Customer Ratings & Reviews

After using the D500 for just 3 days I'm still learning, this is one heck of a DX camera, Still have the D5500 but there is not comparison, the D500 just like a luxury car compared to a compact. If you can afford one I think you would be surprised at the performance and features offered.

I read a lot of reviews. The Nikon D500 is a gem of a camera. The photos are sharp and detailed. The new sensor and processor make it super fast. I very happy with the XQD memory card.

Upgraded to a D500 from my original camera body, a D3200. Took a little time to adjust to the new camera settings, but loving the better tracking focus and improved sensors.

Have had this camera almost a year and it is my favorite for taking bird pictures. Pictures shown taken with Nikon D500 and Tamron 100-400 lens.

Highly recommended for birds inflight photography. Best Buy made it a easy buy with the special offer.

I bought this as an outdoors sports backup body. The camera excels in outdoor lighting. Camera is very fast, it does have the 1.5x crop, but it will give you that extra reach if you’re looking for that. The camera touts the high ISO capability, but I do recognize fairly apparent noise after about 2500, unlike the D850. Overall, it’s a good camera, didn’t quite hit all my hopes after the recie s, but still a great deal for the price.

The only downside of this camera is the DX sensor. Everything else is absolutely great.

Excellent dslr fod a crop sensor. Definitely the beat on the market currently.

I love the D500. I've had more than a dozen Nikon DSLR cameras and this one is great. I photograph professionally and teach workshops. The WOW features on this camera are the frame rate and the low light performance. At 10 FPS, the camera is fast, but more importantly, with a fast XQD memory card like the Lexar Professional 2933X XQD, the write speed is nearly enough to keep up with the frame rate so the buffer never fills. You can rattle off 200 frames in a burst, then repeat with another burst of the same size. Not everyone needs this kind of speed, but for sports or wildlife it is very helpful. ISO performance of the D7200 was already quite good for a DX sensor, and this is just a little better. The advantage comes at higher ISO levels - great for low light. The D500 is about a half stop better than the D7200 under low light conditions making it nikon's best DX camera. Handling is typical of Nikon DSLR cameras - a solid, well built body with controls easy to access. I had no problem adjusting settings without every taking my eye from the viewfinder. The key change is the Mode and ISO buttons have been switched from the typical layout. This places the ISO button next to the shutter - easy to access and make changes that can be seen in the viewfinder. Card speed matters with this camera. Get a fast XQD card for best performance - a Lexar Professional 2933x or Sony G XQD card. Other cards will not perform at peak speeds and will fill the buffer in a shorter time. In the SD slot there are several options. I bought a Lexar 2000x UHS-II SD card, but there are some issues with this card and I would not recommend it until the issues are resolved. Be sure to get a UHS-II card for best speed. UHS-II has a second row of contacts and requires a new reader for peak speed. The Sandisk 280 MB/s UHS-II or Toshiba Exceria Pro UHS-II are good, fast cards. Stay away from slower cards like the Lexar 1000x or any UHS-I card. The camera can use UHS-I SD cards in an emergency, but they operate in compatibility mode and are much slower. This camera is the nice upgrade to the D300. It's a solid choice with a lot of great features. My bread and butter camera is still my D800E, but this camera is a very good compliment and my choice for moving wildlife and sports.

