Nikon D500 test: second camera becomes primary?

The phrase “amateur full frame camera” is no longer perceived as something supernatural. Nikon, with the release of its cameras

D610

i

D750

, showed that FX-format for less than a hundred thousand Dollars is a reality. But I think the term “professional cropped image” has gotten a little rusty in the last few years. Sales managers, however, argue that so far, buyers demand cropped

Nikon D300

i

Nikon D300s

. Legendary cameras! At one time they were firmly established in the backpacks of photographers – both in amateurs and as a second camera to the pros. Where they lived until the full frame DSLRs came along.

And what’s new is well forgotten old?? In the era of the winning full frame, Nikon announces the D500, a cropped DSLR with a price tag similar to the D500

D750

. Compare

Nikon D500

with an ancient

D300s

It’s not quite right anymore, the technology has gone too far. But if you take a quick look at the parameters and ergonomics of the new product, it turns out that it is very different even from the most advanced of all cropped cameras in the current family

Nikon – D7200

. In terms of basic parameters

Nikon D500

Can be put on par with a full-frame camera

D750

, and with the professional

D5.

It turns out that this new lens is not like any of its amateur predecessors. But why is it so expensive?? Maybe it’s better to buy a full frame? What’s so special about it?? I have a lot of questions. Let’s take a picture and figure it out.

Nikon D500 full review and gallery – go to

Specifications

Sensor – CMOS-matrix DX format 23.5 x 15.7 mm with a resolution of 21.51 megapixels and a maximum frame size of 5568 x 3712. Additionally, you can shoot medium 4176 x 2784 and small 2784 x 1856 RAW files

Sensor dust cleaning system, reference data for automatic dust removal in post-processing Capture NX required .

Autofocus – Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning and 153 focus points including 99 cross-type and 15 f/8-aperture sensors , of which 55 are selectable: 35 cross-type and 9 f/8-aperture.

AF modes – Single AF tracking AF-S continuous AF tracking AF-C predictive AF tracking that switches on automatically according to the state of the object. When manual focus M is selected, the electronic rangefinder can be used.

Exposure metering – 180000-point sensor, 3D color matrix metering, center-weighted, spot, bright areas.

ISO 100 to 51200, can be programmed to 50 or H 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 equivalent to 1.640.000

Shutter Speed Range – from 1/8000 to 30 seconds, in 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV steps, Shutter Speed by hand, Shutter Speed on the Timer, X250.

Shooting Modes – S Single Frame , CL Continuous Low Speed , CH Continuous High Speed , Q Quiet Shutter , Self-Timer, MUP Mirror Up , Qc Quiet Continuous Shutter .

Lenses – Nikon F mount with AF and AF contact mating .

The camera has no image stabilization.

Viewfinder is a pentaprism straight mirror viewfinder with full 100% coverage and diopter adjustment from -3 to +1.

Display – multi-touch, 8 cm diagonal with 2,359,000 dots.

Photo capture formats – 12-bit and 14-bit RAW, full 5568 x 3712 , medium 4176 x 2784 or small 2784 x 1856 RAW, TIFF RGB , JPEG with high, medium or low compression. RAW+JPEG.

Continuous Shooting – Single, continuous up to 10 fps with tracking focus, delayed shutter with 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds delay and the ability to shoot a series of 1 to 9 frames at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2 or 3 seconds.

Interval timer photography – yes, flexibly configurable.

Video recording – 4K up to 30 fps, Full HD up to 60 fps.

Interfaces – SuperSpeed USB USB Micro-B connector 3 .0 , HDMI Type C, 3.5mm audio in and out, 10-pin remote control connector, center pin.

Memory cards – two memory slots: one XQD and one SD, SDHC UHS-II compatible , SDXC UHS-II compatible .

Power – EN-EL15 battery.

Dimensions – Approx. 147 x 115 x 81 mm.

Weight approx. 760g without accessories, battery, memory cards and covers, approx. 860g with battery and two CF memory cards.

