p.1 #1 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
As someone who only owns one camera (D500) and primary shoots wildlife and macro, with the occasional portrait, landscape, architecture, etc. I'm curious who else out there has yet to find something worth spending the money on to either replace or supplement the D500 in their bags.
If you're in a similar position, what's your dream upgrade? What is the realistic path forward? Is there anything out on the market now (including recent announcements [ahem Z9...]) that have you interested, money ready, or already purchased/down payment?
I like the idea of having a second camera body, redundancy is good.
But I struggle with determining what would best serve me. This post isn't about diagnosing my clinical indecisiveness. I'm honestly curious how many other people out there only shoot with a D500, and what they feel about the current marketplace.
Personally, I'm waiting regardless of what products are out/being announced right now. Working full time, in grad school, and teaching night classes has me behind a computer 95 hours a week with another 5 hours a week in the classroom, lecturing... I simply don't have time to enjoy my own gear, not to mention learn a new camera's features and layout...
Yes. In my 20-30 minutes of free time today I've decided to peruse FM in hopes of living vicariously through this community of photographers as I gaze infinitely through my monitor trying to see the end of the semester in sight.
Anyways. Hope all of you beautiful people are well and enjoying your gear for than I am at the moment!
If you shoot solely with a D500, or have found a system to compliment the D500, share your thoughts!
I like the idea of FF, I also like the idea of mirrorless. I think I will be treating myself to a graduation present this Fall, will just have to wait and see what is happening/the talk around the industry around October/November!
p.1 #2 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
You should do a D850. It's basically a D500 when it's in 1.5 DX crop mode at 19.4mp, with the same amazing auto focus which is perfect for wildlife if you need the extra reach but you can use it in FX mode at 45.7mp and 64 ISO for macro, landscape, portraits and anything else. You can bump the frame rate up to 9fps with an inexpensive aftermarket battery grip:
p.1 #3 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
I have been thinking about this for a while. My D500 is probably around 30K shots so obviously still a lot of life in it.
My first thought is just get another D500. There will probably be new ones or very lightly used ones out there for a while so my next camera could just be another D500.
There is also the Z9, which is intriguing. If Nikon releases an APS-C Z9 companion like a Z900 I would likely get that. Not sure if I would really want to get the Z9. That mainly depends on what Z mount PF lenses are released I guess. If a 600 f/5.6 were released in Z mount, that would make a Z9 even more attractive.
p.1 #4 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
I am very fortunate to choose between a D500, D850, or D5. Since wildlife.....mostly birds are my favorite subjects I most always choose the D500. You didn't mention what glass you own. If I was in your shoes I would potentially upgrade glass(depending on what you own) which would in my opinion more than likely improve your images.I have tried the D850 but since I mostly always have to crop my D500 files it is almost always my body of choice. What lenses do you have and are you favorite subjects generally large or smaller?
And I am very interested in the Z9 since I own some nice glass. Looking forward to this camera to see if it truly competes with Sony and Canon mirrorless offerings.
p.1 #5 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
Rimpson wrote:
I am very fortunate to choose between a D500, D850, or D5. Since wildlife.....mostly birds are my favorite subjects I most always choose the D500. You didn't mention what glass you own. If I was in your shoes I would potentially upgrade glass(depending on what you own) which would in my opinion more than likely improve your images.I have tried the D850 but since I mostly always have to crop my D500 files it is almost always my body of choice. What lenses do you have and are you favorite subjects generally large or smaller?
And I am very interested in the Z9 since I own some nice glass. Looking forward to this camera to see if it truly competes with Sony and Canon mirror less offerings....Show more →
Right, I didn't list my glass because I didn't want this to become a post about my desired upgrade...
But, if we're on the topic why not have some fun!?
500mm F5.6 PF
Tamron SP 35mm F1.4
Sigma 150mm F2.8 Macro
Nikon 85mm F1.8G
Tamron 10-24mm F3.5-4.5 Di II VC
Comments:
If talking wildlife, the 500mm PF is my go-to.
I've picked up a few side-gigs lately for architecture, portraiture, real estate, etc. These are covered by the 85mm, the 10-24mm, and the Tamron 35mm... While I'm sure I could do better than the Tammy and the 85mm, they do the job and clients are happy!
Obviously, if I go FF the first thing I would replace is the 10-24 for wide on FF. Maybe the 15-30, 14-24, ? I haven't done the research there yet, but I do understand and am prepared for the $1000-$1500 for an ultrawide after the camera body purchase.
It's kind of funny actually. The Tamron 10-24 I picked up for under $200 and has been the lens that generates 90% of my side-income from real estate and architectural photography. After 6 years of shooting APS-C, I think it's time I at least consider supplementing my kit with a FF option. Maybe?
p.1 #6 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
D3 Ray wrote:
You should do a D850. It's basically a D500 when it's in 1.5 DX crop mode at 19.4mp, with the same amazing auto focus which is perfect for wildlife if you need the extra reach but you can use it in FX mode at 45.7mp and 64 ISO for macro, landscape, portraits and anything else. You can bump the frame rate up to 9fps with an inexpensive aftermarket battery grip:
p.1 #8 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
"Right, I didn't list my glass because I didn't want this to become a post about my desired upgrade...
