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2016 prosumer camera shootout: Canon EOS 80D vs. Nikon D500 vs. Sony A6300

Note: This article was first published on 27th September 2016.

APS-C camera showdown!

Before we begin our shootout, let us answer the question on what is the mark of a prosumer camera?

Broadly speaking, this class of cameras is able to deliver on most commercial jobs, yet generally priced within the reach of a serious enthusiast or professional who's just starting out. The prosumer series is the line-up both these groups of photographers look forward to, as it offers the best balance of features, performance, and price. You may recall that we put the Canon EOS 80D and the Sony A6300 against each other here, and that we’ve done a hands-on with the Nikon D500 here, so this article really pits all three against one another to see which one really stands out as the best. Before we dive into each camera individually, let's take a quick look at how they stack up against each other, specs wise:

  • 24.2 Megapixels

  • 20.9 Megapixels

  • 24.2 megapixels

  • APS-C CMOS

  • 180,000-pixel RGB

  • CMOS sensor (Nikon DX format)

  • APS-C Exmor CMOS Sensor

  • 1.6x

  • Approx. 1.5x

  • 1.5x

  • 100-16,000 (expandable to 25,600)

  • 100 to 51,200 (expandable to ISO 50 to ISO 1,640,000)

  • ISO 100-25600 (expandable to 51200)

  • 1/8000sec. to 30sec. (total shutter speed range; available range varies by shooting mode), Bulb, X-sync at 1/250sec.

  • 1/8000 to 30s in steps of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV, bulb, X250

  • 1/4000 to 30 sec, bulb

  • 45 (Cross-type AF point Max. 45 points)

  • Dual cross-type focusing at f/2.8 with center AF point.

  • (Excluding some lenses with f/2.8 or larger maximum aperture)

  • Nikon Advanced Multi-CAM 20K autofocus sensor module with TTL phase detection, fine-tuning, 153 focus points (99 cross-type with 15 that support f/8)

  • Fast Hybrid AF(phase-detection AF/contrast-detection AF) using 425 phase-detection AF points/ 169 Contrast-detection AF points

  • Program AE (Scene Intelligent Auto, Program), Shutter-priority AE, Aperture-priority AE, Manual exposure, Bulb exposure

  • Programmed auto with flexible program (P); shutter-priority auto (S); aperture-priority auto (A); manual (M)

  • Auto (iAuto, Superior Auto), Programmed AE (P), Aperture priority (A), Shutter-speed priority (S), Manual (M), Scene Selection, Sweep Panorama, Movie/High Frame Rate (Programmed AE (P) / Aperture priority (A) / Shutter-speed priority (S) / Manual (M))

  • ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments

  • -5 to +5 EV in increments of 1/3, 1/2 or 1 EV

  • +/- 5EV (in 1/3 EV steps or 1/2 EV steps)

  • 63-zone TTL open-aperture metering using 7560-pixel RGB plus IR metering sensor

  • Evaluative metering (linked to all AF points)

  • Partial metering (approx. 6.0% of viewfinder at center)

  • Spot metering (approx. 3.8% of viewfinder at center)

  • Center-weighted average metering

  • TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approximately 180K (180,000) pixels

  • Matrix, center-weighted, or highlight-weighted

  • Metering System Type: 1200-zone evaluative metering

  • Sensitivity Range: EV-2- to EV20 (ISO100 equivalent, with F2.0 lens attached)

  • Metering Modes: Multi / Center / Spot selectable

  • MOV

  • Full HD (1920x1080): 29.97p / 25.00p / 23.98p

  • MP4

  • Full HD (1920x1080): 59.94p / 50.00p / 29.97p / 25.00p / 23.98p

  • HD (1280x720): 59.94p / 50.00p / 29.97p / 25.00p

  • MOV (using H.264/MPEG-4 Advanced Video Coding)

  • 3840 x 2160 (4K UHD); 30p (progressive), 25p, 24p 1920 x 1080; 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p 1280 x 720; 60p, 50p Actual frame rates for 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, and 24p are 59.94, 50, 29.97, 25, and 23.976 fps respectively; (Fine) high quality available at all frame sizes, normal quality available at all sizes except 3840 x 2160

