Nikon Coolpix P500 vs Nikon Coolpix P310

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Coolpix P500 and the Nikon Coolpix P310, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon Coolpix P500 was introduced in February 2011 and Nikon Coolpix P310 was introduced in June 2012. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Nikon Coolpix P310.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P310 over Nikon Coolpix P500.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon Coolpix P500 and Nikon Coolpix P310 have 3.0" screens with 921k dot resolution. Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon Coolpix P310 has a Fixed screen

Electronic Viewfinder on Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Nikon Coolpix P310.

BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon Coolpix P500 features a 12.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 28.1 mm². Its native ISO range is 160 - 3,200. Nikon Coolpix P310 features a 16.1 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200 and expands to 100 - 12,800 in boosted mode.

The cameras have BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Nikon Coolpix P500 is equipped with Expeed C2 processor and can take pictures up to 4000 x 3000 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4000 x 3000, 3968 x 2232, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 2944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1280 x 960, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480 with 4:3, 16:9 aspect ratios. Nikon Coolpix P310 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4608 x 2592, 4608 x 3072, 3456 x 3456, 3264 x 2448, 1920 x 1080, 1600 X 1200, 640 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Image Stabilization

The cameras have a built-in [y] image stabilization.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon Coolpix P310 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon Coolpix P500 comes with EN-EL5 battery pack with battery life of 220 shots and Nikon Coolpix P310 comes with EN-EL12 battery pack with battery life of 230 shots.

External Storage Slots

Cameras have a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to 1/1500 sec on Nikon Coolpix P500, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon Coolpix P310. Nikon Coolpix P500 can shoot continuously up to 0.8 fps. Nikon Coolpix P310 can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 8.00 m on Nikon Coolpix P500..

Nikon Coolpix P500 body has dimensions of 116 x 84 x 103 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06") and Nikon Coolpix P310 body has dimensions of 103 x 58 x 32 mm (4.06 x 2.28 x 1.26"). Nikon Coolpix P500 weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) and Nikon Coolpix P310 weighs 194 g (0.43 lb / 6.84 oz).

Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P310

116 mm

84 mm

103 mm

58 mm

84 mm

58 mm

103 mm

32 mm