Which is better for a second camera?

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I agree with the others that another D850 would be great, but of course it would also be considerably more expensive. I think the D810 would be similar enough to the D850 that you could go back and forth without too much bother.
 
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I’m not sure what what your mainly shooting but I think D810 / D850 is better option. I never really liked the D750 myself.....never felt right to me. I know that others will disagree.
 
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As you have decided (and others have suggested), a second D850 is the best if you can afford it. I use two D850's myself. The first one I bought from Nikon USA refurbished site for a discount, so if you are in the USA you may want to look there.
 
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cj5thwheel said:
I have the D850 right now. And I'm looking for a backup camera. Which is better D750 D810. Both cameras. Are close to the same price. Used and new. Appreciate your thoughts.
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When I had the D850 I also had a D800e and D500.
For me the D500 made a better second camera.
It is almost pro level durable and gave that somtimes needed extra reach.
Although a great camera - I never found the D800e ideal for wildlife... 🦘
 
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The D810 is a fantastic backup too. The shutter release is soft, quiet and non clunky. Only negative is the storage, SD and CF cards only. I owned the D810 for several years, nice camera. And a D500 is fantastic to backup or take first position.
Adding - The 750 had a tiny rectangular eye piece and the view through is not a big as the other mentioned cameras. I'd absolutely pass on that camera.
 
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I agree with @Roy about the D500. That was my backup to the D850 and covered some of the scenarios that the D850 did not (namely, faster fps for wildlife). And the control layout and menu setup is identical, so made it easy to seamlessly swap between them.
 
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jadewolf said:
I agree with @Roy about the D500. That was my backup to the D850 and covered some of the scenarios that the D850 did not (namely, faster fps for wildlife). And the control layout and menu setup is identical, so made it easy to seamlessly swap between them.
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And the D500 is a great backup for my D5 too 🦘
 
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I do feel another D850 would be the easiest to use as a backup, but you could go a lot of different directions.

A D780 provides standard resolution and similar features with some updates that are typical of the latest Z cameras. You don't always need high resolution files. The D780 is a good option with a number of updates over the D750 and a modest price.

The Z7ii would provide the same resolution as the D850 and a move to the Z system. If you expect to make that move in the next year or want to try it, here is your chance. The FTZ adapter would allow you to use most of your current lenses.

The Z6ii provides the same options as the D780 above combined with entry to the Z system. The 24-70 f/4 would be a very good kit lens and it's light enough to get the call for travel and casual use.

I don't think the D810 or D750 are current enough to add value unless you simply want a camera for emergencies only. The settings are quite different and the focus is not as good. I've used a D800E once for five days as a backup when I had a problem with my D850. It's nearly as good as the D810 and provides a lower price point for a camera you will rarely need.

The mythical Z9 in a smaller footprint is likely coming soon. It's the upgrade many have been waiting for. If you have gone this long without a D850 backup, might as well wait a bit longer and get the Z upgrade.
 
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cj5thwheel said:
Thanks a lot, guys, for all the information. I appreciate it. I think I'll go with the D850.
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KEH the other day had a used D850 in "Like New - " condition for around $2050 (plus you can find 5% off codes easily). 180 warranty. Worth checking out!

EDIT: Sorry, someone already grabbed it. There's one "Excellent" condition left for $1760
 
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cj5thwheel said:
Thank you I'll check that out.
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Your question, "which is better the D750 or D810", each is and has a different purpose, both are criminally dirt cheap to buy used.

By looking at getting a back up DSLR its clear your not yet or don't want to be caught up in the some what overrated and overpriced trending move to mirror less, don't get me wrong, for me there are some slight benefits in going mirror less, mostly glass, and video capability. For stills, if you have good photographic skill sets then the advantage of mirror less is often far less.

The D750 is an excellent camera, unique, its main advantage over the D810 is simply better for high ISO a bit along the likes of the Z6 is to the Z7 in ISO,
the D810 is slightly better with detail and image files due to resolution.

