leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I have done much research on the Nikon D7500 and the Nikon D500. They both are pretty much the same camera, with the D500m being the cadillac version, two things puzzle me. They both have the very same sensor and the very same processor, so, they should produce the same image quality and performance in low light situations. But, based in the research, the D500 has better image quality, why? The D7500 has better low light performance, why? I hope some Hoggers can enlighten this baffled photog.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

I don't know anything about the D7500 but the D500 is Not known to have good low light abilities. My D7200 out performed the D500 when it came to higher ISO's. If Low light performance is your driving factor for purchasing I would choose a full frame camera any day over a dx camera. I do mostly wildlife and have lots of experience using both types of cameras.

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I agree with you about the full frame for low light performance. With my poor eyesight, I don't don't much "low light" shooting. Just wondering why the difference between the two cameras. Thank you for your response.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Note the DX cameras have 20MP and some full frames more than twice that. Better low light performance comes from bigger sensor pixels. So full frame does not necessarily provide better low light performance.

The processing engine matters too. Generally a later release camera gives better performance.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

The D7500 has a slight edge in lower light situations, but virtually identical to the D500 in color depth and dynamic range. The big differences between the two 8fps for the D7500 and 10fps for the D500, the D7500 has one mem card slot where the D500 has 2, one of which is XQD, the D500 has 153 focus points and the D7500 has 51. The AF system for the D500 is the same as in the D850.

I am very pleased with the image quality of my D7200, but I take the D500 with me when I'm shooting wildlife / birding.

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CO

I have a D7500, and two D500s. The D7500 and D500 do have the same image quality. They have the same Expeed 5 processor and 180k pixel RGB exposure meter. There are other differences that make the D500 superior. The D5, D500, and D850 have a processor dedicated to just the autofocus system. It makes a noticeable difference. The D500 center AF point is sensitive down to -4EV. The D500 has a larger view through the viewfinder - 1.0 magnification for the D500, 0.94 magnification for the D7500. The D500 can shoot at 10 fps and has an almost unlimited buffer. The D500 has dual memory card slots and one is XQD. The magnesium body of the D500 is tougher.

D5, D500, and D850 have dedicated AF processor

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AF point sensitive to -4EV . The D7500 is sensitive to -3EV

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CO

These differences in low light performance between the D7500 and D500 are very negligible. Look at this chart of signal to noise ratio. The graphs of the two cameras are practically on top of each other.

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tcthome Loc: NJ

Agree. Even the DXO chart numbers are so close it is not a consideration. If you need a high frames pr second rate for sports & wildlife get the D500 with the vertical grip. You will probably be happy with either camera.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Among other things, the D500 shares the same focusing system as the D5 and D850. For wildlife photography, the Nikon D500 can focus faster, more accurately, and at a higher FPS than the D7500. There is also the software that camera's come with, Nikon never publishes this, but software is independent from firmware and does effect the sharpness of the resulting image. I always believed that the best software was found in the flagship models like the D3s, D4s, and D5 camera's. There is also the expeed processor, again, a separate animal. Although the D7500 and D500 share the same expeed 5 processor, the software is different in the two camera's.
I shoot wildlife photography, so for me I want that BETTER focusing system the D500 shares with the D5. I have shot the D5, D850, and D500, and yes, I can see a difference in the image taken with the D5, I can't put my finger on it exactly, but something tells me that the software is definitely seems different to me. There is just something about the image that seems to be different.
So, bottom line, the D500 and D7500 are NOT pretty much the same camera.
Software is the elephant in the room here and continues to be what separates Nikon from other brands of camera's. Yes, Nikon buys a lot of it's sensors from other sources including Sony. But Nikon's software and firmware are exclusively Nikon. And yes Virginia, their are different software components in each Nikon body. And Nikon ain't talkin.
But, bottom line, both camera's will take decent images in low light, a lot of the finished image depends on the SKILL, KNOWLEDGE, and EXPERIENCE of the photographer, not necessarily the model of camera.

leftyD500 Loc: Ocala, Florida

I appreciate all who have replied to my post, but, few have actually addressed my questions. I have researched the differences/similarities of the two cameras, and know them. What I am asking is, since both cameras have the exact same sensor and the exact same processor, should not both cameras produce the same quality image? I am aware that image quality is largely dependent on the camera user. Perhaps there are no discernable differences, or as one responded, the difference is so miniscule, it is not an issue. Thank you for all who have responded.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

You obviously need to review my post concerning software.

BebuLamar

I wonder how many cameras of the same model that DxO tested? The differences are so small I think it could possibly the variation in production.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

One correction to CO's post above. The D500 does not have a magnesium alloy body. There are some magnesium alloy parts, but the body is primarily Nikon's carbon fiber material (which is not the same as the plastic of the D7xxx cameras. Full metal bodies are not compatible with wireless capability. I have used both of these cameras, though, and can say with confidence that they are not the same camera, even though they do share some key components. The user interface is completely different between the cameras. I get no sense that the Expeed processor is implemented the same in both models, even though it may be the same integrated circuit. The D500 has a much higher level of usability if you change your camera adjustments while shooting...it allows almost every important adjustment to be made directly, without having to enter the menu system at all. It does not present the preset shooting modes at all (like landscape, portrait, and others) but does provide adjustments that allow for the contrast, sharpness, saturation, and other changes that these settings alter.

Many folks (I'd say probably the majority) are never going to be willing to invest the time and energy to learn to use the D500. For those folks, the D7xxx is the proper choice. But if you are willing to invest that time and energy, the D500 is much more flexible and can do many more things than just about any other camera. It is an operational twin to the D850 and has almost the same capability as that camera. I am still struggling after almost four years to grasp the near total misunderstand of the D500 by just about everyone on this forum. Even those who like and speak in favor of it seem mostly to believe that it is only for sports and wildlife. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

Please re-read my reply to your post. It shows there is very little difference in image quality between the two sensors, but the AF system in the D500 is more sophisticated and should result in more keepers. Even though they have the same sensor the sensor gain can be made different between the two at selected Evs to make them perform slightly different. In this case Nikon kept them identical. Given the image quality is virtually identical the decision on which one to chose is found in the factors outside of image quality.

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

Basically one is for an enthusiast and the other is meant for those who work.

IMHO

a. D5300 > D5600 > D7500
b. D7100 > D7200 > D500

I firmly believe that the D7500 should be called D5900 while the D500 a D7300

The core difference are:
One has no built in flash but has 2 memory cards, focus better & shoots faster than the other.

Because the image quality is basically the same, the other one was dumbed down so it is less appropriate for paid photography unlike the camera it replaced - the D7200 so that Nikon can justify the why choose & why the big price difference of the D500 as it is meant as a working camera.