Everyone has heard the word ‘Nikon’ regardless of their involvement in the photography or film industry. Whether it is the pixels, the performance, or the versatility of features, Nikon has always produced top tier products.
In this particular review, we will talk about one of its most famous cameras – the Sleek, compact, feature-packed Nikon D500!
At first glance, the camera might look just like a typical camera but that is where the ordinariness stops. The Nikon D500 has a streamlined prototype which gives you high resolution, pristine clarity, perfect speed, and the flawless cinematic effects with its 4K UHD video.
If you are still contemplating whether to buy this beautiful unit or not, then you have come to the right place! We’re going to dive into all the different features that this device has. In addition, we will compare it with two of its most fierce competitors – the Canon 90D and the FujiFilm X-T4.
The Design
If you judge this camera by its looks, then you are definitely making a huge mistake. The Nikon D500 is made from magnesium alloy and carbon fiber which is dust and water-resistant.
The nanocrystal coat helps to cancel out any glare. Its extra-low dispersion glass and aspherical elements facilitate the contrast, clarity, and sharpness of the picture. Besides this, it keeps the color aberration to a minimum.
The D500 has a 153-point multi-camera 20K autofocus system which has 99 cross-type points. The powerhouse of the camera can give you continuous shots at a rate of 10 frames per second for a maximum 200 14-bit compressed RAW file. With a rugged exterior and impeccable processing engine, this particular camera is perfect for action and sports photographers.
Whether you are shooting low-light or fast-action images, the D500 will live up to your expectations. Once you have clicked the perfect shot, you can check it on the LCD. Tilted to a comfortable angle, the interface shows you a high-resolution result of the picture you just captured.
Every button that you would imagine in an ideal camera is present on the back of the camera. Furthermore, there is a small joystick that helps to select the AF point conveniently while the camera is held close to your eye. You will also see a navigation pad that has a central button to scroll down the menu and go through settings.
Sharing
The Nikon D500 also has built-in SnapBridge to help you share the pictures to any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled device and remain linked permanently. This means that after the first time, all the pictures can be automatically transferred to your smart device the moment you click them! It also has two card slots – one for SD cards while the other is for XQD cards.
The Nikon D500 In Use
The unit feels firm in the hands and has ideal sealing. This indicates that it will be able to survive in harsh conditions. Furthermore, a protected seal helps to keep the hot shoe protected.
If we talk about the grip, the front of the camera has a textured coating that aids in keeping a firm grip on the unit. The ridged back mark of the thumb rest also enhances the grip.
With its 16-80mm DX-Format zoom lens, you will be able to take a picture of anything you want, no matter how small it is. It has an f/2.8-4 aperture and VR Image stabilization which helps to give you the perfect wide-angle views with the best possible image quality.
If you are a blogger, an influencer, or a YouTuber who has to take pictures or record videos on a day-to-day basis, then this particular unit will serve you just right. As we mentioned above, the D500 can be linked to your smart device permanently after the first connection, so you won’t have to worry about transferring the files to your phone or computer at all.
Getting into the cinematic side of things, you can shoot 4K UHD video of 24p/25p/30p for up to 30 minutes. Furthermore, you can create high-definition timelapse movies in-camera. The Nikon D500 has a 20.9MP CMOS sensor which lets you capture all the colors, textures, details, and shadows without any trouble.
Vibration Reduction
Another feature that we really liked was the electronic Vibration Reduction which helps to reduce the wobbly camera movements when the camera is being used hand-held. Its EXPEED 5 processor works miraculously to process your pictures as quickly as possible. With an fps of 10, there is no chance that you will miss a moment while shooting objects in motion.
The option to use an XQD card helps to increase the speed of reading, writing, and transferring so that you can take advantage of the full potential of the Nikon D500’s speed. But as mentioned, if you don’t want to use an XQD card, you can stick with SD.
Nikon D500 Picture Quality (Performance)
The low-light results of the camera are pretty good but the quality of the image drops around ISO 6400. You will notice slight noise from here up, and it gets more noticeable at ISO 12,800 and 25,600. However, the distortion is within limits and is acceptable.
The lowest expansion setting is Hi1 (ISO 102,400) which is great but you will notice banding at Hi2 (ISO 204,800), particularly evident in the shadowy parts of the image when opened in A4 size.
Despite these few issues, the camera is ideal for sports and action photographers. It has quick autofocus capability along with contrast detection so that you get the quality of images you hope for – crisp, vibrant, radiant, and defined.
In Live View and Video mode, the contrast detection and autofocus works just fine. When you shoot in blinding lights, you will notice that the central muse of your image will have forward and backward adjustments.
Last but not the least, the Nikon D500 has an automatic white balance that gives you the perfectly balanced pictures. The metering system of the camera also gives a great performance.
Nikon D500 vs. Canon 90D vs. FujiFilm X-T4
Two of the biggest competitors of the Nikon D500 are the Canon EOS 90D and the FujiFilm X-T4. While all three have their own sets of features that set them apart, the following table will help you decide which one is right for you.
| Nikon D500 | Canon 90D | Fujifilm X-T4 | |
| CMOS Sensor | 21MP APS-C MOS Sensor | 33MP APS-C MOS Sensor | 26MP APS-C X-Trans CMOS 4 Sensor |
| Video Resolution | 4K (UHD) 3840 x 2160 | 4K (UHD) 3840 x 2160 | High Resolution Video 4096 x 2160 |
| MAX ISO | 51,200 | 25,600 | 12,800 |
| LCD Screen Resolution | 2.359k dots | 1.040k dots | 1.620k dots |
| Storage Slots | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Sensor Pixel Area | 17.85 µm2 | 10.29µm2 | 14.12 µm2 |
Conclusion
Whether you want to photograph professionally or just record your everyday life, this small yet powerful camera will give you all the features you can wish for.
The Nikon D500 can shoot just as clearly in low-light situations as it can in normal daylight. Whether it’s your dog running around the park or a fast-moving snowboarder, you will be able to catch both scenes and freeze the motion.
Furthermore, it has a joystick, navigation pad, HD touch screen, 3840 x 2160 HD video, fast autofocus, 10 fps, and a max ISO of 51,200. However, we were slightly bummed about the distortion in low-light conditions (ISO 204,800) but other than that, there was not really anything to dislike about the camera.
In a nutshell, the Nikon D500 is affordable, has advanced technology, and contains tons of features that can up anyone’s photography skills to a whole new level.