Ergonomics and controls

DX-format image sensor differs from full frame image sensor in its physical size. While the FX sensor is the same size as a 35 mm frame, the DX sensor is 1.5 times smaller and therefore the focal length of any lens mounted on a camera with a cropped sensor is itself multiplied by 1.5.

In addition, the DX format has reduced the size and weight of the camera compared to its full-frame “counterparts. The Nikon D500 is compact, relatively light, yet comfortable and graspable. All the buttons and switches or almost all of them, but more on that later are in the right place. The camera is comfortable to wear even when wearing thin gloves.

Since the Nikon D810, I thought the D500’s viewfinder was a bit smaller. But, as it turns out, this is a deceptive feeling, inspired by the compact body of the D500. But small doesn’t mean bad. Hockey boxes in the NHL are also smaller than ours, but how do they play there! I shot the D810 and D500 at the same time and did not feel uncomfortable switching between the two cameras.

From the professional D5, the new Nikon D500 inherits many features in ergonomics and interface. The main change is the location of the ISO button. It is now next to the shutter button, exposure compensation and video recording button. This is usually where the MODE button used to be, but the D500 has moved it to the left dial. A long-awaited and wise decision, which, however, will take some time to get used to.

Besides the traditional Nikon multi selector on the back of the D500, to the right of the display, there is a small joystick, the same as on the D5. You can make the joystick act as a full duplicate of the multi selector, or you can make it solely responsible for selecting the focus point. It’s worth saying that it handles focus better than the multiselector – it allows you to select a point somewhat faster.

At the edge of the joystick is a circular switch that locks the focus point. I hardly ever use this control in my work, it seemed to me that in Nikon D500 it is made too big and therefore subject to accidental pressing. Several times I’ve bumped it and locked the focus point when it was completely unnecessary.

The D500 adds a programmable Fn2 button, located in the lower left corner on the display side. You can hang menu navigation and photo rating on this button.

The old familiar Fn1 button is under the lens on the right hand side. But unlike the D5 or D810, they put it too far from the grip and you can only press it with your little finger.

You can also program a wide variety of functions onto the Fn1, but I settled on the virtual horizon. You can assign functions to the programmable buttons in a special menu item “Controls” and it is possible to assign new functions not only for buttons Fn1 and Fn2, but also for the aperture repeater button, AF-ON, the central button of the multiselector and some other controls.

The digital level here is the same as on the Nikon D810 – as soon as you press the button, small scales appear in the viewfinder along the bottom and right border that show the level of camera tilt horizontally and vertically. I found this solution more convenient than visualizing the tilt on the focal point indicators.

Nikon’s new camera, like the professional D5, does away with the built-in flash. And here’s the display on the Nikon D500: big, contrasty and bright. I did not feel uncomfortable even working in bright midday light. The camera screen tilts up and down, making it easy to shoot from high or low angles.

In recent years, manufacturers have been reluctant to use flip-down screens in their professional cameras, considering it not only a pampering, but also a potential “weak link” that can fail very quickly when used out of service. I don’t pretend to be a long-term test of the hinged screen, but in a month of tough use in heat, cold, and dust storms, the display never failed once.

In a month of tough use in heat, cold, and dust storms, the flip-down display never once failed.

It’s much more convenient to shoot from such angles with a pivoting screen, because you don’t have to lie down on the ground.

Another feature that Nikon is only now beginning to introduce in their professional cameras is the touchscreen display. So far its functions are quite narrow. In Live View mode, a tap on the display lets you select the focus point and, after switching on the desired option, immediately focus and take a picture. In viewing mode, you can tap to zoom in and out, flip through frames, and go to gallery mode. The logical step – to use the touch screen as another programmable button, as done in Nikon D5500, as well as for menu navigation. But the joystick and multi selector handle the latter quite well.