The Nikon D500 is a camera that professionals and enthusiasts have waited 7 years for. It replaces the D300s and is at the top of the APS-C market. The closest comparable competitor is the Canon 7D-MKII, and even it can't touch the build quality and performance of the D500. Now, lets talk about what makes the D500 great: -20.9 megapixel sensor with EXPEED 5 image processing. This processor is top of the line and the only other camera that has it is the $6500 D5. -153 Autofocus points that cover the sensor edge to edge with 99 of the points being cross-type. Shooting with this camera doing sports and wildlife shooting in bursts, the AF tracking is superb and unrivaled by any alternative. -ISO covers from 100-51,200 natively! This is unheard of in an APS-C body until now. This means this camera performs well even in low light situations. Look up some of the ISO tests on this camera and you will see that it impresses even at these higher ISO's. It can shoot up to 1,640,000 ISO, but that is not natively and is not recommended by Nikon. -4k Video. You may have heard that it does have a 1.5x additional crop factor when shooting video. Don't worry too much about that, if you are shooting with the correct lense, it won't be a problem. That said, the 4k video is amazing and looks great on my 4k TV. -Dual card slots. This camera includes one SD and one XQD card slot. While expensive, XQD is blazing fast and virtually eliminates the buffer so that you can continuously shoot. Speaking of buffer, even with SD, this camera is no slouch. Even shooting with SD only, I've never had to stop and wait for the buffer when using the continuous shooting features. -10FPS. That's right, you can capture 10 shots per second when shooting continuously. This is a feature you will find VERY useful for sports and wildlife photography. -Snapbridge is a new feature, exclusive to the D500 at the moment, that lets your camera connect to your phone via NFC/Bluetooth for image sharing among other features. All-in-all, this camera is a beast and an absolute must-have for any sports or wildlife photographer. Yes, it's no slouch for weddings, landscapes and portraits as well, but Full-frame sensors will surely outperform it in those areas. I would personally pair this camera with a D810 and use this one for the sports/wildlife and the D810 for Weddings/Portraits/Landscape. If you are in the market for a new high-end professional grade APS-C sensor, this camera is the one for you. Definitely buy it! Below, I've included a pair of photos taken with the camera.

Got the D500 to upgrade from my D90, and man what an upgrade it is! D500 is a beast, this camera does everything much better than the D90 as one would expect. Where is really shines is on the edges of performance, the speed both of focusing and of FPS is just spectacular. I'm VERY glad I waited till the 500 came out, I had played around with D7000/7200, to me the 7000 was just not worth the money when it came out, the 7200 would have been a nice step up, but this 500 is not a step, it's a leap. The white balance is simply worlds better than on the 90 and so is the jpeg engine with high ISO shots. These are both very important to me as I take both RAW and jpeg, but I don't want to have to spend my whole time in Photoshop correcting. With the jpegs right out of the camera they are stunning. On my D90 I would never shoot above 1000 ISO as it was just too noisy, with the D500 it has been on ISO 2000 for the last few days and I have gone up much much higher with great results. I just love this camera as I did with my trusty D90 that has served me well over the last 8 years. Hopefully the 500 will also. The shot of the chipmunk was done on the D500 with the 200-500 lens. A VERY highly recommended lens

As a retired photographer, I've been all Nikon since 1973 when I purchased my first Nikon F. I've owned at least 20 professional Nikon cameras over the years. After 12 days with my new D500, I'm blown away! I also have a D810 and D750, and bought this for the Dx sensor for wildlife. The D500 build feels really strong... It reminds me of the D810 except slightly smaller and lighter. The sensor is amazing, and can be cranked up to 51,200 ISO for uncapturable captures in VERY low light. The ISO can go higher, but the images become very noisy. The shutter is fast! The 10 FPS shutter is flawless, and the auto-focus keeps up with your moving targets. I have not had to fine-tune at all, even with my 600mm F4. This camera is a bargain! Great build, great sensor, great shutter, great AF system, great deal! I carry the 300mm F4 PF on my D500, and it is a terrific combination for shooting small birds hand held. If you shoot Nikon, and seek a professional level of performance from your cameras, the D500 definitely fills the bill! I appreciate Best Buy making this machine easy to own, with their 12-month, same-as-cash option.

Users of the, now dated, Nikon D300 and D300s have been waiting for a replacement camera to fill the gaps in Nikon's DX, or "Crop Sensor," range of cameras. This is that camera. It enters the lineup as the "Flagship DX Body" for professional use in the Nikon range. This camera is fast. 10 Frames Per Second, and a hefty 200 frame buffer in 14-bit RAW (when using the XQD Memory Card Format) make this a real winner for sports, action, and wildlife photography. This body puts out beautiful files, for both photos AND video. It is capable of 4K capture, with a 1.3x Crop (on top of the already existing 1.5x crop from it being a DX body). I bought this camera with a Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR lens, and the two make a strong pair for wildlife. I would definitely recommend this lens and body combination. I've posted some pictures to the "sample images" section of this page. Check it out and see for yourself!

