Nikon D500

The Nikon D500 review camera fulfilled our expectations for a flagship APS-C DSLR camera and comes with most (if not all) the functions a serious enthusiast or professional photographer would require. In general, it's a worthwhile step up from the D300s it replaces and a welcome partner to the professional Nikon D5.

Able to handle a wide range of photographic genres from sports and wildlife to portraiture and low-light shooting, it also supports 4K movie recording as well as Full HD and HD video. The new 20.9-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor and EXPEED 5 image processor deliver sharp images with accurate colours and smooth tonal transitions, even with relatively high ISO sensitivity settings.

The native sensitivity range is a stop wider than the D7200's, while the extended sensitivity range beats the previous top-of-the-line DX camera. We wouldn't recommend using the highest ISO settings unless there was no alternative but it can be handy to have them in reserve. And at ISO 6400, noise levels are impressively low, which is sure to please indoor sports and wildlife shooters.

Nikon's D500 which was announced in early January at the same time as the D5, is the long-awaited successor to the D300s and the new flagship in Nikon's DX line-up. Because they share so many features, the D500 can be seen as a mini D5. However, while the D5 comes in two versions, one with dual XQD card and the other dual CompactFlash card slots, only one version of the D500 will be offered and it has dual XQD and SD slots, the latter compatible with SD, SDHC and SDXC cards.

Angled view of the Nikon D500 with the AF-S Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-5E VR lens used for this review. (Source: Nikon.) The review camera was supplied with the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR lens, which is offered with the camera body. Features shared with the D5 include the EXPEED 5 processor, Multi-CAM 20K AF module, 180,000-dot metering sensor and touch-screen monitor. The resolution of both cameras is virtually identical and both can record 4K video.

Most of the key controls are in the same places in both cameras, making allowance for the deeper, vertical grip body in the D5, which is missing from the D500 (an optional MB-D17 battery pack is available). These similarities will make swapping between them more intuitive. Both cameras have environmentally sealed, weather-resistant bodies and hot-shoes for external flashguns.

This illustration shows the positions of the weather-resistant sealing in the D500 body. (Source: Nikon.)

The shutter in the D500 is rated for 200,000 cycles, while its maximum continuous shooting speed is 10 frames/second (fps), compared with up to 14 fps for the D5. The buffer capacity is determined by the memory card used, with XQD cards offering the same 200 frame raw buffer as the D5, while SD cards have a maximum raw file capacity of 79 frames.

Sensitivity settings in the D500 reach a maximum of ISO 1,640,000, with a native range from ISO 100 to ISO 51200 plus an Auto setting. The D500 also differs from the D5 in being Wi-Fi equipped and Bluetooth enabled. Bluetooth is used to maintain connections with a smart device for image transfer and remote control. (More on this below.)

Who's it For? Nikon is targeting two groups of photographers with the D500: professional users who can benefit from the cropped sensor (such as sports and wildlife photographers) and serious enthusiasts who want the latest and greatest feature suite in a more compact and lower-priced camera body. The nearest Canon competitor to the D500 is the 22-megapixel EOS 5D III, which was released in 2012 and is, therefore, somewhat long in the tooth.

Sony's updated trio of α7 cameras, released in the last 18 months could also be seen as competitors by photographers who prefer mirrorless cameras.

Build and Ergonomics Built for durability, the D500's body is a monocoque structure with the top and rear panels made from magnesium alloy, while the front panel is reinforced with lightweight carbon fibre. Though smaller than the D5, the D500 is still a relatively large DSLR, although it weighs slightly less than the camera it replaces.

The D500 has the same level of weatherproof sealing as the D810, as shown in the illustration below. The lack of a pop-up flash further improves weather resistance. Appropriately for its class, the D500's card slots have a separate compartment in the right hand side of the body, with the XQD slot above the SD slot.

Close-up view showing the D500's dual XQD and SD slots. (Source: Nikon.)

