The Nikon Coolpix B500 is a compact camera with a 16-megapixel sensor, combined with a 40x optical zoom. You can likewise initiate an advanced zoom up to 80x. It offers a scope of shooting modes, yet there’s no manual control, and it can’t shoot in raw format.
Accordingly, the target group is fledglings and perhaps photography lovers searching for a simple backup or travel camera.
In the same way as other of Nikon’s latest cameras, it highlights SnapBridge innovation, which permits you to keep a steady Bluetooth connection with your cell phone to send pictures across as you take them, prepared to share on person to person communication locales and such. So lets’ discuss the Nikon Coolpix B500 Review.
Key Features:
- 16 megapixel CMOS sensor
- 40x optical long range focal point, 22.5mm-900mm same, f/3-6.5
- Vibration Reduction (VR) optical picture adjustment
- 3inch shifting screen, 921K spots
- FullHD video recording, sound system sound
- ISO125-ISO6400
- 1cm Macro
- All-encompassing shooting
- 9fps consistent going for 7 shots
- Wi-Fi/NFC/Bluetooth network
- Available in black, plum, and red
Design and Controls
With one special case, the plan of this camera is minimally transformed from the previous COOLPIX L840. The new model has a mode dial which has a major effect on the dealing with. On the more seasoned model assuming you needed to choose a scene mode or one of the many element modes, you needed to explore through on-screen menus yet presently everything necessary is a spot on the dial. I’ll go into the activities of the new mode dial in more detail in the Shooting Experience segment towards the finish of my survey.
This is a fit camera, in my grasp. It’s neither too large to even consider making it somewhat of a modest bunch – like a DSLR or a portion of the bulkier super-zoom models, nor so little as to make getting to the controls fiddly. The hold broadens far advances which imply that regardless of whether you have long fingers there’s a lot of space to oblige them in the well between the grasp and focal point.
On the backboard the control design is ordinary, The four-way regulator, or multi-selector as Nikon calls it is utilized to explore the menus and for one-contact admittance to streak, exposure compensation, large scale mode and the self-clock. Flanking it are four buttons, two at the top for show overlays and playback, with menu and erase fastens underneath.
The screen is twofold pivoted so can be flipped up or down – it goes a little far past 90 degrees when flipped up and somewhat shy of 90 degrees when flipped down. The main downside with this game plan is that you can’t flip the screen advances for shooting selfies.
Assuming you need to do that then the more costly COOLPIX B700’s side-pivoted ‘Vari-point’ screen can oblige. In any case, in case you’re not a major selfie-taker, you’ll be more than content with the B500’s flip-up/down the screen, which is much more adaptable than the proper screen of the Canon PowerShot SX540 HS.
The actual screen is a similar 921k spot LCD board as on the prior COOLPIX L840 and to be sure the L830 before that, however, even three ages on it’s perhaps the best screen you’ll find on a super-zoom in this value section and looks more definite than 461k speck screen of the PowerShot SX540 HS. One more benefit of the pivoted screen is that outside in splendid daylight you can point it to keep the sun off.
On the right half of the camera, there’s a delicate fold that covers the USB/A/V and HDMI ports. There’s additionally a DC in the attachment here that you can use to control the B500 from the mains utilizing a discretionary AC connector. The joined battery and card compartment is gotten to utilizing an enormous pivoted entryway that covers the whole right half of the camera underneath the hand grasp.
Supplant them with NiMH batteries and that figure goes up to 750 shots and with more costly Lithium AA batteries the camera deals with a great 1240 shots.
The downside with AAs is that there’s an extra expense – also weight – involved. If you don’t as of now have a bunch of four batteries and a charger you’ll have to get them. In any case, just as the long battery life, AA’s enjoy the benefit that they’re not difficult to supplant and saves are somewhat modest contrasted with an exclusive Li-Ion battery.
The COOLPIX B500’s inherent spring up streak is enacted by squeezing a button on the left of the body just underneath the glimmer lodging. It has four modes, Auto, Auto with red-eye decrease, Fill streak and slow sync. The Flash has a cited scope of 6.9 meters, somewhat more remarkable than the PowerShot SX540 HS. It gives sufficient light to fill in and to enlighten sensibly close subjects, however in contrast to the PowerShots, the camera doesn’t uphold an all the more impressive glimmer adornment.
