Nikon D7500 Review – Photopoint
Nikon D7500 Review
Short evaluation
Pros
- Robust (with splash water and dust protection), well manufactured and ergonomic housing
- Fast and persistent continuous shooting function
- Extensive equipment
- Very good image quality (up to ISO 3,200)
Cons
- No optional multifunction handle available
- Unfavorably placed Fn1 key
- Viewfinder view less suitable for spectacle wearers
- Highest ISO sensitivities are practically useless.
With the D7500, Nikon presents the successor of the mid-range DSLR D7200. As is customary with further development, technology from the top model flows into the classes below. In this case, the D7500 misses the 20-megapixel APS-C sensor with up to ISO 1.6 million, the Expeed 5 image processor, the 180,000-pixel light meter, the light-accentuated exposure meter and the D500’s 4K video function. In one respect, the D7500 is even slightly ahead of the D500.
The rear 8cm screen of the Nikon D7500 is a foldable touch screen that even allows touch operation of the menus. [Photo: Nikon]
The Nikon D7500, here in the almost 1,850 Euro expensive set with the AF-S Nikkor 18-140 mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED VR, inherits a lot of technology from the APS-C top model D500. [Photo: Nikon]
The rear 8cm screen of the Nikon D7500 is a foldable touch screen that even allows touch operation of the menus. [Photo: Nikon]
The D7500 also offers an inclinable, eight-centimeter touchscreen like the D500, but only with a resolution of 922,000 pixels. In contrast to its big sister, the touchscreen also allows the menus to be operated. However, the touchpad autofocus when using the DSLR viewfinder is reserved for the smaller sister D5600 (and D5500).
Nikon has redesigned the case of the D7500, which is now made of plastic in monocoque construction. In a first hands-on we could already admire the new DSLR. The housing appears extremely robust, and the sealing against environmental influences is also available as with the predecessor model D7200. The case is 2.5 mm less high and 3.5 mm less deep than that of the still available D7200, Nikon was also able to reduce the weight by 45 grams (the D500 is even 140 grams heavier than the D7500). Nevertheless, the new handle offers a five millimetre deeper indentation between the handle and the bayonet, so that the fingers have more space and the camera lies more securely in the hand. This succeeded despite the now larger EN-EL15a battery, which is however compatible with the predecessor model and only offers a higher capacity. Due to the higher performance of the D7500, the number of CIPA images with one battery charge has nevertheless decreased from 1,110 to 950 images, which is still an excellent value (and of course can only be achieved without using the Live View).
The housing of the Nikon Nikon D7500 is made of a robust plastic, numerous seals provide protection against splashing water and dust. [Photo: Nikon]
The Nikon D7500 has a monocoque housing, which allows a 5 mm deeper handle despite a 3.5 mm flatter camera. [Photo: Nikon]
The housing of the Nikon Nikon D7500 is made of a robust plastic, numerous seals provide protection against splashing water and dust. [Photo: Nikon]
The Nikon D7500 has a rugged, monocoque plastic housing that is sealed against dust and splash water.
The APS-C sensor, inherited from the D500 with a resolution of 20 megapixels, together with the powerful Expeed 5 processor, enables even higher performance; the image quality of the D7500 is said to correspond to that of the D500. The ISO sensitivity can now be adjusted regularly between ISO 100 and 51,200, the extension ranging from Lo1 (ISO 50) to Hi5 (ISO 1,640,000). The continuous shooting speed increases from six (D7200) to more than eight frames per second (the D500 can take ten). Above all, however, the photographer benefits from the enlarged buffer memory. Instead of after 18 raw images with 14 bits, only after 50 images in a row is the end of the high speed. In JPEG, the maximum number of continuous shots is still 100. Although the autofocus module of the D7500 is still the 51 field module Multi-CAM 3500 II known from the D7200, it now offers group field control for the first time in the D7000 series.
