Review: Nikon D7500 specs

The Nikon D7500 is a 20.9-megapixel APS-C DX-format DSLR with an impressive array of specs, including shooting speeds up to 8 frames-per-second, low-light shooting at up to ISO 51,200—and beyond—and a 51-point autofocus system, perfect for locking on to moving subjects. Plus, the D7500 inherited its DX image quality from Nikon’s more expensive Nikon D5000 camera, so you’re getting similar image quality at a lower cost.

The APS-C DX-format sensor is a 24x16mm sensor, as opposed to the 36x24mm full-frame sensor. This smaller-sized sensor makes the production of smaller, lighter cameras possible. DX-format cameras are optimized for use with Nikkor DX lenses, which are more compact and lightweight than Nikkor FX lenses designed for use with full-frame Nikon FX DSLRs.

You get a 1.5x crop factor. So, for example, a 200mm lens on the D7500 will effectively give you a focal length of 300mm and get you ‘closer’ to subjects. This crop factor benefit is great for shooting nature or sports events when you consider that 200mm on a full-frame FX camera would only give you 200mm of focal length.

The camera’s 51-point autofocus has 15 central cross-type points at its center and the center one will operate at f/8. These cross-type autofocus points analyze both vertical and horizontal lines and hence are more accurate than autofocus points that only analyze vertical lines. The D7500 Group Area autofocus mode is able to offer enhanced subject detection and tracking when shooting subjects that are comparatively small or close to distracting or high-contrast backgrounds. 

The autofocus system is also sensitive down to -3EV, which makes it capable of precise focusing even in very low light conditions. In addition, it can swiftly lock on to moving subjects, making it an excellent system for shooting nature or sports, especially as you can shoot at up to an impressive 8fps to catch and freeze all the action. You can capture up to 50 NEF (14-bit lossless compressed RAW) or 100 Large JPEG FINE images in a single, high-speed burst. Catching action is further helped thanks to a top shutter speed of 1/8000sec.

The D7500’s 180,000-pixel RGB metering sensor and Advanced Scene Recognition system work in tandem to ensure you get the shot, even when the scene might involve smaller or rapid-moving subjects. It's a 3D Colour Matrix Metering III system that offers metering options of center-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted (which prioritizes the brightest elements in the frame and helps you to avoid any blown-out highlights in your pictures).

The ISO range of the D7500 is from 100 up to 51,200, in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV. At ISO 100 you’re getting detailed, sharp, zero grain images, whilst at ISO 51,200 you can shoot in very low light situations but retain great quality in your photographs with little discernible noise/grain. The range is actually extendable up to the astonishing equivalent of ISO 1,640,000 so you can confidently set out to shoot in the dark.

The large, 3.2-inch (8.0cm) tilting LCD monitor on the rear of the camera lets you operate autofocus and shutter-release functions via touch controls when you’re shooting in Live View mode. The tilting ability of the screen means you can shoot from low or high angles to help you to add more creative punch to your photographs or films. 

Also of note in the D7500 is the ability to connect the camera with your smart device using Snapbridge via Bluetooth low-energy technology. You can sync photos to your device as you shoot and transfer movies manually via the camera’s built-in WiFi system. Speaking of movies the camera offers the options of 4K/UHD shooting at 30p or Full HD 1080p video at up to 60p. Nikon’s Electronic Vibration Reduction system will dramatically reduce the possible effects of camera shake when you're shooting movies hand-held. 

The D7500 offers a superb combination of high-speed image capture, trusty autofocus and great metering to ensure superb pictures are produced. Add to that its use of the lightweight DX lenses and you have a versatile, reliable and easy-to-carry DSLR setup.