Fujifilm F500 EXR vs Nikon D2Hs: An In-Depth Comparison for Photography Enthusiasts

Choosing the right camera is often a journey rather than a mere shopping trip - a blend of deciphering specs, weighing practical use, and understanding your photographic ambitions. Today, I’m diving into a fascinating comparison between two incredibly different beasts: the Fujifilm F500 EXR, an affordable small-sensor superzoom compact launched in 2011, and the Nikon D2Hs, a 2005 professional DSLR powerhouse built for serious shooters. Their specs alone tell stories about divergent design philosophies, eras, and target users - and what unfolds when we put them head-to-head across multiple photography genres is quite illuminating.

Before you decide which camera deserves a spot in your kit, let’s unpack their core attributes, humbly mix in my hands-on experience, and see how these tools perform in the trenches of real-world photography. Spoiler alert: This isn’t just a numbers game - it’s about which camera feels right for your style, budget, and creative goals.

Putting Size and Ergonomics Under the Microscope

The first - and arguably most tactile - difference between the Fujifilm F500 EXR and Nikon D2Hs is their physical presence. The F500 EXR is compact and portable, designed as a grab-and-go superzoom camera that slides into a jacket pocket or purse, while the D2Hs is a large, muscular DSLR built to withstand professional use and house complex internals.

At 104 x 63 x 33 mm and weighing just 215 grams (including battery), the Fujifilm offers supreme portability. It’s a pocket-worthy champ with a fixed 15× zoom lens ranging from 24mm wide to 360mm telephoto, making it incredibly versatile for everyday shooting without lens changes. Its build is plastic, light, and well-suited for travel or casual shooting, assuming you’re okay with modest weather sealing (spoiler: there isn’t any).

On the other hand, the Nikon D2Hs commands presence with its DSLR heft - roughly 1200 grams and dimensions stretching to 158 x 150 x 86 mm. That’s almost six times heavier and way more substantial in hand. Manufactured with a rugged magnesium alloy body offering weather sealing (though not waterproof), the D2Hs is designed for harsh environments and all-day shooting comfort with an impressively robust grip and button layout optimized for quick operation.

I’ll admit: Carrying the D2Hs for hours can be a workout, especially if you’re lugging long lenses (and you likely will be). The Fujifilm’s ultra-compact size, though, means less fatigue and more spur-of-the-moment shots.

Looking deeper at their top views also reveals the operational philosophies baked into their designs.

The Nikon’s control cluster feels more tactile and specialized - offering dedicated ISO, exposure mode, drive mode dials, and dual-command wheels for rapid parameter adjustments. The Fujifilm’s controls are simpler, relying mostly on menus and fewer physical buttons, with some manual exposure modes accessible, but nothing that would dazzle a pro used to knobs and wheels. This makes the F500 more accessible to casual or enthusiast photographers, while pros appreciate the Nikon’s no-nonsense efficiency.

Sensor Technology and Image Quality: A World Apart by Design

This is where the chasm between these cameras grows wide - and where understanding sensor technology and its impact really matters to serious photographers.

The Fujifilm F500 EXR sports a small 1/2" EXR CMOS sensor measuring just 6.4 x 4.8 mm and delivering 16 megapixels. It's an impressive pixel count for such a minute sensor, but the physics of light capture impose limitations. Small sensors suffer in dynamic range, noise control, and detail rendition - especially under challenging lighting. It does have an EXR processor designed to optimize image quality by switching between pixel binning, high resolution, and dynamic range priority modes, but it simply cannot compete head-to-head with larger sensors on fundamental image quality metrics.

In contrast, the Nikon D2Hs houses a 23.7 x 15.5 mm APS-C sized sensor, approximately 12 times the area of the Fuji’s sensor. While it offers a modest 4 megapixels by modern standards (2464 x 1632 pixels), each pixel is physically larger, which means better light gathering, superior noise characteristics, and more latitude for creative processing. Despite its age, the D2Hs’ sensor excels at nuanced tonal gradations and color rendition, vital for demanding photographic work.

From my extensive experience testing cameras, sensor size is indeed the single biggest factor affecting image quality - larger sensors provide cleaner images at high ISO, superior dynamic range, and finer detail - critical in portrait, landscape, and professional work. Small sensor superzooms like the Fuji tend to struggle in low light and dynamic range, often requiring cautious shooting to avoid noise or highlight clipping.

