Second Camera Body

[Don Fischer]

The need for swapping lenses is not for the camera setting but for the functions of the lenses in this case. I'm going on a safari, and will need a wide angle for the landscape and a telephoto for the wildlife.

Your right. You might consider an 18-400 lense. I really like my 18-200 Tamron for a walk around lense but I think for what Teresa and yourself are talking about the 18-400 would be fine. Plenty of wide on the bottom and long on top. Unless of course your going on a photo safari? Then speciality lense might be a better answer. I have a 55-300 Nikon I used at field trials but bottom end could be longer and when I got it I knew nothing about an 18-400, if I had that is what I'd have got. Then again I don't really care for speciality lense's anyway. To limited in what they do and I suspect more money than I have to spend these days. If I recall right, this photo was taken with an 18-200 Tamron on my D7000. Either that or the 25-250 lense on my Panosonic Leumix. Either way lot of fire smoke and I think it still came out pretty good.

 

[TeresaOnTheHudson]

Thanks! That's the model I'm looking at right now actually, after hearing the expert opinions here. My consideration right now is the weight, which doubles my D3500.

The discussion is moot now. Apparently all the available D3500 bodies on both mpb and KEH, about 10 in total, have been snatched up in the last couple of days! That makes my decision much easier if not more comfortable.

 

[greybeard]

The discussion is moot now. Apparently all the available D3500 bodies on both mpb and KEH, about 10 in total, have been snatched up in the last couple of days! That makes my decision much easier if not more comfortable.

The added features of the D7500 will make the added weight seem non existent, I hope.

 

[wfooshee]

The AF performance alone will soon have you using the D7500 as primary, not backup. You'll soon be wondering how you ever got along with the D3500. And the ability to auto-focus legacy AF and AF-D lenses makes pawn-shop lens shopping worthwhile.

If you are interested in legacy glass, there's still a consideration for the D7200 over the D7500. I have an 85mm 1.8 AI manual-focus lens from a pawn shop that would not meter on a D3x00 or D5x00, but works perfectly on my D7200. I also have a 50mm f:1.4 AF-D lens that works on my D7200 but would not auto-focus on a D3x00 or D5x00, and the 85mm-1.8 also would not meter on a D7500. My legacy lenses are why I upgraded from my D7000 to a D7200 rather than the D7500. Lenses older than AF or AF-D will mount on a D7500 but they will not meter. Almost any AI or newer lens works just fine on the D7200, but the older non-autofocus lenses are manual settings only on the D7500. Nikon dropped the AI coupler ring from the lens mount on the D7500.

If legacy lenses aren't something you need or want, then the only limitation I can think of for the D7500 is the single memory card slot, where the D7200 has two slots. (I set mine to overflow from the first to the second slot.)

 

[pendennis]

Don't leave the D500 out of consideration. It's by far, the most advanced of the crop sensor cameras. I owned one for several years, and only sold it when I went full time to FX bodies (D810, D850). The price of used D500's is higher than the D7500, but the A/F, and other features are more advanced. The price for used D500's reflects the value of this camera, despite having technology that's over 8 years old. You could also consider the D750 or D780; both are great FX's, but they'll handle your DX lenses easily and convert to DX automatically.

I had a choice between the D500 and D7500 when I bought mine, and the D500 won, hands down. It's one of Nikon's finest cameras.

The only other consideration would be a mirrorless Z, but you'd need at least one of the FTZ adapters.

 

[globaltrotter]

I bought a Nikon D3500 two-lens Kit with an AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR lens and an AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED telephoto lens three years ago and it has served me well. I bought a wide-angle lens AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II recently in preparation for a trip with landscape and wildlife photography. I'm also considering adding a second camera body since wind and sand are expected at the destination, and constantly swapping between the telephoto and the wide-angle lenses is not a good idea. The candidates are a second D3500 or a D7500, probably through a reputable secondhand equipment seller. D7500 of course is superior, but costs twice of a D3500 and is twice a heavy. D3500 has been discontinued by Nikon on the other hand. What would be the better option for me? Are there other cameras I should consider? Thanks!

Hi Teresa, are you still looking for a Nikon D3500? I'm selling a brand new, in box - never opened, camera with two lenses 18-55 VR and 70-300 Kit. Please let me know if you're still on the market. Thanks!