In addition, the new 180,000 pixel RGB metering sensor makes an important contribution to scene recognition and tracking. Even faces are recognized by the exposure sensor known from the D500. The sensor of the D7200 still resolves about half of the resolution. Another very interesting function inherited from the D500 is the light-accentuated exposure metering. It ensures that the highlights in the image do not erode, but works differently than a spot measurement, with which one could achieve the same thing with a measurement on the brightest subject detail, automatically on the entire image field. This is helpful in theatre photography, for example, when one person is illuminated by the spotlight while the rest of the stage sinks into darkness. Or in similar motif situations. Also of interest is the new “Auto” position for the Picture Control system, which adapts the image processing to the motif. The individual parameters (such as sharpening, saturation or microcontrast) can still be adjusted even in the auto position.
The Nikon D7500 offers only one (instead of two) SD card slot. It is compatible with SDHC, SDXC and UHS I. [Photo: Nikon]
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The Nikon D7500’s APS-C sensor comes from the D500, with which the D7500 is supposed to offer the same image quality with 20 megapixels resolution and up to ISO 1.6 million. [Photo: Nikon]
The video function now records a maximum of 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) at up to 30 frames per second. Only in Full HD, where up to 60 frames per second are possible, is an additional electronic image stabilizer available, and the sensor surface is also better utilized only in Full HD. Another new feature is the option of saving the videos as MP4 as an alternative to the MOV format – this is important for compatibility with mobile devices and televisions. In both cases, compression is performed using the H.264 codec. The sound can be recorded either via the integrated stereo microphone or via an externally connected (3.5 mm jack) jack.
In addition to the sealed housing, the D7500’s professional ambitions are underlined by the mechanical shutter designed for 150,000 releases. An electronic first shutter curtain can also be activated to reduce a possible shutter shock effect (minimal blurring due to shutter vibrations). The fastest mechanical shutter speed is 1/8,000 second, the flash sync speed is 1/250 second. The D7500 also masters the practical AF fine-tuning (see camera tip in the links) of the D5 and D500.
The Nikon D7500’s battery compartment contains a new EN-EL15a battery that is compatible with its predecessor (the MH-25a charger is the same). 950 recordings should be possible according to the CIPA standard. [Photo: Nikon]
The Nikon D7500 has plenty of interfaces to offer. In addition to USB and HDMI, a cable remote release connection and a stereo microphone connection are also included. [Photo: Nikon]
The integrated raw converter, which now even has a practical batch function, seems almost obligatory. A movie edit function is also on board. The viewfinder is equipped with a glass pentaprism, shows a 100-percent image field and magnifies 0.94x, which corresponds to 0.63x magnification equivalent to a 35mm image. The D7500 also has a two-axis electronic spirit level and an orientation sensor. Also built into the case is the small pop-up flash, which the D7500 has ahead of the D500. The D7500 is also the first camera after the D5 and D500 to support Nikon’s new wireless flash system. However, the WR-R10 is required as a control unit on the flash shoe of the D7500.
However, compared to the D7200, there is also a step backwards to report: So the D7500 has only one card slot and no double SD card slot anymore. The remaining slot is still compatible with SDHC and SDXC as well as UHS I, but does not support the significantly higher UHS II speed. The integrated Snapbridge with energy-saving Bluetooth for permanent smartphone connection and switchable WLAN is almost obligatory. You can use a smartphone equipped with the free Snapbridge app with Android or iOS. The permanent connection not only transmits two-megapixel versions of the images in the background to the smartphone, but also the geocoordinates determined by the smartphone to the camera to immortalize them in the EXIF data. WLAN automatically activates the app when required, for example for transmitting high-resolution images or for remote camera control including live image transmission.
From the end of June 2017, the Nikon D7500 was available at a price of almost 1,500 euros, the set with the powerful Zoom AF-S Nikkor 16-80 mm 1:2.8-4E ED VR and the cost in 2017 was almost 2,500 euros. [Photo: Nikon]
Ergonomics and workmanship
The housing of the Nikon D7500 is made of high-quality plastic. Thanks to its monocoque construction, it is extremely stable and offers a deeper indentation between the grip bead and the bayonet, so the D7500 fits better in the hand than its predecessors. However, the clearly protruding Fn1 button, which sits under the middle finger and is operated only too easily inadvertently, disturbs. In the editorial department, we had quite different opinions, ranging from “easily accessible” to “clearly annoying”. It probably also depends on the length of the fingers. However, the handle is generously covered with a grained, non-slip rubber. Thanks to the deep bulge, the camera can also be “hung” wonderfully loosely at the fingertips without slipping out of your hand. Even the little finger finds enough space; at least if you don’t have “shovel excavator paws”.
