Nikon D500 Review

May 18, 2016 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The D500 is Nikon's new flagship DX-format (APS-C) camera. We were waiting a long time for Nikon to produce an update for the D300S, so much so that it has skipped a number and gone straight to D500.

Despite the fact that the D500 is a DX model, it shares a lot in common with the D5 - Nikon's professional, full-frame, (and much more expensive) DSLR. That includes the same processor, focusing system, and interestingly, same number of pixels.

That resolution count is 20.9 million pixels. That's less than we've seen in some of Nikon's other APS-C sensor cameras (the D7200 has a 24 million pixel sensor), but Nikon says that the sensor has been designed to the same specification as the full-frame D5. The D500 has a native ISO range of 100 - 51,200. This year Nikon seems to be all about incredibly high ISO values, and the D500 is no different - the maximum expanded setting is ISO 1,640,000.

The Nikon D500 has an EXPEED 5 sensor which helps to facilitate a fast frame rate of 10fps. It's also possible to record 4K video, which, unlike the D5, can record for the full 29 minutes and 59 seconds. There are 153 AF points, which includes 99 more sensitive cross-type sensors, and 15 sensors which are sensible down to f/8. All of the focus points are sensitive down to -3EV, with the exception of the central sensor, which can go down to -4EV, which should be fantastic news for low light focusing.

Competing with the 7D Mark II, the Nikon D500 is available body only for £1729 / $1999, or as part of the kit with Nikon's 2015 release 16-80mm f/2.8-4 lens for £2479 / $3099.

Ease of Use

The Nikon D500 is a pretty chunky and solidly built camera, which gives it a feeling of high quality construction. There's a large grip which has a protruding section where the shutter release is found, enabling your middle finger to sit comfortably beneath it. There is a rubberised coating around the grip and on the back of the camera which helps it so sit comfortably in your hand. The camera is also fully weather-sealed, which is great news for landscape and outdoor photographers.

There's a large number of direct access buttons, and dials, which is exactly what we'd expect from a camera which is aimed at enthusiast or advanced amateurs. Like the Nikon D5, the screen is also touch sensitive, which can be used for some elements of operation.

On the top left of the Nikon D500 you'll find a rotating dial which can be moved to change the drive mode, including single shooting, quiet mode, continuous and mirror up. You'll need to push down a small button just in front of the dial in order to change it, which prevents you accidentally moving it when you don't want to.

Above this dial you'll find four buttons, which you need to use in conjunction with a scrolling dials found on the front and rear of the grip. There's a button for Image Quality, for Metering Mode, for White Balance and for Exposure Mode. Simply hold down whichever button you need to use, then use the scrolling dial to make changes. You'll see confirmation of the changes being made in the LCD panel on the top of the camera. It's a very quick and intuitive way of making changes, and you can generally swiftly set up the settings you need for the shot.

Like many high-end cameras, the only shooting modes you can use are P (Program) A (Aperture Priority) S (Shutter Priority) M (Manual) - in other words there's no automatic mode.

Nikon D500
Front of the Nikon D500

Just behind the shutter release button there's a button for changing ISO and a button for altering exposure compensation. Again you use this in conjunction with the scrolling wheel on the back of the Nikon D500. Here is also where you'll find a button for video recording, allowing you to start video recording once you're in video shooting mode. Around the shutter release is a switch for turning the camera on or off, and if you move it around on further than the “on” position, you'll also switch on the illumination light for the LCD panel which is useful when you're working in lower light conditions.

Moving to the back of the Nikon D500 and there's a large selection of different buttons here too. To change the AF point, you can use the textured joystick which is easy to reach with your thumb while the camera is held up to your eye. Although there are 153 focus points, only 55 are actually available for your own selection, with the rest of the points acting as support points. Coverage is wide though, covering a very large section of the frame. If you don't want to use the joystick, you can also use the navigational pad just below it. There's a switch around this pad - if you push it to the “L” position, the focus point will be locked and you won't be able to change it. Finally, you can also use the touch-sensitive screen to set the autofocus point if you are shooting in live view, or recording a video.

