Review: Nikon D500 DSLR

An afternoon cruising with a Land Rover Defender in the forests of Germany; the perfect opportunity to put the Nikon D500 to a rough test. Is this really such a beast at taking action photos with its super-fast auto-focus? Let's find out!

The first thing I noticed is that the D500 is a pretty hefty Camera. Way bigger than other APS-C DSLRs like the D7200 and Canon 7DII, and even bigger than the entry-level Full frame D750 and 6D. A real workhorse, then. With a great grip that lets you run confidently beside the football pitch or , like me, crawl through the bushes, to your next vantage point without feeling that your Camera could slip out of your hands at any second. Perhaps it is just a little too bulky to lug comfortably along a boulevard in the south of France on holiday but here its technical specifications are actually an overkill.

Thanks to the EXPEED 5 Processor, APS-C sensor and comparatively slightly lower pixel count of 20.9 megapixels, the Camera achieves a solid 10fps in burst mode. Which is more than enough to not miss a single moment of action, be it two clashing footballers or two clashing red deer. This 10fps burst mode keeps the Camera full for up to a whopping 200 photos as long as you shoot on the XQD card.

Of course, with a fast burst mode comes a fast autofocus, and believe me, you're definitely in the right place with the D500. With a 153-point Autofocus system spread across the entire width of your frame, you will never miss a shot because it is out of focus. I can safely say that the D500, together with its bigger and much more expensive brother the D5, have the best autofocus on the market right now.

It is also good to see that in terms of video in its DSLRs, Nikon is a little more in tune with the times than Canon; the D500 shoots video in 4K. An extra flat picture profile, an external Microphone input and a Headphone output make it a fine Video Camera. But compared to the image quality, extensive features and codecs of its 4K mirrorless cousins from Sony, the D500 actually feels more like an extra anyway.

All in all, the D500 is surely the new king of APS-C Cameras. With a super fast burst mode and even faster Autofocus, this is the ideal Camera for sports and nature photography and you will never miss an action moment!

Want to get your hands on this super-fast monster too? Book it now!