Published: June 22, 2017
The Nikon D7500 is more than a refresh of the D7200 which it follows. The D7500 inherits the 20.9MP DX (APS-C) format sensor from the D500 along with the Expeed 5 processor and is capable of delivering 8fps and brings the same ISO range as the D500, ISO 100 to 51,200 and is expandable from ISO 50 to 1.6M. The 3.2-inch 922k-dot tilting LCD includes touch control and the camera is 1.2 ounces lighter than the previous model. The D7500 delivers 4K video in 24, 25 and 30p, although it uses a 1.5X crop of the sensor. Full HD 1080 video uses the full sensor and offers an additional 60p frame rate.
In contrast to the previous model and the D500, the D7500 only offers a single memory card slot. The slot supports SD cards including UHS-I. A total of 131 SD cards were tested in the D7500. The results are presented in write speed for 14-bit RAW images. Additional tests were performed comparing RAW+JPEG, RAW and JPEG continuous shooting performance. A detailed analysis includes information observed during testing. Recommended SD cards for the D7500 are provided based on the highest write speed from the test results.
Tests are conducted using a detailed test scene with controlled lighting. The D7500 is mounted on a tripod and a remote release timer is used. Focus is set using manual focus on the lens. Write speed is calculated during the buffer-full condition during extended continuous shooting. Write speed is the data in bytes written to the memory card divided by the write time. Write speed is measured in MB/s (1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes). Each card is tested at least twice and the results are averaged. The the write speed table below is for RAW image format (RAW+JPEG and JPEG modes have lower write speed).
The following table contains a comparison of continuous shooting with the D7500 using different images modes and memory cards. The maximum number of continuous shots is capped at 100 by the camera. Write speed is calculated using the buffer-full condition. The card access light is not used for write speed calculation. Where buffer capacity does not limit shooting in 30 seconds no write speed is calculated. A detailed test scene is used which results in large file sizes.
For these tests the fastest SD card as determined by the write speed test, the Sony G-Series UHS-II 32GB, was used. The slowest SD card, the SanDisk Ultra 80MB/s UHS-I 64GB, was tested with select image modes to compare. (The buffer clearing time is marked n/a where test results were unavailable.)
The * designates the JPEG image mode that gives priority to image quality.
Image Type / Card Comparison | Shots at full fps | Shots in 30 seconds | Average Write Speed | Time to clear buffer | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sony SF-G Series UHS-II 32GB | |||||
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG fine * | 31 | 78 | 79.3 MB/s | 14.4 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG fine | 36 | 87 | 79.2 MB/s | 13.6 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG normal * | 38 | 94 | 78.9 MB/s | 12.9 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG normal | 40 | 99 | 77.3 MB/s | 12.5 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG basic * | 43 | 100 | 79.6 MB/s | 12.4 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG basic | 43 | 100 | 79.0 MB/s | 11.8 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG fine * | 39 | 89 | 79.2 MB/s | 15.6 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG fine | 44 | 100 | 79.1 MB/s | 14.3 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG normal * | 47 | 100 | 79.9 MB/s | 13.5 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG normal | 51 | 100 | 79.0 MB/s | 13.4 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG basic * | 56 | 100 | 79.1 MB/s | 13.4 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit + JPEG basic | 57 | 100 | 78.3 MB/s | 12.7 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG fine * | 42 | 92 | 77.8 MB/s | 16.3 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG fine | 47 | 100 | 77.3 MB/s | 14.9 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG normal * | 52 | 100 | 77.9 MB/s | 14.5 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG normal | 55 | 100 | 77.4 MB/s | 13.8 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG basic * | 56 | 100 | 76.9 MB/s | 13.2 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit + JPEG basic | 62 | 100 | 77.8 MB/s | 13.3 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG fine * | 49 | 100 | 77.2 MB/s | 16.3 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG fine | 54 | 100 | 77.3 MB/s | 14.6 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG normal * | 62 | 100 | 77.8 MB/s | 14.6 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG normal | 69 | 100 | 76.8 MB/s | 14.0 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG basic * | 77 | 100 | 76.5 MB/s | 14.1 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG basic | 80 | 100 | 76.8 MB/s | 13.5 sec | |
RAW lossless compressed 14-bit | 50 | 100 | 81.2 MB/s | 11.3 sec | |
