Nikon D300S vs Nikon D500

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D300S and the Nikon D500, 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 D300S was introduced in November 2009 and Nikon D500 was introduced in January 2016. 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 D300S over Nikon D500.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D500 over Nikon D300S.

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 D300S has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 920k dot resolution and Nikon D500 has a 3.2" Tilting screen with 2,359k dot resolution. Tilting screen makes Nikon D500 very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting. Nikon D500 also features touchscreen which has advantages such as easy menu navigation, intuitive controls, quick setting adjustment and most importantly a Touch-to-Focus functionality (available only on Nikon D500) allowing 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.

Viewfinder

Cameras have built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinders. They both have 100% coverage.

Nikon D300S features a 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.8 mm and a total area of 372.9 mm². Its native ISO range is 200 - 3,200 and expands to 100 - 6,400 in boosted mode. 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 246.5 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 different sensors compare with each other:

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	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 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

Nikon D300S is equipped with EXPEED processor and can take pictures up to 4288 x 2848 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3216 x 2136, 2144 x 1424 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Nikon D500 is equipped with EXPEED 5 processor and can take pictures up to 5568 x 3712 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856 with 3:2 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Cameras have Nikon F lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 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 on Nikon D500

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Nikon D500. 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 Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon D300S it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D500 nothing can be done. On Nikon D500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D300S nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 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 on Nikon D500

Nikon D500 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 on Nikon D500

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 Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB inputs for data transfer. Nikon D300S has a Mini Type C HDMI and Nikon D500 has a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D300S comes with EN-EL3e battery pack with battery life of 950 shots and Nikon D500 comes with EN-EL15 battery pack with battery life of 1240 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D300S has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC and one for CompactFlash (Type I/II, compliant with UDMA). Nikon D500 has two card slots - one for SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) and one for CFexpress Type B / XQD.

Shutter

Nikon D300S has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Nikon D500 has Mechanical Focal Plane shutter and Electronic shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D300S, and up to 1/8000 sec on Nikon D500. Nikon D300S can shoot continuously up to 7.0 fps. Nikon D500 can shoot continuously up to 10.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D300S has 51 focusing points and Nikon D500 has 153 (99 cross-type) focusing points. Nikon D500 has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D500 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 on Nikon D300S and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D500.

Flash

Nikon D300S has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or PC Terminal. 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 on both cameras.

Nikon D300S body has dimensions of 147 x 114 x 74 mm (5.79 x 4.49 x 2.91") and Nikon D500 body has dimensions of 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.79 x 4.53 x 3.19"). Nikon D300S weighs 938 g (2.07 lb / 33.09 oz) and Nikon D500 weighs 860 g (1.90 lb / 30.34 oz).

Nikon D300S

Nikon D500

147 mm

114 mm

147 mm

115 mm

114 mm

115 mm

74 mm

81 mm