The grip is similar to the grip on the D300s and will suit photographers with larger hands. The control layout is also similar to the D300s with some modifications, such as the addition of a Fn (function) button to the line-up left of the monitor. There's another one on the front panel to the lower right edge of the lens mount.

The rear panel buttons can be illuminated when the power on/off switch is rotated beyond the on position. This also lights up the status LCD panel. This feature is a ‘first’ on Nikon's DX-format DSLRs.

The multi-selector has been moved down to make way for a joystick control that is used for AF point selection but also doubles as an AE/AF lock control. The viewfinder in the D500 has a circular eyepiece with an old-style shutter for excluding stray light during long exposures. It's the largest viewfinder so far on a cropped-frame DSLR.

The new viewfinder provides 100% coverage of the field of view with a same-size magnification (based on the sensor size). But this comes with a small reduction in eye relief, a compromise that may not suit photographers who wear glasses. Dioptre adjustment of -3 to +1 may not be quite wide enough to accommodate some of them.

Rear view of the D500. (Source: Nikon.)

An alternative angled view showing the monitor pulled out. (Source: Nikon.)

The monitor on the D500 flips up and pulls out like the D750's, but it has the same 3.2-inch diagonal and 2,359,000-dot (XGA) resolution as the D5's and supports the same touch-screen controls. Because of these controls, unlike the fixed monitors on other Nikon cameras, it has no plastic protection screen. Live View shooting is virtually identical in both cameras.

Side-by-side above the Live View switch are the ‘i’ and ‘Info’ buttons. Pressing the ‘i’ button opens a menu page where you can choose from photo settings menu and custom memory banks (4 each), adjust image area, Active D-Lighting, and monitor brightness settings and enable or disable the electronic front-curtain shutter for mirror-up shooting. The Info button lets you toggle through five display options, which cover shooting data on/off, framing guides, histogram overlay (brightness only) and a virtual horizon overlay.

The removal of the D300's pop-up flash from the top panel emphasises the closeness of the D500 to Nikon's professional cameras. The camera supports Nikon's new radio-controlled SB-5000 flash system via the WR-R10 wireless remote control. You can also use the Speedlight SB-500 in commander mode.

The new camera's shutter mechanism is rated at 200,000 cycles, compared with 150,000 cycles in the D300 models. The Quiet shutter release modes carry over from the D300s.

Top view of the D500 with the AF-S Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-5E VR lens. (Source: Nikon.)

While Nikon shifted the Mode button on the D5 to the opposite side of the viewfinder housing, on the D500 it remains in the traditional position among the cluster of buttons that sit above the release mode dial. Other buttons here include the Quality, Metering and White Balance buttons. Bracketing is controlled via the menu system.

The ISO button is also in its traditional position behind the shutter release/power switch combination. Left of it is the red movie recording button while to the right is the exposure compensation control. Photographers who mainly shoot stills can re-program the movie button to control the exposure modes.

The battery compartment isn't confined to the grip but runs parallel with the camera body. Its door closes with a simple (and not very tight) latch and is hinged on the side facing the front of the camera. As usual, the card slots are located on the right hand side panel, with the interface ports on the left.

The base plate of the D500 showing the reorientated battery compartment. (Source: Nikon.)

Individual lift-up rubber covers protect the USB and HDMI connectors, which are separated by a compartment containing the microphone and headphone ports. Another rubber cover protects the flash synch and remote control terminals just around from them on the front panel of the camera body.

What's New? The autofocusing system in the D500 is based upon the Multi-CAM 20K sensor module, which is used in the D5 for phase-detection AF. Its 153-point array covers almost the full width of the frame, as shown in the illustration below.

This illustration shows the D500's AF point array. The 55 selectable points are shown as boxes. (Source: Nikon.)

A dedicated microprocessor handles the data from the 153 points, while the linked 180,000-pixel RGB sensor enables a detailed scene analysis to be carried out to improve focusing accuracy. Autofocusing is possible in light levels as low as -4EV with the central point and -3EV with all other points, while the refined AF algorithm includes new settings for AF lock-on and predictive focus tracking.