RAW compressed 14-bit | 72 | 100 | 81.6 MB/s | 12.7 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit | 71 | 100 | 79.5 MB/s | 12.3 sec | |
RAW compressed 12-bit | 100 | 100 | 12.2 sec | ||
JPEG fine * | 100 | 100 | 7.7 sec | ||
JPEG fine | 100 | 100 | 1.7 sec | ||
JPEG normal * | 100 | 100 | 0.5 sec | ||
JPEG normal | 100 | 100 | 0.4 sec | ||
JPEG basic * | 100 | 100 | 0.4 sec | ||
JPEG basic | 100 | 100 | 0.4 sec | ||
SanDisk Ultra 80MB/s 64GB | |||||
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit + JPEG fine * | 26 | 35 | 13.5 MB/s | 74.8 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit + JPEG basic | 51 | 66 | 14.2 MB/s | n/a | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 14-bit | 35 | 48 | 14.6 MB/s | 60.8 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 14-bit | 46 | 59 | 13.9 MB/s | 72.7 sec | |
RAW (lossless compressed) 12-bit | 45 | 61 | 14.4 MB/s | 70.3 sec | |
RAW (compressed) 12-bit | 54 | 70 | 13.7 MB/s | n/a | |
JPEG fine * | 76 | 95 | 14.3 MB/s | 74.0 sec | |
JPEG fine | 91 | 100 | 52.5 sec | ||
JPEG normal * | 100 | 100 | 38.7 sec | ||
JPEG normal | 100 | 100 | 23.6 sec | ||
JPEG basic * | 100 | 100 | 15.8 sec | ||
JPEG basic | 100 | 100 | 9.1 sec |
Nikon limited the D7500 with a single SD card slot and only UHS-I support. While UHS-II cards can be used in the D7500 they operate in UHS-I mode and their write speed is not much faster than fast UHS-I cards in the camera. The D7500 supports UHS-I mode SDR104 which provides up to 104MB/s bus speed. The highest average write speed measured shooting 14-bit RAW lossless compressed images was 81.2 MB/s.
The D7500 has a large buffer and when used with a fast SD card it is capable of shooting up to 50 RAW lossless compressed 14-bit images continuously at full frame rate before the buffer limits shooting. The buffer is significantly larger than the D7200, which captured 18 RAW images (lossless compressed, 14-bit) in a similar test. Switching the D7500 to compressed 12-bit RAW increased this number to 100, the maximum number of shots the camera allows in one continuous burst.
The speed difference between cards affects the number of shots that an be captured at full frame rate because faster cards clear the buffer while shooting. An even bigger difference is seen when the buffer has reached capacity, when the camera is only able to continue shooting according to the write speed of the card. A fast card is capable of shooting 14-bit lossless compressed RAW at 2.9 fps with the buffer full, while a slow one limits shooting to 0.5 fps. Another difference is buffer clearing time. When shooting RAW images the D7500 clears the buffer in about 12 seconds with fast cards, while slow cards can take over a minute.
These tests are performed using a detailed image subject that creates large image files. The number of shots may increase slightly with a less detailed subject because the file size will be smaller.
The D7500 does not have the UHS-II interface, but UHS-II cards can be used in the D7500 because the cards are backwards compatible and operate in UHS-I mode. UHS-II cards are much faster in UHS-II devices, such as UHS-II card readers. One benefit in choosing a UHS-II is fast download speed when transferring pictures to a computer, where the cards can reach up to 300 MB/s.
The fastest SD card in the Nikon D7500 is the Sony G Series UHS-II 32GB card. It measured 81.2 MB/s average write speed during continuous shooting in the D7500. Practically matching its performance was the Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II 32GB card that averaged 81.1 MB/s. The cards were so close in performance in the D7500 that after running each card 9-10 times the difference was only 0.1 MB/s average and could be considered a virtual tie. These are UHS-II cards, and while the D7500 doesn't support UHS-II, they operate in UHS-I mode in the camera and came out just above the fastest UHS-I cards. They are recommended for those seeking the highest write speed as well as extremely high 250-300MB/s read speeds for transferring images from the card to a computer.
The fastest UHS-I cards were several models of SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/s UHS-I cards. These are recommended for those seeking a high performance card for the D7500 as well as a good value. They reached up to 80.6 MB/s average write speed in the D7500. These UHS-I cards offer up to 95MB/s read speed for quick downloads. From a value perspective the Extreme Pro comes out on top.
The D7500 has a built-in USB port that can be used to download images from the camera to a computer. The port supports USB 2.0 which limits the transfer speed. To test the speed 100 RAW files (2.7 GB) were transferred from the camera to a computer. The Lexar 2000x UHS-II 32GB was used in the camera and connected to a computer with USB 2.0 and a fast SSD drive. The transfer took 85 seconds and averaged 33.0 MB/s. This is close to the maximum speed USB 2.0 can provide. A much faster way to transfer images would be to use a separate USB 3.0 card reader. In such a reader, UHS-II cards can provide around 250 MB/s rate when transferring images, and UHS-I cards can reach above 90 MB/s. More card reader tests are available in the Card Reader Reviews.