  • Movie: XAVC S / AVCHD format Ver. 2.0 compliant / MP4

  • XAVC S 4K: 3840 x 2160 (30p/100Mbps, 30p/60Mbps, 24p/100Mbps, 24p/60Mbps), XAVC S HD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/50Mbps, 30p/50Mbps, 24p/50Mbps, 120p/100Mbps, 120p/60Mbps), AVCHD: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps/PS, 60i/24Mbps/FX, 60i/17Mbps/FH, 24p/24Mbps/FX, 24p/17Mbps/FH), MP4: 1920 x 1080 (60p/28Mbps, 30p/16Mbps), 1280 x 720 (30p/6Mbps)

  • 3" TFT color, liquid-crystal touch-sensitive monitor with approx. 1.04 million dots

  • 3.2-inch, 2359k-dots, tilting TFT touch-sensitive LCD with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% frame coverage, and manual monitor brightness control

  • 3.0-inch, 921,600 dots, wide type TFT with tilt

  • XGA OLED, 1.0 cm electronic viewfinder, 2,359,296 dots

  • SD / SDHC* / SDXC* memory cards

  • * UHS-I cards compatible.

  • XQD, SD, SDHC (UHS-II compliant), SDXC (UHS-II compliant)

  • SD / SDHC / SDXC memory card

  • Computer communication (Hi-Speed USB equivalent), GPS Receiver GP-E2, Connect Station CS100 connection, HDMI mini OUT (Type C - Auto switching of resolution) compatible.IEEE 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi.

  • SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0 Micro-B connector),Type C HDMI connector,Stereo mini-pin jack (3.5mm diameter),Ten-pin remote terminal. IEEE 802.11b/g Wi-Fi supported.

  • MULTI / MICRO USB

  • HDMI mini (Type D)

  • Microphone terminal

  • IEEE802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi

  • Battery Pack LP-E6N / LP-E6

  • Approx. 960 shots with viewfinder shooting, Approx. 300 shots with live view shooting.

  • Li-ion EN-EL15 battery (allows for 1,240 shots or approx. 50 min. of video )

  • NP-FW50 Rechargeable Battery Pack (Approx. 400 images, LCD screen, CIPA standard)

  • 139.0 x 105.2 x 78.5mm

  • 147 x 115 x 81mm

  • 120 x 66.9 x 48.8 mm

  • 650g (body only)

  • 760 g (body only)

  • Approx. 361 g (Body Only) /Approx. 404 g (With battery and Memory Stick PRO Duo)

Canon EOS 80D

Design, Handling & General Overview

The EOS 80D is one of Canon’s latest enthusiast-grade cameras, and slots just behind last year’s EOS 7D Mark II in terms of capabilities, rand eplacing the EOS 70D before it.

Like the 7D Mark II, it uses Dual Pixel CMOS AF for faster AF performance during Live View mode. It also uses the DIGIC 6 image processing; but unlike the 7D Mark II, it has only a single DIGIC 6 processor, which is probably why the continuous shooting rate is down to 7.0fps from 10.0fps compared to the older model. There are also fewer cross-type AF points (45 vs. 65 in the 7D Mark II), but that doesn’t mean the 80D is a slouch in that department by any means, as 27 of the central points are able to focus down to f/8.

It covers an ISO range of 100-16,000 (stills) with ISO 25,600 available via boost. And it also gets continuous autofocus capabilities during live view when shooting stills, which can be handy when the action you’re trying to capture is a little too fast to track comfortably via the viewfinder.

The flip-out LCD is extremely handy for covering all sorts of angles; especially during video.
The flip-out LCD is extremely handy for covering all sorts of angles; especially during video.
The 80D features a full touch interface, so you can easily go through menus.
The 80D features a full touch interface, so you can easily go through menus.

In terms of design, the 80D retains the familiar design of the 7D Mark II, but adds a very handy flip-out LCD that offers full touch capabilities. This means that besides touch to focus and touch to shoot, you can use touch to navigate the menus just as you would a mobile phone. This makes it much faster to navigate, especially when using the quick menus that have become commonplace with every brand now.

The camera has a pretty deep hand grip, and seems to be nicely balanced. At just 650g, it’s certainly light enough to bring around easily. And the 960-frame battery life means you should be able to get through a day’s worth of photography with just one fully charged battery, which is always a good thing. Also, the EOS 80D has a pop-up flash which doubles as an AF assist lamp, which is helpful in low light situations.

Having the pop-up flash as an AF-assist light is definitely helpful in poor lighting situations.
Having the pop-up flash as an AF-assist light is definitely helpful in poor lighting situations.
The PZ-EZ1 offers controlled zoom with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens; making it extremely useful for video.
The PZ-EZ1 offers controlled zoom with the EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens; making it extremely useful for video.