When the camera is set to the 1.3x crop mode, this reduces the usable AF points to 117, of which 63 are cross-type sensors and 45 are user-selectable. Attaching a teleconverter further reduces the number of usable points, depending on the effective maximum aperture of the converter plus lens. The minimum number of AF points with an effective maximum aperture of f/8 is 15, nine of which are selectable.

We’ve covered the capabilities of the system in our review of the D5. Suffice it to say, we found the AF system in the D500 as fast and accurate as the D5's.

Nikon has also improved the meteringsystem, with a 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor that is superior to the 1,005-pixel sensor in the D300S. Nikon's Advanced Scene Recognition System is also included, along with a new White Balance: Keep White feature, which delivers a more natural colour reproduction thanks to the EXPEED 5 image processor.

Introduced for the first time for stills photography is Flicker Reduction, which was previously only available in movie mode. This function uses detectors to identify flicker from fluorescent and mercury vapour lighting and synchronise exposures with brightness peaks. Separate settings are used for stills and movie recording and detection is turned off by default.

The Flat Picture Control mode has been added to the D500's options. Designed for images that will be edited, it ‘provides minimal dramatisation while preserving the material characteristics’. This enables adjustment to images without risk of overblown highlights, blocked-up shadows or over-saturation. A comparison between the Neutral, Vivid and Flat Picture Control settings can be seen in the illustration below.

Top: Neutral Picture Control; middle: Vivid Picture Control; bottom: Flat Picture Control.

Wi-FiNikon is making a big deal about the communications system built into the D500, which is based upon Nikon's new Bluetooth-enabled SnapBridge for connecting the camera to a smart device. The D500 is the first camera with this feature. Eye-Fi cards are also supported.

Instead of providing the standard Wi-Fi integration, the D500 contains separate both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips. It uses Bluetooth as its main control channel, only activating Wi-Fi when it is really needed to communicate with the internet via the connected smart device. This appears to be a rather unconventional way of going about wireless communications.

When this review was published, SnapBridge only worked with Android devices "" and not all of them. According to Nikon's s Australian website, the iOS app is supposed to be available from the summer of 2016. (Strangely, the same message appears on several Northern Hemisphere websites.) A Nikon representative assured us the iOS app should be available ‘ later this year’.

The delay in releasing an iOS app that works the same way the Android one does can be attributed to the fact that Apple doesn't allow one communications channel to control another. So, while the camera and smartphone are always communicating via Bluetooth, the app that controls whether Wi-Fi is activated is unable to operate. Nikon's optional WT-7A wireless transmitter (which adds a wired Ethernet port and supports faster Wi-Fi connectivity) can overcome this problem but its cost is rather high and it wasn't listed on any local resellers’ websites yet.

There are some other provisos for working with SnapBridge: 1. The existing app requires Android 5.0 or later (or 6.0.1 or later) and the smart device must support Bluetooth 4.0 (Bluetooth Smart Ready/Low Energy). 2. A display resolution of WVGA (960 ø— 540 pixels) or better is required on the smart device. 3. The app can connect to only one camera at a time. 4. Movies can only be downloaded by switching to Wi-Fi and selecting the files manually. 5. Remote movie recording is not supported. 6. The app cannot be used to view movies. 7. Most of SnapBridge's Wi-Fi capabilities can be done more simply with existing iOS and Android NIS apps, which are available now. 8. Devices with an Intel Atom CPU are not supported. 9. Nikon's European website notes the app requires a 100 MB or more of free memory on the smart device.

Pairing a compatible device with the D500 should be straightforward if you have NFC (Near Field Communication); you simply touch the device to the N mark on the card compartment door. This should launch the Wireless Mobile Utility app. If that doesn't work, you can configure the connection via the Wi-Fi settings in the camera's setup menu

Whether you would want SnapBridge's continuous connection is debatable, particularly if you don't use Wi-Fi much and have concerns about power consumption. Although the always-on communication is via ‘low energy’ Bluetooth, some power drain is inevitable while SnapBridge is running. Fortunately, you can over-ride the auto setting and synchronise selected shots and transfer larger images manually. The camera also has an ‘Airplane’ mode in its Settings menu that lets you switch off the wireless interface.