22 keys, four rotary switches and four rotary knobs ensure very direct operation. Virtually all important recording settings can be made using the buttons and knobs without having to call up the menu. However, the upper info display is a bit leaner than the higher priced Nikon models, so only parts of the white balance settings can be seen here, while for others the view to the back screen is necessary as an additional info display. The behavior of some control elements can be adapted to your own needs. Nikon relies on a two-handed operating concept, as seven keys alone are located side/above the left side of the display, three more are located near the lens on the left side of the bayonet.
The SD card slot is located on the handle side, which in contrast to the predecessor model D7200 offers only one slot. It supports SDHC and SDXC cards as well as the UHS-I standard. With 80 MByte per second write speed, the theoretically possible 104 MByte per second are used quite well, more about this in the Equipment section. The tripod thread on the underside of the camera sits perfectly in the optical axis and far enough away from the battery compartment so that it remains accessible even when a tripod exchange plate is used. The EN-EL15a lithium-ion battery is the same as its predecessor and is sufficient for a generous 950 CIPA-standard shots, which can also be easily achieved in practice. Nevertheless, the endurance has also decreased compared to the predecessor model, which is certainly due to the higher performance of the camera. Instead of the battery, an optionally available plug-in unit with power supply connection can be used. The red pencil, on the other hand, has sacrificed the optional portrait format battery grip, which would have been very desirable in this camera class.
On the interface side there are two hinged rubber flaps. The mini HDMI jack, the micro USB connector, which is not suitable for recharging the battery, and the 3.5 mm stereo jack microphone connector are hidden behind the upper one. Behind the lower flap is a 3.5 mm headphone socket and a multifunction interface, which can be used, among other things, to connect a cable remote trigger. The D7500 even offers an infrared receiver for a corresponding remote control for remote triggering, which is rare in the meantime, but it only sits on the front of the camera. By the way, all interfaces and their covers, like the entire D7500, are equipped with seals to prevent the ingress of dust and splash water.
The Nikon D7500’s eight-centimeter screen at the back is a touchscreen that folds up and down
On the upper side, a small, illuminated LC display shows important recording information.
An eight-centimetre screen is emblazoned on the back, but it only has a resolution of 922,000 pixels. That’s just enough with this size, but visibly coarser than with the Nikon D500, for example. The display offers a maximum luminosity of over 640 cd/m², which is bright enough even in sunshine. Thanks to the folding mechanism, the screen can be tilted about 40 degrees downwards and 110 degrees upwards, which makes it easier to take pictures from ground level and overhead perspectives when using the live image. Practically speaking, it is also a touch screen that can be used not only to focus on a detail of the subject, but also to trigger and operate the menus if desired. However, the touchscreen is only an additional alternative, and the D7500 can also be operated entirely via keys. The touch operation leaves surprisingly few fingerprints, which means that the display is coated accordingly and is therefore easier to clean. In contrast to the D5600, the touchscreen can’t be used as an AF touchpad or other function key when using the viewfinder, which would only make sense with a laterally swivelling display anyway – but the D7500 offers keys on the side of the display.
Although the D7500 has an illuminated info display on the top of the camera, the rear screen also serves as an information centre. In addition, you can quickly call up a quick selection menu here, which offers some additional functions to the many keys, for which you don’t have to bother with the large main menu. The main menu should look familiar to Nikon users. There is a lot to adjust and so you have to search or scroll for one or the other function a bit longer. Some help texts can be displayed to help you understand some of the menu items. Nikon would have liked to have been able to implement this more consistently for more menu items. Menu items that cannot be selected in the current mode are grayed out. Unfortunately, there is no help that explains why a menu item is currently not selectable. Although the explanatory texts can also be displayed for menu items that cannot be selected, they do not provide any corresponding information.
The live image shows an exposure preview if desired, grid lines or a 3D spirit level as well as guide lines can also be displayed. Even the depth of field can be judged because the aperture is closed in real time, which leads to noise in the live image in darker environments with small apertures.
