D500 with Nikkor 500 PF or?

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Angelov

Angelov

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Hello people of BGF! I shoot a combo of D500 and Sigma 150-600 C and lately I have been thinking to upgrade it. One idea is to get Nikkor 500 PF lens, and remain with the D500. However, I was also thinking to get a new combo of Nikon Z6 II and Nikkor 180-600 Z (Z6 III is too expensive for me at the moment).
I was also thinking about switching to Sony, the lens will be Sony 200-600mm G and the body Sony R7IV... Anyone with experience on the possible new combos? Anyone to comment on the idea? I live in a small European country so buying used equipment from abroad is not an option due to expensive import taxes and shipping rates. Thank you in advance!
 
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Welcome to the forum. A lot will depend on how much you want to spend in the long run. I have a D500 and just purchased a Z6iii that had some store rebates. I have not shot with the 500PF, but do have the 200-500 and a 300mm AF-s lens that I use with a 1.4TC. If I had to choose between the 500PF and a Z6ii, I would recommend the 500PF. It is a lens that is loved by many and it should work equally well with the D500or a Z body in the future. I do not think that you would be happy with a Z6ii's AF, especially now that the Z6iii has been greatly improved. I have a first generation Z6 (w/all firmware updates) and tied to use it once to shoot BIF and found it to be a frustrating experience. The D500, in comparison, was much better for BIF. And while you are in a small country, you may be able to find a used 500PF as those that have upgraded and have money for the newer Z lenses are selling them, and the price has come down a bit. I cannot comment on the Sony gear as I have not shot with it.

Good luck,

--Ken
 
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Angelov - I am shooting a D500 with the 500PF since both came out. I am NOT au fait with Z bodies and lenses. However, coming from a 600 F/4 and a D4, my experience with the 500 PF is great. If there is a mess-up, it is mine, not the combo's. Even some Z-body users still use their 500PF. I am on my second D500 body, I dropped the fist and it was irreparable once the 500PF was "broken" off the body, but it had >260k actuations.
The D500 500PF is a great combo, one of the best in the world at its time, and new gear does not necessarily make that untrue. I cannot comment on Sony, as I do not know the system. Been shooting Nikon for >30 years.
 
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I switched from a D500 to the Z9 and could not believe how many more keepers I got and how better the focus is enabled by the focus tracking specifically. I have a 500 PF and it works wonderful.

If you get a chance, I would suggest trying the Z6 with the 500 PF and the FTZ2 adapter.

Auto focus system, and tracking alone were game changers for me
 
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g2turbo said:
I switched from a D500 to the Z9 and could not believe how many more keepers I got and how better the focus is enabled by the focus tracking specifically. I have a 500 PF and it works wonderful.

If you get a chance, I would suggest trying the Z6 with the 500 PF and the FTZ2 adapter.

Auto focus system, and tracking alone were game changers for me
Click to expand...
Assuming you are referring to the Z6iii in your post as it shares EXPEED7 with the Z9?

--Ken
 
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Angelov said:
Hello people of BGF! I shoot a combo of D500 and Sigma 150-600 C and lately I have been thinking to upgrade it. One idea is to get Nikkor 500 PF lens, and remain with the D500. However, I was also thinking to get a new combo of Nikon Z6 II and Nikkor 180-600 Z (Z6 III is too expensive for me at the moment).
I was also thinking about switching to Sony, the lens will be Sony 200-600mm G and the body Sony R7IV... Anyone with experience on the possible new combos? Anyone to comment on the idea? I live in a small European country so buying used equipment from abroad is not an option due to expensive import taxes and shipping rates. Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
Can't comment on the Sony combo, but if it was me, and it was a choice of adding the 500mm PF to the D500 or switching to the Z6ii and 180-600mm, I would go with the former and wait till you could get the Z6iii or z8 before going to a mirrorless Nikon. Then you could use the 500m PF on the Z6iii or Z8. Had lots of great shots with the D500 and 500mm PF combo (and then later putting the 500mm PF on the Z8).
 
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I shot with a D500/500pf until I moved to an OM Systems OM-1. Frankly, the D-500/500pf takes GREAT pictures. However, compared to subject ID that modern mirrorless cameras have, I usually needed to use GRP AF with birds-in-flight and I needed to keep the BIF in the center of the frame to get the maximum autofocus capabilities of the D-500. For stationary birds I was able to sue SP AF and get the focus point on the bird.

When I switched to the OM-1 which has comparable subject ID capabilities to the best Sony and Nikon cameras. I could locate the BIF anywhere in the frame and the camera would focus on the eye. The result was not sharper images but better focused image because the focus point was on the eye as opposed to the closest part of the BIF.

Previously to the D-500/500pf I shot with the Nikon D-7200/Sigma 150-600C. I found that the 500pf is much better balanced than the 150-600 and more easily hand-held so I am certain that a 500pf will give you better images and a better shooting experience, but it will NOT get you where a modern mirrorless camera will.
 
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I shoot with a d500 and a 500mm pf. I did basically the same upgrade as you are thinking of, I was using a tamron 150-600mm g2. The 500mm pf is quite a bit lighter. This makes it much easier to follow fast moving birds. The AF is better than the tamron. I'm delighted with the image quality and have a lot I can learn still with this gear. It's easier to hike with. The tamron almost never goes out. But it depends on your shooting style, hiking vs more stationary.

I bought a used 500mm with the intention of using it with a z8 or z9 when I make that jump. I can't spend the money on new glass at the same time as buying a new camera body. Lots of people report excellent results with a z8 or z9 with the 500mm pf.

If I need to, I'll get a z6iii. But I'd rather save for the next step up. Many people have told me that I will need to get at least a z6iii, z8 or z9 to get a better fast moving wildlife solution than the d500.

Another inexpensive option is to get a used 300mm f4 pf with a 1.4tciii. I really like this very lightweight combo even though it's a little short at 420mm. But with a d500, it's a great combination.
Good luck!
 
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I have used all three lenses, the 500PF with a D500 and D850 body (and sometimes 1.4x III teleconverter). Then I used Sony 200-600 with A7 IV body. Finally Z 180-600 lens with Z8 body. The 500PF is great IF you can live without a zoom. If you can that is a good option since you already have the camera for it. If you want a zoom both the Sony and Nikon zooms that go to 600mm are outstanding, but the Sony is heavier. I would get the Nikon for that reason, plus I was never fully comfortable with the Sony body. However, even the Nikon zoom gets heavy after a while, so the 500PF is better in this regard. (I ended up getting the Z 600PF to save weight instead).
 
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