Event photographers will probably find SnapBridge beneficial as it allows just-shot image files to be instantly transmitted to a display monitor or printer. News photographers could find similar benefits. SnapBridge will also provide some benefits to enthusiastic users of social media. In each case, once the link between the camera and smart device has been set up: 1. It will enable images to be transferred automatically and almost instantaneously to the connected device as shots are taken. These images are resized to 1920 x 1080 pixels, which Nikon considers an ideal size for smartphones and social media. Once they’re on your smart device, they’re easy to upload. 2. You can have images moved automatically to the Nikon Image Space cloud service which is now in its third version and provides ‘unlimited’ storage for the 2-megapixel images or up to 20GB for larger files. You are required to set up an account and obtain a registered Nikon ID but once that's done shots will be uploaded automatically to your account. (There's a catch to this; once Nikon has your details it's in a position to send you direct marketing emails.) 3. Your smart device will notify you when firmware updates are issued for the camera. 4. GPS can be transferred automatically from an enabled smart device to the camera, which embeds it in the EXIF metadata for each image. 5. Captions and copyright information can be included in the images SnapBridge is handling.

Having limited use for social media, we found SnapBridge to be more hassle than it's worth for our type of photography. While it was easy to connect and the remote controls worked with the Samsung Galaxy S7 smart-phone, we were unable to connect two other smart devices in the household: a Nexus tablet and an older HTC smart-phone.

Sensor and Image Processing Like almost all sensors used in Nikon DSLRs, the DX-format imager in the D500 is made by Sony to Nikon's specifications. This CMOS chip has a total of 21.51 million photosites and an effective resolution of 20.9 megapixels. An RGB Bayer filter provides colour information but the lens lacks an anti-aliasing filter.

The EXPEED5 is shared with the D5 and accounts for the wide ISO range, fast burst speeds and higher buffer capacity in the new camera. Like previous models, the D500 supports three recording formats: JPEG, TIFF and NEF.RAW. Users can choose from two cropped formats (24 x 16 mm and 1.3x crop), three image sizes (large, medium and small) and 12- or 14-bit lossless compressed or compressed NEF.RAW. Simultaneous RAW+JPEG capture is offered at each of the three JPEG file sizes supported. Typical file sizes are provided in the table below.

Image quality setting

DX (24 x 16 mm)

1.3x crop

Image size

File size

Image size

File size

NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 12-bit

5568 x 3712

20.1MB

4272 x 2848

12.4MB

NEF.RAW, lossless compressed, 14-bit

25.0MB

15.4MB

NEF.RAW, compressed, 12-bit

17.2MB

10.7MB

NEF.RAW, compressed, 14-bit

21.3MB

13.1MB

NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 12-bit

33.1MB

20.1MB

NEF.RAW, uncompressed, 14-bit

43.1MB

25.9MB

TIFF (RGB)

L: 5568 x 3712

62.5MB

4272 x 2848

37.2MB

M: 4176 x 2784

35.6MB

3200 x 2136

21.4MB

S: 2784 x 1856

16.4MB

2128 x 1424

10.0MB

JPEG Fine

L: 5568 x 3712

10.4MB

4272 x 2848

6.5MB

M: 4176 x 2784

6.4MB

3200 x 2136

4.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

3.4MB

2128 x 1424

2.4MB

JPEG Normal

L: 5568 x 3712

5.3MB

4272 x 2848

3.4MB

M: 4176 x 2784

3.3MB

3200 x 2136

2.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

1.8MB

2128 x 1424

1.3MB

JPEG Basic

L: 5568 x 3712

2.8MB

4272 x 2848

1.8MB

M: 4176 x 2784

1.8MB

3200 x 2136

1.2MB

S: 2784 x 1856

1.0MB

2128 x 1424

0.8MB

Video Recording capabilities are essentially the same as the D5's although going by the supplied user manual the three minute limit doesn't seem to apply to clip recording times. Like the D5 (and other Nikon DSLRs), the D500 uses the MOV (MPEG-4) recording format with H.264 compression and Advanced Video Coding. Electronic image stabilisation is available.

