Nikon Coolpix P500

$315
  • 12 MP
  • 36x f/3.5
  • 1/2.5" CMOS
  • 3" LCD
Released February, 2011
It also offers SLR-like handling, manual exposure and focus, an eye-level viewfinder, an articulated and high-resolution LCD screen and full HD movies with stereo sound, full-time AF and optical zoom as well.
Rated 80% by by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)

Conclusion Check out the Nikon Coolpix P500

70%
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36%
32%
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81%
79%
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First reviewed December, 2011

Features Key features of the Nikon Coolpix P500

Back view of Nikon Coolpix P500

12 MP

1/2.5"

It's 36x zoom is quite simply one better than the competition, spanning as it does a range of 22.5 - 810mm (in 35mm terms).
Rated 80% by by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)

megapixels

0 MP
12 MP

12 MP
15.9 MP
20 MP
Depress the button fully to take the shot and a full 12 megapixel highest quality JPEG is committed to memory in just under two seconds, which is fast by compact camera standards.
Coolpix P500 by TrustedReviews (May, 2011)
Take even higher res photos (because I always thought higher megapixels = higher quality photo, which I now know to only be partly true).
Coolpix P500 by Trakie1

sensor size

Nikon Coolpix P500
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v
Canon Powershot SX40
Color rendering seems to pretty good, though I have seen others photos where there were pretty obvious issues when compared to similar full size sensor DSLR photos.
Coolpix P500 by bruce-porter
The size and cost of the lens is a function of the sensor size.
Coolpix P500 by Matthias-M.-Giwer (Jun, 2011)

wide angle lens

Nikon Coolpix P500
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v
Samsung PL120
While the length of the telephoto is remarkable, the wide angle is even more amazing.
Coolpix P500 by John-Foote (May, 2011)
The wide angle lens is awesome!
Coolpix P500 by california (Mar, 2012)

aperture size

Nikon Coolpix P500
Canon Powershot SX40
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v
If you are a pure point and shoot person using little compact cameras, you might find the functions available a bit daunting and you'll need to look up both the manual, and a FAQ section of photography terms and functions to know how to alter things like shutter speed and aperture.
Coolpix P500 by Adrian (Mar, 2011)
Related to this the low f-stop is related to the zoom range for the same price range.
Coolpix P500 by Matthias-M.-Giwer (Jun, 2011)

zoom range

0x
36x

5x
30x
40x
AWESOME!!!!! Several hundred feet away from splashing water on reefs and I managed to get the full zoom to its peak and the pictures that it took were clear.
Coolpix P500 by Dani (Feb, 2012)
The main reason I was interested in the camera because of the amazing zoom range.
Coolpix P500 by Bunnie (Jun, 2011)

body size

116 x 84 x 103 mm
94 x 54 x 19 mm
123 x 92 x 108 mm
Camera is great Takes sharp pictures and is light weight It was a gift for my wife and she loves it.
Coolpix P500 by B.-ELKINS (Sep, 2011)
It's lightweight and very easy to carry around either in a camera bag or with the neck strap.
Coolpix P500 by Laura-D--on-line-shopper (Aug, 2011)
 

Performance Real world tests of Nikon Coolpix P500

battery life

220 photos
410 photos
380 photos
The zoom is fantastic, easy to use all features, and the quality of pictures is awesome but battery life could be better.
Coolpix P500 by edan (Dec, 2011)
Great camera everyone says that my camera takes really good pictures but the battery life is less than desired just make sure you bring extra batteries.
Coolpix P500 by lucas-brosam (Jun, 2011)

max continuous shooting

If you use the continuous shooting mode (L) you can hold the shoot button and take 5-10 pictures in less then 1 second.
Coolpix P500 by middleton (Jul, 2011)
Thankfully, there is also a slower burst mode, called Continuous L, in which the frame rate drops to 2.5fps, but you can capture up to 200 full-resolution photos at the Normal quality setting.
Coolpix P500 by Photography Blog (Apr, 2011)
 

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

  • HD video
  • 36x
  • 920 k dots
  • 23 mm
  • Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot
  • Great for recording movies
  • 10 fps
  • HD video
  • 10 mm
  • Create slow motion video

cons

  • f/3.5
  • 12 MP
  • 3,200 ISO
  • Feb, 2011
  • 220
  • No automatic 3D
  • No automatic stitching
  • No automatic HDR
  • 79.1%
  • 103 mm
  • 8 s