Zoom Effect
There are two rocker switches for the zoom – one around the shade discharge on top of the grasp and one more on the left half of the focal point barrel. Before it is the ‘Snap-back zoom’ button presented on the COOLPIX L840 briefly zooms the focal point out so you can regain your subject, before zooming back in when you discharge the button.
This camera additionally has this button and it’s extremely helpful, however not quite so complex as the edge help highlights on Canon’s PowerShot super-zooms, similar to the SX540 HS and SX60 HS.
Lens and Stabilisation
COOLPIX B500’s focal point has a 40x zoom range that reaches out from a very wide 22.5mm (in 35mm terms) to 900mm at the fax end. It’s somewhat longer, yet very little, than the 38x zoom of its predecessor, the COOLPIX L840.
A 40x zoom is very flexible and will permit you to pick the ideal central length for essentially any circumstance, from insides and gathering photographs to sports and untamed life, however, there are presently some super-zooms available that offer 50x, 60x and surprisingly longer ranges.
The COOLPIX B700’s 60x Zoom covers the reach from 24-1440mm, so will draw you extensively nearer to more modest far off subjects, similar to birds, for instance, however it doesn’t go very as wide at the opposite end. The 50x Canon PowerShot SX540 HS additionally begins at 24mm, reaching out to 1200mm at the long finish of the zoom range.
The greatest opening of the COOLPIX B500’s focal point is f3 at the wide point end of the zoom range, shutting to f6.5 when completely zoomed in, which is practically identical with most other super-zooms, significantly more costly ones like the COOLPIX B700. For the most part, the more drawn out the zoom, the more modest the greatest gap – the B700’s is f3.3-6.5 and the PowerShot SX540 HS’s f3.4-6.5.
For what reason is this significant? since at the more extended zoom settings you’ll have to choose a quicker shade speed to keep away from camera shake, even with adjustment empowered, and a more extensive opening assists you with doing that. One thing that helps the camera here is that its ISO affectability range stretches out to 6400 ISO, contrasted with 3200 ISO on the COOLPIX B700, however clearly the quality at those higher affectability settings won’t be extraordinary.
The COOLPIX B500’s focal point is optically balanced out – the focal point components are moved to make up for camera development. Adjustment, which is called Photo VR, is empowered from the Setup menu and has only two positions – here and there. Empowering adjustment maintains a strategic distance from camera shake, yet additionally assists with keeping things consistent when outlining shots near or at the greatest zoom range.
To test the COOLPIX B500’s adjustment I set it to Auto openness mode, zoomed the focal point to its greatest fax setting and made a progression of efforts in decaying light at dynamically more slow shade speeds, first with Vibration decrease set to off and afterwards with it on.
As you can see from the yields over, the camera can create obscure free shots down to 1/60th at the most extreme zoom range, four stops slower than the picture taker’s ‘one over the central length’ decree recommends is protected.
Film Modes
The camera holds similar film modes as the previous COOLPIX L840, including the best quality 1080/25p/30p HD mode. You can look over 25 or 30fps outline rates in the film menu. Next on the film mode menu is 1080/50i/60i, trailed by 720/25p/30p and 480/25p/30p.
There are additionally several HS choices for playback at speeds other than constant. HS 480/4x shoots 640×480 video at 4x typical speed (100 or 120fps relying upon the edge rate chosen) which plays back at quarter speed. HS 1080/0.5x records full HD video at a large portion of the typical edge rate for twofold speed playback.
The COOLPIX L840 is restricted as far as exposure control for motion pictures, as such, there isn’t any, other than openness remuneration. You can utilize the zoom while recording and if you cripple the advanced zoom in the set-up menu it impairs it for both film recording and photographs.
The short film show highlight presented on the COOLPIX L840 works in a very much like manner to the Hybrid film mode (some time ago Movie Digest) found on Canon compacts and records a set number of clasps of several seconds of 1080/25p/30p film which are then gathered in-camera into a more drawn out film.
