Will a better camera make a difference in lens focus speed?

[ac12]

Something similarly placed in the modern Nikon lineup would be the D7000 line, currently D7500, but you could get a used D7200 (and maybe a refurb from Nikon) for a good price.

I would not recommend the D7500, it is just not up to the hype.

Disclaimer; I own a D7100, which I do recommend.

When I got my D7200, I rejected the D7500 mostly for having only one memory card slot. I wanted a D500, as someone else recommended above, but that's out of my price range. The 7200 was a significant upgrade from the D7000 I was using at the time (and still have.)

I guess it depends on your priority.

While two card slots is nice to have, I have only used that feature ONCE, to shoot a wedding. I don't shoot important stuff like weddings, where I want a backup image of everything I shoot, as I shoot it.

The D7500 has a higher Max ISO than the D7200, and if you shoot in low light, like high school night games or gym games, that really helps. You can use slower CHEAPER consumer lenses, rather than the faster but EXPENSIVE pro lenses.

At the high school yearbook, we upgraded to the Canon T7i in large part because of the higher max ISO of 25600, vs the T5 they were using with a max ISO of only 6400. The T5 struggled in the low light of night and gym games. Those two stops made a big difference for the students.​

The pivoting rear screen can be real handy. You don't have to get down on your belly in the dirt or shoot blind, as I do with the D7200.

But, as you said, is the cost premium for the D500 "worth it?"
It depends on ones budget and purpose of the camera.
I see some parents at school games with pro level gear, so some parents have the budget to rival the pros.
In some/many cases the more affordable D3500 or D5600 camera is "good enough."