To the left hand side of the Nikon D500's screen there's the playback button, a delete button, the main menu button, and a variety of buttons which are usually used in playback - such as a magnifying button. There's also an OK button which is used in certain circumstances, such as when you want to confirm that you want to format a memory card. There's also a Fn2 (function) button here which you can customise in the main menu.

On the right hand side of the screen there's an info button, but also an “i” button. The info button can be pressed to display your shooting settings on the main screen, while the “i” button is used as a kind of quick menu, with a few settings that you can quickly access without having to go into the main menu. Just underneath these buttons you'll find the Live View button, which has a switch around it which enables you to switch between stills shooting and video recording.

Nikon D500
Rear of the Nikon D500

The screen itself is not only touch sensitive, but it also tilts upwards and downwards. While this isn't quite as useful as a fully articulating screen, it's handy for shooting from either very high or very low angles and so it's great to see it here on an enthusiast level camera.

The Nikon D500 has a 100% field of view optical viewfinder which provides a very bright and clear view of the scene in front of you. There's a rubberised eye cup which helps the camera feel very comfortable against your face. You'll also see that there's a blind which can be activated to block out any light from entering the viewfinder - useful if you're shooting very long exposures on a tripod.

On the front of the camera, surrounding the lens mound, you'll find a customisable Fn1 button, a depth of field preview button, and there's also a switch for moving between autofocus and manual focus. There's a button in the middle of the switch which allows you to choose the type of focus.

Nikon D500
Tilting LCD Screen

A door protecting the memory cards can be found on the right hand side of the camera. The D500 has dual memory card slots, supporting both SD cards and XQD cards. This is good news for those with a stash of SD cards, but if you invest in an XQD card you get faster speeds, so it may be worth it  if you intend to shoot fast moving subjects, such as sport.

The Nikon D500 has Wi-Fi, bluetooth and NFC connectivity which means you can send your images across to a smartphone using Nikon's Snapbridge app. This is currently only available for Android devices, but an iOS app is also being developed for release later this year.

The camera's main menu is divided into different sections, which are quite sensibly arranged and easy to navigate - especially of course if you've used a Nikon menu before. If any of the settings aren't immediately obvious you can press a button on the back of the camera which is marked with a question mark and you should be shown an explanation of what the function does - it's not available on every function though.

Nikon D500
Top of the Nikon D500

Battery life is rated at a very impressive 1240 shots, which is great for an enthusiast level camera - it's unlikely you'll need to invest in a second battery unless you're shooting a lot every single day, or for some reason you can't recharge the battery in between shoots.

Focusing times are very quick in good daylight, dropping a small amount when shooting in lower light. It's only in extremely dark conditions that the Nikon D500 fails to find focus at all. When it comes to continuous focus, the D500 is fantastic at keeping focus when the subject is kept under the active AF point, making it the ideal camera for fast moving subjects such as sport and wildlife - in fact having a crop sensor means that your lenses have a longer reach than they would on a full-frame sensor, which is advantageous when the subject matter is in the distance.

Processing speeds are very good, with a rapid shot-to-shot time and almost instant start-up time. The buffer when shooting at fast continuous speeds is also fantastic, even when shooting in raw format, again making it excellent for sports and action photographers who need to shoot extensive burst depths.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 14Mb.

Directly from the camera, JPEG images from the Nikon D500 are great in a wide variety of different shooting conditions, indicating that this is an ideal camera for enthusiast photographers who want to shoot many types of subject.

Colours are vibrant and punchy, without straying too far into unrealistic territory. Detail is also fantastic, with fine detail clear to see throughout the frame when shooting at lower ISOs. Moving up the ISO scale, detail is still extremely well resolved when you reach what would be very high ISOs for other cameras, but are in the middle-range territory for the D500, such as ISO 12,800 - ISO 51, 200. There is some image smoothing to see when you examine closely, but the overall impression of detail at these ISOs is great at A4 or below.

