Nikon D500

Nikon D500 was announced in 2016 and is an APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm) DSLR camera with 20.9 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 51,200 and expands to 50 - 1,640,000 in boosted mode. The camera has a Tilting 3.2" screen with 2,359k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder.

Nikon D500 can capture video up to 3840 x 2160 resolution.

In this section we present pros and cons of Nikon D500.

Here we are comparing Nikon D500 to its predecessor D300S and displaying the major changes.

For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Nikon D500 vs D300S.

Tilting Touchscreen

Nikon D500 has a 3.2" Tilting touchscreen with 2,359k dot resolution which is quite high by today's standards. Tilting screen makes this camera very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder

Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 1x (0.67x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

Nikon D500 features a 20.9 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 369 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 1,640,000 in boosted mode.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Nikon D500's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.5 x 15.7 mm	369 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Camera is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D500 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.

No Low-Pass Filter

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

No In-Body Image Stabilization

The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Camera has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Camera has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1 LE) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

NFC

Nikon D500 has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Input and HDMI Output

Nikon D500 has a USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) input for data transfer. There is a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D500 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1240 shots.

External Storage Slots

The camera has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Nikon D500 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D500 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points and from -4 to +20 EV detection range. Touch-to-Focus allows users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording. There is also face detection feature which automatically finds and focuses on faces.

Exposure

Camera's exposure metering ranges from -4 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment.

Flash

Nikon D500 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/250 sec. Flash compensation can be set from -3 to +1 EV with 1/3 or 1/2 or 1 EV step increments.

Nikon D500 has dimensions of 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19"). It weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.

147 mm (5.79")

115 mm (4.53")

115 mm (4.53")

81 mm (3.19")