Nikon D50 vs Nikon D500

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D50 compared with D500

	NikonD50	NikonD500
Overview
Released
Released	2005	April 2016
Image and sensor
Camera type
Camera type	DSLR	DSLR
Sensor format
Sensor format	APS-C	APS-C
Sensor type
Sensor type	CCD	CMOS
Sensor dimensions
Sensor dimensions	23.7 × 15.6 mm	23.5 × 15.7 mm
Effective resolution
Effective resolution	6.1 MP	20.9 MP
Largest image
Largest image	3008 × 2000	5568 × 3712
RAW recording
RAW recording	Yes	Yes
Standard ISO range
Standard ISO range	200–1600	100–51200
Sensor detail
Sensor detail	Nikon DX CCD with 6.1 million effective and 6.24 million total pixels; approximately 1.5× lens focal-length equivalent; Image Dust Off reference data for optional Nikon Capture correction	21.51 million total pixels; Japan gives 20.88 million effective pixels, rounded to 20.9 million in Nikon USA. DX and 1.3× image areas; maximum cropped image 4272 × 2848; sensor-cleaning system
Image formats
Image formats	Compressed 12-bit NEF RAW, JPEG and simultaneous RAW plus Basic JPEG; maximum 3008 × 2000 pixels; Image Optimisation settings	12-bit or 14-bit NEF RAW with lossless compression, compression or no compression; TIFF RGB, JPEG and RAW plus JPEG. Medium/small RAW are 12-bit losslessly compressed
ISO detail
ISO detail	ISO 200–1600 in whole stops	Expanded equivalents ISO 50–1640000; Auto ISO
Image processor
Image processor	–	EXPEED 5; dedicated autofocus processor; Advanced Scene Recognition System
Lens and shooting
Lens mount
Lens mount	Nikon F mount	Nikon F mount
Stabilisation
Stabilisation	Optical lens stabilisation	Optical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst
Maximum continuous burst	2.5 fps	10 fps
Lens detail
Lens detail	Body autofocus motor supports compatible AF NIKKOR lenses, including type G and D; AF-S lenses also supported. Other AF NIKKOR lenses lose 3D matrix metering; non-CPU lenses require manual exposure without metering; IX and F3AF lenses unsupported; E-type lenses incompatible according to current Nikon USA specification	Compatible G/E/D AF NIKKOR lenses support full functions, subject to PC lens restrictions; body AF motor for compatible screw-drive lenses. Non-CPU AI lenses support aperture-priority/manual; non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses unsupported
Autofocus
Autofocus	Multi-CAM 900 phase-detection module; five selectable focus areas; -1 to +19 EV at ISO 100 equivalent, 20°C; AF-S/AF-C/AF-A and manual focus, single-area, dynamic-area and closest-subject-priority modes; AF-assist illuminator. Current US page lists Face-Priority AF, absent from the original manual specification; no face-detection capability inferred	Multi-CAM 20K; 153 points including 99 cross-type, with 55 manually selectable including 35 cross-type; 15 points support f/8, nine selectable. Centre detection to -4 EV; single-point, dynamic 25/72/153, 3D tracking, group and auto-area; automatic AF fine-tuning
Shutter
Shutter	Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter; 1/4000 to 30 seconds in half or one-third stops, Bulb and remote long exposures; flash synchronisation up to 1/500 second	1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; flash sync 1/250 second; electronic front curtain in mirror-up mode; shutter tested to 200000 cycles
Burst detail
Burst detail	Approximately 2.5 fps; US launch specifies up to 137 Normal Large JPEG frames on SanDisk UltraII 256 MB SD card. Original manual buffer table separately lists four RAW or nine Fine Large JPEG frames with long-exposure noise reduction off; card-dependent sustained shooting differs from buffer capacity	Up to 10 fps with full AF/AE; up to 200 losslessly compressed 14-bit RAW images or 79 uncompressed 14-bit RAW images under Nikon's specified ISO 100 conditions with Lexar Professional 2933× XQD 2.0. Card, settings and scene affect burst depth; quiet continuous approximately 3 fps
Stabilisation detail
Stabilisation detail	Optical VR depends on the attached lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation. Pictured original AF-S DX 18–55 mm ED kit lens has no VR	Optical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation. Electronic movie VR available at Full HD, with an additional crop
Flash
Flash	Built-in pop-up i-TTL flash; original manual guide number approximately 15 m at ISO 200 (17 manual) or 11 m at ISO 100 (12 manual); accessory shoe	No built-in flash; hot shoe and PC sync terminal. Compatible Speedlights provide Nikon CLS; radio control of SB-5000 requires optional WR-R10/WR-A10
Exposure controls
Exposure controls	P/S/A/M, Auto and six scene modes; 420-segment RGB matrix, centre-weighted and spot metering; ±5 EV compensation in half or one-third stops; exposure/flash and white-balance bracketing	P/S/A/M; 180000-pixel RGB metering with 3D Colour Matrix Metering III, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted modes; ±5 EV compensation; Active D-Lighting