Sensor and processor

The Nikon D500 uses a 20-megapixel DX-format sensor. Similarly to the flagship D5, you can shoot in three formats: RAW, TIFF and JPEG, not only at maximum resolution 5568 x 3712 but also at medium resolution 4176 x 2784 and small 2784 x 1856 . This is especially handy when you have to shoot a reportage in difficult light conditions, which can turn into post-processing RAW files. In this situation it is not necessary to create and store heavy files at maximum resolution at all.

Such “diversity” of the matrix can help those who are used to shooting complex time-lapse video the camera has an interval shooting mode for that which then will require considerable post-processing.

Maximum quality RAW files on the Nikon D500 weigh an average of just over 40 MB, I found them to be flexible, they can be handled quite freely during post-processing. If in the course of the reportage with unstable lighting shots are obtained slightly underexposed, then the photos can be easily corrected on a computer, pulling the finest details in the shadows.

Cropped cameras used to be considered a weak point in low light. Nikon has solved this problem. Low values – ISO 50 and ISO 100, so clean that the Nikon D500 can safely be recommended to fans of landscape photography and hard processing – noise on the frames taken up to ISO 1100 practically does not come out, even after a fairly strong color correction. ISO up to 6400 can be considered quite usable. The fun part starts next. I didn’t see a catastrophic drop in image quality down to ISO 40000.

The details remained in place, the noise was within reasonable limits, and even the colors and dynamic range were not as low as I expected them to be. Higher apertures up to 51200 are best reserved for those times when you want a clear picture at any price.

Even higher ISO settings are better in extreme situations, but be prepared that at all Hi values above the second, the noise will be so strong that it will be difficult to make out the scene. The Hi 5 with its dense multi-colored noise is more of a marketing ploy than a working tool.

Nikon D500 Day Series

50

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640

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1250

1600

Nikon D500 Evening Series

400

500

640

800

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1250

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3200

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6400

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12800

16000

20000

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64508

81275

102000

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410000

820000

1640000

After reviewing the test shots, you come to a strange conclusion: the Nikon D500 behaves even better at high ISOs than the flagship D5: it turns out that the cropped sensor does not hide, but adds? Such good performance at high ISOs can make the Nikon D500 not only a powerful reportage tool, but also a camera for astrophotography, especially since a wide range of wide-angle DX lenses, the main tools for stargazing landscapes, are now on the market.

The Nikon D500’s EXPEED 5 processor is responsible for final photo processing. The camera successfully fights vignetting as well as noise at high ISOs and slow shutter speeds. These tools work well, but if vignetting and long exposure noise suppression doesn’t load the processor much, for high ISO noise suppression the camera will stall after every shot and flash the Job NR icon for a few seconds. Alas, in most cases the result is not worth the wait.

The very useful Auto ISO option has been retained. In a special menu you can set the ISO range and the critical shutter speed, after which the camera starts to gain aperture. From here, you can forget about controlling this parameter, which is especially important during the dynamic reportage photography, when all the attention is focused on the unpredictable moving objects.

You can customize the degree to which the image processor intervenes in the final image – you can turn off vignetting control or weaken the built-in noise reduction. The D500 processor can combat moderate overexposure with Nikon’s traditional Active D-Lighting feature. And it seems that it works in this new camera after all – in overdrive mode this function helps dim the highlight in JPEG pictures. Not so effective that you don’t have to shoot in RAW and post-processing, though.

D-Lightning D500 series

1 – Auto

2 – Overdriven

3 – Boosted

4 – Normal

5 – Moderate

6 – Off

Another useful feature is the PictureControl shooting mode, which is also present in all Nikon cameras. With a variety of PictureControl settings, you can adjust the saturation, contrast and sharpness of your photos, as well as create your own presets for specific situations. This can be handy if you don’t have time to work on it and want to get a frame of acceptable quality at once.

