DIGITAL CAMERA Quick Start Guide Introduction Parts of the Camera Getting Started Basic Shooting and Playback Operations Connecting to a Smart Device (SnapBridge) Other Functions Technical Notes ii 1 2 8 13 19 24 • Read this manual thoroughly before using the camera. • To ensure proper use of the camera, be sure to read “For Your Safety” (page vi). • After reading this manual, keep it in a readily accessible place for future reference.
Introduction Read This First Thank you for purchasing the Nikon COOLPIX B500 digital camera. Downloading the “Reference Manual” The Reference Manual (PDF format) provides details in various languages on how to use this product. Download the Reference Manual from our Download Center at the URL below and save it on your smart device or computer for reference. • The Reference Manual can be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader (downloadable from the Adobe website) or iBooks (an iOS app).
Nikon User Support Should you need technical support, we offer a number of options. Internet For customers in the United States: www.nikonusa.com For customers in Canada: www.nikon.ca (English), fr.nikon.ca (Français) For customers in Mexico: www.nikon.com.mx For customers in Brazil: www.nikon.com.
Information and Precautions Life-Long Learning As part of Nikon’s “Life-Long Learning” commitment to ongoing product support and education, continually updated information is available online at the following websites: • For users in the U.S.A.: http://www.nikonusa.com/ • For users in Europe: http://www.europe-nikon.com/support/ • For users in Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and Africa: http://www.nikon-asia.
About the Manuals • No part of the manuals included with this product may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form, by any means, without Nikon’s prior written permission. • Illustrations and screen content shown in this manual may differ from the actual product. • Nikon reserves the right to change the specifications of the hardware and software described in these manuals at any time and without prior notice.
For Your Safety To prevent damage to property or injury to yourself or to others, read “For Your Safety” in its entirety before using this product. Keep these safety instructions where all those who use this product will read them. DANGER Failure to observe the precautions marked with this icon carries a high risk of death or severe injury. WARNING Failure to observe the precautions marked with this icon could result in death or severe injury.
• Keep this product out of reach of children. Failure to observe this precaution could result in injury or product malfunction. In addition, note that small parts constitute a choking hazard. Should a child swallow any part of this product, seek immediate medical attention. • Do not entangle, wrap or twist the straps around your neck. Failure to observe this precaution could result in accidents. • Do not use batteries, chargers, or AC adapters not specifically designated for use with this product.
DANGER for Batteries • Do not mishandle batteries. Failure to observe the following precautions could result in the batteries leaking, overheating, rupturing, or catching fire: - Do not attempt to recharge non-rechargeable batteries. - Do not expose batteries to flame or excessive heat. - Do not disassemble. - Do not short circuit the terminals by touching them to necklaces, hairpins, or other metal objects. - Do not expose batteries or the products in which they are inserted to powerful physical shocks.
• If battery liquid comes into contact with a person’s skin or clothing, immediately rinse the affected area with plenty of clean water. Failure to observe this precaution could result in skin irritation.
x Introduction
Parts of the Camera The Camera Body 2 3 4 5 10 6 11 12 13 1 14 15 16 7 9 8 18 17 10 Monitor 1 Zoom control f : Wide-angle g : Telephoto h : Thumbnail playback i : Playback zoom 2 Shutter-release button 14 c (playback) button 3 Power switch/power-on lamp 15 Multi selector 4 Mode dial 16 k (apply selection) button 5 Flash 17 l (delete) button 6 m (flash pop-up) button 18 d (menu) button 7 N-Mark (NFC antenna) 8 Side zoom control 9 q (snap-back zoom) button 11 s (display) butt
Getting Started How to Attach the Camera Strap and Lens Cap Attach the lens cap to the camera strap, and then attach the strap to the camera. Attach the strap at two places. B Lens Cap • When the camera is not in use, attach the lens cap to the lens to protect it. • If you turn on the camera without removing the lens cap, the message “Turn the camera off and then on again.” is displayed. Remove the lens cap, and turn the camera off and then on again.
Inserting the Batteries and Memory Card 3 1 4 2 6 5 78 Memory card slot • Hold the camera upside down to prevent the batteries from falling out, confirm that the positive (+) and negative (–) terminals of the batteries are oriented correctly, and insert the batteries. • Slide the memory card in until it clicks into place (5). • Be careful not to insert the batteries or memory card upside-down or backward, as this could cause a malfunction.
B Notes About the Batteries • Do not combine old and new batteries or batteries of different makes or types. • Batteries with the following defects cannot be used: Batteries with peeling B Batteries with insulation that does not cover the area around the negative terminal Batteries with a flat negative terminal Notes About EN-MH2 Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries When using EN-MH2 batteries with the camera, charge four batteries at a time using MH-73 Battery Charger (A29).
Changing the Angle of the Monitor The angle of the monitor can be lowered down to approx. 85° or raised upward to approx. 90°. B Notes About the Monitor • Do not apply excessive force when changing the angle of the monitor. • The monitor cannot be moved to the left or right. • Put the monitor back in the original position when using in normal situations.
