Hey, this is Scott of Photography Banzai. In this video I'll be going over the Nikon D500.
Thanks to Camera Craft in Rockford Illinois for letting me try this out.
First thing, right off the bat, this camera is extremely solid feeling in the
hands. Even more so than my D750. Quite a bit more actually. It is definitely a level
above. It's one of those cameras you feel it and you think... Wow it feels like a
brick almost, but a brick in a good way. Going into more detail, memory cards...
You've got XQD and SD. XQD is a unique format. Not really widespread at the
moment. That said, you're going to pay a premium for the cards. They let me look
at a box of one ~$140. Of course, you can get a cheaper online. But still
extremely expensive. You do get those fast write speeds, so if you need
extremely fast cards... It is good to have an option for that format in this camera.
I'm big on SD cards. I like them. They're simple. They work. So it is nice that it
has the SD card slot as well. The back of the camera is pretty traditional Nikon
layout. It does have a few things, at least over my D750. It has that auto-focus nub,
which is great to have to quickly adjust auto-focus points. Especially in this
camera because it has a huge number of auto-focus points. Fills the entire frame,
which is amazing. It does have an FN2 button, which is kind of unusual looking.
The flip up screen is very similar to the D750's, but it is a lot more solid
feeling. Although, you can still see the ribbon cable in the back between the
screen and the camera. So I wouldn't say it's a lot more robust from a
weather-resistant standpoint. But the actual screen that extends out is
thicker more solid feeling. The top left control area is very similar to Nikon's
advanced cameras. You have buttons on the top that you press down and adjust them
with the main dials, which is nice. Feels really good to work with that style. So I
can see the appeal to that format of control. The viewfinder is probably one
of the best APS-C viewfinder as you can get. 100% view 1.0x magnification.
I really prefer this style of viewfinder in Nikon's lineup. That round port in
the back. Also has a switch to close off the viewfinder integrated into the
camera, which is great for astrophotography. Another great thing
about this viewfinder is the diopter switch. You have to pull it out to adjust
things. That way you can't accidentally change it, which I do a lot on my cameras.
It's really frustrating, so I'd love to have this
style of diopter adjustment. Ports wise, USB 3 which is really nice if you want
those high transfer rates. Mic port, headphone port, and also HDMI. Pretty
standard in that case. A lot of buttons and layout is very similar to my D750.
Bracket button. The auto-focus mode switch with integrated button. I like the setup
of that general control layout, so it's good that they stayed relatively
consistent. No pop-up flash, but I think it's a good trade-off for that great
viewfinder. As I said before, this camera feels amazing in the hands. Tossing it
around a little bit... Really hard for me to complain about anything build quality
wise, or button layout wise. Nice deep grip as Nikon has been doing lately with
their cameras. Menus are pretty standard Nikon layout. You have the large vertical
scrolling menus of all the functions and then a side tab. One of the drawbacks of
this camera which is pretty much the same of every Nikon at the moment. Live
view modes and live view auto-focus are something they really need to improve on.
Especially with my shift more towards video work, I've been wanting better
auto-focus and my view. Better video features, but we still don't have that in
the D500. It does have 4k recording, but the big drawback here is that it's an
additional crop to APS-C. That really makes wide-angle with this in 4k not an
easy thing to accomplish. 1080p video still only goes up to 60 frames/sec.
I would have liked to have seen 120 frames/sec, but that's not the case sadly.
That's said, video is not the focus of this camera. It is really focused on fast
reliable still photography. In conclusion, the most important aspects of this
camera are robustness and speed. By going with APS-C size sensor. You get a lot of
benefits at the price. Auto-focus, auto-focus points, even just the auto-focus
area that fills the entire screen. Build quality, which is huge. And the ergonomics
are improved over something like the D750. I think it's a really good
trade-off in this case for that small sensor. You get so much more. Really one of
the nicest cameras that I've held. I describe it like a stout bulldog style
to it. Really robust... compact for what it is, and a lot power. Currently the retail
price is around $1800 and you can get a D750 for $1500, so it is more expensive. But you're
getting a lot of advanced high-power features. So if you really need that
sports level camera... This would be the one to get, If you don't want to spend a
huge amount of money on a fast sports level full-frame camera. So that was the
Nikon D500. Definitely a really great camera for what it is, with the APS-C
size sensor. A lot of advanced high level Nikon features. Again, thanks to
Camera Craft for let me try this out at their shop. Thanks again!