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    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
    Ebook1,074 pages11 hours

    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography

    By David D. Busch

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    About this ebook

    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography is the most comprehensive reference and guide book for Nikon’s long-awaited 20.9-megapixel enthusiast/professional DX-format digital camera. With the same 180,000-pixel metering sensor and lightning-fast 153-point autofocus system found in Nikon’s top-of-the-line D5, this model offers precise exposure and fast focusing at up to 10 frames per second. The D500 adds stunning 4K/UHD video capabilities, and a new “SnapBridge” feature that provides a seamless connection between the camera and a smartphone using a Bluetooth link. With this book in hand, you will discover all the capabilities of the Nikon D500 as you explore the world of digital photography, develop your creativity, and capture the best photographs you’ve ever taken.

    Filled with detailed how-to steps and full-color illustrations, David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography describes every feature of this sophisticated camera in depth, from taking your first photos through advanced details of setup, exposure, lens selection, lighting, and more. It relates each feature to specific photographic techniques and situations. Also included is the handy camera “roadmap,” an easy-to-use visual guide to the D500’s features and controls. Learn when to use every option and, more importantly, when not to use them, by following the author’s recommended settings for every menu entry. With bestselling photographer and mentor David Busch as your guide, you’ll quickly have full creative mastery of your camera’s capabilities, whether you’re shooting on the job, taking pictures as an advanced enthusiast, or just out for fun. Start building your knowledge and confidence, while bringing your vision to light with the Nikon D500.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRocky Nook
    Release dateSep 19, 2016
    ISBN9781681981482
    David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography
    Author

    David D. Busch

    With more than two million books in print, David D. Busch is the world’s #1 best-selling camera guide author, with more than 100 guidebooks for Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax, and Panasonic cameras, and many popular books devoted to digital photography and imaging techniques. His best-sellers include Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies, which has sold more than 300,000 copies in five editions, and Mastering Digital SLR Photography, now in its Fourth Edition. The graduate of Kent State University is a former newspaper reporter/photographer, and operated his own commercial photo studio, shooting sports, weddings, portraits, fashion, architecture, product photography, and travel images. For 22 years he was a principal in CCS/PR, Inc., one of the largest public relations/marketing firms based in San Diego, working on press conferences, press kits, media tours, and sponsored photo trade magazine articles for Eastman Kodak Company and other imaging companies. His 2500 articles and accompanying photos have appeared inside and on the covers of hundreds of magazines, including Popular Photography, Rangefinder, and Professional Photographer. For the last decade, Busch has devoted much of his time to sharing his photographic expertise, both in publications, and in seminar/workshops he hosts at the Cleveland Photographic Society School of Photography. He has been a call-in guest for 21 different radio shows nationally and in major markets, including WTOP-AM (Washington), KYW-AM (Philadelphia), USA Network (Daybreak USA), WPHM-AM (Detroit), KMJE-FM (Sacramento), CJAD-AM (Montreal), WBIX-AM (Boston), ABC Radio Network (Jonathan & Mary Show). He’s also been a call-in guest for one Canadian television show, and appeared live on Breakfast Television in Toronto, the Today Show of the Great White North. With a total of more than 200 books to his credit, Busch has had as many as five books appear simultaneously in the Amazon.com Top 25 Digital Photography Books, and when Michael Carr of About.com named the top five digital photography books for beginners, the initial #1 and #2 choices were Busch’s Digital Photography All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies and Mastering Digital Photography. His work has been translated into Arabic, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Bulgarian, German, Italian, French, and other languages. Busch lives in Ravenna, Ohio, and you can find him online at www.dslrguides.com.

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      Book preview

      David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography - David D. Busch

      DAVID BUSCH’S

      NIKON® D500

      GUIDE TO DIGITAL SLR PHOTOGRAPHY

      David D. Busch

      David Busch’s Nikon® D500

      Guide to Digital SLR Photography

      David D. Busch

      Project Manager: Jenny Davidson

      Series Technical Editor: Michael D. Sullivan

      Layout: Bill Hartman

      Cover Design: Mike Tanamachi

      Indexer: Valerie Haynes Perry

      Proofreader: Mike Beady

      ISBN: 978-1-68198-146-8

      1st Edition (1st printing, November 2016)

      © 2017 David D. Busch

      All images © David D. Busch unless otherwise noted

      Rocky Nook, Inc.

      1010 B Street, Suite 350

      San Rafael, CA 94901

      USA

      www.rockynook.com

      Distributed in the U.S. by Ingram Publisher Services

      Distributed in the UK and Europe by Publishers Group UK

      Library of Congress Control Number: 2016930698

      All rights reserved. No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher.

      Many of the designations in this book used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. Where those designations appear in this book, and Rocky Nook was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. All product names and services identified throughout this book are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies with no intention of infringement of the trademark. They are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book.

      While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein or from the use of the discs or programs that may accompany it.

      This book is printed on acid-free paper.

      Printed in Korea

      For Cathy

      Acknowledgments

      Thanks to everyone at Rocky Nook, including Scott Cowlin, managing director and publisher, for the freedom to let me explore the amazing capabilities of the Nikon D500 in depth. I couldn’t do it without my veteran production team, including project manager, Jenny Davidson, and series technical editor, Mike Sullivan. Also thanks to Bill Hartman, layout; Valerie Haynes Perry, indexing; Mike Beady, proofreading; Mike Tanamachi, cover design; and my agent, Carole Jelen, who has the amazing ability to keep both publishers and authors happy.

      About the Author

      With more than two million books in print, David D. Busch is the world’s #1 selling digital camera guide author, and the originator of popular digital photography series like David Busch’s Pro Secrets and David Busch’s Quick Snap Guides. He has written more than four dozen hugely successful guidebooks and compact guides for Nikon digital SLR models, several dozen additional user guides for other camera models, as well as many popular books devoted to dSLRs, including Mastering Digital SLR Photography, Fourth Edition and Digital SLR Pro Secrets. As a roving photojournalist for more than 20 years, he illustrated his books, magazine articles, and newspaper reports with award-winning images. He’s operated his own commercial studio, suffocated in formal dress while shooting weddings, and shot sports for a daily newspaper and an upstate New York college. His photos and articles have been published in magazines as diverse as Popular Photography, Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and hundreds of other publications. He’s also reviewed dozens of digital cameras for CNet Networks and other CBS publications. His advice has been featured on National Public Radio’s All Tech Considered.