I have been shooting Nikon cameras since the D70 came out. I've owned the D70, D200, D7000, D7200 and now the D500, They all have been great cameras (except maybe the D7000 with its back-focus issue). I still have my D7200 and have no plans to sell it. It still is an incredible camera. But while the D7200 has more megapixels than the D500 it pales in comparison when things start to move. The autofocus in the D7200 is pretty good but the D500 is amazing. Every reviewer will tell the same story. It finds focus and locks on. So why the 'but'? The D500 is a professionally built body and has professional controls and capabilities. And the autofocus, while better by a mile, is not the same beast as the D7200. The 'Dynamic' in particular is a bit troubling and does not behave like previous generations of Nikons did in that autofocus mode. If you shoot birds in flight (BIF) you will have better success in 'Group' or '3-D' modes. I'm still experimenting and practicing with it but can affirm that once you begin to understand how the system works, your keeper rate will skyrocket. Some things to know about this camera: Its really, really fast. 10fps is addicting and you'll wonder how you got by with anything less. If you have a remote cable from a 7000 series Nikon, it's not going to work with the D500. The D500 cable remote uses a 10-pin, screw-in style cable attachment and not the plug in ones used in other cameras. I had one leftover from my D200 and it is the same one used by the D500. Glad I saved it. To get the maximum possible capture rate without buffer slow down you will need to budget for an XQD card. They weren't cheap before and they've gone up. Right now only one manufacturer (Sony) is making them and with no competition, they can charge what they want. But, before I purchased one, I used a reasonably fast SD cart and couldn't slam the buffer. So, if you don't think you'll be shooting 200 consecutive shots in a row, a fast SD card will probably be just fine. I wasn't able to develop any confidence in the 'Auto Fine Tune' feature of lens calibration. Frankly, if you think you have a lens that is back or front focusing, you're better off with a lens calibration target and a tripod. And a cable release. Battery grip... the thing is ridiculously expensive for what it is, but I bought one anyway. And I can honestly say it's the first Nikon grip I've added to any of my cameras that does not move or wiggle once installed. I prefer the feel of a camera with the add-on grip and this one does not disappoint. There are a ton of customization options available for this thing and you will come to appreciate that. Now... about whether you should buy one... it depends. If you shoot family gatherings and landscapes, you won't realize any benefit over a D7200 or D7500, if you have one. In fact, my D7200 is a better camera for that, especially if you have a CLS Nikon flash and intend to use the pop-up flash to fire it. The D500 has no built-in flash and if you intend to control other flashes wirelessly, you'll need a controller or another flash to do so. Also, the 24mp cameras have more resolution and although the difference doesn't seem like much, it IS noticeable. Especially if you are looking for maximum pixel-peeping. If you have a D7000 or D7100, it will be a big step forward. Is it $800 better than a D7500 or $1200 better than a D7200? That depends on whether you are a sports or wildlife shooter. If you are, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. If not, then probably not. But if you ARE a wildlife shooter, this is the best of the best out there. I highly recommend the Nikon 200-500 F5.6 lens to go with it. It's a great combo. You won't be disappointed... after you spend some time with it. This camera does not suffer fools and will require you to spend time getting to know it. But that's true of any high-performance product. I highly recommend this thing to anyone who can and will use it for what it's designed to do. Hope this review helps someone on the fence about buying one. Tom

The D500 is in another league compared to every other crop-sensor camera on the market right now. Electronic image stabilization in 1080p video, 10 fps, huge buffer (even with just an SD card), 4k video, 100% coverage viewfinder, articulating screen, 1.6 million ISO, edge to edge AF, etc... The lower resolution, 20mp verses 24mp in other nikon DSLRs, does not seem to be a tangible difference. No, it isn't full frame, but it's the best crop sensor DSLR on the market today. I love this camera and would recommend this to any experienced photographers looking to upgrade.

Many people who bought the great Nikon D300 or D300s camera years ago have been waiting for its successor. It's here. The D500 has so many great features, I'll only have space enough for a few. First of all, it has most of the features of the D5, Nikon's flagship professional camera that costs $6,500. Here's some of the features: Low noise high ISO pictures up to ISO 51,200, and extended ISO up to 1,640,000. Ten frames per second up to 200 before it slows down. 153 focus points that cover practically the entire screen, and a new focus engine that works better than anything Nikon has done before. Built in WiFi and bluetooth, Touch screen that is hinged. Automatic timelapse movies. 4K video. Illuminated buttons. I'm sure I've forgotten something. It's a great camera. I love it.

