what do you think of the Nikon D500

[Photo Lady]

I was happy for the last few months with the D7500 but i really wanted to upgrade when i purchased the D7500 after selling my D7100 and to me there just wasn't much difference between the two ..i asked a Nikon technician what would be the next step or two up and he said i should be very happy with the D500.. do you all agree.. and let me know about how you feel owning a D500..thanks

 

[jaomul]

I disagree.

You should only upgrade if you have a reason. The fact a camera is a step up the ladder is really not a good reason to upgrade. The d500 is faster and more robust, with a few improvements, but the d7500 is so good to start with, you'd really want to be looking for a specific improvement to upgrade. Image quality should be all but equal

Is suggest keep the 7500 and enjoy it, I'd upgrade my travel plans instead

 

[Photo Lady]

Thank you for your opinion... but i really want to discover new improvements in photography.. this will probably be my last camera..with many new options for new lens in near future. i do not travel so this is my one upgrade with the exception of my pets.. haha..but i completely understand your thoughts..

 

[jcdeboever]

I think @DarkShadow has used both maybe he can chime in.

I've been shooting for 2.5 years and I am upgrading for the 2nd time. Granted I've been shooting a lot of film to gain an understanding as to why.

D3300. I had a lot of issues with 3rd party lenses which really pushed me here. However, I was getting used to the 100% viewfinder of the film camera, I noticed I was looking at the edge of the frame in the film cameras so Inwent to a D7200 refurbished.

1st D7200. The 3rd party lenses were even worse on this camera body. Big mistake and this camera may have had some issues. It was a horrible experience . Total fail. Sold all my digital stuff and borrowed a Fujifilm XT1 and was hooked at the viewfinder and image quality, hit rate, etc. Bought the XT2 and some lenses.

2nd. XT2. Hooked on Fuji. Great glass, fast camera, great viewfinder, WYSWYG. Fantastic upgrade. Almost too fast for how I work, shooting mostly film. Great camera, no complaints. Now I am looking for ultimate image quality, methodical shooting experience, slow shooting style, similar to film. I seem to get better images with film, not better quality, just better images overall. Considering ditching digital overall. Feel like I'm spinning my creative wheels. I am more spray and pray with digital. The XT2 is making me go against my SOP I use with film camera. I want to be methodical in my approach. Rented a Pentax medium format for a weekend. Shot around 70 images, really impressed with digital file, slow shooting. I literally had to use my hand holding techniques of film camera with this camera. Medium format digital is way more sensitive to camera shake then the XT2. It brought me back to the frame edges, very important for me.

3rd. Pre ordered the Fujifilm GFX50R and 63mm lens. I decided to stick with Fujifilm because of customer service, and bang for the buck. I sold a lot of my film camera stuff to consolidate to 100% viewfinder Nikon bodies. Sold most of my Fujifilm glass and XP2 body to fund the GFX50R. Kept the XP2, 35, 18-55, and 55-200 for kids sporting events and lightweight travel. So my main upgrade here is for ultimate image quality, fine art, and matching my shooting style.

Not sure your reason for upgrade or even if you need a reason, who cares right? If the new body helps you want to take pictures, great. Not sure if it's really an upgrade though. I'm not versed enough on the Nikon digital system. I know @DarkShadow uses the D7500 and his work is fantastic. I seem to recall he used a D500 first but not certain.

 

[Photo Lady]

wow thanks for understanding.. and yes lens makes a huge difference ..i plan on trying many lens in the near future... and learning from all you what works... i have owned Nikon only cameras so i am not versed in any other brands and frankly do not want to go there as i am use to Nikon and feel comfortable with the camera in my hand.. i quess i will find out about the difference or upgrade spec .. i will be sure to let you all know if i am happy... thanks

 

[JoeW]

A couple of thoughts:
1. I agree with the previous post--don't upgrade bodies just for the sake of upgrading.
2. Where I think you'll see a HUGE difference with the D500 is the autofocus is just so freaking fast. If you shoot wildlife (especially birds) or sports, it will make a difference. For portraits, street life, landscapes, architecture, abstracts, macro--no difference at all. And because it doesn't have a popup flash, you can't use the Nikon communication system to talk to Nikon speed lights and trigger them. So if you shoot a lot with detached speed lights (or think you will be), I'd say the Nikon D500 is a step BACK for you.
3. You may want to think about switching to a full frame body. You can get a D800 (used but with few activations) for less than you can a D500. It won't have as many FPS, won't autofocus as well. But for architectural photography, landscapes, portraits, macro work, anything you're going to either blow up/crop a lot or put on a giant poster, the extra pixels with the D800 will make it worth your while and then some. Of course, by going to a full frame from a crop, you'll need to look at what lens you currently have and how many of them are DX lens.

In summary, if you're a budding photojournalist who can't afford a D5, go with a D500--it's basically the crop version of the D5. But if you don't shoot photojournalist subjects (fast moving wildlife, wars, sports) and are more likely to be in a studio, or shoot landscapes or portraits (in or out of the studio), I'd look at a full frame sensor. Get a D800 and with the money saved start investing in some pro-quality lens.