      When About.com named its top five books on Beginning Digital Photography, debuting at the #1 and #2 slots were Busch’s Digital Photography All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies and Mastering Digital Photography. At one time, he’s had as many as five of his books listed in the Top 20 of Amazon.com’s Digital Photography Bestseller list—simultaneously! Busch’s 200-plus other books published since 1983 include bestsellers like Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies.

      Busch is a member of the Cleveland Photographic Society (www.clevelandphoto.org), which has operated continuously since 1887. Visit his website at http://www.nikonguides.com.

      Contents

      Preface

      Introduction

      Chapter 1
      Thinking Outside the Box

      First Things First

      In the Box

      Optional and Non-Optional Add-Ons

      Initial Setup

      Mastering the Multi Selector and Command Dials

      Setting the Clock

      Battery Included

      Final Steps

      Chapter 2
      Nikon D500 Quick Start

      Choosing a Release Mode

      Selecting an Exposure Mode

      Choosing a Metering Mode

      Choosing a Focus Mode

      Choosing the Focus Area Mode

      Other Settings

      Adjusting White Balance and ISO

      Using the Self-Timer

      Reviewing the Images You’ve Taken

      Transferring Photos to Your Computer

      Changing Default Settings

      Resetting the Nikon D500

      Recommended Default Changes

      Shooting Tips

      Photo Shooting Menu Recommendations

      Custom Setting Menu Recommendations

      Chapter 3
      Nikon D500 Roadmap

      Nikon D500: Full Frontal

      The Nikon D500’s Business End

      Playing Back Images

      Zooming the Nikon D500 Playback Display

      Viewing Thumbnails

      Working with the Shooting Information/Photo Data Displays

      Using the Shooting Information Display

      Using the Photo Data Displays

      Going Topside

      Lens Components

      Looking Inside the Viewfinder

      Underneath Your Nikon D500

      Using the MB-D17 Multi-Power Battery Pack (Vertical Grip)

      Chapter 4
      Nailing the Right Exposure

      Getting a Handle on Exposure

      Equivalent Exposure

      How the D500 Calculates Exposure

      Correctly Exposed

      Overexposed

      Underexposed

      Metering Mid-Tones

      Choosing a Metering Method

      Matrix Metering

      Center-Weighted Metering

      Spot Metering

      Highlight-Weighted Metering

      Choosing an Exposure Method

      Aperture-Priority

      Shutter-Priority

      Program Mode

      Manual Exposure

      Adjusting Exposure with ISO Settings

      Dealing with Noise

      Bracketing

      More on Bracketing

      White Balance Bracketing

      ADL Bracketing

      Working with HDR

      Auto HDR

      Bracketing and Merge to HDR

      Fixing Exposures with Histograms

      Tonal Range

      Histogram Basics

      Understanding Histograms

      Fine-Tuning Exposure

      Chapter 5
      Mastering the Mysteries of Autofocus

      How Focus Works

      Contrast Detection

      Phase Detection

      Adding Circles of Confusion

      Using Autofocus with the Nikon D500

      Autofocus Simplifies Our Lives . . . Doesn’t It?

      Bringing the Multi-CAM 20K AF System into Focus

      Autofocus Point Selection Overview

      Choosing Autofocus Area Mode

      Store by Orientation

      Autofocus Mode and Priority

      Autofocus Mode

      Autofocus Activation . . . and More

      Back Button Focus

      Activating Back Button Focus

      Fine-Tuning the Focus of Your Lenses

      Lens Tune-up

      Chapter 6
      Advanced Techniques

      Continuous Shooting

      A Tiny Slice of Time

      Working with Short Exposures

      Long Exposures

      Three Ways to Take Long Exposures

      Working with Long Exposures

      Delayed Exposures

      Self-Timer

      Time-Lapse/Interval Photography

      Multiple Exposures

      Geotagging with the Nikon GP-1a

      Using SnapBridge

      Chapter 7
      Working with Lenses

      Sensor Sensibilities

      Crop or Not?

      Your First Lens

      Buy Now, Expand Later

      Your Best Do-Everything Option?

      What Lenses Can You Use?

      Ingredients of Nikon’s Alphanumeric Soup

      Zoom or Prime?

      Categories of Lenses

      Using Wide-Angle and Wide-Zoom Lenses

      Avoiding Potential Wide-Angle Problems

      Using Telephoto and Tele-Zoom Lenses

      Avoiding Telephoto Lens Problems

      Telephotos and Bokeh

      Nikon’s Lens Roundup

      The Magic Three

      Wide Angles

      Telephoto Lenses

      Macro Lenses

      Chapter 8
      Making Light Work for You

      Continuous Lighting Basics

      Living with Color Temperature

      Daylight

      Incandescent/Tungsten Light

      Fluorescent Light/Other Light Sources

      Other Lighting Accessories

      Chapter 9
      Electronic Flash with the Nikon D500

      Electronic Flash Basics

      The Moment of Exposure

      A Tale of Two Exposures

      Measuring Exposure

      Guide Numbers

      Choosing a Flash Sync Mode

      Ghost Images

      High-Speed Sync

      Using External Flash

      Using Flash Exposure Compensation

      Specifying Flash Shutter Speed

      Previewing Your Flash Effect

      Flash Control

      Working with Nikon Flash External Units

      Nikon SB-300

      Nikon SB-400

      Nikon SB-500

      Nikon SB-700

      Nikon SB-R200

      Nikon SB-910

      SB-5000

      Using Zoom Heads

      Flash Modes

      Repeating Flash

      Chapter 10
      Wireless and Multiple Flash

      Elements of Wireless Flash

      Master Flash

      Remote Flashes

      Channels

      Groups

      Lighting Ratios

      Setting Your Master Flash

      Setting Commander Mode for the SB-5000

      Setting Commander Modes for the SB-910 or SB-900

      Setting Commander Modes for the SB-700

      Setting Commander Modes for the SB-500

      Setting Remote Modes

      Chapter 11
      Playback, Photo Shooting, and Movie Shooting Menus

      Anatomy of the Nikon D500’s Menus

      Playback Menu Options

      Delete

      Playback Folder

      Hide Image

      Playback Display Options

      Copy Image(s)

      Image Review

      After Delete

      After Burst, Show

      Auto Image Rotation

      Rotate Tall

      Slide Show

      Select to Send to Smart Device

      Photo Shooting Menu Options

      Photo Shooting Menu Bank

      Extended Photo Menu Banks

      Storage Folder

      File Naming

      Primary Slot Selection

      Secondary Slot Function

      Flash Control

      Choose Image Area

      Image Quality

      Image Size

      NEF (RAW) Recording

      ISO Sensitivity Settings

      White Balance

      Set Picture Control

      Manage Picture Control

      Color Space

      Active D-Lighting

      Long Exposure NR

      High ISO NR

      Vignette Control

      Auto Distortion Control

      Flicker Reduction

      Auto Bracketing Set

      Multiple Exposure

      HDR (High Dynamic Range)