But, if we're on the topic why not have some fun!?"
Sorry to steer your thread from the original intent. Having the 500 5.6 meets "good glass" except when the light is low. The D850 is an overall great camera but will not help you much for "low light wildlife" unless you are able to come close to filling the frame. For your "other work" I am sure it will be great. Should you decide to look into other lenses for more reach and low light I would start looking at an older Nikon 400 2.8 with a 1.4 tele if you have a limited budget. I shot with a Nikon 400 AFS II 2.8 with a 1.4 tele on my D500 a few years ago with great results..... before I got a 600 and eventually an 800 which is what I shoot with most of the time now.
p.1 #10 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
I also use only the D500 (with 500PF) for wildlife/birding. I don't see much, if anything, that I would want to see "upgraded" with regards to the D500. I don't use it for video, and don't use its liveview.
So only possible upgrade routes for me are either extending reach with a longer lens, or with a f4 lens that takes the 1.4tc well enough to keep it on.
Ór a switch to the coming Z9 (assuming that a crop Z900 is unlikely or at least far away in the future. Sony and Canon's neglect on mirrorless crop bodies does not bode well).
The Z9 should host a plethora of benefits over dslr, but the ultimate image, quality wise, will not likely be much, if at all, of an improvement over the stellar D500. So the Z9 would only really be a compelling upgrade over the D500+500PF combo, if Nikon pulls a Z600 f5.6PF out of the hat, which unfortunately has no substance at present, may take years íf it ever comes at all.
So what to do? If financially feasible, a depth investment in the coming Z9+Z600/4 (with the option of Z1.4TC) would be the ultimate upgrade to the D500+500PF, and should end any need to upgrade or look any further permanently, but that is going to be a lót of cash. It would be the Nikon eq. of the Sony A1+600GM combo.
p.1 #11 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
The advice here pretty much covers it...
While 500mm is a long focal length, once placed on a full frame body, you will realize that it is not as long as you thought. Shooting that lens on your D500 provides a 750mm field of view that allows you to really close in on your subject.
I have been flirting with an "upgrade" to a D5 for its low light capabilities and improved AF, but I know that doing so would reduce the number of pixels I would place on a subject once the file is cropped.
I have also been using the Z6ii, which I find to be a great camera, but the addition of 4MP does not come close to the field of view I get from the D500 after cropping the 24MP down to 20MP.
So what to do?... Well short of staying put with your gear, you could get the D850/Z7ii and shoot now to crop later, invest in longer and faster glass (500mm f/4 + 1.4x), or stay put with what you have... my actual suggestion.
p.1 #12 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
LostLensCap wrote:
What does your D500 not do that you would like it to do?
For wildlife, the D500 is perfect for my needs.
For landscape, architecture, portraiture; these are typically paying jobs - a larger sensor would be nice.
For printing, optimal sizes under 11x14". I've had a few requests lately for even larger prints and the 20MP sensor just can't handle that.
I don't think we need to be chasing triple digit MP here. But somewhere like 36MP on the D500 successor would be nice to have, for me personally at least.
p.1 #13 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
Rimpson wrote:
"Right, I didn't list my glass because I didn't want this to become a post about my desired upgrade...
But, if we're on the topic why not have some fun!?"
Sorry to steer your thread from the original intent. Having the 500 5.6 meets "good glass" except when the light is low. The D850 is an overall great camera but will not help you much for "low light wildlife" unless you are able to come close to filling the frame. For your "other work" I am sure it will be great. Should you decide to look into other lenses for more reach and low light I would start looking at an older Nikon 400 2.8 with a 1.4 tele if you have a limited budget. I shot with a Nikon 400 AFS II 2.8 with a 1.4 tele on my D500 a few years ago with great results..... before I got a 600 and eventually an 800 which is what I shoot with most of the time now.
Yeah I would love to pick up a 400mm F2.8. I was looking at a few before I went with the PF, but it really came down to weight. I might walk 10 miles on a shoot, even with the D500 and 500PF my back/shoulder isn't happy by the end. I'd need a caddy cart of something if I went with the F2.8!
We'll see how my shooting style changes over time. I'm likely going to grab a 600 prime at some point so I can have that reach with the 1.4TC when I'm camping out somewhere. Would still keep the PF for walking about.
p.1 #14 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
Nikon have a lot of new PF lens patents so it seems likely that those who wish for a 600 PF will get theirs, as well as other focal lengths. The 300 and 500 PF are highly popular and Nikon are looking forward to offering more lenses of this type.
p.1 #15 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
The D850 can be considered if you think you can make use of the FF sensor for some of your work. Although a lot of the time for wildlife photography (especially birds) the extra pixels of the FF sensor go to waste. The D500 is a better birding camera if you are still tending to crop most of your D500 shots anyways.
