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Nikon D500 vs Nikon Z50II

Every spec side by side, from each maker's published figures.

Better figure, where one is clearly better

NikonD500NikonZ50II
Overview
ReleasedApril 2016November 2024
Image and sensor
Camera typeDSLRMirrorless
Sensor formatAPS-CAPS-C
Sensor typeCMOSCMOS
Sensor dimensions23.5 × 15.7 mm23.5 × 15.7 mm
Effective resolution20.9 MP20.9 MP
Largest image5568 × 37125568 × 3712
RAW recordingYesYes
Standard ISO range100–51200100–51200
Sensor detail21.51 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 system21.51 million total pixels; Japanese exact specification gives 20.88 million effective, rounded to 20.9 on Nikon UK. Image-dust-off reference data requires NX Studio.
Image formats12-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 compressed14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or high-efficiency compression; JPEG and HEIF; RAW plus JPEG or HEIF
ISO detailExpanded equivalents ISO 50–1640000; Auto ISOStandard still-image ISO 100–51200, expandable to equivalent ISO 204800; HLG starts at ISO 400. Movie ISO 100–25600, with N-Log-specific limits.
Image processorEXPEED 5; dedicated autofocus processor; Advanced Scene Recognition SystemEXPEED 7
Lens and shooting
Lens mountNikon F mountNikon Z mount
StabilisationOptical lens stabilisationOptical lens stabilisation
Maximum continuous burst10 fps30 fps
Lens detailCompatible 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 unsupportedNIKKOR Z FX and DX lenses; FX lenses have a DX field-of-view crop. F-mount NIKKOR lenses require an adapter and retain model-dependent restrictions.
AutofocusMulti-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-tuningHybrid phase/contrast detection; 209 single-point or 231 auto-area positions, nine subject types, 3D tracking and AF-A. Nikon's −9 EV sensitivity uses AF-S, ISO 100, an f/1.2 lens and 20°C.
Shutter1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; flash sync 1/250 second; electronic front curtain in mirror-up mode; shutter tested to 200000 cyclesMechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic; 1/4000 to 30 seconds plus Bulb/Time, extendable to 900 seconds in manual mode. Flash sync up to 1/250 second with reduced guide number above 1/200; Auto FP supported.
Burst detailUp 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 fpsExtended continuous shooting approximately 11 fps, or 15 fps silent; ordinary high approximately 5.6 fps, rising to 9.7 fps silent without RAW. C15/C30 high-speed capture with pre-release capture reaches 30 fps for JPEGs, not RAW.
Stabilisation detailOptical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation. Electronic movie VR available at Full HD, with an additional cropNo sensor-shift stabilisation; optical stabilisation depends on a VR lens. Electronic video VR adds a crop.
FlashNo built-in flash; hot shoe and PC sync terminal. Compatible Speedlights provide Nikon CLS; radio control of SB-5000 requires optional WR-R10/WR-A10Manual pop-up flash, guide number approximately 7 at ISO 100 in metres; i-TTL and ISO 518 accessory shoe
Exposure controlsP/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-LightingAuto, P/S/A/M and scene modes; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation
Video
Highest video resolution3840 × 2160 at 30 fps3840 × 2160 at 60 fps
Video detailH.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-FUHD 3840 × 2160 up to 60p, with additional crop at 50/60p; full-width DX UHD up to 30p is oversampled from 5.6K. Full HD up to 120p; H.265 8/10-bit and H.264, N-Log and HLG, waveform, timecode, tally lamp, Product Review mode and Full HD Hi-Res Zoom. Maker recording limit 125 minutes, subject to conditions; no internal RAW video listed.
AudioBuilt-in stereo microphone, 3.5 mm external microphone input and headphone output; adjustable microphone sensitivity; linear PCMBuilt-in stereo microphones; PCM 48 kHz/24-bit for MOV or AAC 48 kHz/16-bit for MP4; external microphone and headphone monitoring
Screen and viewfinder
ViewfinderOpticalElectronic
Screen size3.2″3.2″
Screen dots2,359,0001,040,000
TouchscreenYesYes
Tilting screenYesYes
Display detailReinforced 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 approximately2360000Vari-angle TFT, approximately 100% coverage and 170° viewing angle; dots count subpixels
Viewfinder detailPentaprism; approximately 100% DX or 98% 1.3× coverage; 1.0× magnification with 50mm at infinity; 16 mm eyepoint; viewfinder shutter and grid overlays0.39-inch XGA OLED, approximately 2.36 million dots, 100% coverage, 1.02× magnification and 19.5 mm eyepoint; maker maximum brightness claim 1000 cd/m²
Connections and design
Wi-FiYesYes
BluetoothYesYes
Battery life (maker's claim)1240 photographs250 photographs
Body weight760 g495 g
Release detailNikon'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 D300SAnnounced in November 2024; Nikon US states availability in late November 2024. Month precision is retained because an exact first UK retail day is unconfirmed.
Recording mediaOne 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 1.30Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot supporting UHS-II, in the battery compartment
PortsUSB 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 equipmentUSB-C SuperSpeed USB; Micro HDMI Type D; 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone output, the latter also supports MC-DC3 remote release
Wireless connectionsWi-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 transferWi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0; SnapBridge and Nikon Imaging Cloud
Battery life detailEN-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 batteriesEN-EL25a; CIPA approximately 250 monitor shots with power saving enabled or 230 without; EVF 240 with power saving or 220 without. Tested with NIKKOR Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR; movie battery-life claim 55 minutes. EN-EL25 compatibility gives shorter battery life; Photography Blog's 300-shot EN-EL25 narrative is not the current maker claim.
ChargingExternal MH-25a charger; optional EH-5b adapter with EP-5B power connectorUSB charging and power with compatible equipment; optional EH-8P adapter
DimensionsApproximately 147 × 115 × 81 mmApproximately 127 × 96.8 × 66.5 mm
Weight detailApproximately 760 g body only; 860 g with battery and XQD card, excluding body capApproximately 495 g body only or 550 g including battery/card, excluding body cap
MaterialsMagnesium-alloy top/rear and carbon-fibre-reinforced front monocoque; dust and moisture sealing; not a waterproof rating–
In the boxOriginal 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-EL15bEN-EL25a battery, AN-DC29 strap, USB-C cable and BF-N1 body cap

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