      Interval Timer Shooting

      Movie Shooting Menu

      Reset Movie Shooting Menu

      File Naming

      Destination

      Choose Image Area

      Frame Size/Frame Rate

      Movie Quality

      ISO Sensitivity Settings

      White Balance

      Set Picture Control

      Manage Picture Control

      Active D-Lighting

      High ISO NR

      Flicker Reduction

      Microphone Sensitivity

      Frequency Response

      Wind Noise Reduction

      Time-Lapse Movie

      Electronic VR

      Chapter 12
      The Custom Settings Menu

      Custom Settings Menu Layout

      Custom Settings Bank

      a. Autofocus

      a1 AF-C Priority Selection

      a2 AF-S Priority Selection

      a3 Focus Tracking with Lock-on

      a4 3D-Tracking Face-Detection

      a5 3D-Tracking Watch Area

      a6 Number of Focus Points

      a7 Store by Orientation

      a8 AF Activation

      a9 Limit AF-Area Mode Selection

      a10 Autofocus Mode Restrictions

      a11 Focus Point Wrap-Around

      a12 Focus Point Options

      a13 Manual Focus Ring in AF Mode

      b. Metering/Exposure

      b1 ISO Sensitivity Step Value

      b2 EV Steps for Exposure Cntrl.

      b3 Exp./Flash Comp. Step Value

      b4 Easy Exposure Compensation

      b5 Matrix Metering

      b6 Center-Weighted Area

      b7 Fine-Tune Optimal Exposure

      c. Timers/AE Lock

      c1 Shutter-Release Button AE-L

      c2 Standby Timer

      c3 Self-Timer

      c4 Monitor Off Delay

      d. Shooting/Display

      d1 CL Mode Shooting Speed

      d2 Max. Continuous Release

      d3 ISO Display

      d4 Sync. Release Mode Options

      d5 Exposure Delay Mode

      d6 Electronic Front-Curtain Shutter

      d7 File Number Sequence

      d8 Viewfinder Grid Display

      d9 LCD Illumination

      d10 Optical VR

      e. Bracketing/Flash

      e1 Flash Sync Speed

      e2 Flash Shutter Speed

      e3 Exposure Compensation for Flash

      e4 Auto Flash ISO Sensitivity Control

      e5 Modeling Flash

      e6 Auto Bracketing (Mode M)

      e7 Bracketing Order

      f. Controls

      f1 Custom Control Assignment

      f2 Multi Selector Center Button

      f3 Shutter Spd & Aperture Lock

      f4 Customize Command Dials

      f5 Multi Selector

      f6 Release Button to Use Dial

      f7 Reverse Indicators

      f8 Live View Button Options

      f9 Illumination Switch

      f10 Assign MB-D17 Buttons

      g. Movie

      g1 Custom Control Assignment

      Chapter 13
      The Setup Menu, Retouch Menu, and My Menu

      Setup Menu Options

      Format Memory Card

      Language

      Time Zone and Date

      Monitor Brightness

      Monitor Color Balance

      Virtual Horizon

      Information Display

      AF Fine-Tune

      Non-CPU Lens Data

      Clean Image Sensor

      Lock Mirror Up for Cleaning

      Image Dust Off Ref Photo

      Image Comment

      Copyright Information

      IPTC

      Beep

      Touch Controls

      HDMI

      Location Data

      Wireless Remote (WR) Options

      Assign Remote (WR) Fn Button

      Airplane Mode

      Connect to Smart Device

      Send to Smart Device (Auto)

      Wi-Fi

      Bluetooth

      Network

      Eye-Fi Upload

      Conformity Marking

      MB-D17 Battery Type

      Battery Order

      Battery Info

      Slot Empty Release Lock

      Save/Load Settings

      Reset All Settings

      Firmware Version

      Retouch Menu

      NEF (RAW) Processing

      Trim

      Resize

      D-Lighting

      Red-Eye Correction

      Straighten

      Distortion Control

      Perspective Control

      Filter Effects

      Monochrome

      Image Overlay

      Edit Movie

      Side-by-Side Comparison

      Using My Menu

      Chapter 14
      Basics of Live View

      Introducing Live View

      Focusing in Live View

      Focus Mode

      Focus Area

      Viewing Live View Information

      Shooting Stills (and Movies, Too!) in Live View

      i Button Options

      Split-Screen Display Zoom

      Chapter 15
      Shooting Movies with the D500

      Capturing Video

      Using the i Button

      Stop That!

      Viewing Your Movies

      Trimming Your Movies

      Saving a Frame

      Chapter 16
      Tips for Shooting Better Video

      Clean HDMI Output

      Lens Craft

      Depth-of-Field and Video

      Zooming and Video

      Keep Things Stable and on the Level

      Shooting Script

      Storyboards

      Storytelling in Video

      Composition

      Lighting for Video

      Illumination

      Creative Lighting

      Lighting Styles

      Audio

      Tips for Better Audio

      External Microphones

      Special Features

      Preface

      Nikon’s latest professional digital camera, the new D500, was well worth the wait! This flagship DX model is the most advanced APS-C camera Nikon has ever offered. It boasts 20.7 megapixels of resolution, blazing-fast automatic focus, and professional-level video capabilities. But your gateway to pixel proficiency is dragged down by the fat but confusing book included in the box as a manual.

      You know everything you need to know is in there, somewhere, but you don’t know where to start. In addition, the camera manual doesn’t offer much information on photography or digital photography. Nor are you interested in spending hours or days studying a comprehensive book on digital SLR photography that doesn’t necessarily apply directly to your D500.

      What you need is a guide that explains the purpose and function of the D500’s basic controls, how you should use them, and why. Ideally, there should be information about file formats, resolution, exposure, and special autofocus modes, but you’d prefer to read about those topics only after you’ve had the chance to go out and take a few hundred great pictures with your new camera. Why isn’t there a book that summarizes the most important information in its first two or three chapters, with lots of illustrations showing what your results will look like when you use this setting or that? This is that book.

      If you can’t decide on what basic settings to use with your camera because you can’t figure out how changing ISO or white balance or focus defaults will affect your pictures, you need this guide. I won’t talk down to you, either; this book isn’t padded with dozens of pages of checklists telling you how to take a travel picture, a sports photo, or how to take a snapshot of your kids in overly simplistic terms. There are no special sections devoted to real world recipes here. All of us do 100 percent of our shooting in the real world! So, I give you all the information you need to cook up great photos on your own!