The main feature of a DSLR is of course the name-giving reflex viewfinder. In the case of the D7500, this works with a high-quality glass prism, which results in a large and bright viewfinder image. The magnification factor is 0.94x, which corresponds to 0.63x magnification equivalent to a small image. As a high-quality viewfinder, 100 percent of the image field is covered. The exit pupil of 18.5 millimetres, on the other hand, is likely to be slightly larger, especially for spectacle wearers. Dioptric correction helps some people to put their glasses on their forehead and to have a better view of the viewfinder. Thanks to the proximity sensor above the viewfinder, the rear camera display is immediately switched off. Image control, if enabled, also appears only when the camera is removed from the eye shortly after shooting. Below the viewfinder image are status displays, the autofocus fields are displayed in red and grid lines can also be displayed.
Equipment
As a link between the hobby and professional cameras, the Nikon D7500 is equipped with a program selector wheel that offers an automatic mode, scene programs and effect programs in addition to the classic creative programs P, A, S and M. The Nikon D7500 is also equipped with a program selector wheel that can be used to select the desired program. This is also the way for those who want to benefit from the high speed and robustness of the D7500, but don’t want to deal with the photographic settings. But the photographer can also influence the image parameters up to a monochrome mode according to his own wishes in the creative programs from the program automatic over the semi-automatic up to the manual mode, which offers an ISO automatic including exposure correction. If you want to recall certain settings quickly, you will also find two user memories on the program selector wheel.
The Nikon D7500 was tested with the AF-S Nikkor 16-80 mm F2.8-4E ED DX VR, which is also protected against dust and splash water. Nikon also sells this combination as a set.
In addition to the ISO auto function, which is a bit cumbersome to activate, the D7500 also offers extensive continuous shooting functions with up to nine images and a maximum exposure distance of 3 EV, whereby this maximum is only available for up to five shots. With it you can make very good HDR photos. Who would rather have it automatically in the camera: This is also possible. You can set how strong the effect should be. Individual photos, however, are spiced up with Active-D ligthing, which improves the drawing in the shadows. This effect is not only automatic, but can also be controlled manually. Thanks to the configurable interval function, even longer processes can be captured photographically; if desired, the camera automatically creates a video from them.
Speaking of video: Thanks to the new 20-megapixel sensor, the D7500 records video in 4K resolution with a maximum of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels (4K) at up to 30 frames per second. If the resolution is reduced to Full-HD, up to 60 frames per second are possible for very smooth motion sequences and pans. Compression according to the MPEG-4 standard is carried out with the H.264 codec in two adjustable quality levels; MOV and MP4 are available as file formats. For 4K recording, a fast SDHC or SDXC memory card supporting UHS-I Speed Class 3 is recommended (guaranteed minimum write speed 30 MByte/s). The sound is transmitted to the video’s audio track either via the integrated stereo microphone or, better still, via an external microphone. The level can be adjusted and controlled via the headphone jack. However, you should not use the optical zoom, the zoom rings of the Nikon lenses do not run smoothly enough and the travel is too small. Automatic focusing should also be avoided. Not only does the sound track sometimes make noises (depending on the lens), but the focus is simply too slow and imprecise or pumped. By the way, focus tracking works a little better if you use an AF-P lens with a stepper motor optimized for contrast autofocus instead of an AF-S lens (with ultrasonic drive).
The contrast autofocus is quite slow with an AF-S lens of 0.8-1.3 seconds, and the shutter release delay of 0.11 seconds when Live View is activated is twice as slow as when the SLR viewfinder is used. Here, the trigger delay drops to 0.05 seconds, which is a fast rate for DSLR ratios. The shutter release delay including autofocus is also fast with 0.2 to 0.36 seconds. The autofocus works with 51 sensors, 15 of which are high-quality cross sensors. The middle sensor can even focus with an initial lens speed of F8. Thanks to the field-of-view group control, which is new in the 7000 series, moving subjects can be tracked even better from the autofocus. With its 180,000 pixels, the new light metering sensor makes a good contribution to this, since the sensor can not only detect brightness and colors, but also where the subject is moving. Another new feature is the extremely useful light-accentuated measurement. In images with light areas that are not very bright and that are not in the center of the image, this type of exposure metering prevents the lights from eroding. This is very practical for stage photography, for example.