You can work with the raw format files already in Adobe Camera Raw, or you can use Nikon's proprietary software. If you examine corresponding raw format files and compare with the JPEG files, you can see that there's a fair amount of noise reduction being applied to images shot at high ISOs - although the effect is generally quite pleasing, if you need to bring back some detail which has gone missing, you can do this with the raw format files.

Although the Nikon D500 can shoot at a ridiculously high value of over 1 million, images stop being truly useable from around ISO 102,400, even when sharing at small sizes. Still, if getting the image is more important than it being high quality, you may want to venture further into the high ISO territory.

General purpose metering does a good job of producing accurate exposures for the majority of situations, while automatic white balance copes well with artificial lighting. Like with the D5, there is more than one type of automatic white balance - you can switch between Auto1 (Normal), Auto0 (Keep White - Reduce Warm Colours) and Auto2 (Keep Warm Colours). It's worth switching between these to test which you prefer. Sometimes it'll be dependent on your own personal preference to how colours look, while other times it'll depend on the shooting conditions. Leaving it on Auto0 generally results in accurate colours though.

Noise

Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW files.

JPEG RAW

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

ISO 50 (100% Crop)

iso50.jpg iso50raw.jpg
   

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

ISO 64 (100% Crop)

iso64.jpg iso64raw.jpg
   

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

ISO 80 (100% Crop)

iso80.jpg iso80raw.jpg
   

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg
   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg
   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso1600raw.jpg
   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso3200.jpg iso3200raw.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

iso6400.jpg iso6400raw.jpg
   

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

ISO 12800 (100% Crop)

iso12800.jpg iso12800raw.jpg
   

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

ISO 25600 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg
   

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

ISO 51200 (100% Crop)

iso25600.jpg iso25600raw.jpg
   

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

ISO 102400 (100% Crop)

iso102400.jpg iso102400raw.jpg
   

ISO 204800 (100% Crop)

ISO 204800 (100% Crop)

iso204800.jpg iso204800raw.jpg
   

ISO 409600 (100% Crop)

ISO 409600 (100% Crop)

iso409600.jpg iso409600raw.jpg
   

ISO 819200 (100% Crop)

ISO 819200 (100% Crop)

iso819200.jpg iso819200raw.jpg
   

ISO 1638400 (100% Crop)

ISO 1638400 (100% Crop)

iso1638400.jpg iso1638400raw.jpg

Picture Controls

Nikon's Picture Controls are akin to Canon's Picture Styles in being preset combinations of sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation and hue. All Picture Controls can be tweaked to your liking, then saved and transferred to other cameras.

Standard

Neutral
PictureStyleStandard.JPG PictureStyleNeutral.JPG
   

Portrait

Vivid
PictureStylePortrait.JPG PictureStyleVivid.JPG
   

Landscape

Monochrome
PictureStyleLandscape.JPG PictureControlMonochrome.JPG
   
Flat  
PictureStyleFlat.JPG  

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Nikon D500 camera, which were all taken using the 20 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Nikon D500 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Nikon RAW (NEF) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 14 second movie is 220Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 at 25 frames per second. Please note that this 12 second movie is 192Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 3840x2160 at 24 frames per second. Please note that this 16 second movie is 223Mb in size.

Product Images

Nikon D500

Front of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Side of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Side of the Nikon D5000

 
Nikon D500

Rear of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Rear of the Nikon D500 / Info Screen

 
Nikon D500

Rear of the Nikon D500 / Image Displayed

 
Nikon D500

Rear of the Nikon D500 / Tilting LCD Screen

 
Nikon D500

Top of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Bottom of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Side of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Side of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Front of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Front of the Nikon D500

 
Nikon D500

Memory Card Slot

 
Nikon D500

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

We were kept waiting a long time for the Nikon D500, but boy does it seem like it was worth the wait.