The D810 is a brilliant camera, and the best all round DSLR prior to the D850, as you know the higher resolution D810 delivers stunning images.

If $ are an issue then the cheaper camera is the better, i would lean towards a D810, if you want to spend that bit extra get a second hand D850 hands down, it has the ability to use the latest CF express cards through firmware update.

I sold my expensive DSLRS and most of my exotic lenses early, bought a Z9 to explore mirror less, i now rent a D6 when a critical high iso shoot arises, i have and will keep one D850, i am not breaking my neck to spend a fortune on Z glass or gear, the image files i get out of DSLRs on good glass is still excellent, plus there is so much good glass hitting the market as we knew it would. Now that's me, it may not suite everyone else............my club member friends have been buying their bucket list of exotic mirror less gear and they love it all, light fast sharp WOW and they believe my images are from the Z9 and Z exotic glass, when its been the D850 all along........our little secret LOL.

Mirror less is the future it seems as is driverless cars and that's all fantastic, but never be intimidated or feel left behind, you make 90% of the photo.........

Its what i think Steve says, date the camera marry the glass..............

Enjoy and love what you do
 
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I don't consider the mirrorless cameras overrated or overpriced in any way. There are things you can do with the Z cameras that are simply not possible with a DSLR. The lenses do make a difference for some people and some situations. But it's a balance, and there are good options with both mirrorless and DSLR bodies. The value you can get from a DSLR based system is quite compelling as prices have dropped and the quality of gear and lenses is quite good. You will always have the options to buy into mirrorless cameras and lenses in the future.

My only additional advice is on thinking about mirrorless vs. a DSLR is to think about your next step in 3-4 years. Nikon will continue to produce and sell F-mount gear for a at least 3-4 more years - and probably closer to 7-8 years. But they won't be spending resources on meaningful development. The glass is absolutely fine, and there are some excellent values in used F-mount lenses. The challenge will be the bodies which are older designs and don't include some of the advances in focus and other areas.
 
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EricBowles said:
I don't consider the mirrorless cameras overrated or overpriced in any way. There are things you can do with the Z cameras that are simply not possible with a DSLR. The lenses do make a difference for some people and some situations. But it's a balance, and there are good options with both mirrorless and DSLR bodies. The value you can get from a DSLR based system is quite compelling as prices have dropped and the quality of gear and lenses is quite good. You will always have the options to buy into mirrorless cameras and lenses in the future.

My only additional advice is on thinking about mirrorless vs. a DSLR is to think about your next step in 3-4 years. Nikon will continue to produce and sell F-mount gear for a at least 3-4 more years - and probably closer to 7-8 years. But they won't be spending resources on meaningful development. The glass is absolutely fine, and there are some excellent values in used F-mount lenses. The challenge will be the bodies which are older designs and don't include some of the advances in focus and other areas.
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I respect fully your views Eric as always, its a mix of views and tolerance that lets us understand things better and learn more, this BGF forum is a pool of knowledge and coalface experienced people enormously helpful. The fact that we can share views and opinions is what makes it helpful and enjoyable.
 
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cj5thwheel said:
I have the D850 right now. And I'm looking for a backup camera. Which is better D750 D810. Both cameras. Are close to the same price. Used and new. Appreciate your thoughts.
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For wildlife photography the D750 is by far the better choice. I owned both cameras and for wildlife the D750 would focus on subjects when the D810 with the same subject and the same 80-400mm lens would fail completely and not even hunt. Group AF on the D750 was of no value but on the D500 with its dedicated AF processor worked very well.

I would be inclined to have a D500 as a backup for a D850 if one cannot afford a second D850 camera. Then both cameras can use the same battery and the same memory cards.

As a separate matter the D750 felt small in my hands and more like my wife's Olympus MFT cameras. I much preferred the feel of the D500 camera.

With mirrorless cameras one can get new lens designs that perform better than their DSLR counterparts. That is true for the S 100-400mm and the S 24-120mm. And then there is the 800mm PF lens and the 400mm f/4.5 for Z cameras for which there are no similar DSLR lenses.
 
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