The handle of the Nikon D7500 is well defined, which together with the non-slip rubber coating provides a secure grip.
On the left side of the case, the Nikon D7500 is not only equipped with numerous controls, but also with many interfaces.
Thanks to the more powerful continuous shooting mode, the D7500 is now much better at sports photography than its predecessors. Not only has the continuous shooting rate increased from six to eight frames per second, but the buffer is also much larger. Nikon still limits the maximum number of continuous shots unnecessarily, with the D7500 to 100 shots. In JPEG, the camera does this without a problem at full frame rate. In 14 Bit Raw there are at least 53 pictures possible in one piece, which is a significant increase to the 14 pictures of the D7200. After reaching the 53 frames, the continuous shooting rate drops to 3.4 frames per second, which corresponds to a write rate to the SD memory card of a good 80 megabytes per second. The UHS-I memory card should therefore not be slower in order not to slow down the camera unnecessarily. The UHS-I standard theoretically reaches a maximum of 104 megabytes per second, so it is almost fully exploited. With UHS-II, which is unfortunately not supported by the D7500, even significantly higher write rates of about 300 megabytes per second are possible. Of course, the camera can be fully operated while saving.
The Nikon D7500 has an integrated flash unit with a decent guide number of 12. The flash doesn’t miss any functions and even pops up automatically when needed in the scene modes and the fully automatic mode. To reduce red eyes, a white LED is used, which also acts as an autofocus auxiliary light. The D7500 can flash at the end of the exposure, has a long time sync and flash exposure compensation, even with bracketing, the flash exposure behavior can be adjusted. The shortest flash sync time is 1/320 second, but the full flash output is only available up to 1/250 second. Without flash, the shutter achieves short exposure times of up to 1/8,000 second. Although there is no electronic shutter, an electronic first shutter curtain to reduce vibrations can be activated independently of the mirror lock-up time of up to three seconds. But back to lightning. If you wish, you can control its output manually in 22 steps, in which case the TTL measuring pre-flash is also omitted. In addition, the integrated flash can control wireless system flash units, the settings are conveniently made via the camera menu. Up to three groups can be controlled on four channels, including two external and the integrated flash as the third “group”. Of course, the D7500 has a system flash shoe on which the quite new Nikon wireless flash system can also be used.
The playback functions of the D7500 also leave nothing to be desired. There are numerous possibilities to edit photos and add effects to them, including the development of raw files. Bluetooth and WLAN are also built in, whereby Nikon combines these functions under the name “Snapbridge”. Thanks to Bluetooth, a permanent smartphone connection can be established in an energy-saving way. The current coordinates determined by the smartphone are transferred to the camera and stored in the photos. There are also other geotagging solutions for the D7500 that can be connected via the multifunction interface. In addition to the camera coordinates, small 2-megapixel versions of the photos are also transferred from the camera to the smartphone. For the transmission of photos in full resolution, however, WLAN must be switched on. This happens automatically, but takes a relatively long time. By the way, raw photos are not transferred, not even JPEG versions of them, which the camera could theoretically create automatically. WLAN is also automatically switched on for camera remote control, which, as already mentioned, takes some time. There is a live picture transmission, but otherwise the remote control function is very rudimentary, except for the self-timer there are no other settings. Even remote triggering without live image transmission, quasi with the smartphone as Bluetooth radio remote control, is not possible. There is still a lot of potential for optimization on the part of Nikon.
Picture quality
The Nikon D7500’s 20-megapixel APS-C sensor promises an incredible ISO 1.64 million and with slightly reduced resolution compared to 24-megapixel models, slightly larger pixels and therefore better image quality. In order to examine these in detail, we tested the D7500 together with the high-quality set zoom AF-S 16-80 mm 1:2.8-4E ED VR in our laboratory for image quality (JPEG only).
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The Nikon D7500 has inherited the 20 megapixel APS-C sensor with up to ISO 1,684,000 from the D500, but shots above ISO 204,800 are not usable. Very good pictures are available up to ISO 3.200.
