Customer Ratings & Reviews

I never thought I'd go back to an APS-C sensor camera. I love full frame and figured that would be all if ever use. I started from Nikon's D70, D200, D300 (got stolen) and for the last years I've been using the D700. I've been. Drooling for the D810 for its 36mp but never pulled the trigger on the $3000 price tag. In the last 2 years I have gotten into wildlife photography which lead me to the Tamron 150-600 and to my current Nikon 200-500mm lens. Great gear, but on a 12mp body and only 5 FPS, I find myself struggling with small and nimble birds. Missing focus and the "money shot". I have only had the D500 for a couple weeks but because of the 1.5 APS-C crop and the MP boost from 12 to 20.9, I am seeing details I have never been able to manage before. It's blowing me away! And 10 FPS is getting some really good action that I usually miss. Why not stay FF and pick up a D610 or D750? Buffers are too small for high speed RAW shooting. Even my D700 slows me down. But so far the D500 appears to be a home run.

It is true that this camera is a workhorse when it comes to shooting wildlife and action photography. The focusing system on this camera is amazing. It is able to keep up with any subject without a problem. I never miss a shot because of its large buffer and shooting rate. The ergonomics of the buttons and switches make it unbelievably easy to switch through. It only took me about a day of shooting to fully memorize the layout. If you are on the fence about purchasing this camera, go in-store and try it out. It is a bit heavy, but sturdy and well built. Feels great in hand. You won't be disappointed.

I have been thru a few cameras. The D7200, the D7500, the D750. And the Sony RX10 IV. None of them compare to this beast. Many think it's a cropped sensor camera so it can't be that good. Trust me that it's "that good". I'll expand... First and foremost, it's a pro-body camera. It has features that the others do not. It feels much better in the hand. The rear LCD display can be pivoted up or down so that you can have more flexibility while shooting, unlike the others which only go one way. It shoots ten frames per second unlike the others which are about half that or less. That's a game changer when you're shooting wildlife, sports, or anything like an air show that requires speed. This body just feels powerful compared to the others. Another thing that I read in other reviews before buying it, and that I definitely noticed once I loaded a few images onto the computer for editing...was how accurate the colors are. That was not the case with the other camera bodies. Very impressed. I bought the 35mm f1.8 Nikon fixed lens w/ this camera body, as they say that's a must at a price of $199. The sample images below were taken with that lens. I will also be adding the Tamron 16-300mm for Nikon bodies @ $629. Both the lens and this camera body are moisture and dust sealed, making them a perfect combo for a long hike. If I could add that "Asia" from the Akron Best Buy store was more than helpful. She made the transaction very simple, and had a great attitude. Thank you Best Buy and Nikon. Products like this make life more enjoyable.

I am a sports photographer. My main sports kits include 2 Canon 7DM2, Sigma 120-300 F2.8, Sigma 50-100 F1.8, Sigma 18-35 F1.8. After using the d500, I decided to sell off all of my Canon sports kit and go Nikon. I also had the Canon 5DM3 with a lot of L glasses, but switched to Sony with G and G master lenses. Sony is a incredible company, but I just can't deal with some minor issues, and bought the d750 as a travel camera. I purchased the D500 after getting very impressed with the d750. I originally went to Sony for the light weight small lenses, but came back to the dslr with the Nikon system. I still have my Sony system for portrait, but no longer plan to use it for traveling. I like very responsive cameras that is ready to shoot when I press the shutter. I don't want to keep on charging on the go as well. Why am I talking about this on the review? B/c you can see how great the camera is on other reviews and just wanted to share my experiences. It looks as if Nikon is going down hill, but I realized how great the Nikons are after using it. I'm willing to loose a lot of $$$ switching, but the D500 is worth it. You might think why not just buy a Canon 1dx2, and it's b/c I can't afford to buy 2 bodies. The reason I was drawn to the D500 is the AF system and great high ISO performance vs the Canon 7Dm2. I hope this helped you :)

I'm going to start with what I don't like about the camera! Cons: SnapBridge, WiFi, Tilt screen and Touch screen. This camera is geared towards sports, action and wildlife photographers. Those are features that are not needed for these types of work, (with the exception of the tilt screen for some video footage). Snapbridge and wifi should only be on the entry level cameras (IMO)! If you're in a rush to post to social media, chances are that the photo isn't that good to begin with! Specular Highlights: Very temperamental and often blows them out if not careful! Lightroom: I find the color rendering to be off during import into lightroom. It's an easy fix though. A quick adjustment to the color profile in the camera calibration panel to camera flat or camera neutral brings the files back to a good starting point! Pros: AF speed, Accuracy and continuous AF tracking is nothing short of amazing and is where this camera really shines! ISO Performance: Excellent for a DX body. I personally wouldn't go beyond iso 4,000 but that's very good for DX IMO! Ergonomics: A+. If you own a D810, switching between cameras is like night and day. Overall, this is a solid performing camera for it's intended purpose and I highly recommend add it to your kit.