Picture Control D500 Series

1 – Standard

2 – Neutral

3 – Flattering

4 – Monochrome

5 – Portrait

6 – Landscape

7 – Flat

Focus, exposure metering and continuous shooting

For autofocus in the D500 is responsible for the same hardware as in the professional D5, with all the ensuing consequences – the camera focuses quickly and accurately, in continuous autofocus mode confidently captures and holds moving objects. The 3D-tracking autofocus is very handy as well. You set the focus point to the home position in this mode and the camera follows the subject with its own focus point. During a nomadic horse race, the camera kept track of the rider as he rode toward me and away from me, moving from left to right in the frame, with the camera following my character closely over the whole gallop.

. Single point AF mode for those times when you want to accurately hit a static subject and you can’t trust the camera’s autofocus to pick your focus point

72-point group focus. Useful if the subject is moving chaotically, suddenly and abruptly changing direction.

Focusing on a group of 25 points. Used when the subject is moving chaotically and it’s hard to keep it within a single focus point.

Group AF. Camera focuses on a group of pixels around the selected one. This reduces the risk of focusing on the background and makes it possible to photograph moving objects more effectively

And now for something that we’ve waited a long time for from Nikon and didn’t even think it would happen. The D500 finally has… No, it’s true, it finally has focus points that cover the entire photographic area. An unbelievable gem for those who like to bring the focus closer to the edge of the frame. Only two small stripes on the top and bottom were left out, but these are trifles…

153-point group focusing.

The camera uses focus points all over the frame,

tracking and adjusting for even the most sudden movement of the subject

So we’ve got our racing subject, focusing on the movement. What’s next? Next up – continuous shooting at 10 fps. Just think – on the same five the speed is 12 frames per second, ten is somewhere very close. If you’re used to shooting in bursts, but want to somehow curb the “machine-gun burst” of the 500, just change the burst speed from high to low. You can easily adjust the camera’s shutter speed in the menu.

Nikon D500 Fast Series, AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

***

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

Nikon D500 Slow series, AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 3

***

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 Lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

– AF-S DX Nikkor 18-300mm 3 lens.5-5.6G ED VR, f/4, 1/6400, ISO 320

You have to store your footage somewhere. Hidden inside the Nikon D500 is a huge buffer for two hundred frames yes, yes, the same as in the D5 . From the buffer, photos spill over to either the familiar and available SD card or the super-fast XQD. The latter is quite expensive, but the capacity and recording speed on XQD cards is so high that you’ll never see the edge of the buffer.

The Nikon D500’s use of two slots at the same time for both card formats – SD and XQD, quite an interesting point. On the one hand, you can shoot with the camera using inexpensive and fairly fast SD cards. The same cards are used in the Nikon D810, D750, and D610, allowing you to optimize card reader availability if you have the D500 as your second camera.

If you’re always looking for high speeds to write heavy RAW files on a 500, you’ll need to use the XQD slot more often. These are the kind of cards that fit one version of the D5, which means you can take less equipment and wires with your flagship in combination as well.

The Nikon D500 uses the same 180000-point sensor as the D5 for exposure metering. The camera detects exposure very accurately and avoids overexposure whenever possible.

Video Shooting

The Nikon D500 is capable of shooting 4K video at 30 frames per second. Moreover, Nikon engineers immediately removed the limit on the length of the clip in 3 minutes, to overcome which the Nikon D5 had to wait for a new version of the firmware. A half-hour continuous 4K movie is available on the D5. The D500 also shoots normal Full HD at up to 60 frames per second.

To switch to video mode, you first need to switch to LiveView mode the small button at the bottom on the back of the camera , switch the switch around it to video mode and only after all these manipulations will the camera respond to pressing the video recording button.

Even with some skill, the process of switching to video will still take time, so it is better to be prepared for an important shoot in advance. Don’t leave LiveView on too long either, it drains the battery fast.

LiveView button and picture mode switch

In video mode, the camera lets you choose from several autofocus options – face focus, wide-area focus, and narrow-area focus. Like shooting stills, you can select the focus point with a simple tap on the touch screen.