With the 16-80 mm, the Nikon D7500 achieves a good resolution of up to 55 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm) in 35mm equivalent at 50 percent contrast. However, these are only achieved in the wide angle on F4 dimmed in the center of the image. With an open aperture the resolution is slightly lower, whereas with a further aperture diffraction reduces the resolution slightly. Above F11 the diffraction is much stronger, so you should avoid strong dimming. Towards the edge of the picture, the resolution decreases by up to 27 percent, with F8 and F11 achieving the highest resolution of 47 lp/mm each. With these apertures, one also gets a fairly even resolution from the center to the edge of the image, ideal for landscape and architectural photography. At medium focal length the resolution is somewhat lower, but still reaches a very good 51 lp/mm. Here, too, there is hardly any loss of resolution at the edge of the picture with F8 and F11. The resolution in the telescopic position of 40 lp/mm is significantly lower, especially with an open aperture, while only 30 lp/mm is achieved at the edge of the image. That’s just enough for sharp photos in 20 by 30 centimeters output size. When fading down to F11, the resolution can increase up to 47 lp/mm at the center and 41 lp/mm at the edge of the image.
The chromatic aberrations of the lens are generally low, only in wide-angle close to the image edge they are easily visible with up to two pixels of expansion. The distortion is also clearly visible with more than 3.5 percent tonne shape in wide angle and more than 1.5 percent cushion shape at medium focal length and more than 2 percent at long focal length. The edge-darkening clearly precipitates only with open-aperture with 1 to 1,5 aperture-stages, with the dimming it decreases strongly on under a half aperture-stage. Overall, the zoom lens delivers a good image quality, the resolution is high and the edge darkening is limited.
The signal-to-noise ratio is in the good range of over 40 dB up to ISO 200, but does not reach the very good regions of over 45 dB. Up to ISO 3.200 it remains within the acceptable range of over 35 dB. The fine-grained noise only becomes slightly visible from ISO 6.400 onwards in the form of brightness noise, but it strongly rises from ISO 25.600 onwards. Especially the three highest sensitivities of ISO 409.600, 819.200 and 1.638.400 deliver completely useless images, so that they turn out to be pure paper tigers. At the two highest sensitivities, the images also become strongly magenta-colored. From ISO 51.200, slight color noise joins brightness noise. The detail rendition is extremely high, especially at low sensitivities, which is mainly due to the rather strong sharpening, which also leads to easily visible sharpness artifacts. Only above ISO 3.200 an actual loss of detail can be measured, above ISO 6.400 the photos become visibly softer. Above all, however, the very high sensitivities from ISO 102.400 hardly show any details, but above all blurred photos, which at best are suitable for strongly reduced views.
Up to ISO 6.400, the input dynamics are in the good range of more than ten f-stops, at ISO 100 even a peak value of eleven f-stops is reached. Above ISO 51.200, the dynamic range drops significantly. At ISO 51.200, it is just under nine f-stops, but at ISO 102.400 the value drops to just over seven f-stops. The split tonal value curve ensures a crisp reproduction, especially of mid-range contrasts. The output tonal range is almost perfect at ISO 50 and 100, the images contain almost all displayable brightness gradations. Up to ISO 1.600, the tonal value gradation remains within the good range with over 160 of 256 possible brightness values, up to ISO 6.400 half of the levels are still used. Here, too, it is clearly evident how the image quality dramatically collapses at the very high sensitivities. From ISO 204.800, less than 32 brightness gradations are displayed. This alone shows how bad the images are at these high sensitivities.
Like the D500, the D7500, which delivers very similar image quality to its big sister, also shows relatively poor color fidelity. The colors are too strongly saturated above all, some however also in the tone value clearly shifted. Cyan, for example, is much too blue-heavy, which of course makes for a subjectively more beautiful sky blue. Also otherwise the colours are very warm and poppy. If you don’t take your pictures in Raw anyway, you should take a closer look and use the extensive possibilities that the D7500 offers for adjustment. In any case, the actual color depth is very good up to ISO 800 with over four million color gradations and remains good up to ISO 6,400 with over two million colors. This also shows what remains of the image content at high sensitivities: Less than 130,000 color gradations at ISO 204,800 and above. The measured values sometimes become so bad at the high sensitivities that we had to omit them for a meaningful preparation of the diagrams. Some test charts were no longer found in noise by the evaluation software.
