Nikon D500 - What it does it does very, very well.

A bit of a departure for us, but today Alastair discusses why the Nikon D500 has such a special place in the cameras he uses on a regular basis. The D500 flies under the radar and is generally not given nearly the respect it deserves. Alastair feels otherwise, though.

[ele]

I have been shooting Nikon since Nikon F. Had all the cameras Nikon has produced. From the Nikon F to the Z9. My passion? BIF (Birds In Flight) photography. I have the Nikkor AF-S 300mm f/4D IF-ED. Amazing lens! So much they still produce and sell brand new. This lens with the TC-14II is another pearl combination. Not image loss or autofocus speed. Snap to the point in no time. Nikkor AF-S 500mm F/4.0 VRII another amazing pearl. Works the same way with TC-14 III, Nikkor AF-S 600mm F/4.0 FL. This is a beast! Works great with all the TCs. Nikkor AF-S 800mm F/5.6 FL is slow. I sold it. Not worth a penny for BIF. My Sigma 150-600mm is auto-focus faster than that lens. Let me tell you this: Nikon has the best autofocus system ever developed in the D500 (Same on the D5 and D850). I shoot more keepers with this camera then with the Z9. Believe it or not, the camera is faster to acquire the bird in flight at any background including the busy ones. It locks on it and does not let go, keeps tracking head on to you at speeds of 60 miles an hour or more. It is more sensitive to low light than the Z9 despite the fact that in theory the Z9 shows better sensitivity on the specs. I like the camera so much that I purchased another brand new one in January 2023. the camera is out of production in February and now B&H is selling brand new again. Noise? what is that? with Photolab 6, noise is not an issue anymore. I regret that I purchased the Z9 and the Z 800mm. The workflow is terrible. if you shoot 20, 30, 60 or 120 FPS you will have tons of photos and how long it will take you to download? I don't like to spend hours behind the computer. I could write a book about this matter. Don't sell your D500. keep it and learn all the camera does for BIF you will love it. You will not learn overnight what the camera is capable of. However, persisting in finding all the camera does relentlessly you will be great at BIF. Sure lots of "experts" will start "attacking" what I just said. Believe me. My best shots I take with my D500. A lens I don't have it and will purchase soon is the Nikkor AF-F 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR it is small and super light and snappy at autofocus. Together with the D500 it will be the KILLER!

[bradtrounson]

I have had the D500 for just over a year and it’s amazing.

[EgoundderRest]

Meine D500 ist seit gut 7 Jahren bei mir und hat inzwischen ca. 160.000 Auslösungen hinter sich. Störungsfrei!!
Auch ich nutze Ihre Objektivkombination + das 80 - 400mm AF-S.
Die D500 ist einfach eine fantastische Kamera mit einer ausgezeichneten Bildqualität. Schwer zu toppen in der (Alters-) Klasse.
Die Fotoqualität reicht jederzeit für Drucke in hochwertigen Zeitschriften oder Büchern.
Klar erwarte ich eine Z - Kamera in dieser Entsprechung. Aber die Messlatte liegt hoch. Auch wenn ich den Z-Nachfolger, wenn er denn meine Erwartungen erfüllt, kaufen werde - von meiner guten D500 trenne ich mich garantiert nicht.

[edc]

This camera IS underrated. I own 2 and even though I own FF Nikons, I seem to always go with this camera. You are right about megapixels. They are overrated. I also own a D700 with 12 mps and that iconic camera produces lovely colors. Great, sensible video.

[funkyuk]

Spot on. “Full frame” and massive file sizes are not necessarily your friend. Usability counts for a lot. I’m still shooting a d300 for all my product photography.

[jdamk]

The D500 really is an amazing bit of kit, I shoot an a7s along side my D500 professionally, I am getting an a7iv but the D500 will not leave service. Having a crop usually means closer minimum focus, shooting in cramped parties this is a godsend, with my Sony 85 1.8 I’m always backing up because I’m too close and it won’t focus. The sigma 18-35 is my go to for events.

[robertdavis]

Thanks for sharing...yes I agree with your comments although I am only a hobbyist I just love taking pics of whatever interests me when out won't be upgrading at this point in time & I am disappointed with Nikon discontinuing this model...I love Nikon gear & still use my D7100.with my various lenses.
. cheers..😀

[dannydonohue]

Yes I agree with you! -Even though my trusty D500 is 5 years old, its still my best go to camera and the one I rely on, because of the excellent qualities which you've mentioned most of them especially the battery life (once the airplane mode is on). I'll hang on to my D500 longer as the file size for me is perfect! Not too large but handy for Birding and Sports shooting excellent match with the Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 FL and the 200-500mm F5.6...

