24-70 vs D750 vs D500

[gabehelfant]

Hello Everyone, this is my first time posting here so please give me a lot of responses to suggest my next big photography purchase.

I will start with my current setup and Background:

I now shoot on a Nikon D7000 (we are 5 years strong together).
Lenses: Nikon 35mm 1.8 FX, Nikon 50mm 1.8FX, Sigma 70-200 2.8FX, and 18-55.
SB-700

I mostly shoot events, I am a summer camp photographer for two months of the year, I shoot portraits, and work for companies at times. So event/portrait/sports.

MY DILEMMA

I am working a crazy boring job right now for the sake of upgrading my equipment. I will list my three main options for an upgrade, only mention other options if you really think they are good ones. BTW this is probably my last purchase for a while so its not like I can get a new body or lens for more than a year.

I find that my current setup is getting a bit out of date as I want better image quality, focusing, and high ISO performance. The D7000 was and still is a good camera but I am yearning to switch things up.

SHOULD I....

stay DX and get the d500 for that insane performance but be stuck in DX land for years to come?

Go full frame and get the D750, same/slightly worse performance compared to D500, but full frame...

Or GLASS... get a 24-70- my main issue with this is that I feel like my lenses have treated me well until now and I think I would see better results from changing a body than a lens.

SORRY FOR THIS LONG RANT BUT PLEASE GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS! THANKS!

 

[Destin]

If you went full frame, your 18-55 wouldn't be useable. So you'd have no standard zoom lens.

I have the D500 and LOVE it. Of your three choices, that's what I'd pick.

I'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

 

[gabehelfant]

If you went full frame, your 18-55 wouldn't be useable. So you'd have no standard zoom lens.

I have the D500 and LOVE it. Of your three choices, that's what I'd pick.

I'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

Thanks!

But with the money I'm saving with a D610 what lens could I get that would not be too expensive?

 

[gabehelfant]

If you went full frame, your 18-55 wouldn't be useable. So you'd have no standard zoom lens.

I have the D500 and LOVE it. Of your three choices, that's what I'd pick.

I'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

Are you saying I should not go full frame if I am only using primes for standard focal lengths?

 

[Dave442]

I think they are saying that if you go full frame then you are stuck with the primes and the 70-200, that sounds a bit restrictive for an event photographer (unless you just don't use that 18-55 lens now).

I would lean towards the D500 and would keep the D7000 body, and that just doubled available lenses at any one time.

 

[jaomul]

I'm not sure the d500 is a good buy for you, sure, it's specced up to the neck but you'd hardly need six million focus points and eight hundred frames per second for mostly portraits.

The d750 would be a better buy imo if you had the right lenses. I'm not sure your lenses are the right ones. Does the d7000 really not focus good enough for you or is it just you want a general improvement?

The d610 would have a significant iso improvement, I'd be tempted to buy this with the 24-85mm vr lens(with the newer fx iso ability I don't think 2.8 zooms are as crucial as they were). In time and if you offload your d7000/18-55 and 35mm, and maybe even the 50mm (50 isn't always a good portait lens on a ff) I might be tempted to add a Nikon 85mm f1.8.

That would leave you a 24-85, a 70-200 and an 85mm prime, I think that would cover a lot

 

[astroNikon]

My two current cameras are the D500 and D750.

My original camera was a D7000 DX.
I upgraded to a D600 after a while which provided much better "portrait" type photography. It also significantly upgraded my ability in low light up to 2 to 3 stops of light better performance. The D6x0 features/functions are very similar to the D7000 so you will be very comfortable with that upgrade as an example.

I sold my d7000 after a year with the D600 *because I barely used it. The "crop" factor is good for wildlife distance. If you do sports it's dependent upon what lenses you use and field size, shooting location.

Then I damaged my D600 but needed a camera that weekend so I bought a D750. Slightly better all around in features, etc. I loved the flippy screen for when it's attached to my telescope.

I then was about to purchase a D5500 for gaining that crop factor (and flippy) screen to my telescope. I was given a great deal on a D500 instead. So now I have a D750 and a D500.