Camera Setup Remove the lens cap before turning on the camera. 1 Press the power switch to turn on the camera. • Use the multi selector to select and adjust settings. Power switch Multi selector Up Left k button (apply selection) d button • A language selection dialog will be displayed. Press HI on the multi selector to highlight a language and press the k button to select. • The language can be changed at any time using the setup menu (A22) M Language.
4 Highlight your home time zone and press the k button. New York, Toronto, Lima • Press H to set daylight saving time. When it is on, the time is one hour earlier and W is displayed at the top of the map. Press I to turn daylight saving time off. Back 5 6 Press HI to select a date format and press the k button. Enter the current date and time and press the k button. • Press JK to highlight items and press HI to change. • Press the k button to set the clock.
Basic Shooting and Playback Operations Shooting Images A (auto) mode is used here as an example. A (auto) mode enables you to perform general shooting in a variety of shooting conditions. 1 Rotate the mode dial to A. • Battery level indicator b: The battery level is high. B: The battery level is low. • Number of exposures remaining C is displayed when no memory card is inserted in the camera, and images are saved in the internal memory.
3 Frame the picture. • Move the zoom control or the side zoom control to change the zoom lens position. • If you lose sight of the subject while shooting with the lens in telephoto position, press the q (snap-back zoom) button to temporarily widen the visible area so that you can frame the subject more easily. Zoom out Zoom in Zoom in Zoom out q button 4 Press the shutter-release button halfway.
C The Auto Off Function • When no operations are performed for about one minute, the screen turns off, the camera enters standby mode, and then the power-on lamp flashes. The camera turns off after remaining in standby mode for about three minutes. • To turn the screen back on while the camera is in standby mode, perform an operation such as pressing the power switch or shutter-release button.
Playing Back Images 1 Press the c (playback) button to enter playback mode. • If you press and hold down the c button while the camera is turned off, the camera turns on in playback mode. 2 Use the multi selector to select an image to display. • Press and hold down HIJK to scroll through the images quickly. • Press the s (display) button to switch the information displayed on the screen each time. • To play back a recorded movie, press the k button.
Deleting Images 1 Press the l (delete) button to delete the image currently displayed on the screen. 2 Use the multi selector HI to select the desired deletion method and press the k button. • To exit without deleting, press the d button. Delete Current image Erase selected images All images 3 Select Yes and press the k button. • Deleted images cannot be recovered. Erase 1 image? Yes No B Deleting Images in a Sequence • Images captured continuously, or with the multiple exp.
Connecting to a Smart Device (SnapBridge) Installing the SnapBridge App When you install the SnapBridge app and establish a wireless connection between a SnapBridge-supported camera and smart device, you can upload images captured with the camera to the smart device, or use the smart device to release the camera shutter (A17). • Procedures are described using the SnapBridge app Version 2.0. Use the latest version of the SnapBridge app.
Connecting the Camera and a Smart Device • Use a sufficiently charged battery so that the camera does not turn off during the procedure. • Insert a memory card with sufficient free space into the camera. 1 Camera: Select Network menu (A22) M Connect to smart device, and press the k button. Airplane mode Connect to smart device Send while shooting • The dialog in step 2 is displayed when you turn on the camera for the first time. This step is unnecessary in such cases.
4 Smart device: Launch the SnapBridge app and tap Pair with camera. • When the dialog to select a camera is displayed, tap the camera you want to connect to. • If you did not connect to the camera by tapping Skip at the upper-right of the screen when launching the SnapBridge app for the first time, tap Pair with camera in the A tab and proceed to step 5. 5 Smart device: In the Pair with camera screen, tap the camera name.
8 Camera/smart device: Finish the connection settings. Camera: Press the k button when the dialog on the right is displayed. Smart device: Tap OK when the dialog indicating that pairing is complete is displayed. Your camera and smart device are connected! SnapBridge will send your photos to your smart device as they are taken. Next 9 Camera: Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.
Disabling or Enabling the Wireless Connection Use any of the following methods to disable or enable the connection. • Switch the setting in Network menu M Airplane mode in the camera. You can set it to On to turn off all communication functions in places where wireless communication is prohibited. • Switch the setting in Network menu M Bluetooth M Connection in the camera. • Switch the setting in the A tab M Auto link options M Auto link in the SnapBridge app.
Remote Photography You can tap the A tab in the SnapBridge app M Remote photography to release the camera shutter using a smart device. • Follow the instructions in the SnapBridge app to switch to a Wi-Fi connection. In iOS, a dialog related to Wi-Fi connections may be displayed. In such a case, see “If a Dialog Related to Wi-Fi Connections Is Displayed in iOS” (A18). If a Dialog Related to Wi-Fi Connections Is Displayed in iOS The SnapBridge app normally connects the camera and smart device via Bluetooth.
