Rix Mascarenhas
Everyone always thinks they need a full frame camera, but is this really true, are they that much better? Well there is Nikon D500 to prove that everyone was wrong.
Most photographers initially choose a machine with a cropped sensor only and exclusively because of its reduced cost, when compared to a full frame camera.
So if you’re wondering why Nikon decided to create another camera with a crop sensor, maybe money is the answer, but between us this camera puts a lot of full frame stuff out there in your pocket.
So if you are thinking of investing in a new body for the Nikon platform, read this whole article and draw your conclusions about the new darling of the family, the Nikon D500 .
Nikon D500, the new darling of the Nikon camera family
First impressions
The first thing you notice about the Nikon D500 is its size, it’s big, and contrary to popular belief, a camera with a DX sensor is always smaller, the D500 breaks this myth, it’s PRO-sized.
The second thing that you notice right away is the similarity, of positioning, of the controls with the D800. And in more ways than one the Nikon D500 looks like the D800.
Which helps a lot, after all, most consorts are around the camera body, avoiding that you have to access the menus all the time to change some settings.
Despite having many controls around the body, she, like most Nikons, is not confused when making adjustments, so you can change various settings without having to take your eyes off the viewfinder.
ISO and noise
The Nikon D500 arrived to cover the hole of the popular D300, which was launched a few years ago. The Nikon D300 , has always been a prime machine in almost all aspects, but it always left something to be desired when it came to higher ISO settings , so whenever you used a larger setting there was noise with it.
On the D300 the maximum ISO was 3200, while on the D500 it reaches absurd 512,000, so no matter what the lighting condition, you will always have your photos, and the noise level on the D500 is considerably low.
Learn more about ISO and exposure here
Megapixels and image size
This camera has a 20MP sensor sound, which is more than enough for most people, and the file size in RAW is 25mb.
It’s not as much of a file as other cameras out there, but it’s big enough to make you think about how you’re going to store your photos.
Battery life
Although very similar to the D800 battery, the Nikon D500 battery is a new version, so use only D500 batteries.
If you have very similar batteries, it is a good idea to mark them so that they do not mix and thus avoid problems. The charger is the same used by the D800, which is good if you already own such a beauty.
As with most Nikon cameras, battery performance is a separate show, so you can go out for more than a day of photos without having to worry about charging the battery.
But of course, if you are the type to check absolutely all the photos you take at the time they were taken, excessive use of the display will decrease your battery charge much faster.
As with most DSLR cameras the battery life is long, so you will only have to worry about replacing the Nikon D500 battery after a few years of use.
Remote shutter release
One thing to always keep in mind when you buy a new camera is what accessories you already have that will work with your new toy.
And speaking of remote control the MC-36 works perfectly well, both for the D800, D300 and of course for the Nikon D500.
This can save you a lot of change, and not only in the case of the control, but also always take a look at other accessories that can be interchangeable.
Focus area
This is where the business starts to get very serious. The Nikon D500 features the same focusing system as one of the brand’s latest releases, the Nikon D5.
It has 153 focus points, and in practice this tells you that you can use them across the board. It is also very fast so you can follow the subject to be photographed without the slightest problem.
Memory cards
The Nikon D500 has two storage slots, one for SD card and one for XQD cards , which are relatively recent cards, and increasingly common in Nikon cameras.
The reason why faster cards are becoming more and more common in some cameras is that some of them need photos of this card recording capacity to be able to use all their power in photos with many frames per second.
Since the Nikon D500 can shoot at up to 12FPS, a fast memory card is almost mandatory.
Touch screen
The rear display of the D500 brings something very nice, besides being able to be angled it is also sensitive to the touch. Feature that makes life a lot easier when reviewing your photos or adjusting some settings, when using LiveView.
Crop factor
The Nikon D500 has a cut factor of 1.5x. Basically, this means that if you have a full frame lens, like the 70-200mm, when you use it on the D500 the lens becomes essentially like a 105-300mm. This is one of the advantages of using a DX camera body with full frame lenses.
Who is the Nikon D500 for?
Probably the user who will be interested in the D500 is the one who wants to take advantage of the cut factor, this means not spending thousands of dollars on a telephoto lens.
Having the ability to use a 300mm lens is already good, using it in a DX body makes it 450mm which can be fantastic in some cases, after all, the longer the lens is the more expensive it usually is.
Another audience that will benefit a lot from this camera is the one that likes to photograph sports, with a good quality of autofocus and counting on many frames, according to it it seems to be the ideal tool for this audience, add this to the cut factor and everything is more Perfect.
Snap Bridge app
This is a new application developed by Nikon that makes it possible to connect the smartphone to the camera. It is different from others that use Wi-Fi to control the camera, the Snap Bridge remains connected to your phone at all times.
You can upload photos, use it to take photos and also keep your camera firmware up to date. It is available for iPhones and Android, although it is a little more difficult to use with an Android.
Conclusion
The Nikon D500 is a great camera, and anyone who is happy to buy one of this will definitely not regret it. Easy to use, fast and with a very good image quality and becomes a great option for those who want a new DX body.
Even those who own full frame cameras will be impressed by the quality of the Nikon D500, especially if you don’t have a current Full Frame.
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