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The Nikon D500 comes more than 6.5 years after the D300, Nikon’s last semi-pro APS-C body. It may have been worth the wait as the D500 may now be the go-to camera for sports and nature.

By using the same autofocus sensor as the full-frame D5, Nikon has given the D500 nearly 100% phase-detect autofocus coverage in an APS-C body. Coupled with a huge buffer (so long as you use an XQD memory card), the D500 can shoot continuously up to 200 RAW files at 10 frames per second. And while a disadvantage for wide-angle shooters, those who want long focal lengths — again, think sports, wildlife and events — remember the D500’s APS-C sensor multiplies the field-of-view crop by 1.5x. Those 300mm lenses now have the crop that a 450mm has on a full-frame body.

Add weatherproofing, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, Nikon’s latest SnapBridge technology, a tilting touch screen and 4K video (although not the best for that) and you’ve got a serious contender for the best-in-class among APS-C bodies. You just need to get past the highest-in-class price of US$2,000.

Read Gordon's in-depth review on CameraLabs.com.

Buy the Nikon D500 or other gear we've reviewed from:

* Amazon

* B&H

* Adorama

And for Doug's Cuba workshops: DougKaye.com/Workshops