You can pick between 15 2-second, three 10-second, or five 6-second clasps which are then collected into a 30-second film. You can shoot 16:9 12 Megapixel Normal quality still photographs when the mode dial is in the Short Movie Show mode position, or pass on to shoot full resolution photographs before getting back to refocus. It’s a flawless component however not exactly as easy to understand as Canon’s which shoots a short clasp each time you snap a picture.
Shooting Experience
It’s a reasonable bet that many individuals will utilize the camera solely in Auto mode, yet that is passed up a great deal of what it brings to the table. The COOLPIX B500’s scene and highlights modes are presently considerably more open because of the new mode dial, and this has a major effect contrasted with its archetype, the COOLPIX L840 where you needed to explore screen menus to switch shooting modes.
Pivot the dial clockwise and you get to the Scene Auto Selector Position, which is truly a more modern auto mode that utilizes scene discovery to pick the most suitable of the COOLPIX B500’s scene modes.
If you turn the dial one more snap the clockwise way you can choose the scene mode yourself, utilizing the screen menu to browse a scope of choices that just as the recognizable Portrait, Landscape, Party, Beach, Snow, Food and Fireworks modes, additionally incorporates Easy Panorama, Moon and Birdwatching scene modes.
The last two were presented on the previous COOLPIX L840. Moon gives a determination of colour choices which you can choose on-screen. All the more conveniently, a little square in the centre of the edge shows the region outlined when completely zoomed in, so with the camera, you can outline the moon in the little square then, at that point, press OK to naturally zoom the focal point right in, hypothetically at any rate.
Practically speaking, as any individual who has attempted to shoot the moon will know, outlining is a precarious business. All things considered, the new Moon scene mode might be sufficient to urge amateurs to have a turn lunar photography.
Birdwatching mode offers single shot and constant modes, the latter shooting a 7 edge burst in a second. Like Moon mode, it gives a casing guide and zooms in consequently, this opportunity to 440mm. The self-assertive cutoff on the central length is a cycle of inconvenience however and I figure most bird picture takers will be more joyful just to utilize program auto mode and set the drive mode to one of the consistent choices.
The following three situations on the mode dial are for shooting in requesting lighting conditions: Night scene and Night Portrait are genuinely clear as crystal. Backdrop illumination has two modes, the first use a fill-in glimmer to enlighten illuminated subjects.
The second is an HDR mode which takes a quick explosion of shots and joins them in the camera to deliver an outcome with preferred feature and shadow detail over would be conceivable with a single exposure.
After a committed situation for the Sports scene mode, the following choice on the mode dial sets Creative mode which takes an arrangement of five pictures – one ‘typical’ one and four with a scope of impacts applied. Aside from some particular shading choices the impact sets give four minor departures from a topic.
Classic is solid-hued monochrome colours, Memory gives you a minor departure from a marginally cleaned out cross-handled look. There are others, however, to be straightforward I wasn’t blown away with them and wound up aching for the typical Nikon impacts at minimum some of which offered a level of customisation.
Something beneficial with regards to Creative mode however is that it does furnish you with an unfiltered unique alongside the separated adaptations.
For fulfilment, I’ll specify the two leftover situations on the mode dial. Shrewd Portrait mode gives a heap of impacts, channels and highlights pointed toward assisting you with getting the best from your picture shots.
These incorporate skin mellowing and colouring, delicate centre impact, self clocks including grin initiation and self-arrangement, which makes a grouping of efforts and mounts them together photograph stall style. At long last, there’s a Short film show which I’ve portrayed in the Movie segment above.
Like its archetype, the COOLPIX B500 offers a decision of five AF region modes, more than is normal for a camera in this class, The face needs to function admirably when individuals are inside a couple of meters of the camera in great light.
In case there are no appearances in the casing it defaults to the nine-region AF framework which it uses to zero in regarding the matter nearest to the camera. Then again you can physically choose the centre region from one of 99 positions utilizing the multi-selector to move the edge around a 9×11 lattice, or set a focal centre point.
Manual situating of the AF region isn’t something you’ll find on both of the Canon models and, while it’s not something you may utilize, there are events, similar to when shooting with the camera on a mount or for full-scale shots, when it tends to be exceptionally valuable.