      Introduction

      The Nikon D500 is the most-anticipated camera the company has offered in a very long time. Its predecessor, the D300s, was unveiled more than seven years ago—an eternity in digital camera technology. As Nikon continued to introduce a parade of new entry-level and enthusiast DX models alongside enhanced full-frame cameras, no new pro-level APS-C camera appeared on the horizon. Advanced photographers who wanted to continue to use their DX equipment had no upgrade path, and some wondered if Nikon was abandoning the APS-C sensor format for professional photography.

      The announcement of the D500 in January 2016 allayed those fears. Thanks to the extended gap between models, the differences between the previous D300s model and the D500 were nothing short of spectacular. The jump from 12 to 20.7 megapixels was welcome, and increasing the number of metering pixels from 1005 to 180,000 allowed much more advanced exposure controls—including face detection. Sports photographers were especially impressed by the D500’s 10 frames-persecond continuous shooting capabilities (instead of 7 fps), and lightning-fast autofocus that distributed 153 focus points (99 of them cross-type) over virtually the entire frame. Nikon saw to the needs of videographers, too, upgrading the 720p video offered by D300s to 2160p (4K) and 1080p formats, along with headphone output and clean HDMI out to video recorders and monitors. That’s quite a package of improvements!

      Once you’ve digested exactly how much of an upgrade the D500 is, the question comes up, how do I use this thing? All those cool features can be mind-numbing to learn, if all you have as a guide is the manual furnished with the camera. Help is on the way. I sincerely believe that this book is your best bet for learning how to use your new camera, and for learning how to use it well.

      If you’re a Nikon D500 owner who’s looking to learn more about how to use this great camera, you’ve probably already explored your options. There are DVDs and online YouTube tutorials—but who can learn how to use a camera by sitting in front of a television or computer screen? Do you want to watch a movie or click on HTML links, or do you want to go out and take photos with your camera? Videos are fun, but not the best answer.

      There’s always the manual furnished with the D500. It’s thick and filled with information, but there’s really very little about why you should use particular settings or features. Its organization makes it difficult to find what you need. Multiple cross-references send you searching back and forth between two or three sections of the book to find what you want to know. The basic manual is also hobbled by black-and-white line drawings and tiny monochrome pictures that aren’t very good examples of what you can do.

      I’ve tried to make David Busch’s Nikon D500 Guide to Digital SLR Photography different from your other D500 learn-up options. The roadmap sections use larger, color pictures to show you where all the buttons and dials are, and the explanations of what they do are longer and more comprehensive. I’ve tried to avoid overly general advice, including the two-page checklists on how to take a sports picture or a portrait picture or a travel picture. You won’t find half the content of this book taken up by generic chapters that tell you how to shoot Landscapes, Portraits, or Product photographs. Instead, you’ll find tips and techniques for using all the features of your Nikon D500 to take any kind of picture you want. If you want to know where you should stand to take a picture of a quarterback dropping back to unleash a pass, there are plenty of books that will tell you that. This one concentrates on teaching you how to select the best autofocus mode, shutter speed, f/stop, or external flash capability to take, say, a great sports picture under any conditions.

      This book is not a lame rewriting of the manual that came with the camera. Some folks spend five minutes with a book like this one, spot some information that also appears in the original manual, and decide Rehash! without really understanding the differences. Yes, you’ll find information here that is also in the owner’s manual, such as the parameters you can enter when changing your D500’s operation in the various menus. Basic descriptions—before I dig in and start providing in-depth tips and information—may also be vaguely similar. There are only so many ways you can say, for example, Hold the shutter release down halfway to lock in exposure. But not everything in the manual is included in this book. If you need advice on when and how to use the most important functions, you’ll find the information here.

      Family Resemblance

      If you’ve owned previous models in the Nikon digital camera line, and copies of my books for those cameras, you’re bound to notice a certain family resemblance. Nikon has been very crafty in introducing upgraded cameras that share the best features of the models they replace, while adding new capabilities and options. You benefit in two ways. If you used a previous Nikon camera, say, a D300s, D7200, or a full-frame model like the D610, you’ll find that the parts that haven’t changed have a certain familiarity for you, making it easy to make the transition to the newest model. There are lots of features and menu choices of the D500 that are exactly the same as those in the most recent Nikon cameras. This family resemblance will help level the learning curve for you.

      Similarly, when writing books for each new model, I try to retain the easy-to-understand explanations that worked for previous books dedicated to earlier camera models, and concentrate on expanded descriptions of things readers have told me they want to know more about, a solid helping of fresh sample photos, and lots of details about the latest and greatest new features. Rest assured, this book was written expressly for you, and tailored especially for the D500.

      Who Am I?

      After spending many years as the world’s most successful unknown author, I’ve become slightly less obscure in the past few years, thanks to a horde of camera guidebooks and other photographically oriented tomes. You may have seen my photography articles in Popular Photography magazine. I’ve also written about 2,000 articles for magazines like Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and dozens of other photographic publications. But, first, and foremost, I’m a photojournalist and made my living in the field until I began devoting most of my time to writing books. Although I love writing, I’m happiest when I’m out taking pictures, which is why I spend four to six weeks in the Florida Keys each winter as a base of operations for photographing the wildlife, wild natural settings, and wild people in the Sunshine State. In recent years, I’ve spent a lot of time overseas, too, photographing people and monuments. You’ll find photos of some of these visual treasures within the pages of this book.

      Like all my digital photography books, this one was written by a Nikon devotee with an incurable photography bug who has used Nikon cameras professionally for longer than I care to admit. Over the years, I’ve worked as a sports photographer for an Ohio newspaper and for an upstate New York college. I’ve operated my own commercial studio and photo lab, cranking out product shots on demand and then printing a few hundred glossy 8 × 10s on a tight deadline for a press kit. I’ve served as a photo-posing instructor for a modeling agency. People have actually paid me to shoot their weddings and immortalize them with portraits. I even prepared press kits and articles on photography as a PR consultant for a large Rochester, NY company, which older readers may recall as an industry giant. My trials and travails with imaging and computer technology have made their way into print in book form an alarming number of times, including a few dozen on scanners and photography.

      Like you, I love photography for its own merits, and I view technology as just another tool to help me get the images I see in my mind’s eye. But, also like you, I had to master this technology before I could apply it to my work. This book is the result of what I’ve learned, and I hope it will help you master your Nikon D500 digital SLR, too.