LCD Screens and User Interface: Clarity vs Simplicity

The Fuji's 3.0-inch 460k-dot fixed TFT LCD screen offers a clear, bright view for composing and reviewing images. While basic compared to recent touchscreen displays, for 2011 standards, it provided good feedback, especially with live view mode.

The Nikon’s 2.5-inch screen may feel quaint and lower resolution (235k dots), but real pros seldom rely heavily on LCDs for assessment - instead favoring optical viewfinders for composition and manual control. Speaking of which...

Optical Viewfinder vs None: Legacy and Flexibility

The Nikon D2Hs sports a robust pentaprism optical viewfinder with 100% frame coverage and 0.57x magnification, crucial for accurate, real-time framing and tracking fast action - especially in sports and wildlife where lag-free viewing is vital. The Fujifilm F500 EXR forgoes a viewfinder entirely, relying solely on its LCD for composition, which can be challenging in bright sunlight conditions.

Burst Shooting, Autofocus, and Lens Ecosystem: Speed and Precision Matter

Looking under the hood, the Nikon D2Hs is a beast for action with a continuous shooting speed of up to 8 fps - remarkable for its release era. While autofocus area specifics are scarce, it uses professional-grade phase-detection sensors offering fast, reliable AF performance with dedicated AF sensors and advanced lens compatibility (Nikon F mount, supporting over 300 AF lenses). This makes it well-suited for sports, wildlife, and other fast-moving subjects where precision tracking is paramount.

The Fujifilm F500 EXR offers slower continuous shooting at 3 fps with contrast-detection autofocus, typical on compact cameras. While it does support AF tracking and single AF modes, it lacks face/eye detection, phase detection AF, and selective focus point control. Its fixed zoom lens, while versatile, cannot match the specialized telephotos and primes available for Nikon’s system.

For photographers shooting wildlife, fast sports, or requiring critical autofocus accuracy, the D2Hs wins hands down. The Fuji may suffice for casual birdwatching or family sports thanks to its generous zoom, but it’s not designed for professional AF demands.

Genre-by-Genre Breakdown: What Each Camera Really Excels At

Every photographer has genres they gravitate toward. Let’s analyze these cameras in the context of major photography styles. Because numbers alone don’t tell the full story, I’ve drawn on practical shooting experience to highlight subtleties.

Portrait Photography

The Nikon D2Hs, even with its lower megapixel count, delivers superior skin tone rendering, nuanced color, and creamy bokeh when paired with a fast prime lens. Its large APS-C sensor combined with high-quality Nikkor lenses means shallow depth of field and excellent detail separation. Face and eye autofocus aren’t automated but with manual focus support and AF selectivity, a skilled user can finely nail sharp portraits.

The Fujifilm F500 EXR falls short here: small sensor size results in limited bokeh and shallow depth of field is hard to achieve. Lacking face detection AF makes capturing expressive sharp portraits trickier.

Landscape Photography

The Nikon’s raw support and greater dynamic range excel in landscape work, allowing high-quality image stacking and post-processing latitude. Its weather-sealed body offers the durability needed for challenging outdoor shoots.

While the Fuji’s 16MP sensor produces higher nominal resolution, the small sensor limits dynamic range and detail in shadow/highlight areas. No raw shooting means less control in post-processing. The lens zoom range is handy, but ultimately lacks the versatility of dedicated landscape primes or ultra-wide options.

Wildlife Photography

Nikon’s huge lens ecosystem, phase-detect AF, and 8 fps frame rate give it an edge in fast wildlife shooting. Autofocus struggles far less in dim or dynamic conditions.

The Fuji’s 15× zoom and image stabilization help casual wildlife shooting, but AF performance and burst rates limit its ability to capture fleeting moments sharply.

Sports Photography

The D2Hs is built for speed and precision, excelling under demanding action conditions with pro autofocus and fast buffer clearing - key to freeze peak moments.

The F500 EXR’s much slower 3 fps rate, contrast autofocus, and small sensor limit its utility for high-caliber sports photography.

Street Photography

Here the tables turn a bit. The Fujifilm’s compact size and discreet operation make it great for candid street photography, especially for those prioritizing portability and minimal intrusion.

The bulky Nikon is less suited to casual street snaps given its size and loud shutter, plus less agility.

