Nikon D5500 Review

 

Viewfinder

But the Nikon D5500 is actually a classic DSLR that works best when the viewfinder is taken to the eye. Since the Nikon has a proximity sensor, the screen is automatically switched off. Clever that the touch function of the screen remains as a function key, even the autofocus point can be selected with a fingertip when the camera is hanging on the eye.

The view through the seeker, however, is somewhat sobering. With a magnification of 0.82x, it is extremely small even for APS-C cameras, and only 0.55x is achieved for 35mm cameras.

Typical for a cheap mirror construction instead of a pentaprism is the image field coverage of 95 percent, so the camera records slightly more than can be seen in the viewfinder. Status displays on the underside inform about important recording parameters, the autofocus points are displayed directly on the focusing screen.

Equipment And Features

As a hobby DSLR, the Nikon D5500 is designed for beginners as well as ambitious amateur photographers. It offers beginners not only a fully automatic, but also 16 scene mode programs. In the latter case, the camera even allows certain adjustments to the shooting settings, such as flash mode, exposure compensation, focus control, or ISO sensitivity.

The scene mode program itself can be changed directly with the thumbwheel at any time. In the automatic mode as well as in the scene mode programs, the flash also jumps up automatically as soon as the camera thinks it is necessary to illuminate the scene. A flash off automatic has therefore also made it onto the program selector wheel. The ten effect filters can also be found here.

From Highkey over Low-Key and selective color up to the miniature effect there is something for everyone. Only those who like to take pictures in black and white, sepia, or other analog film effects will not get their money’s worth here.

It also offers 16 scene modes, which even allow certain interventions on the part of the photographer, such as exposure correction. There are also ten effect filters. In the creative programs P, A, S and M, the experimenter has access to the full range of functions and all setting parameters.

For example, ISO sensitivity can be adjusted to suit individual needs (maximum sensitivity, longest shutter speed). By the way, the ISO automatic is also available for manual exposure. Nikon even thought about the exposure correction, which can be adjusted in the range of -5 to +5 EV.

The built-in pop-up flash of the Nikon D5500 pops up automatically when needed. Otherwise, just press the small button to the left of the flash. In addition to the fill-flash function or the flash at the end of the exposure, a flash exposure compensation from -3 to +1 EV can also be set.

The shortest synchronization time available is 1/200 second. Thanks to the TTL flash shoe, Nikon system flash units can be used. However, wireless control of external flash units is only possible if a system flash unit in the flash shoe takes over control – the integrated flash cannot do this.

In addition to bracketing, the Nikon D5500 can also take HDR photos. The interval shooting function with up to 9,999 photos is also interesting. The continuous shooting mode promises five frames per second. This is sufficient for most everyday situations.

For video recordings, of course, completely different frame rates are required in order to capture movements smoothly. Fortunately, the Nikon D5500 offers up to 60 frames per second at full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080). H.264 compression (MPEG-4) is stored in Quicktime format (MOV). To record videos, simply press the video recording button in the Live View. The optical image stabilizer does its job silently. This is not the case with autofocus tracking. This works sluggishly, constantly pumping, and clearly audible on the soundtrack.

Nikon dedicates its own menu to image editing. Here, for example, raw images can be converted into a JPEG. The D-Lighting function, an active shadow brightening function that can also be activated for recording, is also included.

An automatic image enhancement functionality is also available. In addition, there is a distortion and perspective correction, numerous effects, an image montage function, and much more. Even videos can be edited, at least start and endpoints can be newly selected and a still image can also be extracted. Via WLAN, Nikon wirelessly sends pictures to Android or iOS smartphones on which the free Nikon app is installed. This also allows remote control of the camera, albeit only with rudimentary functions.

Creation Mode

But a monochrome mode is hidden in the Picture Styles, which can be accessed via the main menu as well as the quick menu. Here you can choose between different default settings such as Standard, Portrait, Neutral, or Landscape.

The sets can be adjusted in fine steps for seven different parameters such as sharpness, contrast, or brightness. A new feature is the detail contrast, which can highlight particularly fine details better. The Picture Styles are only available in the creative programs P, A, S, and M, whereas in the scene mode programs the appropriate Picture Style is automatically selected depending on the scene mode program. In the creative programs, the experimental photographer has access to the full range of functions and all setting parameters.