For PAL system users, the camera offers the following recording options: – 4K UHD (3840 x 2160 pixels) at 25p or 24p with a maximum bit rate of 144 Mbps; – Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 50p with a maximum bit rate of 48 Mbps and – Full HD at 25p or 24p and HD (1280 x 760) at 50p with a maximum bit rate of 24 Mbps.

Frames are cropped in movie mode and users can choose between DX and 1.3x crops. At a frame size of 3840 x 2160 pixels, each frame is cropped to 16.2 x 9.1 mm, which provides an increase in the effective lens focal length of approximately 1.5x.

When DX is selected as the image area in the Full HD and HD modes, the frame size is approximately 23.5 x 13.3 mm. With 1.3x crop selected, the frame size is reduced to 18.0 x 10.1mm, giving a 1.3x increase in effective focal length over the DX format setting. Still photos with an aspect ratio of 16:9 can be captured while recording a movie clip but this terminates the recording. Shots are recorded as JPEGs regardless of the camera setting and individual 4K frames can be saved as 8-megapixel JPEGs.

The camera can record stereo soundtracks with either the built-in microphone or an external microphone. Microphone sensitivity levels is adjustable across 20 increments and a sound level indicator is provided. Wind noise reduction is also available.

The D500 also supports 4K UHD time-lapse photography and interval time shooting, with the ability to record up to 9,999 shots in a sequence. An exposure smoothing function reduces undesirable flicker effects by reducing exposure differences between frames.

Finally, the D500 can record movie clips simultaneously to the memory card and an external recorder, enabling a quick and easy backing-up strategy. Flat picture control, Zebra Stripes, Power Aperture Control, Smooth Exposure and electronic vibration reduction are also available for movie recordings.

[D5 update: the D500 maximum recording time is 29 minutes and 59 seconds. The Nikon D5 maximum recording time for a video clip has now been extended to the same level. D5 users can update their cameras via the recent D5 firmware updates.]

Playback and Software The D500 offers the normal playback options provided by most cameras, including full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images) playback, zoom of up to 21x for large DX images and movie playback. Like the D5, its touch-screen monitor supports the standard gestural controls, including swipe, pinch and spread. Tapping on the screen activates movie playback. If two cards are installed, users can select which one to playback.

The camera can display photo and movie slide shows, brightness and RGB histograms, highlight alerts, photo information and location data (obtained from a connected GPS-enabled device). Auto image rotation is also available and users can delete and protect selected frames and the camera can be set to embed copyright information. Pressing the ‘i’ button allows users to apply star ratings to shots, select images to send to a connected device, embed IPTC data in selected still images, access the options in the retouch (for still photos) and edit (for movies) menus and choose the slot and folder for storing shots.

No software was supplied with the review camera but the printed user's manual provides URLs for linking to downloads for the SnapBridge app and also Nikon's download centre, where you can find ViewNX-I and Capture NX-D, the recommended programs for file management and raw file processing. Performance Subjective assessments of images from the camera we received showed them to be sharp, colour accurate and generally rich in detail. With Auto D-Lighting switched off, contrast was relatively high in shots taken in contrasty lighting. Switching it on allows the photographer to choose from five settings: Auto plus four graded processing levels.

Our Imatest tests showed saturation levels in JPEG files were nicely balanced with only minor shifts in colour balance affecting the yellow, red and blue hues. Converted raw files had slightly lower saturation but similar colour accuracy.

Imatest showed the resolution of JPEG files to be up to expectations in the centre of the frame and only slightly below expectations at the edges. (This fall-off is due to the lens.) With NEF.RAW files converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw (our preferred file converter), both centre and edge resolutions were well above expectations.

