual control.
Details in JPEGs were seriously clean and sharp, with smooth colour gradations in skies and buildings and crisp definition to dense textures such as foliage, skin and hair. Noise levels were impressively low as the ISO speed went up. It was roughly on a par with the superb Fujifilm X-Pro2, and while it couldn’t quite match the full-frame Nikon D750 for low noise levels it was closer to the D750 than to the Canon EOS 7D Mk II.
^ The exposure is spot on, with clouds just shy of clipping. The fine detail in the grass is handled exceptionally well. (1/320s, f/9, ISO 100, 37mm equivalent)
^ Another faultless shot, with smooth, accurate colours and crisp fine details. (1/125s, f/4.5, ISO 100, 120mm equivalent)
^ The 16-80mm lens delivers sharp focus from corner to corner. (1/80s, f/4, ISO 100, 30mm equivalent)
^ In-camera lens distortion-correction has successfully removed the barrel distortion in this wide-angle shot, and applying it doesn’t damage performance. (1/50s, f/3.5, ISO 100, 24mm equivalent)
^ Skin textures in well-lit conditions are extremely detailed and natural, and focus is razor-sharp. (1/160s, f/6.3, ISO 100, 120mm equivalent)
^ Shutter priority at 1/250s to freeze motion has pushed the ISO speed up to 800, and there’s barely any sign of noise or noise-reduction artefacts. (1/250s, f/3.8, ISO 800, 78mm equivalent)
^ Out-of-focus parts of the frame are particularly tricky for noise reduction, but the D500 has done an excellent job here at ISO 1250. (1/60s, f/3.5, ISO 1250, 60mm equivalent)
^ There’s a fair amount of grain at ISO 5600, particularly noticeable on skin textures, but quality is as good as I’ve seen from a cropped-sensor camera. (1/100s, f/4, ISO 5600, 93mm equivalent)
^ I rarely bother to publish sample shots at ISO speeds as high as 10,000, but the D500 can turn in useable results at this setting. (1/25s, f/2.8, ISO 10000, 24mm equivalent)
Conclusion
Nikon appears to be on a mission to pack the best of everything into this camera, and by and large it has succeeded. It looks, feels and behaves like a quality piece of kit, it rarely keeps you waiting and it’s unfazed by tricky shooting conditions. The small trade-off in image quality that comes from the cropped sensor is more than compensated for by the superb features and performance. It’s not the best video camera at this price, but I’ll stick my neck out and say that this is the best stills camera under £2,000. Using it is a joyful experience, and the photos it captures are equally rewarding.
Hardware | |
---|---|
Sensor resolution | 21 megapixels |
Sensor size | 23.5×15.7mm (APS-C) |
Focal length multiplier | 1.5x |
Optical stabilisation | Available in lenses |
Viewfinder | Optical TTL |
Viewfinder magnification (35mm-equivalent), coverage | 0.67x, 100% |
LCD screen | 3.2in (2.4 million dots) |
Articulated | Yes |
Touchscreen | Yes |
Orientation sensor | Yes |
Photo file formats | JPEG, RAW (NEF) |
Maximum photo resolution | 5,568×3,712 |
Photo aspect ratios | 3:2 |
Video compression format | QuickTime (AVC) at up to 130Mbit/s |
Video resolutions | 4K at 24/25/30fps, 1080p at 24/25/30/50/60fps, 720p at 50/60fps |
Slow motion video modes | n/a |
Maximum video clip length (at highest quality) | 29m 59s |
Controls | |
Exposure modes | Program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual |
Shutter speed range | 30 to 1/8,000 seconds |
ISO speed range | 50 to 1,640,000 |
Exposure compensation | EV +/-5 |
White balance | Auto, 6 presets with fine tuning, manual, Kelvin |
Auto-focus modes | 153-point (99 cross-type), 55 available for selection |
Metering modes | Multi, centre-weighted, centre, face detect (live view only), tracking (live view only) |
Flash modes | N/A |
Drive modes | Single, continuous, self-timer, AE bracket, WB bracket, flash bracket, HDR, time-lapse movie, interval, multiple exposure |
Physical | |
Lens mount | Nikon F mount |
Card slot | SDXC, XQD |
Memory supplied | None |
Battery type | Li-ion |
Connectivity | USB3, mini HDMI, 3.5mm microphone, 3.5mm headphone, wired remote, PC sync |
Wireless | Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
GPS | Optional GP-1 unit |
Hotshoe | Nikon TTL |
Body material | Magnesium alloy |
Accessories | USB cable, neck strap |
Weight | 860g |
Dimensions (HxWxD) | 115x147x81mm |
Buying information | |
Warranty | One year RTB |
Details | www.europe-nikon.com |
Part code | VBA480AE |