Nikon Coolpix P500

680 reviews

Jun, 2013

Positive
Usability (74)
Design (23)
Stabilizer (20)
Color (19)
Sensor (10)

Negative
Battery (40)
Focus (10)
Features (7)
Contrast (1)
Performance (1)

General overview
Price comparison
Product Specifications

alaTest has collected and analyzed 680 reviews from magazines and websites. People really like the portability and color. The image stabilizer and design also get good feedback. There are some less positive comments about the contrast and performance. There are mixed opinions on the memory and low light performance.

usability, design, stabilizer , color, portability

battery, focus, features, performance, contrast

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Nikon Coolpix P500 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 93/100 = Excellent quality.

See all Nikon Digital Compact Cameras

Review analysis

(Based on 680 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

(48% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews (33% of reviews)
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Features

Usability
Show positive (77%)Show negative (2%)(Show all)

Battery
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Design
Show positive (65%)Show negative (3%)(Show all)

Stabilizer
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Color
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More features

Showing 318 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

Showing 1 - 10 of 318 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (367)

Expert review by: Aaron Almeida (tech2.in.com)

Nikon CoolPix P500 Digital Camera

There is no 'best' superzoom in the market yet and camera manufacturers are launching new products every couple of months. These range from those loaded with features at a lower price point

The Nikon CoolPix P500 sells at a market operating price of Rs. 23,250. This is a really great camera and does well in design, build quality, features as well as performance. The camera is one of the better superzooms we have tested and with the image...

Aug, 2011

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Expert review by: Christopher Snow (digitalcamerainfo.com)

Nikon Coolpix P500 Digital Camera Review

Nikon's Coolpix P500 produces attractive exposures in all shooting scenarios, but is particularly strong in low light and during fast-action moments. We detected some problems with color accuracy, but this did not detract from overall image quality.

So the Coolpix P500 performed horribly in our color accuracy test, especially for a Nikon. But here’s the thing: during our time with the camera, the images produced were actually very attractive. If you’d handed us sample photos from this model...

Aug, 2011

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Nikon Coolpix P500

The new Nikon Coolpix P500 has an incredible 36x optical zoom packed into a DSLR-like body. Get ready to hold your breath and capture subjects you didn't even know were there!

36x optical zoom (22.5-810mm) ; 12-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor ; 8fps for five shots ; 1080p video capture

Sensor-shift stabilization not as good as OIS ; Battery only rated for 220 shots ; Awkward placement for burst key ; Uses AC adaptor charging

The P500 has its flaws -- as does every camera – including battery life and image stabilization. The pluses far outweigh the negatives.

Jul, 2011

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Expert review by: Joshua Goldman (cnet.com)

Nikon Coolpix P500 (Red)

The Nikon Coolpix P500, the manufacturer's latest full-size megazoom, is packing a 36x f3.4-5.7 21.5-800mm lens (35mm equivalent). That blows away its predecessor, the P100 , which had a 26x, f2.8-5 26-678mm lens and narrowly beats Canon's PowerShot...

The Nikon Coolpix P500 has a solid design, is overflowing with photo and movie features, and has very fast shooting performance for its class.

Its photo and video quality is very soft, particularly at high ISOs and in low-light conditions. It also lacks raw support and auto picture rotation.

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.

Mar, 2011

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Expert review by: Eric Reagan (photographybay.com)

Nikon Coolpix P500

The Nikon P500 is 12.1-megapixel superzoom camera, featuring a massive 36x optical zoom lens. Along with the high-res stills, the P500 gives you the ability to capture 1080p HD video.

The Nikon P500 is a worthy successor to the P100. While it is lacking some features that I think would push it over the top (e.g., RAW image capture, HD slow motion, etc.), it still has a lot to offer. All in all, the P500 is a solid performer as a...

Sep, 2011

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Expert review by: Christopher Snow (reviewed.com)

Nikon P500

Strong performance, especially in action moments and low-light settings

Excellent noise handling; Great resolution performance; A massive 36x zoom lens

Surprisingly disappointing color accuracy

Aug, 2011

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Expert review by: Jeff Keller (dcresource.com)

Coolpix P500

($399) is a fully loaded super zoom camera with a whopping 36X, 22.5 - 810 mm optical zoom lens (the largest available at the moment), an articulating LCD, manual controls, fast continuous shooting, and Full HD movie recording. It uses a 12.1 Megapixel...

The Coolpix P500 has the second worst battery life in the group, coming in almost 40% below average. Thus, you'll probably want to pick up a spare battery when you buy the camera. Also, I've heard stories about poor battery performance that is somehow...

Jul, 2011

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Expert review by: Alvin Soon (hardwarezone.com)

Nikon COOLPIX P500

The Nikon COOLPIX P500 is one of those cameras some used to call 'bridge' cameras, a category which existed between a standard compact and a DSLR camera. Find out how if its super-long optical zoom is good enough to make the grade.

May, 2011

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Expert review by: Jim Keenan (digitalcamerareview.com)

Nikon Coolpix P500 Review

Nikon's Coolpix P500 ultrazoom goes toe-to-toe with the competition boasting a 36x optical zoom lens.

Good ISO performance ; Very good shutter lag and AF acquisition times ; Good color rendition ; Relatively distortion free lens

Battery charges in camera ; Image quality a bit soft at telephoto

The Coolpix P500 is a logical extension of Nikon's product line in the superzoom compact digital ranks, dramatically expanding the focal range (both wide and long) and adding features over the P100 that it replaces. A slight increase in resolution is...

Apr, 2011

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Expert review by: (goodhousekeeping.com)

Nikon CoolPix P500 Digital Camera

Maxell’s Encore EN-5 offer a rich, full sound for an affordable price, beating out nearly all of the headphones in the test. However, our testers didn’t think they were very comfortable, nor did this pair do a good job staying put during use....

nbsp ; Excellent sound quality ; Adjustable ; Can withstand multiple drops ; Water-resistant ; Light weight and wraps up tightly for easy portability

nbsp ; Didn’t take much force to remove the headphones during our force test ; Consumer testers didn’t find them very comfortable to wear for long periods of time ; Didn’t always stay put during use for our consumer testers

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Product Specifications

The COOLPIX P series is a line of multi-function, high-performance compact digital cameras that enable authentic shooting capabilities. As successor to the compact, high-power zoom P100 (released in March 2010), the P500 offers greater zoom power and improved functions over its predecessor. The high-power zoom P500 respondes to the needs of a wide variety of users, from compact digital camera users looking to advance to a model that offers more functions, to those hoping to polish their shooting technique as if with digital-SLR cameras. In order to enable an authentic shooting experience, the P500 is equipped with backside illumination CMOS sensors that enable high-speed processing capability for beautiful, blur-free images, even with shooting in dark or dimly lit surroundings. The camera is also equipped with NIKKOR lenses and image processing engines that utilize Nikon's exclusive optical technologies, as well as a variety of shooting and in-camera editing functions.