The camera additionally incorporates target tracking down AF. This recognizes subjects (protests just as individuals) in the edge when the camera is pointed at a scene. Potential subjects are recognized and followed by green square shapes. In case you’re shooting individuals, face acknowledgement is likely a superior decision of AF modes, yet target finding appears to have an uncanny skill for picking the primary subject in a scene which for certain circumstances is a genuine enhancement for the nine-region AF mode.
At long last, there’s a subject following mode which permits you to distinguish a subject with an AF point which then, at that point, chases after it. this functions admirably, given your subject is very much isolated from the foundation, you’re not zoomed in far and the subject isn’t moving rapidly or unpredictably.
At the point when you’re completely zoomed in, the camera can be delayed to the centre, it can go through over a second changing the concentration through the whole reach and here and there you want to make a few endeavours.
However the 900mm most extreme central length isn’t particularly long by super-zoom guidelines, it’s sufficiently long to make keeping your subject in the casing very testing. This is the place where the ‘Snap-back zoom’ button on the focal point barrel, which was presented on the COOLPIX L840, comes in extremely convenient.
It works likewise to the Framing Assist Seek button on the PowerShot SX540 HS, briefly zooming out so you can re-procure your subject, before zooming back in when you discharge the button. That is the extent that it goes with Snap-back Zoom on the camera, it does not have the profundity and refinement of Framing Assist on the SX540 HS, yet it’s a helpful element to have regardless.
This is one of the main Nikon super-zooms to include its new SnapBridge innovation which works with Wifi, NFC and Bluetooth to give remote connections between the camera and your cell phone. Likewise, with prior Wifi-prepared models you can handle the camera from a distance and download photographs to your telephone, what’s going on is that you can communicate pictures to your cell phone behind the scenes as you shoot utilizing the low power Bluetooth association.
Bluetooth permits the COOLPIX B500 to keep a low power remote connection with your cell phone consistently, permitting it to implant GPS positions or watermarks on pictures as you take them, while likewise streaming photographs from the camera to telephone, all without mediation – in any event when the camera’s turned off whenever wanted.
Bluetooth might be slower than Wifi, however, by labelling, watermarking or potentially replicating pictures without intercession, it perpetually takes care of business speedier as there’s no compelling reason to stop and physically start the cycle. If you are inclined toward you can generally utilize Wifi to move pictures physically, and the Wifi connection additionally permits you to shoot remotely utilizing your telephone.
The arrangement is adequately simple, First, you introduce the application on your Android or Apple gadget, then, at that point, start the matching system with the camera. If you have an NFC-prepared Android cell phone you hold the handset against the side of the camera for several seconds before the two gadgets show passwords for you to affirm.
Picture Quality
With many extension cameras of this kind and plan, the Nikon Coolpix B500 performs at its best in splendid, clear light. In case you’re searching for a vacation camera that you will predominantly use in these conditions, you ought to be satisfied with the yield that it can do.
In great conditions, pictures are very much nitty-gritty, with lively tones and decent immersion. There’s not all that much picture smoothing to be seen at typical review and printing sizes, and for something which is focused on fledglings, it’s satisfying.
There’s likewise a considerable amount of amusing to be had with the Creative Mode, which merits exploring different avenues in case you’re a devotee of computerized channels and so forth.
Having a 40x optical zoom is valuable when you’re attempting to draw nearer to the subject, and here it performs sensibly well. Pictures taken at the most distant finish of the fax optic aren’t exactly pretty much as great as those taken at the wide point end, however, they’re even more than usable. The advanced zoom is best kept away from on the off chance that it is at all conceivable, as you’ll see corruption in picture quality.
It merits turning on picture adjustment when you are capturing at longer fax lengths as this will assist with guaranteeing your shots are as obscure free as could be expected. As a rule, openings are even, with universally handy metering working effectively to get it squarely in most events.
Pictures took up to ISO 1600 take a gander at ordinary printing sizes, however, you might need to stay away from ISO 3200 and ISO 1600 assuming there is any chance of this happening, as utilizing these velocities uncovers clamour and a painterly look because of picture smoothing.