I upgraded from at D7100, which I think is still an excellent camera, despite it's tiny buffer. The D500 is Nikon's flagship DX camera, aimed at enthusiasts and professionals alike. The layout (as you can see), is that of it's typical "pro-line" cameras, such as the D810, and the D500's predecessor the D300/D300s. The grip is along the same, comfortable feel as the D750, with a deep well that's comfortable for bother smaller hands and large hands. Potentially, you can change all of your on-the-fly settings (shutter, Aperture, ISO, Exposure Comp) with one hand with the ISO button placement. My favorite feature is most certainly the multi-selector (usually reserved for professional bodies like the D5). While you can still use the direction pad to move the AF point, the multi-selector just makes it more intuitive, and the placement makes sense, being so close to the AF-ON button. Pressing the Multi-Selector will also engage auto exposure lock if you need it. Speaking of the Auto-focus, it's amazing! It uses a 153-point AF system that covers the image end-to-end (left to right). There are 55-selectable points in both AF-S and AF-C, but it still uses the other 98 points as support, which works particularly well in AF-C mode. Another tidbit (and something all DSLR uses should be doing) is that upon inspection of where the AF point focuses with a single AF-point box (center-point), the actual coverage area expand beyond the box on all sides. I assume that that this is the work of the unselectable AF-points that surround a single selectable point (excluding the AF-points along the edges). ISO Noise is another surprise I was not expecting. Yeah, it has a sizable range of 100 to 51200 with extendable ranges of 50 on the low end and 1,640,000 on the high end. I won't get into low ISO performance (which is good, unless you're at an extreme EV number... don't know why you would do that in the first place), but at higher ranges, it performs flawlessly.. mostly. My experience came down to the overall lighting situation, as well as what lens I use. Yes, good glass matters with ISO. I've done some outdoor portrait shoots in varying lighting. I was at ranges between 400 and 1600, mostly sticking to 1600 using either a Sigma 24mm f1.4 Art or the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8G VRII. The pictures came out amazing. In pixel-peep mode, the noise was very fine, and it looked even better when I went black and white In fact, I even introduced more noise to the pic (very little.. but enough) and it looked like a shot I took from my Nikon F3 on ISO 800 film. Then, when I actually printed them out, there wasn't any noise at all. It doesn't stop there, folks. I set this up alongside my Sony a7SII for some astrophotography, and I was getting same noise in a ISO 1600 shot from the a7SII as I was with the D500 at ISO 800. The conditions were not as ideal as I want it (scattered clouds in heavy light pollution), but I was able to pull part of the galactic center with the D500 as I could with the a7SII. The reason why I would rather use the a7SII for astro overall is that it's full-frame, and the mirrorless-centric features like Focus Peaking and Bright Monitoring are amazing tools to utilize for astro. Overall, the Nikon D500 is about as good as it comes in an APS-C format camera. This camera is for certain making full-frame counterparts like the D750 run for the hills and Nikon has managed to close the gap between FX and DX bodies in terms of noise handling considerably. I'm surprised how well the D500 manages ISO noise, it's plenty fast for it's true purpose (sports and wildlife), but is well capable as a portrait and astro shooter. I think Nikon's future is bright because this camera and the D5 is paving the way for future FX products. For what it does, the price to play is well worth it. I highly recommend what will become the next legend in Nikon's lineup.

I have bought 2 D500s one for myself to upgrade from a D70 and the other for my father to upgrade his Nikon. This camera is easy to use and great for all photography including low light. Only draw back is that it’s a little power hungry.

Closest to a full frame you will get to! The deal came with a grip which works great; you will need to get extra battery. Get the app to transfer pics from camera to location you remove pics!

that I have ever used. Amazingly fast for capturing great sports photos and great quality even in high ISO ranges. The XQD card is fast, but hard to find locally. Finding an XQD Card reader is even harder. Not Nikon's fault; Sony stopped licensing the technology so there is only one supplier...Sony. Hopefully they'll up the production because file transfer rate is outstanding.