Nikon D500 Quick start guide

Professional
En
Technical Guide
— Useful Features —

2
Table of Contents
Custom Controls 5
Custom Control Assignments .................. 6
Quick Menu Access ........................................................... 10
Custom Folders ..................................................................12
Taking Pictures 15
White Balance Tips and Tricks ......................................... 16
• White Balance Options .................................................................16
• Auto White Balance for Incandescent Lighting ...18
• Measuring Preset Manual White Balance ................................19
AE with Constant Shutter Speed and Aperture .......... 20
Preserving Natural Contrast ........................................... 21
Multiple Exposure: Overlay Mode .................................22
Burst Photography: Keeping Exposure Consistent .... 23
Flicker Reduction ...................................... 24
Muing the Shutter ......................................................... 27
• Quiet Shutter-Release Mode .......................................................27
• Movie Stills ......................................................................................28
Vibration Reduction: Sport Mode .................................. 29
• What Makes Sport Mode Special ...............................................30
• ”Sport” Versus “Normal” ................................................................31

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Playback 33
Finding Pictures Quickly .................................................. 34
• Starting Playback with Your Right Hand ..................................35
• Finding Pictures Quickly ..................................36
• Quick Focus Check .........................................................................38
• Tagging Pictures ............................................................................40
Upload 43
Adding Text to Pictures .................................................... 44
• Editing Text in HTTP Server Mode .............................................44
• IPTC Presets .....................................................................................45
Checking Upload Status .................................................. 46
Accessories 47
Synchronized Release ...................................................... 48
• Configuring Cameras for Synchronized Release ....................48
• Uploading Photos ..........................................................................51

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5
Custom Controls
As you will learn in this chapter, the
D500 is crammed with features to make
your life easier, including custom con-
trol assignments, quick menu access,
and the ability to organize photos in
folders.

6
Custom Setting f1 (Custom control
assignment) is used to customize
camera controls, starting with the
function (Fn) buttons. Assigning
frequently-used settings to camera
controls lets you access them with-
out using the menus.
Press
You can choose the roles played by the following controls:
0 Pv button
v Fn1 button
x Fn2 button
V AF‑ON button
8 Center of sub‑selector
S Lens focus function buttons
(can be used for the assigned func-
tion only if the lens has a focus func-
tion selector and it is set to AF‑L)
In addition, Custom Setting f10 (As‑
sign MB‑D17 buttons) can be used
to choose the roles played by the
Fn and AF‑ON buttons on optional
MB-D17 battery packs.
Custom Control Assignments

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The functions that can be assigned to these controls are:
D500 MB‑D17
0 v x V 8 S Fn
AF‑ON
APreset focus point 4 4 — — 444—
KAF‑area mode 4 4 —444—4
qAF‑area mode + AF‑ON 4 4 —444—4
qPreview 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
rFV lock 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
BAE/AF lock 4 4 —444—4
CAE lock only 4 4 —444—4
DAE lock (Reset on release) 4 4 —4 4 — 4 4
EAE lock (Hold) 4 4 —4 4 — 4 4
FAF lock only 4 4 —444—4
AAF‑ON 4 4 —444—4
hI Disable/enable 4 4 — — 4 4 — —
1Bracketing burst 4 4 — — 4 — — —
4+NEF (RAW) 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
LMatrix metering 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
MCenter‑weighted metering 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
NSpot metering 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
tHighlight‑weighted metering 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
bViewnder grid display 4 4 — — 4 — 4—
!Viewnder virtual horizon 4 4 — — 4 — — —
cSync. release selection 4 4 — — 4 4 — —
%MY MENU 444 — 4 — 4—
3Access top item in MY MENU 444 — 4 — 4—
KPlayback 4 4 — — 4 — 4—

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Custom Controls
D500 MB‑D17
0 v x V 8 S Fn
AF‑ON
cRating — — 4 — — — — —
JSelect center focus point — — — — 4 — — —
KHighlight active focus point — — — — 4 — — —
None 44444 — 4 4
GSame as camera AF‑ON button — — — — — — — 4
Press + y
The following controls can also be used with the com-
mand dials:
1 Pv button + y
w Fn1 button + y
9 Center of sub‑selector + y
n BKT button + y
Q Movie record button + y
(applies when live view selector is
rotated to C)
Custom Setting f10 (Assign MB‑D17 buttons) > Fn but‑
ton+ y can be used to choose the role played by the com-
mand dials in combination with the Fn button on optional
MB-D17 battery packs.