If you are an enthusiast photographer looking for something which offers a heck of a lot of features, then the D500 is the ultimate camera for you. Professionals, who are usually swayed towards full-frame, could also find use for the D500 - especially sports and wildlife photographers who could make use of the crop sensor to get additional focal length.

The body is equipped with a large number of dials and buttons which make it a joy to use, while the screen on the back is touch sensitive and useful in a number of different situations. Not only can you set the autofocus point when shooting in live view or in video mode, it's quick to check critical focus point or flick through images.

As the screen tilts, it's also very useful for photographing from awkward angles - and while a fully articulating screen would be even more useful, it's still great to see on a high-end camera such as this.

The 16-80mm f/2.8-f/4 lens which can be bought as part of a kit package with the D500 is also a fantastic buy and complements the camera very well. It makes for a fantastic walk around lens, giving you a good degree of flexibility for a range of different shooting conditions, while also offering you wide apertures for creating shallow depth of field effects or when shooting in lower light conditions.

It's interesting to see an XQD card slot in a camera lower down Nikon's line-up. The company clearly believes that this format is here to stay - but it's good that there is also an SD card slot so you don't need to invest in a new set of memory cards straight away - you'll want to get an XQD card if you intend to shoot at fast speeds though.

While it's true that the Nikon D500 isn't the cheapest APS-C DSLR you can buy, it offers an incredibly diverse array of features which should suit many different types of photographers. Image quality is also very high, with the ability to record videos in 4K also making it appealing to videographers, or photographers who like to record video alongside stills.

5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 5
Ease-of-use 5
Image quality 5
Value for money 4

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Nikon D500.

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

The long-awaited Canon EOS 7D Mark II DSLR has finally arrived, boasting improvements to virtually every aspect of its popular predecessor, the 5-year-old 7D. Can an APS-C sensor DSLR camera still compete in the fast-changing photography market? Read our detailed Canon EOS 7D Mark II review to find out...

Fujifilm X-Pro2

The new Fujifilm X-Pro2 is an exciting flagship premium compact system camera. The weather-proof X-Pro2 offers a brand new 24 megapixel sensor that's claimed to rival full-frame DSLRs, an improved hybrid viewfinder, faster processor and AF system, and a host of other improvements. Read our Fujifilm X-Pro2 review to find out if it can live up to its early promise...

Fujifilm X-T1

The Fujifilm X-T1 is a brand new compact system camera that looks, feels and performs very much like a classic DSLR that''s been shrunk in the wash. Is this the best X-series camera that Fujifilm have released, and can it compete with the likes of the Sony A7/A7R and Olympus OM-D E-M1, not to mention DSLRs from Canon and Nikon? Read our in-depth Fujifilm X-T1 review to find out...

Pentax K-1

The new K-1 is the long-awaited full-frame DSLR camera from Pentax, based around a 36.4 megapixel CMOS sensor. Is this the best ever Pentax DSLR? Read our in-depth Pentax K-1 review to find out...

Pentax K-3 II

The new Pentax K-3 II DSLR camera builds on the success of the excellent K-3 model with a number of key improvements. Is this the best ever Pentax DSLR? Read our in-depth Pentax K-3 II review to find out...

Sony A6300

The Sony A6300 is a new high-end compact system camera that features the fastest auto-focusing system in the world and the highest number of AF points. With a 24.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, 4K movie recording, high-res 3-inch tilting LCD screen, electronic viewfinder and built-in flash, the Sony NEX-6 also offers 11fps burst shooting, wi-fi and NFC connectivity, and downloadable PlayMemories Camera Apps. Read our in-depth Sony A6300 review to find out if it's the best Sony APS-C camera yet...