      Guide to the Guide

      Whether you subscribe to the my camera is just a tool theory, or belong to the an exquisite camera adds new capabilities to my shooting arsenal camp, picking up a new Nikon D500 is a special experience. Those who simply wield tools will find this camera as comforting as an old friend, a solid piece of fine machinery ready and able to do their bidding as part of any creative process that calls for high resolution and reliability.

      Other photographers see the low-light capabilities of its 20.7-megapixel sensor, advanced moviemaking capabilities, and sophisticated tools like built-in high dynamic range (HDR) capabilities, and gain a sense of empowerment. Here is a camera with fewer limitations and more capabilities for exercising renewed creative vision. In either case, using less mawkish terms, the D500 is one of the coolest cameras Nikon has ever offered. Whether you’re upgrading from another brand, from another Nikon model, or (O brave one!) your D500 is your first advanced digital camera, welcome to the club.

      But, now that you’ve unwrapped and recharged the beast, mounted a lens, and fueled it with a memory card, what do you do with it? That’s where this book should come in handy. Like many of you, I am a Nikon user of long standing. And, like other members of our club, I had to learn at least some aspects of my newest camera for the very first time at some point. Experienced pro, or Nikon newbie, you bought this book because you wanted to get the most from a very powerful tool, and I’m here to help.

      The Nikon D500 is a professional camera in most of the traditional senses: built like a tank, reliable for hundreds of thousands of exposures, capable of lightning-fast autofocusing and superb image quality, whether you’re shooting in a studio or exposed to the elements. But whether your images are of professional quality, both technically and inspirationally, depends on what’s between your ears, and how you apply it. The goal of this book is to provide you with the information you need to put your brain cells together with your Nikon’s electro-mechanical components to work productively.

      There’s a lot to learn, but you don’t have to master every detail all at once. Some of the other camera guides I’ve seen winnow this information down to about one-third as many pages. Indeed, I find it odd that those guidebooks use the same basic template for the advanced D500 cameras as for a resolutely amateur-level model like the Nikon D3400. A camera like the D500 has a lot more depth than that, and deserves the in-depth coverage you’ll find here.

      Some readers who visit my blog have told me that the Nikon D500 is such an advanced camera that few people really need the kind of basics that so many camera guides concentrate on. Leave out all the basic photography information! On the other hand, I’ve had many pleas from those who are trying to master digital photography as they learn to use their D500, and they’ve asked me to help them climb the steep learning curve.

      Rather than write a book for just one of those two audiences, I’ve tried to meet the needs of both. You veterans will find plenty of information on getting the most from the D500’s features, and may even learn something from an old hand’s photo secrets. I’ll bet there was a time when you needed a helping hand with some confusing photographic topic.

      In closing, I’d like to ask a special favor: let me know what you think of this book. If you have any recommendations about how I can make it better, visit my website at www.nikonguides.com, click on the E-Mail Me tab, and send your comments, suggestions on topics that should be explained in more detail, or, especially, any typos. (The latter will be compiled on the Errata page you’ll also find on my website.) I really value your ideas, and appreciate it when you take the time to tell me what you think! Some of the content of the book you hold in your hands came from suggestions I received from readers like yourself. If you found this book especially useful, tell others about it. Visit http://www.amazon.com/dp/1681981467 and leave a positive review. Your feedback is what spurs me to make each one of these books better than the last. Thanks!

      1

      Thinking Outside the Box

      If you’re a veteran Nikon shooter, you’ve probably already gone out and taken a few hundred (or a few thousand) photos with your new Nikon D500. The basic controls and features are similar to what you’ve grown to love about Nikon cameras. As valuable as a book like this one is, nobody can suppress their excitement long enough to read the instructions before initiating play with a new tool. Of course, on the other hand, you may be new to the Nikon world, or the D500 may be your first advanced digital camera, and you need some guidance in learning to use all the creative options this camera has to offer.

      In either case, despite your surging creative juices, I recommend a more considered approach to learning how to operate the Nikon D500. This chapter and the next are designed to get your camera fired up and ready for shooting as quickly as possible. The D500 is the most advanced model in Nikon’s APS-C/DX lineup. (That is, it’s a so-called cropped sensor, non-full-frame camera. Check out Chapter 7 if you want to read about the difference.) While it boasts a sophisticated Programmed Auto mode, the D500 is not a point-and-shoot model; to get the most out of your camera, you’ll want to explore its capabilities fully.

      So, to help you begin shooting as quickly as possible, I’m going to first provide a basic pre-flight checklist that you need to complete before you really spread your wings and take off. You won’t find a lot of detail in these first two chapters. Indeed, I’m going to tell you just what you absolutely must understand, accompanied by some interesting tidbits that will help you become acclimated to your D500. I’ll go into more depth and even repeat a little of what I explain here in the chapters that follow, so you don’t have to memorize everything you see. Just relax, follow a few easy steps, and then go out and begin taking your best shots—ever.

      I hope that even long-time Nikon owners won’t be tempted to skip this chapter or the next one. No matter how extensive your experience level is, you don’t need to fret about wading through a manual to find out what you must know to take those first few tentative snaps. I’m going to help you hit the ground running with this chapter, which will help you set up your camera and begin shooting in minutes. Because some of you may already have experience with Nikon cameras similar to the D500, each of the major sections in this chapter will begin with a brief description of what is covered in that section, so you can easily jump ahead to the next if you are in a hurry to get started.

      Note

      In this book you’ll find short tips labeled My Recommendation or My Preference, each intended to help you sort through the available options for a feature, control, or menu entry. I’ll provide my preference, suitable for most people in most situations. I don’t provide these recommendations for every single feature, and you should consider your own needs before adopting any of them.

      First Things First

      This section helps get you oriented with all the things that come in the box with your Nikon D500, including what they do. I’ll also describe some optional equipment you might want to have. If you want to get started immediately, skim through this section and jump ahead to Initial Setup later in the chapter.

      The Nikon D500 comes in an impressive gold box filled with stuff, including connecting cords, booklets, and lots of paperwork. The most important components are the camera and lens (if you purchased your D500 with a lens), battery, battery charger, and, if you’re the nervous type, the neck strap. You’ll also need a memory card or two (for the camera’s dual card slots) as they are not included. If you purchased your D500 from a camera shop, as I did, the store personnel probably attached the neck strap for you, ran through some basic operational advice that you’ve already forgotten, tried to sell you a memory card, and then, after they’d given you all the help you could absorb, sent you on your way with a handshake. If you purchased your D500 from a mass merchandiser or though an online source, you might not even have gotten the handshake.

