Welcome to this step-by-step guide on how to use the Nikon D500. If you are a beginner, this is for you.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to shoot great photos. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
- 20.9MP DX Format CMOS Sensor.Viewfinder:Eye level pentaprism single lens reflex viewfinder
- Expeed 5 image processor; monitor size: 3.2 inches diagonal
- 3.2 inches 2,539k dot tilting touchscreen lcd
- 4k UHD video recording at 30 fps
- Multi cam 20k 153 point AF system
- Native ISO 51200, Extend to ISO 1640000
- 10 fps Shooting for Up to 200 Frames
- Built in wi fi, Bluetooth and nfc
- 180k pixel rgb sensor and group area af
- In camera time lapse, up to 9999 frames. Supplied with: en el15 rechargeable li ion battery, mh 25a battery charger, usb cable clip, hdmi cable clip, dk 17 eyepiece, uc e22 usb cable, an dc17 strap, bf 1b body cap, users manual, warranty
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How To Use The Nikon D500 — Powering Up Your Camera
Before you take your first picture, there are couple of things you need to do. The first thing you need to do is put a battery in the camera.
You can do this by simply opening up the compartment at the bottom of the camera, and putting the battery into the camera.
You also need to put a memory card in the camera. There are quite a lot of SD cards out there, but a standard one will do for now. All you need to do is insert the card into the camera.
The last thing you need to do is connect your lens to the camera. Simply line up your lens with the camera, and turn to click it into position.
Once you have completed these steps, you can power up the camera by turning the ON/OFF switch.
For a more visual explanation, please refer to the video below
How To Use The Nikon D500 — Shooting Modes
When you get your camera for the first time, it’s most likely going to be in AUTO mode. If you would like to change your shooting mode, look at the group of buttons at the top of the camera.
Here are the shooting modes available…
A – aperture priority mode
Using the command dial, you can control the aperture by yourself, while the camera sets the shutter speed.
S – shutter priority mode
In this mode, you have the ability to set the shutter speed by yourself, while the camera handles other settings.
M – manual mode
This mode gives you full control over the shutter speed and aperture. The camera will notify you if the exposure is off, but won’t stop you.
P – program mode
The camera sets the aperture and shutter speed, but still gives you the ability to tweak a few settings.
AUTO mode
The camera handles all the settings for you. This is the most ideal option for those starting out in photography.
How To Use The Nikon D500 — Shooting Photo/Video
To take a photo, simply press the shutter button. This button should be right above the ON/OFF switch.
If you are in burst mode, holding the shutter button down will capture multiple images at once. You can switch between single-shot, and burst mode.
To record a video, you need to switch over to Live View. This button can be located at the bottom right of the camera.
Live View mode deactivates your viewfinder, and uses the LCD at the back of the camera instead.
You can start recording by pressing the RECORD button on the camera. Once you have finished, press the button again to stop.
How To Use The Nikon D500 — Buttons and Dials
INFO button
When you select any option in the camera’s menu, pressing the info button will bring up information about that option. If you don’t know what a particular function does, this could be useful.
PLAY button
You can use this button to view your images.
Plus/minus button
This button will come in handy if you are shooting in manual mode. You can use it to increase or decrease things like your aperture and shutter speed.
Record button
This button switches your camera to video mode. Once you have finished recording, simply press the button again to stop.
Live View button
This flips the camera’s mirror aside, and switches to the LCD. This feature is used when recording videos. When you are in live view mode, you can monitor the video feed coming into the camera.
MENU button
This button opens up the menu.
D-pad
You can use this to navigate and select various options in the menu.
Mode buttons
With these buttons, you can choose various shooting modes such as Program, Auto, Manual, Aperture priority, and Shutter priority.
FUNCTION buttons
These are customizable buttons.
How To Use The Nikon D500 — The Menus
To get into the D500’s main menu, press the menu button at the top left of the camera. In the main menu, you have sub-menus such as…
You can choose the quality and sizes of your photos, control ISO sensitivity, set white balance, and set picture style.
You can also control noise reduction, auto distortion, flash, metering, focus mode, AF-area mode, and movie settings.
In this menu, you can review photos, play them in a slide show, rotate them, or delete them.
In this menu, you can edit your all your photos. However, it it advised that you use a computer for all your editing and post-processing.
In this menu, you can control and customize basic things like the date/time, language, screen brightness, and format memory card. You can also control flicker reduction, HDMI, file naming, and Airplane mode.
Note: These aren’t really all the menus. We just selected the ones we think are most important.
How To Use The Nikon D500 — Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change the ISO on the Nikon D500?
- Go into the main menu by pressing the menu button.
- Scroll down to the shooting menu and press OK.
- Scroll to ISO sensitivity settings and press OK.
- Scroll down to Auto ISO sensitivity, and make sure it’s set to OFF.
- Scroll up to ISO sensitivity and adjust as desired.
- Press OK to exit
Is the Nikon D500 good for landscapes?
The Nikon D500 is a good camera for those interested in landscape photography. It has a large sensor which will give you great results in low-light situations.
it also has a high sensor resolution which brings out a lot of detail in your photos, and weather sealing to protect it from dust and moisture.
Conclusion:
That brings us to the end of this guide. If you are stuck at any point, don’t hesitate to check the manual.
Hope you found this helpful. If you have any more questions, feel free to comment below. Also remember to check out our other guides and comparisons.