For example, the ISO sensitivity can be adapted to your own needs. Not only the maximum sensitivity can be set, but also at which longest shutter speed the Nikon D5500 increases ISO sensitivity. This allows you to effectively ensure that the exposure time is not too long. The increase can also be left to an automatic, this works after the usual rule of thumb of the exposure time as reciprocal of the small picture equivalent focal length. But even here, there are still possibilities for influence: In five steps, you can adjust the automatic behavior from longer to normal to shorter.

By the way, the ISO automatic is also available for manual exposure. This allows the shutter speed and aperture to be set while the exposure continues to be automatically adjusted via the sensitivity. Nikon even thought about the exposure correction, which can be adjusted in the range of -5 to +5 EV.

 

Flash Of The Nikon D5500

As already mentioned, the built-in pop-up flash of the Nikon D5500 pops up automatically when needed. Otherwise, just press the little button to the left of the flash and it jumps up. The same button can then be used to select the flash mode, such as fill-flash or flash at the end of exposure (sync to the second shutter curtain).

Flash exposure correction from -3 to +1 EV is also available. At maximum power, the flash achieves a guide number of 11.2, as the measurement showed. The shortest synchronization time available is 1/200 second.

If you dive deep into the menu, you will find an option to switch the flash from the pre-flash TTL control to manual, here you can choose between six power levels from full to 1/32.

Thanks to the TTL flash shoe, Nikon system flash units can be used. With these, high-speed synchronization is also possible, but the flash is fired several times during exposure at an exposure time shorter than 1/200 second, which of course reduces the power and range. Wireless control of external flash units is only possible if a system flash unit in the flash shoe takes over the control, the integrated flash cannot.

 

Bracketing And Continuous-Advance Mode

Exposure bracketing allows the Nikon to take pictures from 0.3 to 2 EV between the three exposures. Hidden deep in the menu, you can also activate white balance bracketing or Active-D-Lighting bracketing.

The Nikon D5500 can also take HDR photos directly. The interval shooting function is also interesting: up to 9,999 photos can be taken with an exposure interval of one second up to 24 hours, i.e. you could have one picture taken every day for over 27 years. You can also choose whether the camera automatically adjusts the exposure.

The continuous-advance function is located at the other end of the drive-mode delay time. Nikon promises five frames per second. That’s not really much nowadays, but it’s still enough for most everyday situations.

However, the Nikon D5500 actually only achieves 4.8 frames per second with JPEG, in Raw it’s even only four frames per second. With seven pictures, the raw puffer is also quite small. With JPEG, on the other hand, 21 shots fit into the buffer before the continuous shooting frequency breaks down a bit.

Thanks to the fast storage times, the Nikon still manages three JPEG images per second or 2.1 raw images per second in continuous operation.

Video Of The Nikon D5500

For video recordings, of course, completely different frame rates are required in order to capture movements smoothly. Fortunately, the Nikon D5500 offers up to 60 frames per second at full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080).

The minimum frame rate is 24 frames per second. In the menu, a separate entry is dedicated to the video settings, in which not only the resolution and frame rate can be determined, but also, for example, the video quality. H.264 compression (MPEG-4) is stored in Quicktime format (MOV). In the Video Settings menu, you can also select whether to set the exposure manually or automatically.

By the way, the video mode does not have to be selected explicitly. It is sufficient to press the video recording button in the Live View. The image trim from 3:2 to 16:9 is unfortunately not shown before, but at least it is only shown above and below. The Nikon D5500 does not have an electronic video image stabilizer that would further narrow the image section.

Instead, the optical image stabilizer does its job silently. This, however, cannot be said for autofocus tracking. This works sluggishly, constantly pumping and clearly audible on the soundtrack. In other words, switching off is the best option. This also ensures clean stereo sound for the video, and the levels are displayed and can be controlled. The stereo microphone connection also allows the use of external microphones. A wind noise filter can also be switched on.

Image Processing

Nikon is one of the manufacturers who equip their cameras with extensive image processing capabilities. One of the six main menu groups is dedicated to this item alone. Here, for example, raw images can be converted into a JPEG, and even a few basic settings such as exposure correction or white balance are possible.

The D-Lighting function, an active shadow brightening function that can also be activated for recording, should of course not be missing from the editing functions. In addition, automatic image enhancement is available in various strengths.

In addition, there is a distortion and perspective correction, numerous effects, an image montage function, and much more. Even videos can be edited, at least start and endpoints can be newly selected and a still image can also be extracted.