The D500 seems to be a different beast altogether. Yes you can do portraits, etc with it but it was designed as a higher end "action" camera, everything people have wanted for an upgrade of the D300/D7200. I've had to "relearn" how I use the camera in comparison to similar usage of the D7000 DX, D600 FX, D750 FX that I had/have. The AF system I have to use differently, etc.

The D750 is my "studio" camera, landscape, sports in certain instances depending which lens/sport and better low light performance.
The D500 is my fast action sports camera,"macro/close imaging". The super high ISO numbers really aren't useful.

When I did my analysis last year and picked the D5500 I tested a D810, D750, D610, D500, D7200, D5500 one right after the other in testing it's ISO abilities. There's still a visible difference between the D500 and D750 in low light especially bad light. ==> Nikon D500 vs Nikon D750 vs Nikon D7000 | DxOMark

based on the characteristics you want " I want better image quality, focusing, and high ISO performance." and "So event/portrait/sports"

Now in sports. I find the D750 good for me for certain situations in regards to how close you are to the sidelines. For instance I find my 80-200 great on the D500 for of course getting more reach. But for 1 camera and close to a sideline I need the 80.

But for baseball the 10fps is needed to try and get the bat striking the baseball pictures. Much better than the D750's 6.5fps. I've been able to get some ball right on the bat images.

So there's pluses and minuses.

I recommend getting the D750 and keeping your D7000. Then you'll be able to compare focal length issues between the DX and FX. Even though I knew the "math" not until I got my D600 did I visually see it and understand it completely.

You'll love the D750, it's a great camera and more versatile.
you may want to look into a 24-85 / 24-70 range of lenses to fill in the FX gap.

Of course the D500 is a great camera too though I could do a lot of the things on a D5500/D7200 minus the FPS, longer battery life, 4k video, advanced features, etc.

forgot to add. The 24-70 on a DX would be 36-105. you lose the short end. So I don't think that would be as beneficial as the D750. Now the 24-70 ON the D750 would be good. But other lenses such as 18-50 or 18-70s would fill that gap on DX.

 

[coastalconn]

I have the D750 and the D500. For what I shoot I'm not a huge fan of the D750, but It would work well for what you need. You could always use the 18-55 in DX mode and still have 10mp files..

 

[goodguy]

Absolutly the D750, amazing camera and seems like the perfect choice for you.
Its really design for event photography, AF while not as good as the D500 is amazing, low light performance is better then the D500

 

[snowbear]

II'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

The D610 and D750 are currently the same price, at least in the U.S, for body only.

 

[astroNikon]

II'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

The D610 and D750 are currently the same price, at least in the U.S, for body only.

at Bestbuy
The D750 is
$2000 with the 24-120/4 lens, the MB-D16 battery grip and 5 other things, or
body only is $1500 with the MB-D15 grip and 5 other items

The D500 is
$1800 with the MB-D17 battery grip and 5 other items, or
$2400 with a 16-80 kit lens and the MB-D17 battery grip and 5 other items

The D610 is
$1500 with 5 other items (but *no* grip), or
$2000 with 24-85 kit lens and 5 other items.

makes me wish I didn't upgrade for another year.

 

[Destin]

II'd also add another option: Pick up a D600/610 and add a full frame compatible standard zoom lens.

The D610 and D750 are currently the same price, at least in the U.S, for body only.

at Bestbuy
The D750 is
$2000 with the 24-120/4 lens, the MB-D16 battery grip and 5 other things, or
body only is $1500 with the MB-D15 grip and 5 other items

The D500 is
$1800 with the MB-D17 battery grip and 5 other items, or
$2400 with a 16-80 kit lens and the MB-D17 battery grip and 5 other items

The D610 is
$1500 with 5 other items (but *no* grip), or
$2000 with 24-85 kit lens and 5 other items.

makes me wish I didn't upgrade for another year.

No kidding. I've thought about buying another D500 to replace my 7100 just because it's such a good deal but really can't justify it right now.