Nikon D500 : Tests and Reviews

Renowned German lens manufacturer Carl Zeiss’s latest Milvus range of DSLR lenses for Canon and Nikon are marketed as offering high-quality optical performance in a similar price bracket to such high-resolution options as Sigma’s Art range or Canon’s L-series lenses. The manual-focus Milvus range offers an all-metal dust and splash proof construction, a large rubberized focus ring, smooth manual focus control, as well as engraved focus distance and depth of field scales. The Nikon version also offers a manual control aperture ring that can be switched to de-click mode for video work.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mk II is the company’s new flagship mirrorless model, sitting above the PENs and is the latest addition to the range. Featuring a newly developed 20.4-MP Live MOS sensor and an impressively powerful TruePic VIII processor, the new model is capable of burst rates of up to 60 fps with AF-S (using the optional electronic shutter mode), and up to 18 fps with AF-C.

Announced in February 2016, the $749 Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 Di VC USD (Tamron 85mm f/1.8) is a fast, short telephoto prime lens available in Canon, Nikon, and Sony lens mounts. This review considers the performance of the Nikon version.

If you’ve invested in Nikon’s D500 APS-C DSLR, you’re no doubt delighted with its excellent build, tilting touch-screen LCD, new joystick control, chunky ergonomic handgrip, and large viewfinder. It’s a high-performance APS-C option, too, that includes the 153-point improved tracking autofocus system and Expeed 5 processing engine from Nikon’s flagship D5, as well as 10fps burst shooting of up to 200 14-bit RAW files.

In part 2 of our “best lenses for the Nikon D500” review, we look at some of the highest-scoring DX-format zoom lenses. There are many more DX zoom lenses available for the D500 compared to primes.  Zooms are a more popular lens choice for many APS-C shooters who are often looking for a more convenient and versatile multi-purpose lens.

With an all-new 20.9-Mpix APS-C CMOS sensor achieving a native ISO up to 51200, and capable of 10 fps in RAW with a 200-shot buffer, the D500 is the latest semipro-oriented crop camera model from Nikon. Read on to find out how well its sensor performs.

Nikon’s long-awaited upgrade to its venerable D300s DX-format DSLR has finally arrived in the shape of the new Nikon D500. Announced alongside the flagship FX-format D5, the new Nikon D500 shares much of its bigger sibling’s advanced technology, but in a smaller, rugged, weather-sealed shell.