WLAN

The Nikon D5500 has a built-in WLAN module. This makes it possible to transfer images wirelessly to Android or iOS smartphones (Apple). The free Nikon app is necessary for this. This also allows remote control of the camera.

Although one can hardly speak of a real remote control with the few functions. Live image transmission, a self-timer mode can be set and triggered with it, unfortunately not much more. Other manufacturers offer significantly more setting options. If you want, you can also use a real Nikon radio remote shutter release to release the camera.

Lens

As one of the largest system camera manufacturers, Nikon also offers a very wide range of F bayonet lenses. However, most of them are full-frame lenses. Although they work the same way on the Nikon D5500, their focal length ranges shift by a crop factor of 1.5. Some lenses specially designed for APS-C mainly close the focal length gaps downwards.

Note that the Nikon D5500 does not support the old mechanically transmitted autofocus and relies on an AF motor in the lens. However, this is actually available with all current lenses. The AF-S Nikkor 18-105 mm used in the test is highly recommended as a universal set lens.

Not only does it offer a better image quality than the cheaper 18-55 mm, but it also offers an extended focal length range in the telephoto range (up to 158 millimeters corresponding to 35mm), which makes an additional telezoom superfluous in many situations. In addition, the lens has an optical image stabilizer to reduce camera shake. This stabilizes the viewfinder image itself and thus also ensures a smoother image for the autofocus, which benefits the reliability of the focusing.

Autofocus

The autofocus of the Nikon D5500 works like its predecessor with 39 measuring fields, of which only the central eleven are designed as high-quality cross sensors. The others are simpler line sensors.

While cross sensors can focus equally on horizontal and vertical contrast edges, line sensors react only to horizontal or vertical contrast edges, depending on their arrangement. The middle sensors are therefore more reliable. At the 18-105mm wide-angle, the autofocus focuses from infinity to a subject two meters away in 0.37 seconds.

A further 0.09 seconds elapse before the actual release. This delay also occurs with pre-focusing. In telescopic position, the autofocus is 0.13 seconds slower. Overall, these are not record values, especially current mirrorless system cameras are twice to three times as fast. In dark environments, the white LED auxiliary light helps the autofocus to find the target.

The Nikon D5500 can play out its advantage when the subjects move, because this can detect and track phase autofocus much better. It not only distinguishes between “sharp” and “blurred”, but also measures how far and in which direction you have to focus for “sharp”. With autofocus tracking, the photographer can decide whether all 39, only 21, or even only nine focus fields should participate in the focus tracking.

This is useful, for example, if a moving subject is in a certain image area. In addition, there is a 3D tracking function which can track motifs even better with the aid of the exposure meter.

The photographer is only marginally supported in manual focusing. For example, the exposure scale in the viewfinder optionally indicates the direction of focus. In Live View, a focus loupe can be activated, but the Nikon D5500 does not offer further aids such as focus peaking.

By the way, the Nikon D5500 doesn’t have a depth-of-field preview, also called dimming function. Actually, such a function is part of the specification of a sophisticated interchangeable lens camera in order to be able to assess the focus before taking a picture.

Picture Quality Of The Nikon D5500

The lens shows good sharpness from the center to the edge of the image for 20 x 30 centimeters prints with all focal lengths and apertures. The edge darkening is slightly higher at short and long focal lengths than at medium focal lengths, but is not dramatic at a maximum of one f-stop, which corresponds to a light loss of 50 percent. The ascent to the corners is also quite gentle, so that the edge darkening is hardly noticeable. The vignetting decreases significantly by one to two stops.

The lens shows a slightly higher edge darkening at short and long focal lengths than at medium focal lengths, but doesn’t turn out dramatically with a maximum of one f-stop. The vignetting decreases significantly by one to two stops. The 18-105 mm has a little more to fight with the distortion. At wide-angle, it has a clearly visible 3.5 percent ton shape; at medium focal length, the distortion changes to a cushion shape that is disturbingly visible at two percent. Color fringes in the form of chromatic aberration, on the other hand, are well under Nikon’s control.

Resolution measurement at 50 percent edge contrast (MTF50) shows its maximum resolution at all three focal lengths at F8 to F11, which is just under 60 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm). With an open aperture, however, the resolution is about 40 to 45 lp/mm, depending on the focal length, which is still a decent value.