Sony A7 II

The Sony A7 II is the first full-frame compact system camera in the World to feature built-in 5-axis stabilisation. Other key improvements include better ergonomics and build quality, faster auto-focusing and startup, a wider range of video options, and greater customisability. Is this the best ever Sony full-frame compact system camera? Read our Sony A7 II review to find out...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Nikon D500 from around the web.

ephotozine.com »

The Nikon D500 is Nikon's top of the range APS-C (DX) sensor Digital SLR, with a 20 megapixel sensor, the camera offers 10fps continuous shooting, 4K video recording and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. As Nikon's fastest DX APS-C camera it shoots at 10fps, compared to the Nikon D300s which could reach 8fps with the optional battery grip, and the Nikon D7200, which can shoot at 6fps at full resolution.
Read the full review »

Specifications

    • Type

    • Single-lens reflex digital camera

    • Lens mount

    • Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts)

    • Effective angle of view

    • Nikon DX format; focal length in 35 mm [135] format equivalent to approx. 1.5x that of lenses with FX format angle of view

    • Image sensor

    • DX, CMOS, 23.5 mm x 15.7 mm

    • Total pixels

    • 21.51 million

    • Dust-reduction system

    • Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (Capture NX-D software required)

    • Effective pixels

    • 20.9 million

    • Image size (pixels)

    • DX (24 x 16) image area: (L) 5568 x 3712, (M) 4176 x 2784, (S) 2784 x 1856; 1.3x (18 x 12) image area: (L) 4272 x 2848, (M) 3200 x 2136, (S) 2128 x 1424; Photographs with image area of DX taken during movie recording: (L) 5568 x 3128, (M) 4176 x 2344, (S) 2784 x 1560; Photographs with image area of 1.3x taken during movie recording: (L) 4272 x 2400, (M) 3200 x 1800, (S) 2128 x 1192; Photographs taken during movie recording at a frame size of 3840 x 2160: 3840 x 2160

    • Storage file formats

    • NEF (RAW): 12 or 14 bit (lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed); large, medium, and small available (medium and small images are recorded at a bit depth of 12 bits using lossless compression), TIFF (RGB), JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1 : 4), normal (approx. 1 : 8), or basic (approx. 1 : 16) compression; optimal quality compression available, NEF (RAW)+JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats

    • Picture Control System

    • Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat, selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls

    • Storage media

    • XQD, SD, SDHC (UHS-II compliant), SDXC (UHS-II compliant)

    • Dual card slot

    • 1 XQD card and 1 Secure Digital (SD) card, Either card can be used for primary or backup storage or for separate storage of NEF (RAW) and JPEG images; pictures can be copied between cards.

    • File system

    • DCF 2.0, Exif 2.3, PictBridge

    • Viewfinder

    • Eye-level pentaprism single-lens reflex viewfinder

    • Frame coverage

    • DX (24 x 16) image area: Approx. 100% horizontal and 100% vertical, 1.3x (18 x 12) image area: Approx. 98% horizontal and 98% vertical

    • Magnification

    • Approx. 1.0 x (50 mm f/1.4 lens at infinity, –1.0 m-1)

    • Eyepoint

    • 16 mm (–1.0 m-1; from center surface of viewfinder eyepiece lens)

    • Diopter adjustment

    • -2 to +1 m-1

    • Focusing screen

    • Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark II screen with AF area brackets (framing grid can be displayed)

    • Reflex mirror

    • Quick-return type

    • Depth-of-field preview

    • Yes, Pressing Pv button stops lens aperture down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or by camera (P and S modes)

    • Lens aperture

    • Instant return, electronically controlled

    • Compatible lenses

    • Compatible with AF NIKKOR lenses, including type G, E, and D lenses (some restrictions apply to PC lenses), and DX lenses, AI-P NIKKOR lenses, and non-CPU AI lenses (exposure modes A and M only). IX NIKKOR lenses, lenses for the F3AF, and non-AI lenses can not be used. The electronic rangefinder can be used with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster (the electronic rangefinder supports 15 focus points with lenses that have a maximum aperture of f/8 or faster, of which 9 points are available for selection).

