Anyone has a Nikon D500 DSLR?

[bp122]

Hi all

I need a second DSLR for my new business venture. I already have a full frame Nikon D750 which I have had for the last 6 years and love it to bits.

I am torn between getting a second D750 or go for a D500. Both aren't too different in price in the secondhand market. But they offer different advantages.

I was wondering if anyone has got it here so I can meet you and just use the camera for around 20 mins to get a feel for it. I didn't want to hire one for a whole day to do that.
In exchange for a beer or two. Preferably in Buckinghamshire \ Oxfordshire or along the M40 corridor towards London.

It's a long shot but thought I'd ask as you never know what people have!

Cheers.

 

[Spectric]

I am torn between getting a second D750 or go for a D500

Why not go the other direction and look for a second hand D850, ok you might need a computer upgrade to handle the much larger file sizes but a great camera.

 

[bp122]

Why not go the other direction and look for a second hand D850, ok you might need a computer upgrade to handle the much larger file sizes but a great camera.

Oh I would in a heartbeat. That's what I started looking for.

But my budget is around £600 ish (plenty of D750s for that price and a few D500s) and I will need to double it to get near a good copy of the D850.

 

[Sideways]

Assuming you have full frame glass already, what advantage does the crop sensor give for your application ? If it's about reach, @Spectric 's suggestion of a D850 could be a good one, but maybe you need something specific in the way of video ?

 

[niemeyjt]

Check the controls on a D500. If they are like those on the D810/50 (I think they are) then are you happy with two different ways to operate the camera?

Do you want DX or the higher shooting speed of the D500 - I ask as those are key benefits of the D500 over your D750.

If you do want both, look at the D7500 which is DX and nearly as fast as D500 (8fps vs 10fps) and has control similar to your D750. The only thing it won't do is take a battery grip and 2 cards. Also, look at D7200 if you want battery grip and 2 cards but it is slower at 6fps.

I use D7200 and D780. And I don't intend to change anytime soon - especially as second-hand F lenses become more affordable.

 

[bp122]

Assuming you have full frame glass already, what advantage does the crop sensor give for your application ? If it's about reach, @Spectric 's suggestion of a D850 could be a good one, but maybe you need something specific in the way of video ?

I agree about the d850, just it it out of my budget for the moment.

I have only had full frame glass for the past 5 years when I made the move to full frame body.

Main reasons for the d500 are:
1. The larger (and better) autofocus pallet (for some wildlife- not for the business) combined with the versatility of focal length with my existing lenses.

For ex: My 50 1.4 can be used for a tighter (nearly 75mm) focal length on the D500. Same with my 105 2.8, 70-200, and so forth

2. More Speed for doing sports photography (part of the business) - although it hasn't hindered me too much, the larger raw buffer helps on the d500.

For some reason, I have never tried video on any of my cameras so far. So that's not a concern.

 

[bp122]

Check the controls on a D500. If they are like those on the D810/50 (I think they are) then are you happy with two different ways to operate the camera?

Do you want DX or the higher shooting speed of the D500 - I ask as those are key benefits of the D500 over your D750.

If you do want both, look at the D7500 which is DX and nearly as fast as D500 (8fps vs 10fps) and has control similar to your D750. The only thing it won't do is take a battery grip and 2 cards. Also, look at D7200 if you want battery grip and 2 cards but it is slower at 6fps.

I use D7200 and D780. And I don't intend to change anytime soon - especially as second-hand F lenses become more affordable.

Good points.

I have configured my d750 to have the movie record button as my ISO button so I can operate iso, shutter speed and aperture controls with my right hand, which is how d500 is laid out (except with a dedicated button for iso)

I'm not that fussed about the left hand side dials as I just set it to Manual (95%) or Aperture priority (5%) and forget it.

As I said, I fancied the following things out of the d500 over my d750
1. Larger raw buffer
2. Larger autofocus array (more points, all across the frame)
3. Speed

As per your other suggestions, I have tried D7500 for a weekend, for some reason I wasn't happy with it. I had owned D7000, D7100 and D7200 in the past - just couldn't get into a groove with them.

After a lot of trials, I narrowed it down to D850 (if I win a small lottery), D750 (the devil I know too well and one of my favourites of all 14 DSLRs I have owned and used in the past) and D500 (excellent on paper, but haven't had an opportunity to try it out)

 

[bp122]

Also I was kinda reluctant to try the D850 because once I try it, I'll want it.

But the idea is, once there is a bit more cash flow in the business, migrate to it anyway.

 

[Cordy]

In a similar vein, I am thinking of replacing my Nikon D90 - bought 12 years ago, for a more up to date camera

Torn between D780 and Z6ii
Camera use is more for family pics, work in progress and 'general photography' I do not do videos
My everyday lens is a 35mm Nikon prime, which of course give about 50mm equivalent
Any comments welcome -- sorry for hijacking the thread

 

[niemeyjt]

Both D780 and Z6ii are full frame - so your 35mm prime will revert to being a 35mm prime equivalent.

If you are not significantly into F lenses then the Z may be more future proof - sadly I do not envisage any new models of F lenses.

 

[Sideways]

It's always interesting to debate spending on camera or glass.
When I first came to Nikon I used a d300 and only an 18-200 zoom as a compact travel dslr for a few years but jumped to full frame with a D800 soon after they came out. I'd been waiting for a nikon that fit my hands the way that does and it was became a "must have" for me as soon as I picked one up. I was feeling the limitations of the baby d300 and though I think glass is the better investment, changing the camera makes a difference to all of your shooting, not just one focal length.

One little plastic 18-200mm zoom became a 24-70 + 70-200 pair of metal body f2.8 zooms and everything was a lot heavier and a lot more money.
I've added two primes to extend the range of my zooms (20mm and 300mm PF) and rate both of those highly.

If you trade up the camera, it may push you to spend on better lenses so beware £££. And I would
say buy a recent and good camera for the best life before they become obsolete / overtaken.

 

[bp122]

Ha ha, I share your views on this, @Sideways .

I get a lot of "what camera do I buy or what lens do I buy" questions from people who know me. I always point to the best glass.

I have never bought a brand new camera or lens or tripods since I started in 2016. Have bought 1 new camera bag.

 

[MikeK]

As a friendly reminder to all, this thread has been moderated to remove the overt attempts to sell camera equipment. @bp122 is not soliciting to buy anything, but to try out a D500 if a member local to him has one and can assist.

 

[thetyreman]

why not get the nikon D800?

 

[bp122]

why not get the nikon D800?

It doesn't have the user refinements of the d750 and is a much older sensor despite being a 36mp. D810 maybe on par with the sensor generation but it gives no advantage over D750 or D500 that I can use.

 

[Titan_uk]

shame you're not closer you could be had a play with mine. Got it for exactly the same reasons you have. Didn't want to spend too much. Got the nikon 55 DX vr with it plus bought a macro lens and a sigma apo dg. I really like it

 

[bp122]

Thanks. Whereabouts are you, @Titan_uk ?

 

[Sideways]

Reading around. The D500 sounds like a great choice for sports and wildlife.

 

[Titan_uk]

Thanks. Whereabouts are you, @Titan_uk ?

near Bolton