Beyond F11 diffraction limits the resolution. At the edge of the image, the resolution is constantly about 20 percent below the resolution in the center, depending on the aperture and focal length sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. Although this is visible at a critical glance, for a zoom lens the loss of resolution is within the average range.

The Nikon D5500 doesn’t reach maximum signal-to-noise ratio values but remains within the acceptable range of 35 to 40 dB up to ISO 1,600. Only at ISO 3.200 is the critical level of 35 dB undercut. Brightness noise is only slightly visible from ISO 3.200, the Nikon has the color noise even better under control.

The Nikon still receives details very well up to ISO 1,600, even at ISO 3,200 there are still enough details visible. Only then do the images appear softer, and the loss of detail becomes dramatic, especially above ISO 6,400.

The input dynamic of the Nikon D5500 is nicely high up to ISO 400 with about 10.5 f-stops. Even at ISO 1.600, ten high f-stops are achieved. Only at ISO 6.400, the input dynamics become significantly worse.

The tonal value curve is moderately divided, while sharpness artifacts are very small. Nikon prepares the JPEGs in a relatively reserved way. The output tonal range is high up to ISO 800, at ISO 1.600 only slightly more than 128 of the 256 possible brightness gradations are actually used.

Especially at even higher sensitivities, fine brightness gradations suffer and are displayed coarser. The situation is different from the actual color depth. Up to ISO 6,400 more than two million (of 16.7 million possible) color gradations are displayed, up to ISO 1,600, there are even around four million colors.

Although the manual white balance was extremely precise in the test done with the testing software, the color chart is reproduced with some deviations, especially in cyan, blue and violet tones. In the yellow, green, orange, red, and skin tones, however, the Nikon D5500 works very precisely.

The 18-105 mm has a little more to fight with the distortion. Although the Nikon D5500 offers an optional distortion correction, this is deactivated by default. Such a correction usually costs some sharpness, especially at the edges of the image. In wide-angle, the Nikkor has a shape of almost 3.5 percent tons, which is clearly visible.

Already with middle focal-length, the distortion changes its face and becomes strongly cushion-shaped. In pictures, this appears even more unnatural than a barrel-shaped distortion, so that the cushion-shaped distortion of about two percent, which is lower after the amount, is still perceived as highly visible.

Color fringes in the form of chromatic aberration, on the other hand, are well under Nikon’s control. On average, the color fringes are practically invisible and even the more extreme forms near the edge of the image are only weakly visible. They extend over a maximum of about 1.5 pixels. The resolution measurement at 50 percent edge contrast (MTF50) shows a very high resolution of the 24-megapixel sensor on the one hand, but also that the 18-105 mm must be clearly dimmed for use. All three focal lengths reach about F8 to F11.

Their maximum resolution is just under 60 line pairs per millimeter (lp/mm). With an open aperture, however, the resolution is about 40 to 45 lp/mm, depending on the focal length, which is still a decent value.

Beyond F11 diffraction limits the resolution, further than F16 one should only dim down in an emergency if, for example, the depth of field is more important than the resolution. At the edge of the image, the resolution is constantly about 20 percent below the resolution in the center, depending on the aperture and focal length sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less. Although this is visible at a critical glance, for a zoom lens the loss of resolution is within the average range.

 

Noise

Although the Nikon D5500 doesn’t reach maximum values for the signal-to-noise ratio, the music plays in the acceptable range of 35 to 40 dB but remains at this level over a wide sensitivity range. Only at ISO 3.200 is the critical level of 35 dB undercut. Only at the very highest sensitivity of ISO 25.600 does the signal-to-noise ratio drop into the very low range of well below 30 dB.

Brightness noise only becomes slightly visible at ISO 3.200 and rises sharply above ISO 12.800. The Nikon also has the color noise well under control, at most at ISO 25.600, it becomes easily visible. Such an effective noise reduction also leads to a loss of detail resolution. In fact, however, the Nikon D5500 manages to preserve details up to ISO 1,600 very well, even at ISO 3,200 there are still enough details available.

Only then do the images appear softer, details and fine textures are a little crushed or even disappear. The loss of detail is particularly dramatic above ISO 6,400.

The input dynamic of the Nikon D5500 is nicely high up to ISO 400 with about 10.5 f-stops. Even at ISO 1.600, ten high f-stops are achieved. Only at ISO 6.400 does the input dynamic deteriorate significantly and reaches its low point at ISO 25.600 with just over seven f-stops. The tonal value curve is moderately divided, while sharpness artifacts are very small. Nikon prepares the JPEGs in a relatively reserved way, which is good for image post-processing, although the raw format is even better suited for this.