Other Functions Selecting a Shooting Mode You can rotate the mode dial to align the desired shooting mode with the indicator mark on the camera body. • A (Auto) mode Select this mode to perform general shooting in a variety of shooting conditions. • y, o, j, e, o, d (Scene) modes Select any one of scene modes based on the shooting conditions, and you can take pictures with the appropriate settings for those conditions. - y: Press the d button and select a scene mode.
C Help Display The descriptions of functions are displayed while changing the shooting mode or while the setting screen is displayed. Press the shutter-release button halfway to quickly switch to shooting mode. You can show or hide the descriptions using Help display in Monitor settings in the setup menu.
Setting Shooting Functions with the Multi Selector When the shooting screen is displayed, you can press the multi selector H (m) J (n) I (p) K (o) to set the functions described below. • m Flash mode When the flash is raised, the flash mode can be set according to shooting conditions. • n Self-timer, Self-portrait timer The camera releases the shutter when the set number of seconds elapses after you press the shutter-release button. • p Macro mode Use macro mode when you take close-up pictures.
Menu Operations You can set the menus listed below by pressing the d (menu) button. • • • • • A Shooting menu1, 2 D Movie menu1 G Playback menu3 J Network menu z Setup menu 1 2 3 Press the d button when the shooting screen is displayed. Menu icons and available setting options vary depending on the shooting mode. Press the d button when the playback screen is displayed. Menu icons and available setting options vary depending on the playback mode. 1 Press the d (menu) button. • The menu is displayed.
4 Select a menu option and press the k button. • Certain menu options cannot be set depending on the current shooting mode or the state of the camera. Time zone and date Monitor settings Date stamp Photo VR AF assist Digital zoom 5 Select a setting and press the k button. • The setting you selected is applied. • When you are finished using the menu, press the d button. • When a menu is displayed, you can switch to shooting mode by pressing the shutter-release button or b (e) button.
Technical Notes Notices Notices for Customers in the U.S.A. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Radio Frequency Interference Statement This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
Notice for Customers in the State of California WARNING Handling the cord on this product will expose you to lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling. Nikon Inc., 1300 Walt Whitman Road, Melville, New York 11747-3064, U.S.A.
Notes About Wireless Communication Functions Restrictions on Wireless Devices The wireless transceiver included in this product conforms to wireless regulations in the country of sale and is not for use in other countries (products purchased in the EU or EFTA can be used anywhere within the EU and EFTA). Nikon does not accept liability for use in other countries.
Precautions when Exporting or Carrying This Product Abroad This product is controlled by the United States Export Administration Regulations (EAR). The permission of the United States government is not required for export to countries other than the following, which as of this writing are subject to embargo or special controls: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria (list subject to change). Notice for Customers in the U.S.A.
Caring for the Product Observe the precautions described below in addition to the warnings in “For Your Safety” (Avi–ix) when using or storing the device. The Camera Do Not Apply Strong Impact to the Camera The product may malfunction if subjected to strong shock or vibration. In addition, do not touch or apply force to the lens. Keep Dry The device will be damaged if immersed in water or subjected to high humidity.
Batteries Precautions for Use • Note that the batteries may become hot after use. • Do not use batteries beyond their recommended expiration date. • Do not turn the camera on and off repeatedly if discharged batteries are inserted in the camera. Carrying Spare Batteries We recommend carrying spare batteries depending on where you are shooting. It may be difficult to purchase batteries in certain areas.
Recycling Used Batteries Replace the batteries when they no longer hold a charge. Used batteries are a valuable resource. Please recycle used batteries in accordance with local regulations.
Cleaning and Storage Cleaning Do not use alcohol, thinner, or other volatile chemicals. Lens Avoid touching glass parts with your fingers. Remove dust or lint with a blower (typically a small device with a rubber bulb attached to one end that is pumped to produce a stream of air out the other end). To remove fingerprints or other stains that cannot be removed with a blower, wipe the lens with a soft cloth, using a spiral motion that starts at the center of the lens and working toward the edges.
Troubleshooting If the camera fails to function as expected, check the list of common problems below before consulting your retailer or Nikon-authorized service representative. Also, refer to the Reference Manual (PDF format) for further details on how to use this camera (Aii). A Problem Cause/Solution The camera is on but does not respond. • Wait for recording to end. • If the problem persists, turn the camera off.
Memory Cards That Can Be Used The camera supports SD, SDHC, and SDXC memory cards. • Memory cards with an SD Speed Class rating of 6 or faster are recommended for recording movies. When using a memory card with a lower Speed Class rating, movie recording may stop unexpectedly. • If you use a card reader, make sure that it is compatible with your memory card. • Contact the manufacturer for information on features, operation, and limitations on use.
“Made for iPod,” “Made for iPhone,” and “Made for iPad” mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod, iPhone, or iPad, respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod, iPhone, or iPad may affect wireless performance.
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36 Technical Notes
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