Autofocus, which performs wonders of speed in normal shooting, starts to stall in LiveView mode. The camera is slow and hesitant to find the focus point, running the lens through the entire focus range before locking on to the right subject. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on automation when shooting important footage, but rather learn to focus smoothly and accurately manually. Especially since you can zoom in on a section of the frame for the initial sharpening adjustment and check the accuracy of the shot. However, this function is not available when shooting video

The camera has its own built-in stereo microphone, as well as a wind noise reduction feature. But if you want high quality sound, the Nikon D500 has jacks for an external microphone and headphones.

The D500 has an automatic TimeLapse video shooting mode, and the camera doesn’t just take a lot of shots, but stitches them into a clip by itself. If you want to significantly edit the footage in this clip, you can use the interval shooting mode, where you can specify how many frames and how often the camera should shoot, as well as when to start shooting a series. And given that the camera can shoot full-format RAW files of medium to small size, you can get great color correction footage without having to store large amounts of footage.

Connecting to the World

To copy footage you can use the old-fashioned card reader or an onboard Super Speed USB, like the one in mobile hard disks. You can use the HDMI Type-C connector to view your footage without copying it. The camera has a center and 10-pin connectors for connecting peripherals like remotes and flash syncro.

In this age of wireless technology it would be strange not to see something wireless in the new camera. For reasons unknown, Nikon usually only builds Wi Fi modules into its amateur cameras. Fortunately, the D500 is an exception to the rule. Via Wi Fi you can really send footage, for example, to the cloud.

The stand-in in the main lineup

I took the Nikon D500 for a project in Tula region and a photo tour in Kyrgyzstan. At first I thought of it as a second camera, a safety net for the Nikon D810. I was pretty sure that the D500 was good for quick sketches and what kind of reportage scenes that would make taking out the basic camera too tiring. But very soon I noticed that more and more often I was pulling out not the main camera, but its stand-in. The 500 worked very well with simple architecture, close-ups, and other details. Because of the cropped factor, which multiplies the focal length of any lens by one and a half, the D500 is great for shooting all sorts of critters.

With Nikon D500

Full gallery of Nikon D500. Kirghizia – go to

The D500 showed its full potential while shooting a nomadic horseback riding game in Kyrgyzstan. The lightning quick, precise and responsive autofocus, and continuous shooting at 10 frames per second helped capture the event in the best possible way. When I took this shot, I had the D810 on my shoulder with the Super TV attached. The full frame camera seemed too slow after the 500.

The final impression of Nikon’s new product comes when you analyze the memory cards and batteries used in the D500. The camera runs on the same EN-El15 batteries as the Nikon D810. For recording photos the 500 has two slots – the high speed and very expensive XQD and the more conventional SD, which can record in the 8100 as well. The logical conclusion is that the D500 is perfect as a second camera to accompany the Nikon D810, covering its weaknesses such as its heavy weight and relatively slow shooting speed.

Shooting with a Nikon D500

Nikon D500 full gallery. Nomadic horseback games – go to

Arsenal for Nikon D500: Use what you have

If you decide to use your D500 as a second camera, it makes sense to limit yourself to the fleet of full-frame optics you already have and not to pick up a second set of cropped optics. In this case, you’re likely to use the Nikon D500 with stock lenses or TV lenses.

Using low-quality entry-level optics in a kit like this is blasphemy, so the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2 would be ideal as a stock lens.8E ED VR, which will turn into a 36-105 on the 500 with its cropped factor. Not the most comfortable focal lengths. So if you have the option of getting either an AF-S NIKKOR 16-35mm f/4G ED VR or an AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2 for your kit.8D IF-ED, you should probably opt for them.

You can fill in the gap with the good old “poltinix” – AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G. Lightweight, compact, fast, and very sharp, it can be a staple lens for fast travel street photography. The D500 will increase its focal length to 75mm because of the cropped factor.

