Nikon D500 vs Sigma SD1 Merrill

Here is a detailed review of the Nikon D500 and Sigma SD1 Merrill, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by competitors Nikon and Sigma. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the D500 (21MP) and SD1 Merrill (15MP) but they come with the same exact sensor size (APS-C).

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The D500 was announced 3 years later than the SD1 Merrill and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving through a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the D500 scores vs the SD1 Merrill with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon D500 & Sigma SD1 Merrill. The whole galleries are available at Nikon D500 Gallery & Sigma SD1 Merrill Gallery.

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will have to take into account its weight and size. The Nikon D500 has got outside dimensions of 147mm x 115mm x 81mm (5.8" x 4.5" x 3.2") along with a weight of 860 grams (1.90 lbs) whilst the Sigma SD1 Merrill has specifications of 146mm x 113mm x 80mm (5.7" x 4.4" x 3.1") having a weight of 790 grams (1.74 lbs).

Look at the Nikon D500 and Sigma SD1 Merrill in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is the front view physical size comparison of the D500 against the SD1 Merrill.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the D500 and SD1 Merrill is 56 and 57 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to picture the contrast between sensor sizing simply by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the D500 and SD1 Merrill.

As you can see, the two cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different MP. You can expect to see the Nikon D500 to give more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The more recent D500 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.