Resolution remained high between the Lo1 ISO setting and ISO 6400, after which it began a gradual decline. There was a significant drop in resolution, particularly for JPEG files, with each step in the ‘Hi’ range, with shots taken at settings above Hi2 so fragmented we were unable to measure them. The graph below plots the results of our Imatest tests on JPEG and NEF.RAW files for ISO settings up to Hi2.

Long exposures at night were detailed and colour-accurate, right up to ISO 25600, after which softening and noise became progressively more noticeable. Colour saturation declined at ISO 51200 and granularity was obvious. Shots taken with the Hi1 setting would be usable at small output sizes but by Hi3 the image was very soft and flat looking. The Hi5 setting the image was seriously noise-affected and effectively unusable.

Without a flash, we could only test the review camera with tungsten and fluorescent light and found its white balance performance was similar to other Nikon cameras we’ve tested. The auto setting delivered almost neutral colour rendition under fluorescent lighting.

Three auto white balance settings: Auto 0 which keeps the balance white and reduces warm colours, Auto 1 the ‘normal’ setting and Auto 2 which keeps the warm lighting colours.

The Auto 0 setting came very close to removing the warm cast imparted by incandescent lights, while the others failed to remove it. Shots taken with the auto white balance under fluorescent lighting came close to neutral colour reproduction.

The manual pre-sets over-corrected slightly, imparting a slight blue cast to shots taken under fluorescent lighting but coming close to a neutral colour balance with incandescent lights. Manual measurement produced neutral colour rendition with both lighting types.

Plenty of pre-sets are available for dealing with tricky types of lighting and, in our test shots, the camera handled mixed lighting very well. There are also lots of in-camera adjustments available for tweaking colours on-the-fly.

Video clips were similar to those from the D5, although they appeared to have a slightly wider dynamic range when the Active D-Lighting function was set on Auto. Our tests were conducted in two different environments: heavy cloud and bright sunlight. In both situations, deep shadows tended to be very black but bright highlights were seldom blown-out.

Autofocusing was similar to the D5's and generally very good. In most situations the camera was able to lock quickly onto subjects and maintain focus while subjects were moving. Focusing while shooting movies was marginally faster than we found with the D5, although in low and low-contrast lighting autofocusing sometimes lagged. This was particularly obvious in video clips shot at 24 frames/second.

The built in microphones produced nice soundtracks in most situations, although even when the wind filter was activated, the microphones were susceptible to wind noise. We’d recommend using an external mic in blustery conditions. Without an external microphone or recording device, we were unable to test all the audio recording capabilities of the camera.

Our timing tests were carried out with a Lexar Professional 64GB SDXC UHS-II memory card, which claims a transfer speed of 300 MB/second and is fast enough for recording 4K movies and fast bursts of high-resolution stills. The review camera powered-up almost instantaneously. When the viewfinder was used, capture lag times averaged 0.2 seconds without pre-focusing, reducing to an average of less than 0.05 seconds when shots were pre-focused.

Shot-to-shot times in the single-shot mode averaged 0.35 seconds. It took 1.2 seconds to process each JPEG or NEF.RAW file or a RAW+JPEG pair and 1.5 seconds for each TIFF file. In Live View mode, capture lag times were the same as with the viewfinder but shot-to-shot times extended to 0.55 seconds on average.

In the high-speed continuous shooting mode, the camera recorded 40 Large/Fine JPEG frames with maximum quality in 4.1 seconds, which is in line with specifications. It took 1.5 seconds to process this burst. Uncompressed 14-bit raw files filled the buffer memory at around 23 frames without impacting on the frame rate. Buffer clearing took 4.9 seconds.

Swapping to compressed RAW+JPEG capture, we recorded 52 frames in just over five seconds, which is also in line with specifications. Processing was completed within 4.2 seconds of the last frame captured. With the TIFF format, capture rates were the same as for JPEG and raw files but the processing time extended to beyond 30 seconds.

Conclusion The review camera fulfilled our expectations for a flagship APS-C DSLR camera and comes with most (if not all) the functions a serious enthusiast or professional photographer would require. In general, it's a worthwhile step up from the D300s it replaces and a welcome partner to the professional Nikon D5.