    • Shutter type

    • Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter available in mirror up release mode

    • Shutter speed

    • 1/8000 to 30 s, in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV, bulb, time, X250

    • Flash sync speed

    • X = 1/250 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/250 s or slower

    • Release mode

    • S (single frame), CL (continuous low speed), CH (continuous high speed), Q (quiet shutter-release), Self-timer, MUP (mirror up), Qc (quiet continuous shutter-release)

    • Frame advance rate

    • 10 fps, CL: 1 to 9 fps, CH: 10 fps, Qc: 3 fps

    • Self-timer

    • 2 s, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s

    • Exposure metering

    • TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels

    • Metering method

    • Matrix: 3D color matrix metering III (type G, E, and D lenses); color matrix metering III (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering available with non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 8 mm circle in center of frame. Diameter of circle can be changed to 6, 10, or 13 mm, or weighting can be based on average of entire frame (non-CPU lenses use 8-mm circle); Spot: Meters 3.5 mm circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on selected focus point (on center focus point when non-CPU lens is used); Highlight-weighted: Available with type G, E, and D lenses

    • Metering range (ISO 100, f/1.4 lens, 20 °C/68 °F)

    • Matrix or center-weighted metering: –3 to +20 EV Spot metering: 2 to 20 EV Highlight-weighted metering: 0 to 20 EV

    • Mode

    • Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)

    • Exposure compensation

    • –5 to +5 EV, in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV

    • Exposure lock

    • Luminosity locked at detected value

    • ISO sensitivity

    • ISO 100 to 51200 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV. Can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 50 equivalent) below ISO 100 or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 EV (ISO 1640000 equivalent) above ISO 51200; auto ISO sensitivity control available

    • Active D-Lighting

    • Can be selected from Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low, or Off

    • Autofocus

    • Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, and 153 focus points (including 99 cross-type sensors and 15 sensors that support f/8), of which 55 (35 cross-type sensors and 9 f/8 sensors) are available for selection

    • Detection range

    • –4 to +20 EV (ISO 100, 20 °C/68 °F)

    • Lens servo

    • Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status, Manual focus (M): Electronic rangefinder can be used

    • Focus points

    • 153 focus points of which 55 or 15 are available for selection

    • AF-area mode

    • Single-point AF, 25-, 72-, or 153- point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, group-area AF, auto-area AF

    • Focus lock

    • Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing the center of the sub-selector

    • Flash control

    • TTL: i-TTL flash control using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels; i-TTL balanced fill-flash for digital SLR is used with matrix, center-weighted, and highlight-weighted metering, standard i-TTL fill-flash for digital SLR with spot metering

    • Flash modes

    • Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, off, Auto FP High-Speed Sync supported

    • Flash compensation

    • -3 to +1 EV in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV

    • Flash-ready indicator

    • Lights when optional flash unit is fully charged; flashes after flash is fired at full output

    • Accessory shoe

    • ISO 518 hot-shoe with sync and data contacts and safety lock

    • Nikon Creative Lighting System

    • i-TTL flash control, radio-controlled Advanced Wireless Lighting, optical Advanced Wireless Lighting, modeling illumination, FV lock, Color Information Communication, Auto FP High-Speed Sync, AF-assist for multi-area AF, unified flash control

    • Sync terminal

    • ISO 519 sync terminal with locking thread

    • White balance

    • Auto (3 types), incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored, spot white balance measurement available during live view), choose color temperature (2500K to 10000K), all with fine-tuning.

    • White balance bracketing

    • Exposure, Flash, White balance, ADL

    • Live View - Modes

    • Photo live view, Movie live view

    • Live view - lens servo

    • Autofocus (AF): Single-servo AF (AF-S); full-time-servo AF (AF-F); Manual focus (M)

    • Live view - AF-area mode

    • Face-priority AF, Wide-area AF, Normal-area AF, Subject-tracking AF

    • Live view - autofocus

    • Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face-priority AF or subject-tracking AF is selected)