Screen and viewfinder
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical	Optical
Screen size
Screen size	2″	3.2″
Screen dots
Screen dots	130,000	2,359,000
Touchscreen
Touchscreen	No	Yes
Tilting screen
Tilting screen	No	Yes
Display detail
Display detail	Fixed 2-inch low-temperature-polysilicon TFT with 130000 dots; top status LCD; contextual help and playback magnification; dots count subpixels	Reinforced tilting TFT with 170° viewing angle; limited touch functions for live-view AF/shutter and playback; dots count subpixels. Original Nikon US announcement gives 2359000 dots; Japan rounds approximately2360000
Viewfinder detail
Viewfinder detail	Pentamirror; approximately 95% coverage and 0.75× magnification; original manual specifies 18 mm eyepoint, conflicting with 8 mm on current US page	Pentaprism; approximately 100% DX or 98% 1.3× coverage; 1.0× magnification with 50mm at infinity; 16 mm eyepoint; viewfinder shutter and grid overlays
Connections and design
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi	–	Yes
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	Yes
Battery life (maker's claim)
Battery life (maker's claim)	400 photographs	1240 photographs
Body weight
Body weight	540 g (better)	760 g
Release detail
Release detail	Nikon USA original announcement dated 20 April 2005 states June US availability as a prospective schedule; actual first-sale month is unconfirmed, so year precision is retained	Nikon's surviving Japanese product page records sale on 28 April 2016. The original US January announcement proposed March; that planned date was superseded. The same announcement explicitly calls D500 the successor to D300S
Recording media
Recording media	One Secure Digital card slot; no SDHC compatibility inferred	One XQD slot and one SD/SDHC/SDXC slot with UHS-II support; overflow, backup, separate RAW/JPEG and card copying. CFexpress Type B support added to the XQD slot with firmware C 1.30
Ports
Ports	USB 2.0 Hi-Speed, NTSC/PAL video output and DC input; optional ML-L3 infrared remote	USB 3.0 Micro-B, mini-HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets, ten-pin accessory terminal and PC sync. Optional GP-1/GP-1A or MC-35 connects GPS equipment
Wireless connections
Wireless connections	–	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 4.1 and NFC; SnapBridge smartphone transfer and location sharing. Direct SnapBridge Wi-Fi connections added with C 1.20; optional WT-7 supplies wired/wireless network transfer
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	EN-EL3 lithium-ion battery; main 400 shots is original manual single-frame test with 18–55 mm ED lens, Normal Large JPEG and flash every other exposure, not labelled CIPA. Separate 2000-shot continuous test uses Basic Medium JPEG and limited monitor use; the launch announcement promotes that continuous figure	EN-EL15 at launch; EN-EL15a/b subsequently supported. Approximately 1240 CIPA photographs with AF-S DX NIKKOR 16–80mm f/2.8–4E ED VR and no live view; separate Nikon continuous test approximately 2740 with AF-S NIKKOR 70–200mm f/2.8G ED VR II and VR off. Optional MB-D17 grip supports one EN-EL15-series battery, EN-EL18-series with BL-5 cover, or eight AA batteries
Charging
Charging	External MH-18a quick charger; optional EH-5 mains adapter	External MH-25a charger; optional EH-5b adapter with EP-5B power connector
Dimensions
Dimensions	Approximately 133 × 102 × 76 mm	Approximately 147 × 115 × 81 mm
Weight detail
Weight detail	Approximately 540 g excluding battery, memory card and body cap	Approximately 760 g body only; 860 g with battery and XQD card, excluding body cap
Materials
Materials	–	Magnesium-alloy top/rear and carbon-fibre-reinforced front monocoque; dust and moisture sealing; not a waterproof rating
In the box
In the box	–	Original EN-EL15 battery, MH-25a charger, DK-17F eyepiece, UC-E22 USB cable, USB/HDMI cable clips, AN-DC17 strap and BF-1B body cap; later Japanese supply also lists EN-EL15b
Colours
Colours	Black or silver	–
Video
Highest video resolution
Highest video resolution	–	3840 × 2160 at 30 fps
Video detail
Video detail	No movie recording or live-view composition; NTSC/PAL output is for playback, despite the current US page labelling it Movie File Format	H.264 MOV at 4K UHD 30p/25p/24p, Full HD up to 60p and 720p up to 60p; actual NTSC rates 29.97/23.976/59.94. Maximum clip 29 minutes 59 seconds; Flat Picture Control, power aperture, time-lapse and HDMI output. 4K uses a further approximately 1.5× crop within DX (Cameralabs). Live view and movies use contrast-detection AF-S/AF-F
Audio
Audio	–	Built-in stereo microphone, 3.5 mm external microphone input and headphone output; adjustable microphone sensitivity; linear PCM