I purchased the Nikon D500 body because I was going to shoot a very important wedding and I normally don't shoot weddings. I own a D800 for the portraits and now I wanted a body with some speed to it. I found that after using the camera for a week I really fell in love with this camera body. This is faster then I expected! The focus was instant and I was able to capture MANY spontaneous candid moments and the camera actually kept up with me and as I was using it I kept pushing it harder and harder. It held up to my testing and my wedding turned out to be the best one I have done so far! I am so please with it that I am now ONLY using my D800 and My D500 for ALL my professional work!

I took this camera with me to the Grand Tetons, along with my D810. I used the D500 for wildlife, and the 810 for landscape. This is now my dynamic duo. Very fast focusing system, although I would have loved this to also be 36MP like the 810. I use it with my 200-500 f5.6. I love this camera!

I waited for a while to buy this camera but I am so glad I decided to buy it. I have been mostly getting shots of birds in my back yard right now. It is a big upgrade from my D3400.

Run, don't walk, to pick up this camera body. Amazing low light quality, fast focus, huge files and beautiful video. This is a no-brainer if you're on the fence. It even improves the images I shoot with off-Nikon lenses.

I have owned d5100, d7100, d750 this is the best build yet. Great for Wildlife and low light landscape photo. I found it difficult to pick up my D750 with the d500 in the bag, I only wish each memory card type could copy to each other.

I waited a long time to pick up this D500. I shoot a ton of high school and collegiate sports and this camera is the bomb. I actually love the cropped sensor with gives my existing lens that bit extra reach. Super fast focus and frame rate. Really appreciate the ISO range for night games. Great size and feels good in the hand. Love it.

Coming from a Nikon D5500, the D500 is in a class of it's own. Of course the cost is much more, but if you take your Photography serious this is a good choice. The only weak point in my opinion is the video focusing is difficult and not as good compared to most of the Canon models in the same class. Still photos are what this camera does best. If you can afford it, get it now, you will be glad you did.

I am a wildlife photographer and have been shooting with a Nikon D800, which still have and love but for some of the bird life it was a little slow to focus and frames per second were on the slow side for fast moving subjects. When the D500 came out and I read the specs and looked at some testimonials it appeared to be what I was in search of. It was. I love the 10 FPS and it focuses really fast. The other features that help in my wild life photography are the DX crop factor and I am enjoying the touch/tilt screen for those shots close to the ground. I have not found anything about camera that has presented any problems.

Struggled for a long time choosing between the D500 and D750. Ultimately decided on the 500 because of its build quality, incredible autofocus, and control placement. Have not been disappointed with the decision. For sports the autofocus is the best I've used (have owned/used many), and low light focusing is unrivaled.

I've owned several Nikon cameras both DX and FX and I have the say the sheer power that this thing has is incredible. I guess the main reason that I got it was for it's high FPS burst for sports, and secondly the focusing system. The focusing system is fantastic along with the low light iso ability. Jumped on this as soon as the sell came out and a free vertical grip was offered. The only down side to the camera is the battery does not last as long as any of the other Nikon cameras that I've owned, even when in plane mode (not bad battery life, it's just not as good. WiFi/bluetooth drain). Bottom line: If you are into sports and/or wildlife, this camera is for you!

I shot mostly sports and birds and this Nikon D500 with the Nikon 300mm f4 makes it a joy. Auto focus is amazingly fast and accurate and the 10 fps captures all the fast moving action.

Fantastic in low light! Use primarily for live event photography. I have used for two events thus far and on vacation. Still haven't found a reason to dislike this camera.

The D500 is everything and more than was promised. The AF is fast and the photo quality is excellent. Very happy.

Have used this with the Nikon 200-500 and 20mm lenses so far, and the performance has been awesome. Speed is great, and focus point options really open up composition options. The dynamic range is far better than my d7200.

Out of the box this camera is a game changer. Already thinking about adding a second D500 body to my tool box.