    • Movie - metering

    • TTL exposure metering using main image sensor

    • Movie - metering method

    • Matrix, center-weighted, or highlight-weighted

    • Movie - frame size (pixels) and frame rate

    • 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD): 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p, 1920 x 1080: 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p, 1280 x 720: 60p, 50p, Actual frame rates for 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively; (Fine) high quality available at all frame sizes, normal quality available at all sizes except 3840 x 2160

    • Movie - file format

    • MOV

    • Movie - video compression

    • H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding

    • Movie - audio recording format

    • Linear PCM

    • Movie - audio recording device

    • Built-in stereo or external microphone; sensitivity adjustable

    • Movie - ISO sensitivity

    • Exposure modes P, S, and A: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to Hi 5) with selectable upper limit; Exposure mode M: Auto ISO sensitivity control (ISO 100 to Hi 5) available with selectable upper limit; manual selection (ISO 100 to 51200 in steps of 1/3, 1/2, or 1 EV) with additional options available equivalent to approximately 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 EV (ISO 1640000 equivalent) above ISO 51200

    • Other options

    • Index marking, time-lapse movies, electronic vibration reduction

    • Monitor

    • 8 cm (3.2–in.) diagonal, approx. 2359k-dot, tilting TFT touch-sensitive LCD with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% frame coverage, and manual monitor brightness control

    • Playback

    • Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback with playback zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, location data display, auto image rotation, picture rating, and IPTC information embedding and display

    • USB

    • SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0 Micro-B connector), connection to built-in USB port is recommended

    • HDMI output

    • Type C HDMI connector

    • Audio input

    • Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter; plug-in power supported)

    • Audio output

    • Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5 mm diameter)

    • Accessory terminal(s)

    • Ten-pin remote terminal: can be used to connect optional remote control, WR-R10 (requires WR-A10 adapter) or WR-1 wireless remote controller, GP-1/GP-1A GPS unit, or GPS device compliant with NMEA0183 version 2.01 or 3.01 (requires MC-35 GPS adapter cord and cable with D-sub 9-pin connector)

    • Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) standards

    • IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

    • Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) security

    • Authentication: Open system, WPA2-PSK

    • NFC - Operation

    • NFC Forum Type 3 Tag

    • Wi-Fi (Wireless LAN) communications protocols

    • Bluetooth Specification Version 4.1

    • Supported languages

    • Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal and Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese

    • Battery

    • One rechargeable Li-ion EN-EL15 battery

    • Battery pack

    • Optional MB-D17 multi-power battery pack with one rechargeable Nikon EN-EL18a or EN-EL18 Li-ion battery (available separately), one rechargeable Nikon EN-EL15 Li-ion battery, or eight AA alkaline, Ni-MH, or lithium batteries. A BL-5 battery-chamber cover is required when using EN-EL18a or EN-EL18 batteries.

    • AC adapter

    • EH-5b AC adapter; requires EP-5B power connector (both available separately)

    • Tripod socket

    • 1/4–in. (ISO 1222)

    • Dimensions (W x H x D)

    • Approx. 147 x 115 x 81 mm (5.8 x 4.6 x 3.2 in.)

    • Weight

    • Approx. 860 g (1 lb. 14.4 oz.), with battery and XQD memory card but without body cap; approx. 760 g/1 lb. 10.9 oz. (camera body only)

    • Operating environment - temperature

    • 0 °C to 40 °C (+32 °F to 104 °F)

    • Operating environment - humidity

    • 85% or less (no condensation)

    • Supplied accessories

    • Body Cap BF-1B, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL15 with terminal cover, Battery Charger MH-25a (comes with either an AC wall adapter or power cable of a type and shape that varies with the country or region of sale), USB Cable Clip, HDMI Cable Clip, USB Cable UC-E22, Strap AN-DC17


  • Unless otherwise stated, all measurements are performed in conformity with Camera and Imaging Products Association (CIPA) standards or guidelines.

  • All figures are for a camera with a fully-charged battery.

  • Nikon reserves the right to change the appearance and specifications of the hardware and software described in these specifications at any time and without prior notice. Nikon will not be held liable for damages that may result from any mistakes that these specifications may contain.

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