Advantages/Nikon D7500 Excellent image quality, good performance in low light, comfortable grip, relatively compact design for an SLR, films in 4K, good responsiveness to the viewfinder, burst at 8 fps, adjustable touch screen, Bluetooth connection.
Disadvantages/ Too much cropping in 4K video, Full HD video limited to 60 fps, only one SD card port, focusing a bit slow in Live View, no Focus Peaking.
Contents/ The expert DSLR in APS-C format Nikon D7500 effectively renew the Japanese brand’s D7 range, in particular thanks to a reworked design and better tactile ergonomics. ut also thanks to the heritage of its parents the D7200 and D500.
The D7500 is presented by the Japanese brand as the result of the union of a D7200 and a D500 hence its name. Indeed, the D7500 imprints a lot on its two parents: we find in particular the APS-C sensor (DX-format at Nikon) CMOS 20.9 Mpx, the Expeed 5 image processing processor as well as the RGB measurement sensor of the D500, autofocus, optical viewfinder and carbon fiber chassis of the D7200.
In fact, the real novelties of this D7500 are to be found on the design side. The device has notably undergone a slimming cure and its ergonomics have been reviewed. In addition, it now has a (really) touch-sensitive and vertically adjustable LCD screen. The device is marketed at the substantial price of 1549 euros naked. So much for the main technical characteristics, but what about in practice?
Design and handling
As we told you a little above, Nikon has paid particular attention to the design of the D7500, and it shows: that it is lighter and less imposing than its two parents. Which makes your arms less tiring in use. and makes them easier to transport. In addition, the handle, more hollow, is also more comfortable, giving it a very good grip.
The other side of the coin is that the brand had to remove the second memory card port present on the D7200 and the D500 for lack of space. The D7500 is dust and splash-resistant, which we tested with success. While it doesn’t quite match the quality and, arguably, the strength of the D500, the D7500’s carbon fiber chassis remains clean and neat.
Ergonomics
Regarding ergonomics, the D7500 made great progress by acquiring, first of all. A truly tactile and multipoint LCD screen with 921,600 pixels (2.4 million on the D500). It is therefore not simply used to focus or to navigate in the photo gallery. Like that of its elder D500, but to navigate in the menus. As a result, navigation is very fluid and much more intuitive.
We could just blame Nikon for its extended menus that you have to scroll through for a while before finding what you’re looking for. In addition, it is vertically adjustable, which is really practical when you have to gain height or shoot at ground level. The camera’s 0.94x magnification pentaprism optical viewfinder is quite effective, although the eye relief could have been a bit longer. That being said, even with glasses, the aim remains satisfactory.
connectors
Apart from the absence of a second SD card port, the connection is quite complete: micro USB port, HDMI output (4:2:2), headphone and microphone jack in mini jack, and remote control socket. We also note the presence of a built-in flash, even if it is possible to connect another wireless one. The device also abandons NFC in favor of Bluetooth and has a Wi-Fi chip that is unfortunately still too limited in its use.
The Snapbridge application allows you to send photos quickly and automatically to your smartphone. Which is very useful for sharing despite an interface that is a bit confusing at first. In addition. The Bluetooth transfer will necessarily be long if you send large snapshots. And then the application consumes a lot of energy from your smartphone, and the Bluetooth of the device also reduces its autonomy: this is around 950 views in normal times, which is already lower than its two parents.
Nikon D7500 Image quality
Equipped with the same sensor and the same image processing processor as the D500. The D7500 produces very beautiful images up to a size of 5568 x 3712 pixels. With an extended dynamic range. Vivid and relatively natural colors as well as an effective automatic white balance. In low light, note that colors tend to appear warmer than normal. So you’ll need to manually correct the shot or change the auto-white balance mode.
The sensor also gives very good results in low light thanks to its wide sensitivity range. The camera can go from 100 to 51200 ISO, or even from 50 – 1,640,000 ISO if you use the Lo 1 and Hi 5 settings, which is best avoided as the quality is degraded at such peaks in sensitivity. On the other hand, the D7500 easily climbs to ISO 6400 while maintaining a satisfactory noise level.
In the video, Nikon’s new baby shows more nuanced results. If it can film in 4K at 30 frames per second, the frame will, unfortunately, undergo a very significant crop in this definition (despite satisfactory sharpness). Let’s be clear, your focal length will be more than doubled. Forget too wide angles in 4K, therefore. The device offers more flexibility in Full HD, but again, you have to make sacrifices. The D7500 is limited to 60 frames per second in this definition, you can do it without big slow motions.
Reactivity
The D7500 retains the 51-point autofocus of the D7200 but offers slightly higher performance thanks to its slightly faster burst mode. Around 8 frames per second in JPEG against 6 for its big brother. We, therefore, remain below the 10 views (without limit) of the D500, but it must justify its higher price. In RAW, you can now reach 50 consecutive views. A good progression compared to the 27 views of the D7200.
Conclusion
The D7500 is clearly an excellent SLR that effectively renews the D7 range. This one would almost make us forget the D500. Which still shines for its better responsiveness and its second SD card port. The price of the D7500 (1549 euros naked) is more interesting but is still quite high compared to the competition. In particular, the Canon EOS 80D is an opponent to consider. But if you can afford it, we can only recommend the Nikon D7500.