Macro Photography

Precision focusing is key in macro, and neither camera specializes here. The F500’s macro mode down to 5 cm is nice for casual close-ups, but sensor quality limits detail and depth rendition.

The Nikon, paired with a dedicated macro lens, will vastly outperform in sharpness and bokeh control.

Night and Astro Photography

High ISO performance and noise handling give the D2Hs the advantage at night. While only 4MP, its clean files at ISO up to 1600 remain usable; it also supports manual exposure and bulb mode for astrophotography.

The Fuji’s boosted ISO goes to 12800 but with a small sensor, images can look noisy and lose detail, limiting practical use.

Video Capabilities: Simple vs. None

Video use was not a strong suit for either camera, but different degrees of support are worth noting.

The Fujifilm F500 EXR offers Full HD 1080p at 30fps, supporting MPEG-4 encoding - adequate for casual videography but with limited manual controls. No external microphone support limits audio quality.

The Nikon D2Hs predates widespread video use and offers no video recording capabilities.

Battery Life and Storage Flexibility

Neither camera shines spectacularly in battery life metrics by modern standards, but their designs reflect their intended use.

The relatively lightweight Fujifilm uses NP-50 batteries and SD card storage, standard for compact cameras, adequate for travel and casual shooting.

The Nikon D2Hs accepts proprietary batteries optimized for higher shot counts and uses CompactFlash cards, common for pro DSLRs of its time. Its larger battery means longer endurance, critical for lengthy professional shoots.

Connectivity and Wireless Features: Classic vs. Primitive

Neither camera supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or GPS - features that have become standard years later. The Fujifilm includes HDMI for clean video output, while the Nikon sticks to USB 2.0 and no HDMI output.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance: The Premium Advantage

The Nikon D2Hs sports environmental sealing to resist dust and moisture, giving outdoors professionals peace of mind. The Fujifilm F500 EXR lacks any weatherproofing, making it less suitable for rugged environments.

Image Samples Speak Volumes

Though specs tell one story, actual images provide the real verdict.

Fujifilm F500 EXR screen back Nikon D2Hs screen back

Here you see Fuji’s vibrant but sometimes noisy output in low light, with decent zoom range but less depth and dynamic range compared to Nikon’s cleaner, more nuanced files showing finer detail and better highlight control.

Performance Ratings Summarized

Let’s wrap up this technical rally with an overall performance look:

Predictably, the Nikon D2Hs scores higher on image quality, speed, and professional features, whereas the Fujifilm F500 EXR shines in portability, zoom flexibility, and affordability.

Who Should Buy Which Camera?

After testing thousands of cameras, I’ve observed that the best gear matches your photographic intent and style - not always the flashiest specs. Here’s my breakdown:

Choose the Fujifilm F500 EXR if:

• You want an affordable, pocket-sized superzoom for travel, street, casual nature, and family photos.
• You value convenience, all-in-one zoom, and image stabilization over raw image quality.
• Video capture (1080p) is a bonus.
• Your budget is under $500 and you prioritize fun, spur-of-the-moment shooting.
• You’re new to photography or don’t want to fuss with interchangeable lenses.

Go for the Nikon D2Hs if:

• You are a professional or advanced enthusiast who values image quality, manual control, and rugged construction.
• Your genres include sports, wildlife, or demanding landscape/portrait work.
• You already own or plan to invest in Nikon F mount lenses.
• You require fast autofocus, precise manual controls, and robust build.
• Budget is less of a concern, focused on reliability, and you work in challenging conditions.

Bottom Line: Different Cameras For Different Missions

Comparing the Fujifilm F500 EXR and Nikon D2Hs is a bit like comparing a Swiss Army knife against a professional chef’s knife - both serve important functions but are designed for very different users. The Fuji’s clever zoom, easy operation, and compact size makes it a fantastic travel companion and casual snapper. The Nikon D2Hs, despite its vintage status, remains a formidable tool for professionals requiring speed, control, and superior image quality in rugged shooting scenarios.

Your choice comes down to priorities: size and simplicity versus performance and pro features. Whichever side you choose, remember that mastering your camera’s strengths matters more than specifications on paper - and that truly great photography is as much about vision as gear.

Happy shooting!

Note: All assessments are based on extensive hands-on use, official specifications, and third-party performance benchmarks. Image and performance example files generated under controlled conditions to illustrate typical camera behavior.