If the images are to be printed directly, however, they can easily tolerate a shake more sharpness, which can happen with the help of the Picture Control System directly in the camera before the shooting. If one then saves in both file formats in parallel, a JPEG for the fast post-processing-free publication or printing as well as a post-processing-friendly image will end up on the memory card.

But back to the picture quality in the standard JPEG settings of the Nikon D5500: The output tonal range is high up to ISO 800, at ISO 1.600 only a little more than 128 of the 256 possible brightness gradations are actually used. Especially at even higher sensitivities, fine brightness gradations suffer and are displayed coarser.

The situation is different from the actual color depth. Up to ISO 6,400 more than two million (of 16.7 million possible), color gradations are displayed, which is perfectly sufficient for the human eye. Up to ISO 1,600, it is even just over to just under four million colors. Although the manual white balance was extremely precise with the testing software, the color chart is reproduced with some deviations. Cyan tends towards blue, blue and violet tones are too strongly saturated and magenta tends towards red. In the yellow, green, orange, red and skin tones, however, the Nikon D5500 works very precisely.

All in all, the Nikon D5500 to ISO 1.600 shows a very good picture quality, but also at ISO 3.200 it is still good. Above this, the image quality drops quite steeply, which is confirmed not only by the values retrieved from the test software but also by our practical experience during a couple of days. The Nikon D5500 meets the highest demands, especially in the range from ISO 100 to 400.

Alternatives To The Nikon D5500 – Comparison

Canon Rebel T5i (EOS 700D) vs Nikon D5500

The Canon EOS 700D is the direct competitor of the Nikon D5500 and accordingly very similarly equipped. Its viewfinder is also small, but slightly larger than that of the Nikon D5500.

The Canon also has a swiveling rotary screen with touch function, but with similarly unacceptably slow autofocus in Live View. With 18 megapixels, the Canon has a slightly lower resolution, which in reality has less of an effect than expected. At high sensitivities from ISO 1,600, however, the Canon does not come close to the quality of the Nikon, although it has less resolution and larger pixels.

Canon offers a better app for remote control with more settings than the Nikon. All in all, the cameras don’t take much, so it’s worth taking a look at the lens program to see if it meets your own requirements.

 

Pentax K-S2 vs Nikon D5500

The Pentax K-S2 scores with some features that the competition at eye level does not have to offer. With its splash water and dust protection, it has the toughest body and also has a much better viewfinder than the Nikon and Canon.

Both the viewfinder magnification and the brightness and field coverage are better. The Pentax also has a turn/swivel display, albeit without touch function. In Live View, the autofocus of the Pentax depends on the Nikon and Canon by far but is still much slower than when using the viewfinder. The image sensor has a slightly lower resolution of 20 megapixels, but the difference to 24 megapixels is not that big.

Pentax offers the best lens program for APS-C but doesn’t offer as many special lenses as Canon or Nikon, which aren’t used in this camera class anyway.

 

Sony Alpha 6000 vs Nikon D5500

The Sony Alpha 6000 isn’t an SLR camera, but the Nikon can stand up to it in many respects or even take the butter off its bread. The Sony scores with its compactness, but is not as ergonomic as the Nikon. The image quality doesn’t take much, especially since an almost identical sensor is used.

Sony gets a bit more sharpness and high-ISO image quality from the sensor, but with a more aggressive image processing than the rather reserved Nikon. The Sony display can only be folded up and down.

But the Alpha offers the faster, more flexible autofocus than the Nikon and beats it both in the fastest mode and even more if you activate the Live-View on the Nikon. The Nikon also looks old when it comes to the speed of the continuous shooting, the Sony is more than twice as fast and has double to triple breath when it comes to the number of shots in quick succession.

The Sony’s viewfinder is purely electronic, but is much larger than the Nikon’s and allows a preview of the exposure as well as better manual focusing thanks to the focus magnifier. In the lens program, however, the Sony E system clearly has to admit defeat to the Nikon F system.

 

 

Bottom line: Is The Nikon D5500 Worth It?

Compared to its predecessor, the D5300, the changes seem to be only marginal, yet the Nikon D5500 is a good step forward for Nikon’s hobby DSLR class. The monocoque housing is much more ergonomic and also outperforms the direct competition in terms of the grip safety.