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Custom Control Assignments
The functions that can be assigned to these controls are:
D500 MB‑D17
1 w 9 n Q Fn + y
JChoose image area 444—4 4
$Shutter spd & aperture lock 444—4 4
v1 step spd/aperture 4 4 — — — 4
wChoose non‑CPU lens number 444 — — 4
yActive D‑Lighting 4 4 — — — 4
zExposure delay mode 4 4 — — — 4
nPhoto shooting menu bank 444 — 4 4
vExposure mode — — — — 4 4
tAuto bracketing — — — 4 — —
$Multiple exposure — — — 4 — —
2HDR (high dynamic range) — — — 4 — —
None 44444 4
9ISO sensitivity — — — — — 4
EExposure compensation — — — — — 4
wMetering — — — — — 4
“Press” and “Press + y”
Certain roles can not be assigned simultaneously to both the
“press” and “press + y” functions for some controls. Assigning
such a role to “press” when it is already assigned to “press + y”
sets the “press + y” option None, while assigning such a role
to “press + y” when it is already assigned to “press” sets the
“press” option None.

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If Access top item in MY MENU is
selected for Custom Setting f1 (Cus‑
tom control assignment) > 0Pre‑
view button, pressing the Pv button
will display the top item in My Menu,
letting you access functions that
cannot otherwise be assigned to a camera control. Here is
an example of how this could be used to congure the Pv
button to display the Storage folder menu.
1 Add Storage folder to My Menu.
In My Menu, select Add items>
PHOTO SHOOTING MENU and
then highlight Storage folder
and press J.
2 Move Storage folder to the top of My Menu.
Select Rank items and move
Storage folder to the top (you
can reorder the items as desired
at any time).
Quick Menu Access

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3 Choose a control.
Choose Custom Setting f1 (Cus‑
tom control assignment) and
select 0Preview button.
4 Select Access top item in MY MENU.
You also have the option of as-
signing Access top item in MY
MENU to the Fn1 or Fn2 button or
to the center of the sub-selector
or of using Custom Setting f10
(Assign MB‑D17 buttons) to
assign it to the Fn button on op-
tional MB-D17 battery packs.
You can now view the Storage folder menu at any time by
pressing the Pv button.

12
Create folders before going on a shoot and use them to
organize photos by scene. If you’re photographing soccer
or baseball, you can create folders for each half or inning,
making photos easier to nd and organize later on.
Use the Storage folder> Rename and Select folder by
number options in the photo shooting menu to create
folders. To create folders for the rst inning at a ball game:
1 Enter a name for the tops of the innings.
Select Rename, enter an appro-
priate ve-character name (e.g.,
“_TOP_”), and press J.
2 Create a folder for the top of the rst inning.
Choose Select folder by num‑
ber and select folder number
100. Press J to create a folder
named “100_TOP_”.
3 Enter a name for the bottoms of the innings.
Select Rename, enter an appropriate name (e.g.,
“_BTM_”), and press J.
Custom Folders

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4 Create a folder for the bottom of the rst inning.
Each folder number can be used only once. Choose
Select folder by number and select folder number
101. Press J to create a folder named “101_BTM_”.
You can now create folders for the remaining innings:
1 Create a folder for the top of the second inning.
Choose Select folder from list,
select a folder named “_TOP_”,
then choose Select folder by
number and select folder num-
ber 200. Press J to create a
folder named “200_TOP_”.
2 Create a folder for the bottom of the second inning.
Choose Select folder from list,
select a folder named “_BTM_”,
then choose Select folder by
number and select folder num-
ber 201. Press J to create a
folder named “201_BTM_”. Re-
peat until you have created folders for all nine innings.
Before starting shooting at the top
and bottom of each inning, use Se‑
lect folder from list to choose the
appropriate folder.