Able to handle a wide range of photographic genres from sports and wildlife to portraiture and low-light shooting, it also supports 4K movie recording as well as Full HD and HD video. The new 20.9-megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor and EXPEED 5 image processor deliver sharp images with accurate colours and smooth tonal transitions, even with relatively high ISO sensitivity settings.

The native sensitivity range is a stop wider than the D7200's, while the extended sensitivity range beats the previous top-of-the-line DX camera. We wouldn't recommend using the highest ISO settings unless there was no alternative but it can be handy to have them in reserve. And at ISO 6400, noise levels are impressively low, which is sure to please indoor sports and wildlife shooters.

FOOTNOTE: The D500 is made in Thailand, as are most of Nikon's DSLR bodies. However, it uses an image sensor manufactured by Sony in factories located in the area affected by the Kumamoto earthquakes in April. Consequently, supplies of the camera may be limited until Sony's sensor factories resume full production later in the year, although most of the online resellers we visited showed the camera as being ‘in stock’. The latest news from Sony says these factories should be ‘back online’ in August.

Image sensor: 23.5 x15.7 mm CMOS sensor with 21.51 million photosites (20.9 megapixels effective) Image processor: EXPEED5 A/D processing: 12 or 14 bit (lossless compressed, compressed, or uncompressed) Lens mount: Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts) Focal length crop factor: 1.5x Image formats: Stills: JPEG (DCF Ver. 2.0, Exif Ver.2.3), NEF.RAW, RAW+JPEG; Movies: MOV (H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding); Linear PCM stereo audio Image Sizes: Stills "" DX: 5568 x 3712, 4176 x 2784, 2784 x 1856; 1.3x crop: 4272 x 2848, 3200 x 2136, 2128 x 1424; Movies: 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD); 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p [Full HD] 1920 x 1080: 50p/28 or 24 Mbps, 50i/24 or 17Mbps, 25p/24 or 17Mbps; [HD] 1280 x 720 30/25p at 6Mbps Image Stabilisation: Lens-based Dust removal: Image sensor cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (Capture NX-D software required) Shutter (speed range): Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal-plane mechanical shutter; electronic front-curtain shutter available in mirror up release mode (range: 1/8000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb & Time, X-synch at 1/250 sec.) Exposure Compensation: +/- 5EV in 1/3EV, 1/2EV or 1EV steps Exposure bracketing: 9 frames Other bracketing options: Flash, White balance, ADL Self-timer: 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds delay; 1 to 9 exposures at intervals of 0.5, 1, 2, or 3 s Focus system: Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, and 153 focus points (including 99 cross-type sensors and 15 sensors that support f/8), of which 55 (35 cross-type sensors and 9 f/8 sensors) are available for selection Focus modes: Single-servo AF (AF-S), Continuous-servo AF (AF-C), predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status, Manual focus (M):, Electronic rangefinder can be used; Single-point AF, 25-, 72-, or 153- point dynamic-area AF, 3D-tracking, group-area AF, auto-area AF Exposure metering: TTL metering using 180,000-pixel RGB sensor, Matrix (3D colour/colour matrix metering III), Centre-weighted (75% on 8mm circle in centre of frame) and Spot (3.5mm circle) metering patterns Shooting modes: Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M) Picture Control modes: Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape, Flat, selected Picture Control can be modified; storage for custom Picture Controls Other options: Active D-Lighting, index marking, time-lapse movies, electronic vibration reduction Colour space options: sRGB and Adobe RGB ISO range: Auto, ISO 100 to ISO 51200 in steps of1/3, 1/2, or 1EV; extensions to ISO 50 and ISO 1640000 equivalent available White balance: Auto (3 types), incandescent, fluorescent (7 types), direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade, preset manual (up to 6 values can be stored, spot white balance measurement available during live view); Kelvin temperature (2500 K to 10000 K), all with fine-tuning. Flash: External flashguns only Flash modes: Front-curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync, slow rear-curtain sync, off, Auto FP High-Speed Sync supported Flash exposure adjustment: -3 to +1 EV in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV Sequence shooting: Max. 10 frames/sec. Buffer capacity: Max. Large/Fine JPEGs, RAW files or RAW+JPEG pairs Storage Media: Dual card slots for XQD and SD, SDHC, SDXC memory cards (UHS-II compliant) Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism with approx. 100% coverage (DX) or 98% coverage (1.3x); approx. 1.0x magnification, 16mm eyepoint, -3 to +1 dioptre adjustment, Type B BriteView Clear Matte Mark II focusing screen with AF area brackets LCD monitor: 3.2-inch TFT touch-sensitive LCD with approx. 2,359,000 dots, 170 ° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, manual monitor brightness control Playback functions: Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9, or 72 images), playback zoom, movie playback, photo and/or movie slide shows, histogram display, highlights, photo information, location data display, auto image rotation, picture rating, IPTC information embedding and display Interface terminals: SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0 Micro-B connector), Type C HDMI connector, microphone and headphone jacks (3.5mm diameter), Ten-pin remote terminal Connectivity: Wi-Fi: IEEE 802.11b/g with open system, WPA2-PSK security; NFC Forum Type 3 Tag; Bluetooth Specification Version 4.1 Power supply: EN-EL15 Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack; CIPA rated for approx. 1240 shots/charge Dimensions (wxhxd): Approx. 147 x 115 x 81 mm (body only) Weight: Approx. 760 grams (body only); 860 grams with battery and XQD card

