Nikon Coolpix B500 Camera Review
Unboxing
I would have just ripped open the box like it's Christmas morning but I decided to do an actual unboxing to show what's inside the box. You can check out my YouTube unboxing video here (Nikon CoolPix B500 Unboxing) or you may read on for the contents and my review.
Contents
Inside the box you get:
User Manuals & warranty - your usual books and paperwork.
Camera Strap - great for travelers and tourist. The strap has Nikon Coolpix branding on it and a rubbery cushion for the back of the neck.
Protective Len Cover - used for protecting the camera's lens from smudges, scratches and/or damages. Great for those who want to preserve the lifespan of their camera lens
Sync Cable - This cable is use solely for transferring files from your camera to your PC. Unfortunately it doesn't double as a charging cable for the possible internal battery that it has.
4 AA Batteries - the main source of power for the camera. It is obvious that Nikon wanted to focus on convenience for the camera's power source as AAs are widely accessible from convenience stores up to large scale department stores.
Wrist strap - used to hold the camera on your wrist when not in use. Personally I have yet to use this since I unboxed this camera. I would rather not have an anchor on my wrist while walking around. It would be more justifiable if it were more so a smaller compact camera but honestly I have been to afraid to have this $300 camera hang from what looks like a thin piece of thread.
Nikon CoolPix B500 Camera - the main attraction and the reason you would even open the box. The Nikon Coolzpix B500! This 16MP camera shoots in 1080p 30fps with a zoom capability of 40x zoom. It even has a tilting LCD screen. Another cool feature is the camera's built in WiFi and Bluetooth so you can transfer directly to your smartphone?! Awesome!
Nikon CoolPix B500 Camera Review
Design
At first glance this camera has a SLR like build with a compact design. Personally I like how small and easy to handle this camera is. It's not too bulky to the point where I have to switch arms when vlogging or my neck start to cramp because I have an anchor necklace and from what I experienced when walking around for a whole day with the camera on it's strap, it didn't get in the way due to its sleek compact size. One thing I absolutely love but at the same time feel teased about is the tiltable screen. I wanted a camera that had a flip out LCD that way I know if I'm in frame or if I need to make any adjustments to the camera angle. This camera's tiltable LCD is more suited for the one behind the camera as a oppose to the one in front of it. Though this argument could possibly be countered by the Snapbridge software allowing you to use your phone as a viewfinder. I'd say that's fine but my experience with the app was clunky. There was no way to shoot video. Using the phone as a viewfinder was horrible with the feed from the camera lagging greatly despite my phone being right next to my camera Other than that...it looks just like a camera.
Premium Features
-Zoom-
Outside of the basic camera features this camera is camera has an ok set of premium features. Starting with the it's zoom, this camera has an impressive 40x zoom which is one of the highest zooms I saw while searching for a camera with the highest being 50x. When I tested the zoom the camera struggled to auto focus and this may either be due to my shaky or my current settings (I mostly have it on Auto mode due to my lack of camera knowledge). I soon after learned how to "Focus zoom", as I call it, which allows you to zoom in small increment allowing you to get a more clear shot at a really high zoom even if you have shaky hands like me.
Outside of the basic camera features this camera is camera has an ok set of premium features. Starting with the it's zoom, this camera has an impressive 40x zoom which is one of the highest zooms I saw while searching for a camera with the highest being 50x. When I tested the zoom the camera struggled to auto focus and this may either be due to my shaky or my current settings (I mostly have it on Auto mode due to my lack of camera knowledge). I soon after learned how to "Focus zoom", as I call it, which allows you to zoom in small increment allowing you to get a more clear shot at a really high zoom even if you have shaky hands like me.
