Nikon Coolpix
P500
 vs
Nikon
D5000

Updated (February, 2012): Compare the Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon D5100

Nikon Coolpix P500

68
"doubles up as an effective video camera thanks to its excellent video mode."
photographyblog.com | talking about the P500's video-quality
"This feature really does seem to make a difference and could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing the opportunity altogether."
photographyblog.com | talking about the P500's image-stabilization

Reasons to buy the Nikon Coolpix P500

Zoom
 Great zoom
36x
Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
23 mm
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
240 fps
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Nikon D5000

42
Runner-up

Nikon D5000
"Standard slr build quailty"
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's build-quality
"It may not be that pretty, but it handles well and produces reliably good results without the need for much user intervention, yet has plenty to offer the more serious user too."
dpreview.com | talking about the D5000's overall-performance

Reasons to buy the Nikon D5000

Supports 24p
 24p movies
For that film look
Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Badge
 Phase detection autofocus
fast and accurate
Thickness
 Thin
3.1"
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing

differences

Advantages of the Nikon P500
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 240 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 10 fps vs 4 fps
Help
 2.5x faster continuous shooting
Weight Lighter 481 g vs 590 g
Help
 Around 20% lighter
Size Slightly smaller 116x84x103 mm vs 127x104x80 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Lowest price Cheaper $299.99 vs $879.95
Help
 The best price we've seen is $580 cheaper (2.9x less)
Nikon Coolpix P500 Learn more about
the Nikon P500

Advantages of the Nikon D5000
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Sensor size Much larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs 1/2.3" 6.2x4.6mm
Help
 Around 13.5x larger sensor
Interchangeable lenses Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No
Help
 Can take advantage of a variety of lenses
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Battery life Longer battery life 510 shots vs 220 shots
Help
 Around 2.5x more shots per battery charge
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 9.7 MP
Help
 Capture around 30% more detail in your photos
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Thickness Thinner 3.1" vs 4.1"
Help
 More than 20% thinner
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentamirror vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s
Help
 2x faster max shutter speed
Longest exposure Longer exposures 30s vs 8s
Help
 Around 4x longer exposures
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Nikon D5000 Learn more about
the Nikon D5000
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent digital cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon Coolpix P500 Nikon Coolpix P500
68 vs 42
Explain scores
Nikon D5000 Nikon D5000
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon Coolpix P500. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a super zoom with a entry-level DSLR.

advice

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0
votes
by Wan-Mursyidah-Zuyyin last month
Nikon P500 vs Nikon D3100

I'm a beginner..i'm not to expert about this...i wanna take a nature or a beautiful scenery of nat...

2 people recommend the Nikon D3100:

" I am an owner of the P500 currently, and let me tell you, the battery life is a massive downside..."

"It depends on how far you want to go with photography. Do you want to have the ability to change l..."
0
votes
by Jithmi-Alwis last month
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D5000

iam a beginner ...and need a good entry level dslr...which is cheap...and have great image stab...

One person recommends the Nikon D3100:

" The D3100 is a great starter camera"
0
votes
by Neeraj-Jain last week
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D5000

I am beginner and I want to become an expert in portrait photography, especially baby shots. Ple...
0
votes
by telmanri last week
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D5000

I'm photography enthusiast and I plan to move on for my first dSLR. I want to buy a refurbished ...
0
votes
by Ketan-Nivding last month
Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D5000

Hi, I' am an amateur photographer and have taken up photography as a hobby. Recently, while on a J...

similarities

Compared to recent digital cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Screen flips out Flip-out screens Help
Great for movies
Viewfinder Viewfinders Help
P500:Digital
D5000:Pentamirror
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Thickness Quite thick Help
P500:4.1"
D5000:3.1"
Weight Heavy Help
P500:481 g
D5000:590 g
Size Large Help
P500:116x84x103 mm
D5000:127x104x80 mm
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $597 body only

$600 - $697 with 18-55mm lens
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Compare the D5100 vs the Coolpix P500
Compare the D5100 vs the D5000
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $547 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Movie continuous focus Can focus continuously while recording movies
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Dynamic range Has significantly narrower dynamic range
Compare the D3100 vs the Coolpix P500
Compare the D3100 vs the D5000
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$544 - $949 body only

$649 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Dynamic range Has slightly narrower dynamic range
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the Coolpix P500
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D5000
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$333 body only

$489 - $500 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Sensor cleaning Lacks a self cleaning sensor
Screen flips out Doesn't have a screen which flips out
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the Coolpix P500
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D5000
Nikon D3000

Nikon D3000

Entry-level DSLR

$481 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Thickness Is thinner
Live view Doesn't let you preview your photos on the screen
Sensor type Has a CCD-family sensor
Compare the D3000 vs the Coolpix P500
Compare the D3000 vs the D5000

Nikon Coolpix P500 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$347 - $380
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Screen size Significantly smaller screen
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510

Nikon Coolpix P510

Super zoom

$397 - $400
Zoom Significantly more zoom
Aperture Wider aperture
Wide angle Worse wide angle
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the Coolpix P510 vs the Coolpix P500
Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS30 EXR

Super zoom

$438 - $500
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
3D Takes 3D photos
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the FinePix HS30 EXR vs the Coolpix P500
Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX100v

Super zoom

$409
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
GPS Has a GPS
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Wide angle Significantly worse wide angle
Compare the Cybershot DSC-HX100v vs the Coolpix P500
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$299 - $335
Aperture Significantly wider aperture
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Zoom Significantly less zoom
Screen resolution Significantly lower resolution screen
Compare the FinePix HS20 vs the Coolpix P500

Nikon D5000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D90

Nikon D90

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$1,047 with 55-200mm lens
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Weight Heavier
Compare the D90 vs the D5000
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,000 - $1,197 body only

$1,100 with 55-200mm lens
Weather sealed Weather sealed
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Weight Heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D5000
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$619 - $700 body only

$745 - $1,000 with 18-55mm lens
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D5000

appearance

Nikon Coolpix P500 Nikon D5000
Nikon Coolpix P500 Nikon D5000
Nikon Coolpix P500 Nikon D5000

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