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Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
Hi Gang -

Through a ferocious dint of self denial, I've finally saved up enough to purchase a used D500.

I've been scouring the various sites for the past week or so. Then a couple of days ago the local shop I used to do business with pre-COVID listed a like-new D500 for a price better than comparable shutter count units offered at MPB, etc. (~35,000 clicks.)

One good thing about dealing with a shop: the camera is currently at their Philadelphia outlet, but they're shipping it to my local store so I can check it over in person first, rather than buying it sight unseen. It will arrive any time between tomorrow and Wednesday, they said.

I know there are a lot of knowledgeable D500 owners here who know this thing like the back of their hand. Can any of you tell me if there's anything specific I should check, or look out for? Any known issues I need to ask about before plunking down my cash?

Thanks very much!
 
Fred Kingston

Fred Kingston

Senior Member
I don't think it's a question of whether they would do something untoward... They took it in from someone else... You can "check and test" a used camera all day long by the best people, and have the highest of intentions and still a problem can crop up... Warranty and a good return policy is good...especially with used equipment. :)
 
Woodyg3

Woodyg3

Senior Member
Contributor
I don't think you can know for sure until you have the camera out in the field and give it practical use. I'd just look for obvious problems like failure to focus, unusual sounds, error messages, etc. I'd try it in all the modes and make sure that exposures are correct. Check that the lens mount is in good shape, the dials are move smoothly, etc. D500s are kind of scarce right now, so I hope this works out for you. They are great cameras.
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Not really sure what to suggest other than make sure the dials, push buttons, and all other mechanical buttons work properly and that the tilt screen works (check it in Live View, too). The D500 is definitely different than any other Nikon DSLR's that I've used because it uses memory banks. When I set up my D500, I set it for BBF and Manual Mode with Auto ISO. Even without me saving those settings, it appears to automatically be saved as memory bank A (or something similar). If you want to switch your settings, you can create a separate memory bank. Since I haven't yet made any changes, I can't explain how to do that. But it uses those memory banks instead of U1 and U2.
 
Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
Woodyg3 said:
I don't think you can know for sure until you have the camera out in the field and give it practical use. I'd just look for obvious problems like failure to focus, unusual sounds, error messages, etc. I'd try it in all the modes and make sure that exposures are correct. Check that the lens mount is in good shape, the dials are move smoothly, etc. D500s are kind of scarce right now, so I hope this works out for you. They are great cameras.
Click to expand...

Thanks Woody, those are all great suggestions. I appreciate the well wishes, too :)
 
Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
hark said:
Not really sure what to suggest other than make sure the dials, push buttons, and all other mechanical buttons work properly and that the tilt screen works (check it in Live View, too). The D500 is definitely different than any other Nikon DSLR's that I've used because it uses memory banks. When I set up my D500, I set it for BBF and Manual Mode with Auto ISO. Even without me saving those settings, it appears to automatically be saved as memory bank A (or something similar). If you want to switch your settings, you can create a separate memory bank. Since I haven't yet made any changes, I can't explain how to do that. But it uses those memory banks instead of U1 and U2.
Click to expand...


I had no idea - that's great to know. Thanks Cindy!
 
Peter7100

Peter7100

Senior Member
I think 180 days warranty is more than enough as it will give you plently of time to test it. Good luck and I'm sure you will love it!
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Not that you'll use it but check the touch screen functionality. I turned mine off after a couple days - my nose would change focus points and (with older firmware at least) it had a tendency to activate when it was touched by anything else and I'd all of a sudden have a dead battery. I do use it on my Z6ii and it's not an issue there.

Also, bring a bunch of lenses and make sure all of them mount up, function and focus properly.
 
Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
BackdoorArts said:
Not that you'll use it but check the touch screen functionality. I turned mine off after a couple days - my nose would change focus points and (with older firmware at least) it had a tendency to activate when it was touched by anything else and I'd all of a sudden have a dead battery. I do use it on my Z6ii and it's not an issue there.

Also, bring a bunch of lenses and make sure all of them mount up, function and focus properly.
Click to expand...


Whoa, good to know! I use the touch screen frequently on my D5500, but you have the option to turn off the touch focus function. Interesting to know the D500 doesn't have that simple feature.

Lol: "bunch of lenses". Ok, I'll bring all 3 of mine :)

Thanks very much for this info, I really appreciate it! :encouragement:
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Dangerspouse said:
Whoa, good to know! I use the touch screen frequently on my D5500, but you have the option to turn off the touch focus function. Interesting to know the D500 doesn't have that simple feature.
Click to expand...

Not saying it doesn't, just that the initial release firmware gave me all sorts of battery drain issues (there's a thread on here somewhere). Some of that was the old battery issue (Nikon did a free trade-up program) and part of it had to do with the back screen staying active longer due to oversensitivity of the screen. I never shoot in Live View and was so used to just using buttons to set things that I just turned it off and haven't used it since.
 
Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
I can't thank everyone here who chimed in enough. Your generous input was invaluable, and very much appreciated. I picked up the D500 about an hour ago.

I love it.

:triumphant:

NEW D500-.jpg
 
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Dangerspouse

Dangerspouse

Senior Member
hark said:
When I purchased mine, this was the original battery that came with it. It's no longer made, but either of the following will work. Keep in mind the second one should last longer than the first due to a higher mAh.

EN-EL15b

EN-EL15c
Click to expand...

Thanks for that info, Cindy! This came with the newer EN-EL15 Li-ion02, so I should be ok on the power front.

Quick question, if you know: the one thing not included in the package was the USB cable. Do you think my D5500 cable will be compatible?
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Dangerspouse said:
Thanks for that info, Cindy! This came with the newer EN-EL15 Li-ion02, so I should be ok on the power front.

Quick question, if you know: the one thing not included in the package was the USB cable. Do you think my D5500 cable will be compatible?
Click to expand...


No, I don't think so. According to Nikon's site, your D5500 uses a UC-E6 USB Cable. https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-p.../tag:7WA:Cords and Cables/product:D5500:D5500

The D500 uses a UC-E22 USB Cable. https://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-P...#!/tag:7WA:Cords and Cables/product:1559:D500

Here is a B&H link for the original cable. No doubt you might be able to find an aftermarket cable. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1067869-REG/nikon_27146_uc_e22_usb_3_0_cable.html
 
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