      In every case, however, the first thing to do is to carefully unpack the camera and double-check the contents with the checklist on one side of the box, helpfully designated under a Accessories Included listing. While this level of setup detail may seem as superfluous as the instructions on a bottle of shampoo, checking the contents first is always a good idea. No matter who sells a camera, it’s common to open boxes, use a particular camera for a demonstration, and then repack the box without replacing all the pieces and parts afterward. Someone might actually have helpfully checked out your camera on your behalf—and then mispacked the box. It’s better to know now that something is missing so you can seek redress immediately, rather than discover two months from now that the USB cable clip you thought you’d never use (but now must have) was never in the box.

      In the Box

      At a minimum, the box should contain the following components:

      Nikon D500 digital camera. It almost goes without saying that you should check out the camera immediately, making sure the back- and top-panel LCD monitors aren’t scratched or cracked, the memory and battery doors open properly, and, when a charged battery is inserted and lens mounted, the camera powers up and reports for duty. Out-of-the-box defects like these are very rare, but they can happen. It’s probably more common that your dealer played with the camera or, perhaps, it was a customer return. That’s why it’s best to buy your D500 from a retailer you trust to supply a factory-fresh camera.

      Lens (optional). At the time I write this, the D500 is available as a body only, or in a kit with the excellent 16-80mm f/2.8-4.0 VR DX lens. Nikon may offer other lenses as part of a kit in the future, and most retailers will readily package this camera with the lens of your choice, often at a savings over buying them individually.

      Rechargeable Li-ion battery EN-EL15. You’ll need to charge this 7.0V, 1900mAh (milliampere hour) battery before use, and then navigate immediately to the Setup menu’s Battery Info entry to make sure the battery accepted the juice and is showing a 100% charge. (You’ll find more on accessing this menu item in Chapter 13.) You’ll want a second EN-EL15 battery as a spare (trust me), so buy one as soon as possible.

      Quick charger MH-25a. This charger comes with both a power cable and a power adapter that can be used instead of the cable to plug the charger directly into a wall outlet.

      USB cable UC-E22. You can use this cable to transfer photos from the camera to your computer (I don’t recommend that because direct transfer uses a lot of battery power), to upload and download settings between the camera and your computer (highly recommended), and to operate your camera remotely using Nikon Camera Control Pro software (optional, and not included in the box).

      My recommendation: This cable is a standard USB 3.0 one with a micro-B connector that works with many digital cameras (Nikon and otherwise) and other devices, such as USB 3.0 card readers. If you already own such a cable, you now have a spare. It is designed to work with the USB cable clip (described next). If you need a cable that’s longer than this 3.3-foot (100 cm) connector, you can find them for much lower prices online.

      USB and HDMI cable clips. These snap onto fittings beneath the USB and HDMI port covers and hold their respective USB and HDMI cables snugly in place.

      My recommendation: For occasional use of either cable, say, to transfer files from the camera to your computer over USB, or to temporarily route the D500’s output to a TV/monitor, using the HDMI interface, you will not need these clips. The unadorned cables fit quite snugly. However, you’ll find the clips invaluable in other applications. For example, if you want to shoot tethered over USB while connected to a laptop running Camera Control Pro, Lightroom, or Capture One, or plan to direct HDMI output to a video recorder, high-definition monitor, or other device, you’ll want to use the clips to make sure your D500 remains connected.

      Figure 1.1 Third-party neck straps like this UPstrap model are often preferable to the Nikon-supplied strap.

      AN-DC17 neck strap. Nikon provides you with a neck strap emblazoned with your D500’s camera model. It’s not very adjustable, and, while useful for showing off to your friends exactly which nifty new camera you bought, the Nikon strap also can serve to alert observant unsavory types that you’re sporting a higher-end model that’s worthy of their attention.

      My recommendation: I never attach the Nikon strap to my cameras, and instead opt for a more serviceable strap like the one shown in Figure 1.1. I strongly prefer this type over holsters, slings, chest straps, or any support that dangles my camera upside down from the tripod socket and allows it to swing around too freely when I’m on the run. Give me a strap I can hang over either shoulder, or sling around my neck, and I am happy.

      I use the UPstrap shown in the figure, with a patented non-slip pad that keeps your D500 on your shoulder, and not crashing to the ground. Inventor-photographer Al Stegmeyer (www.upstrap-pro.com) can help you choose the right strap for you.

      BF-1B body cap. The body cap keeps dust from infiltrating your camera when a lens is not mounted. Always carry a body cap (and rear lens cap) in your camera bag for those times when you need to have the camera bare of optics for more than a minute or two. (That usually happens when repacking a bag efficiently for transport, or when you are carrying an extra body or two for backup.) The body cap/lens cap nest together for compact storage.

      Tip

      If you happen to have one of the earlier BF-1 body caps for older film cameras, do not use it, as it may damage the lens mount’s protruding autofocus screw, which focuses lenses that don’t have an autofocus motor built in.

      DK-17F eyepiece. This is the round rubber eyepiece that comes installed on the viewfinder of the D500. It’s fluorine-coated to make it easier to clean, and can be removed and replaced with other accessories. It can be removed when the viewfinder shutter is closed. If you prefer, you can augment it or replace it with several accessories discussed in the next section.

      User’s manual. Even if you have this book, you’ll probably want to check the user’s guide that Nikon provides, if only to check the actual nomenclature for some obscure accessory, or to double-check an error code.

      My recommendation: If you lose your printed books, just Google Nikon D500 manual PDF to find a downloadable version that you can store on your laptop, on a USB stick, or other media in case you want to access this reference when the paper version isn’t handy. You’ll then be able to access the reference anywhere you are, because you can always find someone with a computer that has a USB port and Adobe Acrobat Reader available. Nikon also offers a manual reader app for Android and iOS smart devices you can use to read the factory manual. The Nikon app includes links to let you download manuals directly from their website, without needing to Google them.

      Warranty and registration card. Don’t lose these! You can register your Nikon D500 by mail or online (in the USA, the URL is www.nikonusa.com/register), and you may need the information in this paperwork (plus the purchase receipt/invoice from your retailer) should you require Nikon service support.