-Wi-Fi Capabilities-
So to know that this camera has Wi-Fi/Bluetooth capabilities is pretty cool for the main fact that you will have the ability to transfer your photo/videos seamlessly between your camera and your "Smart Devices." What's cool is you have the option to either have your photos and videos automatically downloaded or you can manually select what photos and videos you want downloaded. Haven't played around with this too much because I always hated recording on my smartphone because 1080p eats a large chunk of memory and if I feel my phone with photos/videos from my camera I won't have space for anything else and I continuously have to empty my phone like before I got the camera...then What's the point of having the camera...*sideline rant* All in all its a great feature to have for those who want to take so great quality photos for instagram. Maybe?
-Tiltable LCD-
One of the features that owners and buyers of this camera are mostly excited about is the tiltable LCD. This is sure to assist in getting those crazy hard-to-get photos that would otherwise be nearly impossible to get with a camera with a built-in LCD. The only caveat I have with this feature is that the tiltable LCD is only on a vertical axis as oppose to a vertical and horizontal axis. I'm not sure if this would make much of a difference but maybe...just maybe someone had the thought to get a photo of an aggressive tiger while hiding behind a tree but hey...just a thought.
My Pros
So to say at the very least there are a lot of things about this camera that I really like. For starters, Its compact design. I like how I can walk around with this camera and not feel like it's getting in the way or I'm carrying an anchor around. It's also nice to be abnle to have a convenient source of power for the camera using AA batteries. Also the 40x zoom is always useful seeing as not a lot of cameras will zoom that far. Lastly the tiltable LCD, even if it's on a limited axis, is still pretty nice to have when specific angles come into play.
My Cons
Some of the things I don't like is the fact that you are provided a sync cable but not the cable to charge the internal battery. Seriously why would you not send the charging cable for the camera along with all the other contents? I understand that the convenient AA batteries is the primary power source but being provided with a secondary power source and not being able to use it is not that great either. I'm not sure if it is a ploy to get more money but seriously all the money that will be spent on AA batteries as oppose to a simple charging cable is for sure ridiculous. All I'm asking for is a simple cable...is that too much to ask? Another thing that I wanted but was prepared to be disappointed about is the fact that this camera has no input for lighting or a microphone. Even with that the flash does not shine a constant light when recording video for those really dark settings. That being the case I could only see using this camera in the daytime. That limits you to 12 hours in the day unless you are taking photos or video in a well lit area.
Who This Product is for
This camera screams beginner photographer because of its small and compact size, sleek design and simplistic layout. Aside from all the videos that I watched about this camera I noticed that when I picked up this camera I was easily able to learn the layout of this camera internally and externally. To be honest there are not a lot of internal settings which even more validate being geared towards beginners. I have yet to see the shutter speed setting which in photography is probably a good thing to have in certain situations. This tiltable LCD screen, as I stated before, seems to be better suited for the person behind the camera instead of the person in front it. You can also say that the flash points to photography but most camera's these days have just flash as oppose to a flashlight style flash.
The Final Verdict
There is a lot to love about this camera especially the beginners learning curve, the sleek compact design along with the tiltable LCD and superb 40x zoom. While there are small feature that I wish this camera had it's not too much to draw me away from it. Even though it was of much debate my rating for this camera is a 3.5 out of 5☆ because it does have some pretty cool premium features and the beginners learning curve is always good but there are some things that set this camera back a bit including the fact that there is a built in battery but no charging cable was provided for the usage of the battery. There is even no mention of this battery at all but the main question is what is the "D/C in" port on the side of the camera for? Speaking of port, there is also no inputs for external microphones or lighting. I wouldn't have spoken about this IF I wasn't provided a port that I am not able to fully utilize. Not receiving a cable for the D/C in port and also not receiving a port for external accessories makes the D/C in port feel useless and a waste of space on the camera. Just tell me this...what does the D/C in port do? Where can I get a cable for it? How much will it cost me? Why was it not included in the box? These are things I want to know
So that is my Review of the Nikon CoolPix B500! Hopefully this will give you some insight on whether you want to make the purchase or not. Be sure to share your opinions in the comment section and let me know if I missed anything or if you have any question about this product!
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