 

[jcdeboever]

wow thanks for understanding.. and yes lens makes a huge difference ..i plan on trying many lens in the near future... and learning from all you what works... i have owned Nikon only cameras so i am not versed in any other brands and frankly do not want to go there as i am use to Nikon and feel comfortable with the camera in my hand.. i quess i will find out about the difference or upgrade spec .. i will be sure to let you all know if i am happy... thanks

I wasn't trying to get you to look at another system, just giving you my thoughts as reasoning to upgrade. Comparing the specs of the camera, I don't see an upgrade but like I said, not sure about Nikon digital stuff. There are some small differences but sometimes those are huge in the way we shoot. Who would of thought a 100% viewfinder would be important to the user? I think sports action, wildlife shooters prefer this camera (D500) for its fast buffer and advanced AF system. If that's you, you will probably be very happy.

 

[Photo Lady]

I use the camera for still objects almost every day for work... but as long as it does a good enough job with focus i am happy with that.. my real passion with the camera comes from wild life .. dogs action shots etc.. i love outdoor photography.. will not having the pop up flash make a difference in regular light for stills.. or will i need to get a external flash attachment.. thanks for all your info and help

 

[Photo Lady]

wow thanks for understanding.. and yes lens makes a huge difference ..i plan on trying many lens in the near future... and learning from all you what works... i have owned Nikon only cameras so i am not versed in any other brands and frankly do not want to go there as i am use to Nikon and feel comfortable with the camera in my hand.. i quess i will find out about the difference or upgrade spec .. i will be sure to let you all know if i am happy... thanks

I wasn't trying to get you to look at another system, just giving you my thoughts as reasoning to upgrade. Comparing the specs of the camera, I don't see an upgrade but like I said, not sure about Nikon digital stuff. There are some small differences but sometimes those are huge in the way we shoot. Who would of thought a 100% viewfinder would be important to the user? I think sports action, wildlife shooters prefer this camera (D500) for its fast buffer and advanced AF system. If that's you, you will probably be very happy.

yes this is me..

 

[JoeW]

I use the camera for still objects almost every day for work... but as long as it does a good enough job with focus i am happy with that.. my real passion with the camera comes from wild life .. dogs action shots etc.. i love outdoor photography.. will not having the pop up flash make a difference in regular light for stills.. or will i need to get a external flash attachment.. thanks for all your info and help

If your real passion is wildlife and dog action shots than the D500 is going to be second only to the D5. It will autofocus superbly and super fast.

Now, it won't be so great for your indoor shots. It has no popup flash. You shouldn't be using a popup flash for indoor lighting anyway. But with Nikon, you can use the popup as a commander (to talk to other speed lights). And that, I think, would be a biggie--even if you don't do that now. If you think you're going to get more in to studio portraits or still life or interiors, then utilizing the Nikon commander with Nikon speed lights is a nice plus.

 

[jcdeboever]

I use the camera for still objects almost every day for work... but as long as it does a good enough job with focus i am happy with that.. my real passion with the camera comes from wild life .. dogs action shots etc.. i love outdoor photography.. will not having the pop up flash make a difference in regular light for stills.. or will i need to get a external flash attachment.. thanks for all your info and help

A trigger and a flash will work better than the pop up. Not sure on what is good for that on Nikon. Start a seperate thread on that and I'm sure you'll get the info you need.

 

[adamhiram]

I upgraded to the D500 for the autofocus system. Coming from a D5100, it made a world of difference going from 11 AF points, only 1 of which was cross-type, to 153 AF points, 55 of which are cross-type. The next challenge was learning how and when to use the different continuous autofocus modes, which was a non-starter on my old body. The improvement might not be as dramatic coming from the D7500 that already has 53 AF points, but you’ll still probably see a noticible difference in tracking moving subjects.

 

[Designer]

.. i purchased the D7500 after selling my D7100 and to me there just wasn't much difference between the two ..

I have not owned either one, but this is what I have learned:

After reading about both, and watching several videos, one can conclude that the D7500 is misnamed, as it should have been called the "D5700", as in; the next step in the D5xxx line. When Nikon named it the D7500, people naturally assumed it would compare with the D7xxx line, but it simply doesn't fit in that group as well as in the D5xxx line. This is probably why you didn't see much of an improvement going from one the best APS-C cameras in the Nikon brand; the D7100.

The D500 is an epic win for enthusiasts of the Nikon brand cameras. You should notice a huge improvement in the auto focus and the dynamic range, as the D500 is phenomenal in low light. It is reported to be able to focus and make a photo in conditions that are so dimly lit as to be difficult for the human eye to even see the subject.

The D500 is very well suited to sports/action/wildlife, if that means anything to you. Have fun with it!

 

[Photo Lady]

I have to run now..will be back later..thanks so much all........

 

[Destin]

I owned a D500 for a little over a year, and it’s my favorite Nikon camera of all time. Phenomenal image quality, great in low light, and nearly indestructible.

That being said, only you can decide if upgrading is worthwhile.

Image quality will be nearly the same in both cameras. The D500 will *NOT* give you noticeably better images.

What the D500 gives you is:
-More durability
-Better autofocus
-marginally better high iso performance

What does this mean?

It means that if you shoot a lot of very fast action, low light, or outside in poor weather then the D500 is better for you. If you’re a casual photographer who doesn’t like to be out in the rain/snow and isn’t trying to autofocus on very fast moving subjects, then the D7500 will do just fine for you.

Personally my advice would be to invest more in professional grade lenses and keep the body you have. But there is also nothing wrong with upgrading just because you feel like it - so long as you can afford to do so.