[ansgarbook]

Its the one Nikon DSLR I bought again cause I missed it so much

[tedbowling]

Great video! One of the greatest cameras ever made for sure.

[GoneToHelenBach]

Very well said, the D500 has enough resolution for 99% of anyone's photographic needs and simply does everything very well indeed. I would love to own a second D500 to save the time and inconvenience of lens swapping. I had a D7200 which I used alongside the D500 for that purpose but sold it to dip my toe into the mirrorless world with the Z50, which turned out to be a dismal camera, oh well - what is done can't be undone. The latest rumours suggest a 24mp mirrorless replacement for the D500 is coming early next year with the name Z90, so a crop sensor Z9 maybe? I'll be watching with great interest.

[joesjunkgarage]

Fantastic sage wisdom on a wonderful timeless camera! Thanks for sharing!

[TwizyMan]

I agree completely with everything you say in this video. I too own a D500 and a D810 which is capable of producing stunning images. However I have a special connection with the D500 and it is my favourite digital camera so far. I was bought up on film and worked for an advertising photography studio in the 1980s. For 35mm work we used Nikon F2 cameras and I still own 2 of them today as they remain my favourite 35mm film camera. My favourite camera of all time is the Rolleiflex SL66, I still own the one I bought in 1979 and it has probably earned me more money than any other camera I have owned.

[ephotosaver]

Thank you, Alastair for this great discussion on the D500 I'm in the market for a slightly used model and based on your comments it's a tremendous all-around pro camera.

[karenc]

Thank you - I just picked up a used one with shutter count of 2, 067!! It was a great deal. I still can’t part with my others but I look firearm to using this one.

[lesleyh]

The D500 was my 3rd crop sensor Nikon camera and by a very wide margin the best. For how and what I shoot crop sensor cameras make sense and really works well for me. I agree with the statement made here about file size. I don’t make large photographs from my files and do all my post editing on a tablet so file size really matters to me. I don’t want large file sizes to work with or to have store. The D500 produces beautiful images from all the lenses I own. The ability to quickly get focus, hold focus and track subjects is amazing with the D500 however I admit I have not used mirrorless cameras to date so can’t compare. I am an amateur enthusiast photographer so price really counts also. I enjoy the lenses I own and for me these lenses on the D500 do all I can ask for. Right now even if I wanted to absorb the cost of moving to a different system it just would not make sense as I am still learning on my system and just cannot see a reason for change. I really would recommend the D500 for anyone who is looking for an amazing, reliable and fast camera at a reasonable cost. I know there are great deals out there on D500’s from people switching to mirrorless because it is fashionable so you can probably get a little used D500 at an amazing price.

[Aperazzo_Salsa_Pics]

Could not agree more... Not a pro shooter by far but I regularly shoot at salsa parties paired with an Signa Art 18-35. Its focus capabilities are just wild. And you are correct, the buffer is legendary. In 2019 I took it to horse races and boy did that work out well!

[samuelsmith]

To this day I still own:
From Nikon a d500, d7100, d810, d700, z6ii
From Fuji XT1, XT4, XE1-full spectrum, x100s, x100v
From sony an A7iii.
and a leica Q. Plus a whole host of 35mm film cameras.
My most used camera, which has been used to take my favourite images, and is my favourite camera to shoot with is the D500. I'd say about 50% of the time this is the camera I'm using. Given the amount of cameras I needlessly own, the D500 is very over represented. I'd never sell it. Its the only digital camera I have with a sentimental attachment.

[gmz]

The large photo site crop sensor makes it a great low light camera and when coupled with the D5 focusing system is unbeatable in low light situations with fast reliable focus. Throw in the dual battery grip and 10 FPS and it makes event/wedding photography a breeze. The crop factor on a 70-200 f2.8 lens allows you to stand back and reach subjects at a podium or on stage like say a concert. It's built and designed for sports/wildlife photography but it does a great job doubling as a low light event/wedding camera.

[afiqzamanhuri]

I bought mine in 2018 on a discount around MYR 6000. Since then I never saw it discounted below MYR 7000.

Really love how it teaches me. I've jumped from D5300, so its capabilities makes me learn new skills and step up. Now paired it with 200-500mm, super satisfied for what it's worth.