Why DO I Shoot Wildlife Photography With A Nikon D500?
The Nikon D500 still remains a powerhouse for wildlife photography. This camera offers pro-level autofocus, speed, and value, especially if you buy from the used market. It is reliable and has field-tested performance.
Nikon D500: Enduring Reputation
If you’re out at a location shooting wildlife photography with other photographers, you’ve probably heard the endless debate: mirrorless vs. DSLR, full-frame vs. crop sensor, and whether “old or discontinued” gear can still cut it.
I’m going to make the case for a camera that was released back in 2016 and is still my go-to body for wildlife photography.
The Nikon D500.
Yes, ten years later, I still gravitate to it.
Nikon D500: Built Like A Tank
From the moment I picked up the D500, I knew it was a serious tool. It shares DNA with the Nikon D5, which was Nikon’s flagship sports and wildlife camera. The D500 is much smaller, lighter, and more affordable than the D5. The magnesium alloy body is weather-sealed, which matters if you’re lying in the mud at dawn waiting for an animal or bird to cross your path. And honestly, some of my favorite times to go out and shoot are in the drizzle.
It’s still chunky, with a grip that is sturdy enough to balance even heavy telephoto lenses comfortably. And I’m used to the size after so many years. The original D500 that I bought (used) has stood up to rain, dust, freezing mornings, falls, drops, and so much more than I’d like to admit. Currently, it’s been out on a camera trap for over a year in different locations. Last week, I would be lying if I told you I didn’t accidentally drop it in a muddy creek bed when checking it. Do I protect it? Of course, but accidents happen.
Nikon D500: The Crop Advantage
Yes, you heard me right! The crop factor is an advantage. Here’s something most people get wrong about APS-C sensors.
For wildlife, the 1.5x crop factor is a feature, not a limitation.
For example:
My 200-500 mm f/5.6 becomes a 300-750 mm equivalent.
Smaller, lighter, and cheaper glass suddenly acts like super-telephoto lenses.
Birds are small. Bears are far away. Reach is everything in wildlife photography, and the D500 gives me further reach. A full-frame shooter needs a 600 mm lens and often teleconverters to match what I can achieve from a cheaper, more modest kit. It saves me on “deer trail” hikes through national forests.
Nikon D500: The Autofocus
This is huge. The D500 inherited the Multi-CAM 20K AF system from the D5. A whopping 153 focus points, 99 of which are cross-type, cover a huge portion of the frame.
What does this mean?
Birds In Flight: The 3D tracking locks onto a Great Egret across a cluttered background and stays locked.
Low Light: Focus works down to -4 EV, so dim forests and dawn or evening shoots aren’t a problem. Which is great because that covers when a lot of animals are active.
Group AF And Dynamic Modes: Perfect for erratic subjects like small songbirds darting between branches. Just think about the way warblers move through the trees!
Modern mirrorless cameras have caught up and surpassed this in some areas, but the D500’s AF is still competitive for wildlife photos. It tracks subjects with a tenacity that surprises most “new tech” subscribers.
Nikon D500: 10 Frames Per Second
Wildlife. It happens fast. In fractions of a second, sometimes. A kingfisher’s dive, an elk’s charge, a grizzly pulling that dripping salmon out of the water. The D500 delivers 10 fps with the MB-D17 battery grip (or up to 10 fps with the EN-EL battery), backed by:
A massive 200-shot buffer when shooting 14-bit lossless RAW.
Dual card slots (one XQD/CFexpress, one UHS-II SD). The XQD slot clears that buffer remarkably fast!
When the osprey hits the water, I know I’m capturing the whole sequence, not watching a “buffer full” warning while the best moment slips away.
Nikon D500: High ISO Performance
As mentioned before. If you know anything about animals, they are most active at dawn, dusk, or in dim places like forests. In other words, not ideal lighting. The D500’s 20.9MP sensor handles ISO 1600, 3200, and even 6400 with results that clean up beautifully in post-processing. I regularly shoot barred owls, short-eared owls, and others at twilight and still deliver sharp, usable images.
Speaking of 20.9 megapixels. That’s plenty. It’s enough resolution for large prints and generous cropping, which happens a lot in wildlife photography. Combined with the crop factor, my effective reach-adjusted resolution for distant subjects is honestly better than many full-frame bodies.
Nikon D500: Battery Life
I routinely get 1,240 shots per charge. There are times, like on my Bog trips or specific photography trips, when I’m out all day and go through a few batteries, but on a normal early morning, afternoon/evening, or even trips that I spend all day in a blind, one battery is generally enough. On my camera trap, I use a battery grip with an extra battery, and I can leave that out in a remote location for a week or two at a time and not worry that the batteries will die.
Nikon D500: Optical Viewfinder
The NikonD500 has a big, bright optical viewfinder with zero lag and zero blackout between frames. When tracking a bird weaving through trees at 10 fps, this allows you to see the actual scene in real time.
Nikon D500: Field Durable
I am rough on my gear. There’s no question. I’ve fallen on top of my gear while hiking in canyons out west on 120° F days, walked through rainstorms for miles with my camera exposed, been on coastal beaches where the wind was blowing sand (not great for lenses), stood in the middle of the bog during whiteout conditions in -40° F weather, and dropped it in shallow streams. If nature does it, my cameras have been there with me. The D500 has weather sealing and a rugged magnesium chassis, which helps.
Nikon D500: Honest Downsides
No camera is absolutely perfect all the time. I’d be lying if I told you my cameras were. Some things that, if they were still being made, I’d like improved:
The shutter is not silent, nor is it very quiet. I have waited and waited and snapped one shot of a skittish bird or animal because I know once I press, they will be gone.
No in-body stabilization. I rely on VR lenses like that on my 200-500 mm f/5.6. But shooting video, if it’s windy at all, can be tough.
No video eye-AF or animal detection. Modern mirrorless cameras are phenomenal at this. That would be my only reason for adding one of them and a few lenses to my kit.
If you are looking for wildlife video, you should check out Nikon’s line of mirrorless cameras.
Final Thoughts
Skill and fieldcraft matter more than the latest tech releases. If you have oldies but goodies, stick with it! I’d like to think I shot well with my kit because I know it. I know the settings, capabilities, and my lenses. It’s affordable and durable.
I mentioned a lot of debates. One I didn’t mention was Nikon vs. Canon vs. Sony vs… I’ve grown up shooting with Nikon since middle school or before. My family has always had Nikons, so that’s what I know.
