Overview
The new Nikon Coolpix B500 is an affordable entry-level superzoom camera that includes a powerful built-in zoom lens, a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, and full Nikon SnapBridge wireless connectivity. The B500 looks to succeed the Coolpix L840 camera that was released last March.
This 16-megapixel camera has a 4.0-160mm f/3.0-6.5 built-in lens, which provides a 22.5-900mm equivalent focal length range (40x optical zoom). This is compared to the L840's 23-855mm equivalent 38x optical zoom lens. In addition to the optical zoom, the B500 also includes 4x digital zoom, providing a field of view equivalent to that of a 3,600mm lens in 35mm format. The lens has twelve elements in nine groups, including three ED lens elements. The lens also includes lens shift vibration reduction for both stills and video capture (electronic VR is also available when recording video). The inclusion of VR is very important, not only given the amount of zoom range but also for lower light shooting due to the rather dim variable aperture. No spec was given for the amount of correction provided by the VR system.
The Nikon B500 weighs 19.1 oz. (541g) with batteries and memory card (the B500 accepts SD/SDHC/SDXC memory and also has 20MB of internal memory). On the topic of batteries, the Coolpix B500 is powered by four AA batteries, including NiMH rechargeable batteries such as Nikon EN-MH2's (sold separately), though we have no figures on battery life to share.
To make it easier for users to capture images and video from difficult angles, the Nikon Coolpix B500 has a tilting 921k-dot TFT LCD display. Its display provides 98% frame coverage when shooting and 100% image area during playback. Like its predecessor, the Coolpix B500 does not have an eye-level electronic viewfinder.
Autofocus modes include center, face priority, manual AF selection, subject tracking, and target finding AF options. When using manual AF selection, you can select from 99 focus areas. Further, the Coolpix B500 uses contrast-detect autofocus.
The Nikon B500's ISO sensitivity ranges from 125-1600 in all modes, although ISOs 3200 and 6400 are available exclusively in Auto mode. When using Auto ISO, the Nikon B500's built-in flash has a range of up to 22 feet (6.9 meters) at the 22.5mm equivalent focal length and 11 feet (3.5 meters) at the 900mm equivalent focal length.
The fastest available shutter speed when using the Coolpix B500 in most shooting modes is 1/1500s, although 1/4000s is available when using the continuous high-speed shooting mode. The B500 utilizes an electronically controlled ND filter (-2.0 EV) instead of an iris diaphragm for aperture. The slowest available shutter speed during normal shooting is 1 second. When shooting in the continuous high speed mode, Nikon reports that B500 will be able to capture 7 full-resolution images at up to 7.4fps.
The B500 can record Full HD 1080p video at up to 30p or 60i and 720p video at 60fps. High speed video can be recorded at up to 120fps, but the resolution is 640 x 480.
With built-in Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), the Nikon B500 has a wide variety of connectivity options. Compatible with Nikon's new SnapBridge application, the B500 can be constantly connected to your mobile device using BLE, allowing for automatic transferring of images from the camera to your device.
The Nikon Coolpix B500 will be available this spring for a suggested retail price of US$299.95 and will be available in black or red color options.