There is almost nothing missing, so there are an interval function, exposure bracketing and even an HDR function.

WLAN is also on board, but the app’s control options are now shameful in view of the much better competition.

The large rotating and swiveling touch screen is a lot of fun, especially since the proximity sensor on the viewfinder automatically switches off the screen, but the touch function is an additional function key.

The slow Live View autofocus, which offers focus speeds of the last millennium, is no fun. The speed of the serial shot is also not the best in the industry, but it is sufficient for most applications.

Nikon doesn’t bother with the picture quality. If the D5300 was still no step forward despite the missing low-pass filter, it is now the Nikon D5500. Despite the reserved image processing the Nikon delivers a high resolution and a very good image quality up to high ISO 1.600.

Specifications Of The Nikon D5500

Fact sheet

Manufacturer	Nikon
Model	Nikon D5500
Sensor	CMOS APS-C 23.6 x 15.8 mm (crop factor 1.5) 24.2 megapixels (effective)
Pixel pitch	3.9 µm
Resolution (max.)	4.496 x 3.000 (3:2)
Video (max.)	1.920 x 1.080 60p
Lens	Nikon AF-S 18-105 mm 3.5-5.6 DX G ED VR (zoom lens)
Reflex viewfinder	Mirror viewfinder, 95 percent image field coverage, 0.82x magnification (sensor-related), 0.55x magnification (KB equivalent), diopter correction, fixed focusing screen
Monitor	3.2″ (8.1 cm)
Disbandment	1.037.000 pixels
tiltable	–
rotatable	yes
swivelling	yes
Touchscreen	yes
AV connector	HDMI Mini Output (Type C)
Fully automatic	yes
Automatic motif control	–
Scene modes
Program automation	yes
Program shift	yes
Aperture priority	yes
Aperture priority	yes
Manual	yes
Bulb long time exposure	yes
HDR function	yes
Panorama function	yes
Exposure metering	Matrix/multi-field measurement, center-weighted integral measurement, spot measurement
fastest shutter speed	1/4.000 s
Flash	built-in flash
Synchronous time	1/200 s
Flash connection	Hot shoe: Nikon, standard center contact
WLAN	yes
NFC	–
GPS	external, wired or plug-on receiver
Remote release	yes, cable release, remote control via Smartphone/Tablet
Interval shooting	yes
Storage medium	SD (SDHC, SDXC)
Sensitivity
automatic	ISO 100-25.600
manually	ISO 100-25.600
White balance
automatic	yes
manual measurement	yes
Kelvin input	–
Fine correction	yes
Autofocus	yes
Number of measuring fields	9 Cross sensors 30 Line sensors
Speed	Phase Auto Focus: 0.46 s to 0.60 sLive View Auto Focus: 1.86 s to 3.02s
AF auxiliary light	LED
Dimensions (mm)	124 x 97 x 70 mm
Weight (ready for operation)	464 g (housing only) 883 g (with lens)
Tripod socket	In the optical axis
Zoom
Zoom adjustment	manual on lens
Battery life	820 images (according to CIPA standard)
– = “not applicable” or “not available”

Short evaluation

Pros

• Ergonomic, deep grip
• Pivoting and rotating touch screen
• Very high image quality up to ISO 1,600
• The large scope of equipment and features available

Cons

• No dimming button/function
• Right little finder
• 18-105mm set lens with high distortion
• Hardly any control options via WLAN

