Nikon Coolpix P500 vs Nikon Coolpix P600

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon Coolpix P500 and the Nikon Coolpix P600, 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 P600 was introduced in February 2014. 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 P600.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon Coolpix P600 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 P600 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 P600 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Electronic viewfinders. magnification and Nikon Coolpix P600 has 100% coverage magnification.

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 P600 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 - 6,400 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 P600 can take pictures up to 4608 x 3456 resolution.

Image Stabilization

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

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon Coolpix P600

Nikon Coolpix P600 has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) 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 on Nikon Coolpix P600

Nikon Coolpix P600 has a built-in Bluetooth 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.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon Coolpix P500 has a Mini HDMI and Nikon Coolpix P600 has an 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 P600 comes with EN-EL23 battery pack with battery life of 330 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 1/4000 sec on Nikon Coolpix P600. Nikon Coolpix P500 can shoot continuously up to 0.8 fps. Nikon Coolpix P600 can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps.

Flash

Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 8.00 m on Nikon Coolpix P500 and 7.50 m on Nikon Coolpix P600..

Nikon Coolpix P500 body has dimensions of 116 x 84 x 103 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06") and Nikon Coolpix P600 body has dimensions of 125 x 85 x 107 mm (4.92 x 3.35 x 4.21"). Nikon Coolpix P500 weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) and Nikon Coolpix P600 weighs 565 g (1.25 lb / 19.93 oz).

Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P600

116 mm

84 mm

125 mm

85 mm

84 mm

85 mm

103 mm

107 mm