Nikon Australiawww.nikon.com.au

Based upon JPEG files.

Based upon NEF.RAW files (14-bit, uncompressed) converted into 16-bit TIFF format with Adobe Camera Raw.

All images captured with the AF-S DX Nikkor 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR lens.

Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Auto 0 setting (retain white).

Auto white balance with incandescent lighting, Auto 1 setting (normal).

Auto white balance with fluorescent lighting.

30 second exposure at ISO Lo1, f/3.2, 35mm focal length.

30 second exposure at ISO 100, f/4, 35mm focal length.

15 second exposure at ISO 800, f/3.5, 35mm focal length.

10 second exposure at ISO 6400; f/8, 35mm focal length.

8 second exposure at ISO 12800; f/11, 35mm focal length.

3 second exposure at ISO 25600; f/16, 35mm focal length.

2.5 second exposure at ISO 51200; f/16, 35mm focal length.

2.5 second exposure at ISO Hi1; f/22, 35mm focal length.

One second exposure at ISO Hi3; f/22, 35mm focal length.

1/4 second exposure at ISO Hi5; f/22, 35mm focal length.

38mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/320 second at f/9.

65mm focal length, ISO 220, 1/100 second at f/8.

Active D-Lighting, high mode; 28mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/250 second at f/8.

Active D-Lighting, auto mode; 16mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/400 second at f/11.

80mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/500 second at f/10.

80mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/160 second at f/6.3.

80mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/200 second at f/7.1.

65mm focal length, ISO 100,1/125 second at f/5.6.

66mm focal length, ISO 100, 1/1600 second at f/4.

80mm focal length, ISO 200, 1/25 second at f/6.3.

80mm focal length, ISO 6400, 1/15 second at f/4.

58mm focal length, ISO 3200, 1/30 second at f/5.

46mm focal length, ISO 1200, 1/50 second at f/5.6.

One frame from a high-speed burst of shots taken at 10 fps; 80mm focal length, ISO 800, 1/25 second at f/6.3. The following still frames came from video clips shot under different lighting conditions.

Still frame from 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) video clip recorded at 25p in bright sunlight.

Still frame from 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD) video clip recorded at 25p in overcast conditions.

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded at 50p in bright sunlight.

Still frame from 1920 x 1080 video clip recorded at 25p in overcast conditions.

Still frame from 1280 x 720 video clip recorded at 50p in bright sunlight.

Still frame from 1280 x 720 video clip recorded at 50p in overcast conditions.

RRP: AU$3000; US$2000 (body only)