Nikon D5500 Datasheet

Electronics
Sensor	CMOS sensor APS-C 23.6 x 15.8 mm (crop factor 1.5) 24.2 megapixels (effective)
Pixel pitch	3.9 µm
Photo resolution	4.496 x 3.000 pixels (3:2) 4.240 x 2.832 pixels (3:2) 2.992 x 2.000 pixels (3:2)
Picture formats	JPG, RAW
Color depth	36 bits (12 bits per color channel), 42 bits (14 bits per color channel)
Metadata	Exif (version 2.3), DCF standard
Video resolution	1.920 x 1.080 (16:9) 60 p 1.280 x 720 (16:9) 60 p 640 x 424 (3:2) 60 p
Lens
Lens mount	Nikon F
Focusing
Autofocus mode	Phase comparison autofocus with 9 cross sensors, contrast autofocus
Autofocus Functions	Single autofocus, Continuous autofocus, Tracking autofocus, Manual, AFL function, AF Assist Light (LED)
Viewfinder and Monitor
Reflex viewfinder	Reflex viewfinder (95 % image coverage), 0.82x magnification, diopter compensation.
Monitor	3.2″ (8.1 cm) TFT LCD monitor with 1,037,000 pixels, viewing angle 170°, anti-reflective, brightness adjustable, tiltable 180°, rotatable 180°, with touch screen
Exposure
Exposure metering	Center-weighted integral measurement, matrix/multi-field measurement, spot measurement, AF-AE coupling
Exposure times	1/4,000 to 30 s (automatic) 1/4,000 to 30 s (manual) Bulb function
Exposure control	Fully Automatic, Program Automatic (with Program Shift), Aperture Priority, Aperture Priority, Manual
Bracketing function	HDR function
Exposure compensation	-5.0 to +5.0 EV
Sensitivity to light	ISO 100 to ISO 25.600 (automatic) ISO 100 to ISO 25.600 (manual)
Remote access	Remote release, cable release, remote control via smartphone/tablet
Scene modes	Flowers, Twilight, Indoor, Candlelight, Children, Landscape, Night Portrait, Close-up, Portrait, Sunset, Sports/Action, Beach/Snow, Animals, 2 more scene modes
Picture effects	High Key, Low Key, Miniature Effect, Selective Color, Toy Camera, Vivid, 4 more Image Effects
White balance	Auto, Cloudy, Sun, Fine-tuning, Shadow, Flash, Fluorescent lamp, Incandescent lamp, Manual
Continuous shooting	4.0 fps at the highest resolution, 5 frames per second (JPEG or 12-bit RAW)
Self-timer	Self-timer with an interval of 2 s, features: or 10 seconds
Timer	Timer/interval recording with max. 9,999 recordings, start time adjustable
Shooting functions	AEL function, AFL function, live histogram
Flashgun Of The Nikon D5500
Flash	built-in flash (hinged) flash shoe: Nikon, standard center contact
Flash range	Flash sync time 1/200 s
Flash functions	Auto, Fill Flash, Flash On, Flash Off, Slow Sync, Flash on the Second Shutter Curtain, Red-Eye Reduction, Flash Exposure Compensation
Equipment And Features
Image stabilizer	no optical image stabilizer
Memory	SD (SDHC, SDXC)
GPS function	GPS external (wired or plug-on receiver)
Power supply	Power supply connection
Power supply	1 x Nikon EN-EL14a (lithium-ion (Li-Ion), 7.3 V, 1,230 mAh) 820 images according to CIPA standard
Playback Functions	Red-eye retouching, crop images, image rotation, protect image, playback histogram, image index, slideshow function, zoom out
Picture parameters	Sharpness, Contrast, Saturation, Noise Reduction
Special functions	The grid can be faded in, orientation sensor, Live View
Ports	Data interfaces: USB USB type: USB 2.0 High SpeedWLAN: available
AV connectors	AV output: HDMI output Mini (Type C) Audio input: yes (3.5 mm jack (stereo, 3-pin)) Audio output: no
Supported direct printing methods	PictBridge
Tripod socket	1/4″ in the optical axis
Features and Miscellaneous	Active D-Lighting contrast adjustment (5 levels), eye sensor
Size and weight
Dimensions W x H x D	124 x 97 x 70 mm
Weight	464 g (operational)
Other
included accessories	Nikon AN-DC3 Storage AccessoriesNikon BF-1B (Case Cover) Nikon DK-24 (Eyecup) Nikon EG-CP16 Audio / Video CableNikon EN-EL14a Special BatteryNikon MH-24 Charger for Special BatteriesNikon UC-E23 USB Cable
optional accessory	Nikon ME-1 (microphone)

Firmware Update C 1.02 for the Nikon D5500: Bugfixes

The firmware update C 1.02 for the Nikon D5500 is available. It fixes an error where the camera stopped responding when menu items Add -> INDIVIDUAL FUNCTIONS -> c Timer/Memory was selected in MY MENU and the multifunction selector was pressed right. In addition, the camera sometimes failed to trigger the touch-trigger in Live View when the autofocus was used with the SB-800 flash attached.

In addition, sometimes the optimal exposure was not achieved when shooting with Live View when using lenses that use both autofocus and auto-electronic aperture control (Type E lenses).