One additional thing worth noting is that the kit lens that comes with the 80D is the first to support Canon’s new Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E1. This handy little kit is probably designed specifically for video enthusiasts, as it allows you to get seamless zoom action by way of an electrical motor. There's a choice of two zoom speeds, and it even supports remote control via the Camera Control app, making it quite a handy accessory. It's powered by four AAA batteries, which are easily obtainable.

Nikon D500

Design, Handling & General Overview

The Nikon D500 is the long awaited refresh of the company’s popular D300 semi-pro series. Given that the D300s was released in 2009, it’s no surprise many of us were left wondering if the semi-pro mantle has been left to the likes of last year’s D7200. Well, wonder no further. The D500 gains many of Nikon’s latest technologies, and is notable in how it is one of the first cameras from Nikon to support recording of 4K (UHD) quality video, while also providing a very handy in-camera electronic vibration reduction system.

Located within the movie menu, this improves stability of your videos greatly.
Located within the movie menu, this improves stability of your videos greatly.

That’s not the only area in which it excels though, as the D500 also gains the new Multi-CAM 20K AF system from the D5, with 153 AF points, of which 99 are cross-type. It also gains a very generous buffer of 200 shots (RAW), and 10fps continuous shooting capabilities (with an XQD card). Still, that speaks to the improved processing capabilities of the new EXPEED 5 image-processing engine, which is paired with a 20.9MP DX-format CMOS sensor.

That said, perhaps the most impressive feature of the D500 is its ridiculous ISO range. Whereas last year’s D7200 (and even the full-frame D750 and D810 before it) would only go up to ISO 51,200 as an expanded setting, the D500 boasts a native ISO range of 50-51,200, expandable to a stunning 1,640,000! Given the D500 is using the smaller sized DX-format sensor, that’s certainly an impressive feat.

The addition of an AF-selector lever makes it easier to adjust AF-points while the camera is up to your face.
The addition of an AF-selector lever makes it easier to adjust AF-points while the camera is up to your face.

Like the D750, the D500 is again built with a monocoque design, bringing the weight down to 860g. The camera is also said to offer the same amount of weather sealing as the full-frame D810, but with the inclusion of in-built GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities. This seems to have meant the elimination of a pop-up flash, though you do get a 3.2-inch LCD that does tilt and supports touch.

But unlike the Canon's 80D, touch control seems to be limited to the playback menu and during shooting (touch AF or touch to shoot). That’s perhaps made up for in some ways by the inclusion of a new control pad just below the AF-ON button, which allows you to more easily select your AF point, even when the camera is up to your face.

When it's pitch black and you need to adjust features. Having the buttons light up is a life saver.
When it's pitch black and you need to adjust features. Having the buttons light up is a life saver.
The D500 takes XQD and SD cards.
The D500 takes XQD and SD cards.

For working in low light situations, the D500 now allows you to illuminate the entire row of buttons that flanks the LCD panel. That’s a first for an APS-C camera by Nikon, and certainly something that will come in handy if you’re working in extreme situations. Finally, it’s worth noting that the D500 has gone with both XQD and SD as the memory card options, much like on the new D5. A sign that this camera is built with more professional applications in mind, perhaps?

Sony A6300

Design, Handling & General Overview

The Sony A6300 is Sony’s latest flagship APS-C model, and takes over from 2014's A6000 as the company's flagship midrange interchangeable lens camera. Some you may remember this series as the NEX series, but these cameras have all been consolidated under the "Alpha" naming and branding. As with every Sony upgrade thus far, the A6300's biggest upgrades come in the form of increased focusing speed thanks to more AF detection points.

Sony claims it’s the world’s fastest interchangeable lens digital camera (as of February 2016), able to achieve focus in 0.05s, and how it does so is thanks largely to the new Bionz X sensor, as well as the inclusion of no less than 425 focal plane phase-detection AF points and 169 contrast-detect AF points spread across the entire image area. That’s easily the densest coverage of AF points of any camera we’ve seen - in short, you shouldn’t have any problems getting an AF point over a particular subject.

There's a nice wide handgrip for easy handling.
There's a nice wide handgrip for easy handling.

