CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
  • LENSES
  • TOOLS
    • Smart Find
    • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Size Comparison
  • BRANDS
    • Sony Cameras
    • Canon Cameras
    • Nikon Cameras
    • Pentax Cameras
    • Fujifilm Cameras
    • Olympus Cameras
    • Panasonic Cameras
    • Leica Cameras
    • Samsung Cameras
  • BODY TYPE
    • Mirrorless Cameras
    • DSLR Cameras
    • Compact Cameras
    • Bridge Cameras
    • Waterproof Cameras

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Nikon P500

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon P500
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Sigma DP1 Merrill

15 MP | APS-C (24 x 16 mm) CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor

Sigma DP1 Merrill
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P500, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Sigma DP1 Merrill, which was introduced in February 2012 is a Large Sensor Compact camera with a 15.0MP APS-C sensor. There is 12 months difference between P500 and DP1 Merrill so we don't expect to see a huge technology difference between these two cameras but it would still give an advantage to younger DP1 Merrill, especially in sensor tech.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2011-02-09
  • 12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 Zoom Lens
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • Electronic viewfinder
  • 1 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 240fps High-Speed Video
  • 494g. 116 x 84 x 103 mm

Sigma DP1 Merrill Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-02-08
  • 15MP - APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Mount
  • Fixed Type Screen
  • continuous shooting
  • - 640 x 480 video resolution
  • 330g. 122 x 67 x 64 mm

Nikon P500 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P510. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill

Sigma DP1 Merrill was replaced by Sigma DP2 Merrill. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sigma DP2 Merrill vs Sigma DP1 Merrill
Sigma DP2 Merrill vs Nikon Coolpix P500

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Sigma DP1 Merrill
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 3 inches larger display
Max Mech. Shutter
1/1500s vs 1/s faster mechanical shutter
Focal Length - Tele
810mm vs mm 810 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom
36× vs more flexible focal coverage
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs 640 x 480 Higher Resolution Video


Reasons to choose Sigma DP1 Merrill over Nikon Coolpix P500
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
15 MP vs 12 MP 25% more pixels
Max ISO
6.400 vs 3.200 100% higher Max ISO
Weight
330 g vs 494 g 164 g lighter
Focal Length - Wide
mm vs 23mm 23 mm wider coverage
Max Aperture - Wide
2.80 vs 3.40 faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele
2.80 vs 5.70 faster lens at tele

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 920k dots High resolution screens
Manual Focusing
Yes vs Yes both have manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure
Yes vs Yes better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide
23mm vs mm Very good wide angle coverage
Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill
LCD Screen Size
3" vs Small display
Continuous Shooting
1.0fps vs fps Slow shooting speeds
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing
No vs No Not good for multi-exposure HDR
Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P500 has external dimensions of 116 x 84 x 10 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06″) and weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) (including batteries). Sigma DP1 Merrill has external dimensions of 122 x 67 x 64 mm (4.8 x 2.64 x 2.52″) and weighs 330 g (0.73 lb / 11.64 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill. Sigma DP1 Merrill is 17mm shorter and 39mm thinner than Nikon P500 but it is also 6mm wider.

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill.

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill.
Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sigma DP1 Merrill is significantly lighter (164g ) than the Nikon P500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P500 nor Sigma DP1 Merrill provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P500's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sigma DP1 Merrill's screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Nikon P500 LCD screen also has a Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Sigma DP1 Merrill has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to P500.
Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill: Sensor Comparison

Nikon P500 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed C2 processor. On the other hand, Sigma DP1 Merrill has a 15.0MP APS-C (24 x 16 mm ) sized CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor and features Dual TRUE II engine processor.

Below you can see the P500 and DP1 Merrill sensor size comparison.

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill Cameras


As seen above, Sigma DP1 Merrill has a 13.7x Larger sensor area than Nikon P500. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon P500 features a 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 36× zoom lens whereas Sigma DP1 Merrill features a F2.8 zoom lens.

Sigma DP1 Merrill has 23mm wider coverage than the Nikon P500. At f2.80, it is also faster at widest end. On the tele end, Nikon P500 has 810mm longer reach than the Sigma DP1 Merrill. However, with a max aperture of f2.80, Sigma DP1 Merrill is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Widest - Samsung WB2200F
Average
Telezoom

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Longest - Nikon P1000
Average
Max Aperture at Tele

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Fastest - Olympus 1
Average
Max Aperture at Wide

Large Sensor Compact Cameras

P500
DP1 Merrill
Fastest - Sony RX10 III
Average
What types of Photography are Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon P500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sigma DP1 Merrill for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sigma DP1 Merrill for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Sigma DP1 Merrill for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/s
Focus Points
mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sigma DP1 Merrill for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Compact Body
330g
Body Thickness 64mm
X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sigma DP1 Merrill for Landscape Photography

POOR
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (24 x 16 mm) sensor
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P500 vs Sigma DP1 Merrill: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon P500 and Sigma DP1 Merrill scores compare:

Nikon P500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #50 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #556 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Sigma DP1 Merrill
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #57 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked #758 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Nikon P500 has a higher Overall Score than the Sigma DP1 Merrill and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon P500
Nikon P500
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sigma DP1 Merrill
Sigma DP1 Merrill
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sigma DP1 Merrill vs Nikon P500 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon Coolpix P500 Sigma DP1 Merrill
Brand Nikon Sigma
Announced 2011-02-09 2012-02-08
Body Type SLR-like (bridge) Large sensor compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Size 1/2.3-inch APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 24 x 16 mm
Area 28.07mm2 384.00mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 15 megapixels
Max Resolution 4000 x 3000 4704x3136
Max Native Light sensitivity 3,200 ISO 6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 160 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 9 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens Focal Range 23-810 mm (36×) no lens
Max Aperture F3.4-5.7 F2.8
Macro Focus Range 1cm n/a
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3"
Resolution 921k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/1500s n/a
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Sensor-shift No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 8.00 m no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 1.0 fps n/a
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 640 x 480
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 494g 330g
Dimensions 116 x 84 x 103mm 122 x 67 x 64mm
Battery Life 220 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Nikon Z7
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Sony A6000
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7 III
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Fujifilm X-T3
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R
30 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A6400
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Sony E Mount
Nikon D5600
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Nikon D850
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon F Mount
Top Rated Bridge Cameras
Top Bridge Cameras Under $200
Top Bridge Cameras Under $500
Top Bridge Cameras Under $750
Top Bridge Cameras Under $1000
Top Rated Compact Cameras
Top Compact Cameras Under $200
Top Compact Cameras Under $500
Top Compact Cameras Under $750
Top Compact Cameras Under $1000
Latest Cameras
Fujifilm GFX 100S
102 MP | Medium format Sensor | Fujifilm G Mount
Fujifilm X-E4
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Sony a1
50 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Leica SL2-S
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Leica Q2 Monochrom
47 MP | Full frame Sensor | 28 mm
Fujifilm X-S10
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Nikon Z7 II
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Nikon Z6 II
25 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Copyright © 2021 by CameraDecision
About Feedback Privacy Cameras

Report a Correction