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15
Taking Pictures
This chapter covers information that
you may nd useful when taking pho-
tographs.

16
Auto white balance is recommended with most light
sources. If the desired results can not be achieved with
auto white balance, choose an option from the list below
or use preset white balance.
White Balance Options
Choose from the following options:
Option K * Description
vAuto
3500–
8000
White balance is adjusted automati-
cally. Suitable for most light sources;
if an optional flash unit is used, white
balance is adjusted to match. See
page 18 for more on v options.
Keep white (reduce
warm colors)
Normal
Keep warm lighting
colors
JIncandescent 3000 Use under incandescent lighting.
IFluorescent Use with:
Sodium-vapor lamps 2700 • Sodium vapor lighting (found in
sports venues)
Warm-white uorescent 3000 • Warm white fluorescent lights
White uorescent 3700 • White fluorescent lights
Cool-white uorescent 4200 • Cool-white fluorescent lights
Day white uorescent 5000 • Daylight white fluorescent lights
Daylight uorescent 6500 • Daylight fluorescent lights
High temp. mercury-
vapor 7200 • High color temperature light sources (e.g., mercury-vapor lamps)
HDirect sunlight 5200 Use with subjects lit by direct sunlight.
NFlash 5400 Use with optional flash units.
l
White Balance Tips and Tricks

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Option K * Description
GCloudy 6000 Use in daylight under overcast skies.
MShade 8000 Use in daylight with subjects in the
shade.
KChoose color
temp.
2500–
10,000
Choose a color temperature from a
list of values.
LPreset manual —Use your subject or light source or an
existing photo as a reference (page 19).
* Color temperature. All values are approximate and do not reflect
fine-tuning; colors can be fine-tuned if desired.

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Taking Pictures
Auto White Balance for Incandescent Lighting
v oers a choice of AUTO0 Keep
white (reduce warm colors), AUTO1
Normal, and AUTO2 Keep warm
lighting colors. The warm cast of
incandescent lighting can be elimi-
nated by selecting Keep white (re‑
duce warm colors) or preserved by
selecting Keep warm lighting colors.
AUTO0 Keep white
(reduce warm colors) AUTO1 Normal
AUTO2 Keep warm lighting
colors
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White Balance Tips and Tricks
Measuring Preset Manual White Balance
In live view, you can measure white balance from any
white or grey object in the frame.
When Preset manual is selected for
white balance, you can press the U
button to enter direct measurement
mode. L will ash in the display;
tap a white or grey object to posi-
tion the spot white balance target
(r) over the selected object and measure white balance.
To zoom in on the target for precise positioning, press the
X button. Press the U button again to exit direct mea-
surement mode.
White balance presets d1–d6 can be
viewed by selecting Preset manual
for White balance in the photo or
movie shooting menu. The white
balance target is shown on the pre-
set.
In preset manual white balance mode, you can select a pre-
set by pressing the U button and rotating the sub-com-
mand dial.
l

20
To vary ISO sensitivity automatically
when shooting in dappled sunlight
or in other situations in which the
subject or background vary in
brightness, select On for ISO sensi‑
tivity settings> Auto ISO sensitivi‑
ty control in the photo shooting menu. You’ll get optimal
exposure without having to adjust shutter speed or aper-
ture, even in mode M.
To limit high sensitivity noise, select
a Maximum sensitivity between
ISO 200 and Hi 5 (the minimum is
the value currently selected for ISO
sensitivity unless this is higher than
the maximum, in which case Maxi‑
mum sensitivity will be set to the value currently selected
for ISO sensitivity).
To turn auto ISO sensitivity control
on or o, press the S button and
rotate the sub-command dial. The
current setting is shown in the view-
nder and control panel.
AE with Constant Shutter Speed and Aperture