While the pixel count remains the same as the A6000 (24MP), it’s worth noting that the sensor in the A6300 has been built using the newer fabrication process we first saw in the Cyber-shot RX10 II and RX100 IV, with thinner copper wiring used instead. This allows for larger photo diodes, which lets the A6300 reach ISO sensitivities of up to 51,200 (after expansion). It also allows for faster readout speeds, which helps both in video recording and during continuous shooting. The A6300 can shoot as fast as 11fps for up to 21 frames in RAW, and is capable of doing Full HD slow-motion video at 120 fps. And not only can it shoot in 4K, it can do full pixel readout without pixel binning.

All that said, if you do shoot video a lot, there's something you need to be aware of: Many users have complained that the A6300 has a tendency to overheat after shooting video for some (relatively short) time. When that happens, you've to let it cool down before you can continue shooting, and this can be frustrating.

The A6300 has HDMI out and a microphone port for audio monitoring.
The A6300 has HDMI out and a microphone port for audio monitoring.

While it is a mirrorless camera, the A6300 is solidly built, with a nice wide handgrip. While the body weighs only 361g, it still feels substantial in our hands, though we'd recommend packing more spare batteries as it manages just about 400 frames per battery. That's an improvement over the previous model, but still falls well short of the Canon 80D and Nikon D500.

Hotshoe, EVF and pop-up flash round out the list of features on the a6300.
Hotshoe, EVF and pop-up flash round out the list of features on the a6300.

One small thing we wish Sony had included is a front dial under the shutter button for easier adjustment of shutter or aperture. The movie record button is again placed in that slightly awkward position at the corner of the handgrip, but we do think it's been angled out just a bit more, so it should be easier to activate this time. It's also worth noting that Sony has packed in an HDMI port, 3.5mm audio jack, hotshoe, pop-up flash and an EVF into a body that measures just 120.0 x 66.9 x 48.8 mm. Given it also has 4K recording capabilities while being priced at just under S$1,500, the A6300 seems to be quite the contender purely based on value alone.

Imaging Performance

Just to quickly recap, all three of these cameras sport APS-C sensors with the latest technologies from their respective companies. The D500 has the lowest stated resolution at 20.9MP, while both the EOS 80D and the A6300 sport 24.2MP sensors. In terms of focusing points, the A6300 has the most, with 425 phase-detection and 169 contrast-detection AF points, followed by the D500 with 153 focus points (99 cross-type), and then the EOS 80D that has 45 all cross-type focus points.

It's not just all about the number of focus points though, as the EOS 80D features Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF for faster AF performance during Live View mode, and the D500 using the powerful EXPEED 5 processor to achieve greater speed and accuracy. On that note, the A6300 is no slouch either, boasting an AF speed of just 0.05 of a second, thanks to the use of Sony’s enhanced Fast Hybrid AF system.

All three cameras gave us quick autofocus performance, though - as you'll see - each differed in the way they processed which part of the scene to focus on. The cameras also differ slightly in the way they evaluate exposure, which reflects more on the way their exposure systems are calibrated rather than the sensitivity of the systems itself. Our test shots in the studio also aim to give you a fair reflection of how each camera natively processes color, as well as their high ISO performance.

The sample photographs below were shot with the Canon EOS 80D, Nikon D500, and the Sony A6300 . The photos have not been post-processed and are copyright to SPH Magazines. They are provided for your reference only and we ask that you do not reproduce them elsewhere. Click for the full-resolution images.

Outdoor shots

We did our testing of the cameras outdoors, alternating between focus modes to see how good was the evaluative focus system of each camera. As you can see in the images of the Bird of Paradise flower below, each picked a slightly different point of focus (shown in the crop), and this of course effected how the depth-of-field fell over the scene.

Canon EOS 80D

50mm at f/8, 1/200s, ISO 100 (Canon 80D)
50mm at f/8, 1/200s, ISO 100 (Canon 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)

Nikon D500

50mm at f/8, 1/200s, ISO 100 (Nikon D500)
50mm at f/8, 1/200s, ISO 100 (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)

Sony A6300

100% crop (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)

We’d say the predictive autofocus of the A6300 was probably the most intelligent in terms of where to best place the focus points to get a more pleasing effect (especially depth of field). It managed to place the plane of focus such that both the center areas and the outside petals seemed decently in focus, whereas with the other two cameras either had one or the other in focus.

In terms of colors, the EOS 80D stood out as being the most saturated. The A6300 however, carried the most yellow. That's something that becomes more obvious when we compared the shades of green and the overall color tone of the pictures taken by the Canon 80D and the Nikon D500.

Images in open shade

The next set of images again shows off the slight differences in color balance and exposure tendencies for each of the cameras, as the shots were taken barely seconds apart in Program mode with white balance set to Auto.