      Optional and Non-Optional Add-Ons

      Don’t bother rooting around in the box for anything beyond what I’ve listed. There are a few things Nikon classifies as optional accessories, even though you (and I) might consider some of them essential. Here’s a list of what you don’t get in the box, but might want to think about as an impending purchase. I’ll list them roughly in the order of importance:

      Memory card. As I mentioned, the D500 does not come with a memory card. That’s because Nikon doesn’t have the slightest idea of what capacity or speed card you prefer, so why charge you for one? The Nikon D500 is likely to be purchased by photographers who have quite definite ideas about their ideal card. Perhaps you’re a wedding photographer who prefers to use 16GB cards—and lots of them—as a safety measure when capturing a nuptial event. (Although a dual-card camera like the D500 allows you to save to both simultaneously in backup mode.) Other photographers, especially sports shooters, instead prefer larger cards to minimize swapping during non-stop action. If you are shooting at high frame rates, or transfer lots of photos to your computer with a speedy card reader, you might opt for the speediest possible memory card. Your D500 has one XQD and one SD card slot, so your choices are wide. (See the section on XQD vs. SD that follows this list for more information.)

      My recommendation: Unless, like me, you have owned Nikon D4/D4s models, it’s more likely that you currently use SD cards rather than the newer XQD form factor cards. If that’s the case, you might want to rely on the SDHC and SDXC storage you already have. I recommend, as a minimum, purchasing a small XQD card (at this time, 32GB cards are the smallest being offered) anyway, so you can take advantage of the D500’s dual card slots for backup and overflow.

      When purchasing additional cards in the future, you can stick with SD cards if you prefer (at this time they are significantly less expensive than XQD media on a per GB basis). However, there is a significant advantage to XQD cards for those who take many pictures or do a great deal of continuous shooting. Your D500’s XQD slot is capable of much faster speeds—both when taking pictures and transferring them to your computer. The capacity and speed of your storage is up to you, and it is addressed in the section that follows this list.

      Extra EN-EL15 battery. Note that older versions of this battery, marked with a Li-ion 01 designation to the left of the hologram on the cell’s bottom, are not fully compatible with the D500, and will, in fact, show less capacity than they really contain when used. D500 owners who happen to own the older batteries can get a free Li-ion 20 version replacement (the same one furnished with the D500) from the Nikon support website in their countries. In addition, I have not found any third-party EN-EL15 batteries that will work in the D500 at all. (The camera reports a dead battery even if it’s fully charged.)

      My recommendation: Buy an extra (I own four, in total), keep it charged, and free your mind from worry. Even though you might get 1,000 or more shots from a single battery, it’s easy to exceed that figure in a few hours of shooting sports at 10 fps. Batteries can unexpectedly fail, too, or simply lose their charge from sitting around unused for a week or two. Although third-party vendors may eventually reverse engineer the encoding required to allow their batteries to function in the D500, I don’t recommend using them simply to save $40 or so with a camera that costs around $2,000.

      Nikon Capture NX-D or Nikon ViewNX-i software. You can download a free copy of these software utilities from Nikon’s website. Nikon no longer packs a CD-ROM with its cameras.

      Camera Control Pro 2 software. This is the utility you’ll use to operate your camera remotely from your computer. Nikon charges extra for this software, but you’ll find it invaluable if you’re hiding near a tethered, tripod-mounted camera while shooting, say, close-ups of hummingbirds. There are lots of applications for remote shooting, and you’ll need Camera Control Pro or other software to shoot tethered.

      My recommendation: You may already own Adobe Lightroom, which does an excellent job for tethered shooting, or DxO Labs’ Capture One. Buy a suitably longer USB cable, too.

      Add-on Speedlight. Like Nikon’s flagship full-frame cameras, the D500 does not have a built-in electronic flash. If you do much flash photography at all, consider an add-on Speedlight as an important accessory.

      My recommendation: An add-on flash can serve as the main illumination for your picture, diffused or bounced and used as a fill light, or, if you own several Speedlights, serve as a remote trigger for an off-camera unit. At around $250, the Nikon SB-500 has the most affordable combination of power, compact size, and features, including a built-in LED video light. If you need more power, the Speedlight SB-700, SB-910, or new SB-5000 also offer more flexibility. I’ll provide more information on electronic flash in Chapters 9 and 10.

      Remote control cable MC-30. You can plug this 2.5-foot-long accessory electronic release cable into the 10-pin socket hidden behind a rubber cover on the front of the D500, and then fire off the camera without the need to touch the camera itself. In a pinch, you can use the D500’s self-timer to minimize vibration when triggering the camera, or even take advantage of the mirror up (MUP) and delayed release features to reduce camera shake. (These are all described later in this book.) But when you want to take a photo at the exact moment you desire (and not when the self-timer happens to trip), or need to eliminate all possibility of human-induced camera shake, you need this release cord.

      My recommendation: These sometimes get lost in a camera bag or are accidentally removed. I bought an extra MC-30 cable and keep it in a small box in the trunk of my car, along with an extra memory card.

      BS-1b accessory shoe cover. This little piece of optional plastic protects the electrical contacts of the hot shoe on top of the D500. You can remove it when mounting an electronic flash, Nikon GP-1 GPS device, or other accessory, and then safely leave it off for the rest of your life. I’ve never had an accessory shoe receive damage in normal use, even when not protected. The paranoid among you who use accessories frequently can keep removing/mounting the shoe cover as required. Note that Nikon also offers a BS-3 shoe cover ($10) with better weather sealing to protect the hot shoe if you’re working in damp environments.

      My recommendation. Find a safe place to keep it between uses, or purchase replacements for this easily mislaid item. The previous low-cost source for these covers has gone out of business, so I’ve imported a stock of them, in both standard and bubble-level versions, which I’ll send you for a few bucks. (Visit www.nikonguides.com for more details.)

      HDMI audio/video cable. The D500 can be connected to a high-definition television, and can export its video output to an external recorder. You’ll need to buy a mini-HDMI (high-definition multimedia interface) cable to do that. No HDMI cable is included with the camera.

      Nikon GP-1a global positioning system (GPS) device. This accessory attaches to the accessory shoe on top of the Nikon D500 and captures latitude, longitude, and altitude information, which is imprinted in a special data area of your image files. The geotagging data can be plotted on a map in Nikon ViewNX-i or other software programs.

      AC adapter EH-5b/EP-5b power connector. There are several typical situations where this AC adapter set for your D500 can come in handy: when you’re cleaning the sensor manually and want to totally eliminate the possibility that a lack of juice will cause the fragile shutter and mirror to spring to life during the process; when in the studio shooting product photos, portraits, class pictures, and so forth for hours on end; when using your D500 for remote shooting as well as time-lapse photography; for extensive review of images on your standard-definition or high-definition television; or for file transfer to your computer. These all use prodigious amounts of power, which can be provided by this AC adapter. (Beware of power outages and blackouts when cleaning your sensor, however!)