But don’t fall into the standard “poltinor-portrait” trap. It’s a topic that’s been discussed quite a lot, so let’s quickly get to the bottom of this. The shorter the focal length of the lens, the more it disperses the subjects in different perspectives. Subjects that seem infinitely far away at 14mm will look very close at 200mm. It distorts the picture, making it more grotesque.

As it is easy to see, the human face is also three-dimensional, which means that such distortions will be relevant for portraits as well. A person’s face will look more rounded, caricatured. And it is the optics that give this effect. The fact that we took a slice out of an image shot with the Polentin does not cancel these distortions. So my advice is to keep the 50mm lens for reportage, half-length and full-length portraits and use a longer focal length lens like 85mm for facial portraits.

As we said before, the cropped factor makes full-frame wide-angle lenses on the D500 almost useless. But the same cropped factor also allows telephoto lenses to open up in a new way. For example, the excellent AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II on a D500 will turn into a 105-300mm. Solid, enough even for bird and animal photography. And the versatile AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR on this camera turns into a 120-600mm telephoto.

All of this advice on choosing optics is only relevant if you’re going to use the Nikon D500 as a second camera and essentially boils down to a simple “use what you’ve got”.

Arsenal for Nikon D500-2: DX lenses

If you decide to take the Nikon D500 as your primary machine, you should take a closer look at Nikkor’s lineup of lenses for DX cameras. Today they cover all the necessary focal lengths, are as good in optical quality as their full frame counterparts and look much more attractive in terms of weight and size.

Don’t immediately throw away the lens that comes with the camera. AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.The 8-4E ED VR could be your prime lens for the Five Hundred. Fast, lightweight and sharp enough even at open apertures, this lens covers the focal lengths at which three-quarters of travel photos are taken. If you still want consistent brightness and uncompromising quality, it’s worth taking a closer look at the classic AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.The 8G IF-ED, which can be considered the equivalent of the 24-70 for cropped cameras.

Lens

AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f.2.8-4E ED VR

Lens

AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED

Lens

AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED

For landscape photography, it’s best to take a DX wide-angle AF-S DX NIKKOR 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED. Equivalent focal length of 15 mm at wide angle will be enough to make photos with “heavy” foreground. Unfortunately, among Nikkor’s DX lenses, there is no brighter alternative to this lens, which can make night photography difficult, but here the lack of light makes up for the excellent picture quality even at high ISOs.

Lens

AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II

Lens

AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR

The lens

AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR

You can expand the range toward telephoto with any of the telephoto lenses in the Nikkor lineup, but you’re better off looking not at heavy full-frame lenses, but at optics specifically designed for DX cameras. The AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED VR II. If you need something even more long-range, you’re better off with the fresh AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR, which features a new silent and fast autofocus drive, as well as a VR vibration suppression system, which is especially relevant on long focus.

If you don’t feel like lugging around a bunch of optics and you’re willing to make a compromise between weight and quality, go for the super zoom AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3G ED VR. Its focal lengths are enough for all the tasks a photographer may have in everyday life or travel.

Conclusions

This is a complete working tool. Nikon D500 is good as a second camera – in addition to the Nikon D810. This would be especially handy when you consider that the D500 uses the same SD cards and the same type of EN-EL15 battery as the eight hundred. A heavy, slow full frame camera is great for landscapes, but Nikon D500 with its fast speed, accurate autofocus and great performance at high ISO will allow you to shoot dynamic reportage and work in low light much more effectively.

At the same time, the D500 can also be seen as the main and only camera for a travel photographer or journalist. A cropped sensor could put off landscape photographers who are interested in having a good quality wide-angle lens for landscapes, but today Nikon has lenses for every taste, including wide-angle, and a smaller sensor leads to a smaller camera itself, which is important for the travel photographer.

Yes, the Nikon D500 is more expensive than the full frame. But three times cheaper than the Nikon D5, retaining virtually the full suite of flagship features.

Taking pictures with Nikon D500

Full gallery of the Nikon D500. Landscape-go to