Canon EOS 80D

50mm at f/5, 1/80s, ISO 200 (Canon 80D)
50mm at f/5, 1/80s, ISO 200 (Canon 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)

Nikon D500

50mm at f/4.5, 1/80s, ISO 100 (Nikon D500)
50mm at f/4.5, 1/80s, ISO 100 (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)

Sony A6300

50mm at f/5.6, 1/90s, ISO 200 (Sony A6300)
50mm at f/5.6, 1/90s, ISO 200 (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)

As you can see, the EOS 80D probably has the truest colors, whereas the D500 and the A6300 a bit too blue and a bit too yellow respectively. The D500 also seems to be about half a stop underexposed compared to the other two, indicating that the exposure preference is probably to more towards preserving the highlights. When you look at the 100% crops though, the D500 easily has more detail than the other two.

ISO comparisons

Now for some high ISO comparisons under controlled situations. We're starting at ISO 25,600 because that's the highest we can go with the Canon EOS 80D.

Canon EOS 80D

24mm at f/8.0, 1/1000s, ISO 25,600 (Canon EOS 80D)
24mm at f/8.0, 1/1000s, ISO 25,600 (Canon EOS 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)
100% crop (Canon EOS 80D)

Nikon D500

100% crop (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)

Sony A6300

100% crop (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)

If you were to look at the 100% crops, you can see that images from the D500 at ISO 25,600 have remained clean of obvious color noise, and there's a lot less detail loss from the noise reduction applied. For example, in the crop you can see how the left leg of the Thundercracker figure is only just starting to break up, whereas with the crops from the A6300 and the EOS 80D, you can see that the edge of the foot is already breaking up due to noise.

If you compare the wording on the quarter coin though, you'll see that the D500 again holds detail the best, followed by the A6300. With the EOS 80D, the word "Liberty" is barely visible, while you can still make out the letters “R”, ”T”, and “Y” on the coin from the photo taken by the A6300.

ISO 51,200

Moving on to ISO 51,200. With this, the D500 again stands out, with better detail and less smudging from noise reduction. This is especially obvious if you look at the face of Einstein in the 100% crop.

Nikon D500

24mm at f/8.0, 1/2000s, ISO 51,200 (Nikon D500)
24mm at f/8.0, 1/2000s, ISO 51,200 (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)

Sony A6300

24mm at f/8, 1/1500s, ISO 51,200 (Sony A6300)
24mm at f/8, 1/1500s, ISO 51,200 (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)
100% crop (Sony A6300)

Clearly the colors on the D500 are more accurate, and there is much better detail retained in terms of the lines around the eyes.

ISO 1,640,000 from D500!

And just for fun, here's what a picture taken at ISO 1,640,000 from the D500 looks like. It's still a far way off from what you might get from the full-frame Sony A7S II of course, but then again, for an APS-C sized sensor it certainly isn't bad at all. Definitely something you can fall back on if you're caught in a very difficult situation.

24mm at f/8.0, 1/4000s, ISO 1,640,000 (Nikon D500)
24mm at f/8.0, 1/4000s, ISO 1,640,000 (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)
100% crop (Nikon D500)

Conclusion

To be honest, this is a closer fight than we expected, as all three cameras have their strong suits. One thing that really stood out during our testing was just how good the autofocus systems of the various cameras performed.

In good light, all three cameras were able to get focus almost instantly, and in poor light all three did well, though D500 edged ahead in how it was able to achieve focus even without the need for an AF-assist lamp. If like us, you prefer to manually select what your camera is focusing on, then you won’t be disappointed with either the D500 or A6300. Both have focus points practically across the entire viewfinder, so getting precise focus is just a question of shifting the cursor.

The EOS 80D offers the best handling and interface, but image quality fell slightly short of the other two cameras. On the other hand, the a6300 was able to keep up with the D500 for the most part at lower ISOs, but started to fall behind when pushed above ISO 6,400. That's understandable, as the D500’s superlative ISO range goes far beyond what any ILC with an APS-C sized sensor has achieved thus far.

The one issue with the D500 is its price. The D500 retails for S$2,999 (body only), which is more than what the full-frame D750 costs, and represents a serious investment for an enthusiast or a professional looking for a second body. Still, in terms of low light performance and overall build and features, it's clearly ahead of the others, and is thus our pick for this shootout.

Nikon D500
Click for detailed results break-down
Sony A6300
Click for detailed results break-down
Canon EOS 80D
Click for detailed results break-down