Reviews Word on the street

Rated 80%
Read the review (Apr, 2011)
The Nikon Coolpix P500's image quality is good for a compact camera with a small image sensor.
Rated 73%
Read the review (Mar, 2011)
The menu systems are sharp and easy to read, helped, no doubt, by the bright, high-resolution LCD.
Rated 80%
Read the review (May, 2011)
With Full HD video, including stereo audio, and a full set of manual exposure controls, it's also a versatile tool.
Rated 83% by 204 users at amazon.com
Outdoor shots are great, colors look fine, but I didn't but this camera just for outdoors.
Rated 40% by by akobet--akobet (Oct, 2011)
I'm barely even an amateur photographer, but once I dared to venture away from the "point and shoot" setting I have been extremely pleased and excited with the quality of the pictures I've been taking.
Rated 100% by by K.-Morse (Jan, 2012)
Easy Panorama mode really is easy and the results are totally awesome.
Rated 40% by by Jamie-S. (Apr, 2011)

Lens

As some people here, I owned a simple point-and-shoot camera and was looking for a camera with a better zoom and also a nice macro, but not a DSLR.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by Karina (Mar, 2011)
The zoom range on this camera is fantastic.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 80% by by Stuart-Jacobson (Apr, 2012)
The zoom is incredible, and the picture quality is awesome.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by C.-Rodgers (Sep, 2011)

Zoom

This is a good camera with lots of extras, but the zoom was the main attraction for me.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by Victor-H.-Latham (Jul, 2011)
This Nikon has an even more impressive 22.5mm-810mm (36x) zoom so I was anxious to see how well it would perform.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by Rob (May, 2011)

Video

If you're used to shooting simple videos with your cell phone, the HD video with this camera will stun you with clarity (it did to me anyway).
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 60% by by S54B32 (Nov, 2011)
If you want to make serious movies you need to get a video camera as much above a Flip® as this is above a simple point and shoot.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by Matthias-M.-Giwer (Jun, 2011)
And this camera video functionality will beat almost any consumer video camera under $800.00 on the market.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by middleton (Jul, 2011)

Image quality

I love this camera, I'm impressed with the picture quality and it does well in low light and fantastic in good light takes clear pictures and the image quality is amazing.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by JP (Apr, 2011)
The image quality is good enough for my purposes and for a camera in this price range.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 40% by by Kristine-J-Olberg (Jul, 2011)
Anyone who has used cameras for years will appreciate the simplicity of this one as well as the outstanding photo quality.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by J.-A.-Davenport--DrTobor1 (Nov, 2011)

Photography

We have taken all our own family photos using the tripod, wedding pictures for friends, and pictures at all our kids's sporting events.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by Hank-D (Dec, 2012)
Its obviously a camera better suited to more casual photographers that just want a good travel camera.
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 100% by by David-ten-Brink (Jan, 2012)
But when you get a nice one they are crisp and clean colors but it is a gamble and you don't get redo's during sports shots!
Nikon Coolpix P500 | Rated 60% by by lovemyboys

Competition What else you should consider

Front view of Nikon Coolpix P500

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Popular Questions

April 9, 2012
Wanna take scenery or panorama picture or a nature pic..and aslo a movie about life

I'm a beginner..i'm not to expert about this...i wanna take a nature or a beautiful scenery of nature..so which camera is the best..??

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May 21, 2012
Ability to take better photo's than with my little mik and druk

I am still a amateur but travels a lot outdoors as well as new cities Love the family, children, landscapes and wildlife where i need zoom function

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May 29, 2012
Taking Photos with a professional quality

I want to take photos with high quality, That has a good capture, fast to take photos, Recording in HD

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Unanswered Questions

October 8, 2012
Moving pictures?

I have a fast moving 10 month old daughter & am always missing things with the basic digital camera i have, i would love to be able to capture some of the cute faces she pulls and the things she...

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September 8, 2012
Laptop connecting to my Nikon p500

How can I get my laptop to recognize my Nikon P500?

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September 4, 2012
Which camera has better picture and video quality nikon p500 or l810

I m not professional but but want moderate to high picture and video quality at least video should be smooth

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