      My recommendation: Unless you regularly do time-lapse or interval photography for long periods of time, you can probably skip this expensive accessory. I’ve shot for up to eight hours using a freshly charged EN-EL15 battery, and that proved to be enough.

      Multi-power battery pack MB-D17. Lots of photographers consider this battery pack/vertical grip to be an essential item (I’m going to cover it in detail later in this book), but you must buy it as an extra. The price is not cheap at about $400. Unfortunately, it is delivered bare, with no extra power sources at all. You’ll need to purchase AA batteries (alkalines or rechargeables) for the supplied AA battery tray, or have an extra EN-EL15 battery to use this accessory. (I told you that you’d need that extra battery.) Note: Although the MB-D17 is specific to the D500, the MS-D12EN Li-ion and MS-D12 AA battery holders are the same as those used in the MB-D12 grip sold for the Nikon D810. The MB-D17 can also use the beefy EN-EL18a battery supplied with the Nikon D4/D5 series, when equipped with the BL-5 battery chamber cover. You’ll also require a separate charger for that battery.

      My recommendation: Many people love third-party grips from Meike, Neewer, Vivitar, and others, at a cost of less than $70. I purchased a Meike grip to test it out, and found it acceptable for occasional use. However, most people like to clamp their add-on grips and remove them only to change/recharge the D500’s main battery, subjecting the grip to a lot of abuse. If you intend to make a battery grip part of your permanent setup, the Nikon model is better made, more rugged, and guaranteed to work seamlessly with your camera.

      DR-5 right-angle viewer. Fastens in place of the standard eyepiece and provides a 90-degree view for framing and composing your image at right angles to the original viewfinder, useful for low-level (or high-level) shooting. (Or, maybe, shooting around corners!)

      DK-17M magnifying eyepiece. Provides a 1.2x magnification factor of the entire viewing area (unlike the 2x DG-2 eyepiece, which enlarges just the center of the image), making it easier to check focus. You might have to move your eye around a little to see all the indicators outside the image frame, but this magnifier is still suitable for everyday use.

      My recommendation: The alternatives are not the best accessories for those who wear glasses while shooting. I tend to flip my glasses up on my forehead, and have adjusted the diopter setting for my vision, so this magnifying eyepiece works fine for me.

      DK-17C correction eyepiece. Available in diopter values from –3.0 to +2, these replace the DK-17 eyepiece furnished with the camera, and provide vision correction for those who wear glasses and want to use the D500 without their glasses on, or for those who need additional correction.

      SC-28 TTL flash cord. Allows using Nikon Speedlights off-camera, while retaining all the automated features.

      SC-29 TTL flash cord. Similar to the SC-28, this unit has its own AF-assist lamp, which can provide extra illumination for the D500’s autofocus system in dim light (which, not coincidentally, is when you’ll probably be using an electronic flash).

      My recommendation: If you intend to work with an external flash extensively, you’ll definitely want to use it off camera. Either of these cables will give you that flexibility. Wireless flash operation (described in Chapter 10) is more versatile, but requires more setup and has a steeper learning curve. With a flash cord, you just connect the cable to your camera and flash and fire away.

      XQD vs. SD

      Although many pros still prefer them, Compact Flash cards are on the way out. (Of Nikon’s current lineup, only the D810 and the Compact Flash version of the D5 offer CF slots.) As a result, your D500 has one XQD and one Secure Digital card slot. While Nikon has good intentions in easing the transition to improved media interfaces, I’m not alone in feeling that mixed slot types in a single camera are extremely inconvenient. Even after years of working with a succession of Nikon D4, D4s, D800, and D810 cameras with fraternal twin slots, I’m still frustrated by the inability to swap cards in and out without considering a particular slot’s form factor. Cameras like the Nikon D7200 (with twin SD slots) and Nikon D5 (with your choice of CF/CF or XQD/XQD models) make the most sense.

      Nikon D500 owners must learn to live with mixed media. Fortunately, both types work well on their own and in tandem. The camera operates just fine with only one of either type card installed, and if you specify XQD or SD card as your primary media (as described in Chapter 11), the D500 will automatically default to the other card if your primary memory card is not installed.

      XQD cards are available in speeds up to almost 3000x, but SDXC UHS-II devices with 2000x read speeds are also available as I write this. Keep in mind that different vendors use different specifications for speed (both X factors and megabytes per second), and that write speed means how fast the device can transfer an image file to storage, while read speed (which may be emphasized because it is faster) represents how quickly the image can be transferred to your computer though a sufficiently fast connection (such as a USB 3.0 card reader). For everyday shooting, either type will generally be fast enough. You’ll find speedier write and read speeds most useful when shooting continuously at high frame rates or when you need to transfer a lot of images to your computer.

      My recommendation: Neither XQD or SD card formats are going away. Nikon has shown its commitment to the XQD format by including such slots in the D5 and D500. You can expect future models in both pro lineups to continue to support XQD, and there may be some slight expansion of the form factor among advanced video cameras or even among makers of other cameras (I wouldn’t count on the latter, however). SD cards, particularly SDXC, will remain as the format of choice for entry-level and enthusiast dSLR and mirrorless cameras (although microSD will likely take over the point-and-shoot, tablet, and smartphone realm). So, choose your main form factor based at least partially on what makes the most sense from an economic and usage standpoint, and use the other format as your backup.

      However, there is one important consideration I want to emphasize. When both XQD and SD cards are mounted in the D500, the camera’s transfer speed defaults to that of the slowest card. There’s a practical reason for that: when the D500’s second slot is used in Backup or RAW Primary+JPEG Secondary mode (described in Chapter 11), it always writes each photograph to both cards. A speed mismatch between cards affects performance in a variety of ways. With both slots using the same transfer speed, potential problems are minimized (even though, as you’ll learn, RAW (NEF) files are typically larger than JPEG and take a bit longer to save to the memory card). So, make every attempt to use SDHC cards with write speeds that are as close as possible to those of your XQD media. If you can’t do that and can forego the use of the second slot, you’re better off just working with a single card and leaving the other slot empty.

      Initial Setup

      This section familiarizes you with the three important controls most used to make adjustments: the multi selector and the main and sub-command dials. You’ll also find information on charging the battery, setting the clock, mounting a lens, and making diopter vision adjustments.

      Once you’ve unpacked and inspected your camera, the initial setup of your Nikon D500 is fast and easy. Basically, you just need to charge the battery, attach a lens, and insert a memory card. I’ll address each of these steps separately, but if you already are confident you can

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