Nikon COOLPIX P500 Pro Reviews

The Nikon P500 offers clean and smooth images up to ISO speed 800. At ISO 1600 and higher some color “clouds” appear in homogeneously colored areas, such as the gray patterns of the dynamic range and noise test chart. Even at lower ISO speed settings the camera uses an anti-noise filtering, but it is less intense than the noise filtering used by cameras with higher megapixel counts on small sensors. With 9.53 f/stops, the Nikon P500 showed good performance in dynamic range tests, but do note that there are a lot of compact cameras that will achieve a dynamic range of more than 10 f/stops. This does not seem to affect the overall image satisfaction, and users can work with Nikon’s D-Lighting in various strengths to overcome difficult lighting conditions.

We have no problems recommending the Nikon Coolpix P500. It’s a great camera for those heading for vacations, as you’ll have a huge focal range at your fingertips. Photo quality is solid, and you have loads of tricks to play with beyond the basic digicam, thanks to the new CMOS sensor. The P500 has its flaws — as does every camera – including battery life and image stabilization. The pluses far outweigh the negatives. Zoom on!

At the telephoto end, the camera struggles to focus, and images can lack the contrast and sharpness seen at shorter focal lengths. If this is taken into account, and care is taken when using the telephoto end of the zoom range, the P500 can still yield pleasing results. Apart from that, there are some interesting features which make the P500 stand out from the crowd - such as the high speed video shooting and design touches like the articulated screen and zoom control on the lens barrel.

An extremely wide and long zoom, an easy interface, and very fast autofocus combine to make the Nikon Coolpix P500 an excellent companion camera. Shooting with the P500 reminded me of how much fun photography can be, and that's a nice intangible feature for a camera to have. Extra modes like Easy Panorama and Backlighting/HDR are handy for their purposes, but most of the magic of the Nikon P500 is in the good optical quality and sheer range of the 23-810mm lens. The Nikon P500 was a kick to use and tests well enough to make an enthusiastic Dave's Pick.

The Nikon Coolpix P500 offers a lot of features on top of its 36X optical zoom that will appeal to enthusiasts and snapshooters alike. The wide range of features means that anyone can pick up the camera and start shooting or, in the case of experienced photographers, make the most of its advanced functionality. Bridging the gap between snapshot cameras and advanced models, the P500 is a versatile learning tool as well as a camera that you can easily grow into.

We wanted to like the P500 more, and it does have notable attractions, such as the screen and the 1080p video mode. Only the image quality stands in the way of it walking away with top marks.

The Nikon Coolpix P500 is a fairly accomplished product at a fair price that delivers attractive images without needing much in the way of post processing. It offers the versatility of a lens reach that, when coupled with Full HD video with stereo sound, makes it an enticing all-in-one option for the general-purpose amateur photographer/videographer. Doubtless the P500 will go down well with families and doting dads who perhaps won't be looking for pin sharp image quality at all focal lengths and ISO settings, but will appreciate having the versatility of an expansive focal range that will deliver them the picture none the less.

It won't fit in your pocket, but Nikon's Coolpix P500 is a killer camera that combines sublime speed with a huge 36x zoom lens, HD-video recording, and a high-res articulating LCD.

The fly in the ointment here seems to be image quality, which looks pretty good when shooting wide angled close ups, but just a bit soft and average when the zoom heads toward the telephoto end of the spectrum, at least at 100% magnifications. In this regard the P100 seems just a bit better and sharper overall, especially if producing large prints is your objective. And the internal adjustments that are available to modify the images being captured by the P500 just don't seem to have much effect in the sharpness arena. That's the main concern with this camera - if your images are meant for the internet or small prints the P500 does a credible job, but to my eye, some post processing sharpening would be in order to get many larger prints sharp enough to pass muster for me.

Despite the image quality, lack of RAW mode and handling issues, the Nikon Coolpix P500 remains a good choice for those who want the convenience of a superzoom but also require the creative control provided by a higher-end camera. It may not produce the best photos at higher ISO speeds or focus quickly enough for fast-moving subjects, but it's a lot more portable and convenient than an SLR with a bag full of lenses and also doubles up as an effective video camera thanks to its excellent video mode.

If you're after a truly super, superzoom then you can't get much better than the Nikon P500. 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). With Full HD video, including stereo audio, and a full set of manual exposure controls, it's also a versatile tool. Add in a reasonably competitive price and you've got a near perfect site seeing/travel companion. For build quality and its manually adjustable lens we're still more keen on the Fuji HS10, but that is an even bulkier camera and doesn't have quite the zoom range.

As well as offering the most optical zoom currently available on a compact camera, the Coolpix P500 is packed full of other useful features and produces excellent results. Using the camera at its largest zoom will require practice, patience, and possibly even a fully charged spare battery in your pocket, with a tripod likely to prove beneficial.

Nikon Coolpix P500 review £350 The lens sacrifices sharpness for zoom range, but this capable camera packs a huge number of fun features.

The Nikon Coolpix P500 improves on its predecessor's features and shooting performance, but its photos and video quality still aren't as good as the rest of the package.