Noise
The Nikon Coolpix B500 has seven affectability settings going from ISO 125 to ISO 6400 at full resolution.
Sharpening
The following are two 100% yields – the right-hand picture has made them hone applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera pictures from the Nikon Coolpix B500 are somewhat delicate at the default honing setting and advantage from some further honing in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can then again change the in-camera honing level to suit your preferences.
Wi-Fi features/Snapbridge
With worked in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth you can move pictures to your cell phone, and if your elements NFC, setting up the association is much more straightforward. You can utilize the application to shoot from a distance, and you can change the optical zoom. There’s a choice to add GPS information from your cell phone to photographs, just as setting the camera’s time.
Battery life
You can shoot approx. 600 shots when utilizing soluble batteries, approx. 1240 shots when utilizing lithium batteries, or approx. 750 shots when utilizing Rechargeable EN-MH2 batteries. This is very amazing and should mean you can have a lot of changes before expecting to stress over the batteries.
Pros of Nikon Coolpix b500:
- Bluetooth Connectivity
- Long Battery Life
- Built-in Wireless
- Face Detection Focusing
- 921k dots LCD Resolution
- Image Stabilization
- Articulating Screen
- Full HD Video
Cons of Nikon Coolpix b500:
- No External Flash Shoe
- No Touch Screen
- No Environmental Sealing
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Nikon B500 a good beginner camera?
Nikon B500 is an ideal camera for beginners. it highlights SnapBridge innovation, which permits you to keep a consistent Bluetooth connection with your cell phone to send pictures across as you take them, prepared to share on person to person communication destinations and such.
Is Nikon Coolpix B500 a good camera for vlogging?
The Nikon COOLPIX B500 is among the best-advanced cameras under $300 that you can video blog with. With its 16 megapixels low-light sensor, you can shoot dazzling pictures and recordings at 1080p resolution.
How old is the Nikon Coolpix B500?
The Nikon Coolpix B500 was released on Feb 23, 2016. There’s a four-way navigational cushion, with each button having its own specific capacity – there’s up to control streak mode, down to turn on large scale shooting, passed on to utilize the clock, and right to change exposure compensation.
Does the Nikon Coolpix B500 take video?
The Nikon Coolpix B500 Digital Camera (Black) feels incredible in your grasp, regardless of whether you’re zooming in with its super fax NIKKOR glass focal point or recording 1080p Full HD video utilizing the flip-up LCD.
Does the Nikon Coolpix B500 have a microphone?
The COOLPIX B500 doesn’t have an external mic. It has implicit sound system amplifiers for recording video.
Can you charge a Nikon Coolpix B500?
The camera utilizes them for power, so you would not have to charge the actual camera.
How do I use my Nikon B500 as a Webcam?
To utilize it, download and introduce the Nikon Webcam Utility. It tends to be downloaded for Windows and macOS. Then, at that point, interface your viable Nikon camera to the PC utilizing the USB link. In case you’re utilizing an outside mic, plug that into the PC’s mic port.
What is the Nikon B500 good for?
The Nikon COOLPIX B500 is an exceptionally alluring recommendation for amateur photographic artists as well as professionals moving up from a cell phone or little minimized camera and searching for a long zoom range in an SLR style body without the cost and intricacy of a camera with compatible focal points.
Is Nikon Coolpix a DSLR camera?
Nikon Coolpix can be considered a typical DSLR. It likewise isn’t modest and does not have a long-range focal point. The authoritative contrast is that with DSLRs (and mirrorless cameras) you can change the focal point contingent upon your need.
How long can a Nikon Coolpix record?
The greatest size of a single film document is 4 GB. If a document surpasses 4 GB when you record for, under 29 minutes, the recording closes.
Does Nikon Coolpix have a viewfinder?
The Coolpix B500 doesn’t have an eye-level electronic viewfinder. Self-adjust modes incorporate focus, face need, manual AF determination, subject following, and target tracking down AF choices.
Final Words
The Nikon COOLPIX B500 is an extremely appealing suggestion for fledgling photographic artists who are looking for a long zoom range in an SLR style body without the cost and intricacy of a camera with compatible focal points.