Why You Can Trust CNET D500 resurrects Nikon's budget pro dSLR presence
It's been 6 long years since the Nikon D300s, and at CES 2016 Nikon returns with a new flagship APS-C dSLR for action photographers on a budget.
When Nikon announced the D500 it took me a while to figure out where it fit in the scheme of things. In the six long years since the company had released its scaled-down buddy to the pro D3, the D300s, the D4 and D4s had come and gone without a D400, and I'd decided Nikon didn't see a market for a $2,000 budget pro model anymore. I completely forgot about it.
Well, Nikon's back with an APS-C baby brother to its new pro full-frame action dSLR, the D5, and it looks pretty impressive. It incorporates the same new autofocus and metering systems that debuted in the D5, and a new 20.9-megapixel CMOS sensor that delivers a maximum sensitivity of ISO 1,640,000 -- highest in its price range, though the camera's native range stops at ISO 51200. The large tilting touchscreen and 4K video support are great perks, and Nikon has introduced Bluetooth (to improve connection persistence) into its bag of connectivity tricks.
Shop for Nikon D500 (body only)
See all pricesIts 10 frames per second continuous-shooting speed only matches that of the cheaper Canon EOS 7D Mark II, though how well the autofocus can keep up remains to be seen. And while it has dual card slots, Nikon chose to make one of them XQD (the other is CompactFlash).
In addition to body-only, Nikon plans to offer a kit with the relatively new 16-80mm f2.8-4 lens for $3,070 (directly converted, £2,095, AU$4,300). It lands in March.