I think in the Nikon system the only upgrade I'd be looking at is the Z9. There you will get many benefits of MILCs that I've come to appreciated using Canon and Sony MILCs. You will also be getting similar reach of the D500/D850. We don't know the Z9 MPs but to get 8K video (which is confirmed) you have to have at minimum 39MPs for standard width 8K and 45MP for DCI width 8K. And of course like Sony A1 it could be a little higher like 50MPs. D500 is equivalent to ~47MP FF sensor for "pixels per duck".
p.1 #16 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
arbitrage wrote:
The D850 can be considered if you think you can make use of the FF sensor for some of your work. Although a lot of the time for wildlife photography (especially birds) the extra pixels of the FF sensor go to waste. The D500 is a better birding camera if you are still tending to crop most of your D500 shots anyways.
I think in the Nikon system the only upgrade I'd be looking at is the Z9. There you will get many benefits of MILCs that I've come to appreciated using Canon and Sony MILCs. You will also be getting similar reach of the D500/D850. We don't know the Z9 MPs but to get 8K video (which is confirmed) you have to have at minimum 39MPs for standard width 8K and 45MP for DCI width 8K. And of course like Sony A1 it could be a little higher like 50MPs. D500 is equivalent to ~47MP FF sensor for "pixels per duck"....Show more →
Right. I'm very excited to see the production model of the Z9. Even more excited to watch and read all the reviews after it comes out... I'm not excited about the price (while we don't know yet exactly what it will be sold for, I'd imagine north of $6500). But, that's the cost of getting into that tier of gear!
p.1 #17 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
I don't have a D500 but have been eying it and the PF lenses for quite some time as probably the best nature/wildlife camera for my kind of use. Didn't pull the trigger because the price in my country (with 16-80 kit zoom) has stayed near the high introductory price from five years ago. I'm currently using a Canon 80D which has better Liveview AF (very helpful for my macro photography); apart from that the D500 would be a much better camera for me. Given how technology has changed I would now only buy D500 at a good discount; used D500's with decent shutter life and some kind of warranty are expensive too here, not attractive.
I would be interested in an upgraded "D580" DSLR with Liveview performance at D780 level or better and hopefully some improvement in video options. But a "Z90" that has some of the technology of the Nikon Z9 / Sony A1 with APS-C sensor would be even better, assuming it offers at least the performance level of D500 plus the advantages of ML for e.g. focus accuracy, subject tracking, "Liveview" focus, better video and other new features like focus bracketing.
I'm not really interested in FF so the Z9 is probably not interesting for me (may depend on price). Waiting to see what Nikon is going to announce as upgrade options for D500, there must be either a D580 or Z90 in the pipeline for later this year or next year.
p.1 #18 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
I've been shooting with a D500 for 4 years now and like everyone else I sometimes think of upgrading but then realize it's mostly just GAS. I go around in a circle, D4S, D5, D850, but eventually end up back to the D500 because that's the body that makes the most sense for me. I'm more interested in a Nikon 200-600 that rivals the Sony. I primarily use the Sigma 150-600 S but I hate the extended zoom, it's very awkward to handhold, the OS takes too long to disengage, and judging by work shown on these forums the Sony IQ may be better. I really don't want to switch systems although that's getting very tempting. If an internal zoom Nikon 200-600 hits the market that would be my next upgrade rather than a body.
Gary
Mar 15, 2021 at 08:03 AM
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p.1 #19 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
sum1sgrampa wrote:
I've been shooting with a D500 for 4 years now and like everyone else I sometimes think of upgrading but then realize it's mostly just GAS. I go around in a circle, D4S, D5, D850, but eventually end up back to the D500 because that's the body that makes the most sense for me. I'm more interested in a Nikon 200-600 that rivals the Sony. I primarily use the Sigma 150-600 S but I hate the extended zoom, it's very awkward to handhold, the OS takes too long to disengage, and judging by work shown on these forums the Sony IQ may be better. I really don't want to switch systems although that's getting very tempting. If an internal zoom Nikon 200-600 hits the market that would be my next upgrade rather than a body.
Gary ...Show more →
You do realize that the Nikon 200-600 zoom will be Z mount, so you would have to update your camera body to a Z mount camera to use it.
p.1 #20 · D500 Shooters. What is your next upgrade?
Steve Spencer wrote:
You do realize that the Nikon 200-600 zoom will be Z mount, so you would have to update your camera body to a Z mount camera to use it.
Nope. I did not realize that. All this time I was thinking there was an F mount coming. That kinda changes everything, doesn't it ? Guess I'll have to throw a Z50 into the mix and just use it for stationary subjects