The tripod thread of the Nikon D7500 lies in the optical axis. However, in contrast to the predecessor model, there is no longer a multifunction handle.
The Nikon D7500 offers only one SD/SDHC/SDXC UHS-I memory card, which at least writes up to 80 MByte/s. In the update of this review several years later, we find that it is not much.
Bottom line
The Nikon D7500 is an extremely comprehensively equipped DSLR with very good ergonomics and operation, despite the plastic housing. Above all, their performance is high. Not only the autofocus is fast and flexible (exception: in Live View the autofocus is still slow), but also the continuous shooting rate and endurance are high. In addition, the D7500 manages the balancing act between powerful camera and automatic functions if the photographer does not want to deal with the technology. With Bluetooth and WLAN, wireless connectivity is good for a modern camera, but Nikon would like to expand its functionality even further. The actually very good image quality of the Nikon D7500, which shows itself mainly up to ISO 3.200, is somewhat clouded by the fact that the very high sensitivities turn out to be pure paper tigers with completely useless image quality. The Nikon D7500 isn’t exactly cheap with an RRP of almost 1,500 Euros, but in view of its overall performance it’s quite inexpensive, especially as you can already get it for almost 1,300 Euros shortly after its market launch – without a lens, of course. The set tested here with the 18-80 mm costs almost a thousand more.
Fact sheet
Fact sheet
Manufacturer
Nikon
Model
D7500
Sensor
CMOS APS-C 23.6 x 15.8 mm (crop factor 1.5
)21.5 megapixels (physical)
20.1 megapixels (effective)
Pixel pitch
4.3 µm
Resolution (max.)
5.568 x 3.712 (3:2)
Video (max.)
3.840 x 2.160 30p
Lens
Nikon AF-S 16-80 mm 2.8-4E ED VR (zoom lens)
Reflex viewfinder
Prism viewfinder, 100 percent image field coverage, 0.94x magnification (sensor-related), 0.63x magnification (KB equivalent), 19 mm eye distance, diopter correction from -2.0 to 1.0 dpt, replaceable focusing screens
Monitor
3.2″ (8.0 cm)
Disbandment
922.000 pixels
tiltable
yes
rotatable
–
swivelling
–
Touchscreen
yes
AV connector
HDMI Mini Output (Type C)
Fully automatic
yes
Automatic motif control
–
Motif programmes
16
Program automation
yes
Program shift
yes
Aperture priority
yes
Aperture priority
yes
Manual
yes
Bulb long time exposure
yes
HDR function
yes
Panorama function
no
Exposure metering
Matrix/multi-field measurement (180,000 fields), center-weighted integral measurement, spot measurement
fastest shutter speed
1/8.000 s
Flash
built-in flash
Synchronous time
1/320 s
Flash connection
Hot shoe: Nikon, standard center contact
WLAN
yes
NFC
–
GPS
external, permanent smartphone connection|wired or plug-on receiver
Remote release
yes, cable release, infrared release, remote control via Smartphone/Tablet
Interval shooting
yes
Storage medium
SD (SDHC, SDXC, UHS I)
Sensitivity
automatic
ISO 100-51.200
manually
ISO 50-1,640,000
White balance
automatic
yes
manual measurement
yes
Kelvin input
yes
Fine correction
yes
Autofocus
yes
Number of measuring fields
5115
Cross sensors36
Line sensors
Speed
Phase Auto Focus: 0.20 s to 0.36 sLive View Auto Focus
: 0.81 s to 1.27 s
AF auxiliary light
LED
Dimensions (mm)
136 x 104 x 73 mm
Weight (ready for operation)
718 g (housing only
)1.198 g (with lens)
Tripod socket
in optical axis
Zoom
Zoom adjustment
manual on lens
Battery life
950 images (according to CIPA standard)
– = “not applicable” or “not available”
Short evaluation
Pros
- Robust (with splash water and dust protection), well manufactured and ergonomic housing
- Fast and persistent continuous shooting function
- Extensive equipment
- Very good image quality (up to ISO 3,200)
Cons
- No optional multifunction handle available
- Unfavorably placed Fn1 key
- Viewfinder view less suitable for spectacle wearers
- Highest ISO sensitivities are practically useless.
Nikon D7500 Datasheet
