Thinking of buying a D500 with high shutter count .

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Mikey D

Mikey D

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So 2 years ago I sold my D500 to buy a D850 , Im now wanting a second body for wildlife because I hate switching lenses back and forth .I want to dedicate the D850 to landscape only. Im definitely buying a used body from MPB and Im wondering if I should just buy one with high mileage and when it needs a shutter , send it back to Nikon USA . MPB has right now D500's with shutter counts from 80k to 260k and everything in between . Prices are $715 to $919. Should I wait for a lower shutter count body to come in or just buy something with 80k on the clock and send it in for a rebuild when needed.
 
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Mikey D said:
So 2 years ago I sold my D500 to buy a D850 , Im now wanting a second body for wildlife because I hate switching lenses back and forth .I want to dedicate the D850 to landscape only. Im definitely buying a used body from MPB and Im wondering if I should just buy one with high mileage and when it needs a shutter , send it back to Nikon USA . MPB has right now D500's with shutter counts from 80k to 260k and everything in between . Prices are $715 to $919. Should I wait for a lower shutter count body to come in or just buy something with 80k on the clock and send it in for a rebuild when needed.
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Mikey, I don't know where you are located, perhaps there is a reason behind your desicision. If I were you, I would not buy any DSLR proudcts or accessories new or used; both Nikon & Canon stopped making any new DSLR camera bodies & lens since the beginging of 2022, the chip crunch certainly hastened their decision.

As far as the servicebility concerned, Nikon closed all but two service centers in the the United States (One in Long Island, another center in Signal Hills Los Angeles), most 3rd party repair centers can not get parts from Nikon USA; if anything is needed, the best chance is getting the parts from Taiwan or Thailand, getting some parts from Japan takes 4 ~ 6 weeks on average though.

Good luck.

Oliver
 
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BlackRockArt said:
Mikey, I don't know where you are located, perhaps there is a reason behind your desicision. If I were you, I would not buy any DSLR proudcts or accessories new or used; both Nikon & Canon stopped making any new DSLR camera bodies & lens since the beginging of 2022, the chip crunch certainly hastened their decision.

As far as the servicebility concerned, Nikon closed all but two service centers in the the United States (One in Long Island, another center in Signal Hills Los Angeles), most 3rd party repair centers can not get parts from Nikon USA; if anything is needed, the best chance is getting the parts from Taiwan or Thailand, getting some parts from Japan takes 4 ~ 6 weeks on average though.

Good luck.

Oliver
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Im located in Kansas City , I know the D500 has been discontinued but the D850 is still around . With the recent firmware update for the D850 Im assuming there not getting rid of it just yet.
 
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Mikey D said:
So 2 years ago I sold my D500 to buy a D850 , Im now wanting a second body for wildlife because I hate switching lenses back and forth .I want to dedicate the D850 to landscape only. Im definitely buying a used body from MPB and Im wondering if I should just buy one with high mileage and when it needs a shutter , send it back to Nikon USA . MPB has right now D500's with shutter counts from 80k to 260k and everything in between . Prices are $715 to $919. Should I wait for a lower shutter count body to come in or just buy something with 80k on the clock and send it in for a rebuild when needed.
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If the price is right (and I mean REALLY a bargain) - what can go wrong :) (I cant comment on the shutter - but best you check it's shelf life and availability)

I agree Mirrorless is the way to the future - but we both know the D500 and D850 combination does work - very well indeed.

The D500 would be an interim thing - and when the time comes to afford the higher ML stuff - off you go. Only my opinion.
 
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To answer your original question, I'd get one in the lower shutter count range of the spectrum. My d500 has a little over 80K and is in good shape. Hope it lasts a lot longer. I recently heard of someone with something like 500,000 shutter clicks which I think may be at the upper end of expected life. Bottom line, 80K clicks should have a lot of life left in it.
 
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Viseguy said:
I would keep looking. I just picked up one off MPB with a shutter count of 748. It was pristine, these are out there, keep looking IMO.
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With a shutter count that low, it's very possible that it was reset during a repair. I've had shutter count reset on three of ten DSLR cameras. I don't know whether the shutter count is accurate or not - but would expect the camera to look pristine with a highly magnified view of the mount. You should see very few scratches on the mount flanges.

A shutter count under 100,000 for a D500 is probably fine. It probably has a useful life of 3-5 more years so you would need to use it a lot for shutter failure to be a real issue. Replacement shutters are not that expensive even in the unlikely event that is needed.
 
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There are a couple of low shutter actuation D500s on the Fred Miranda classifieds right now that you might check.

I had one of my D500 shutters die after around 300,000 clicks, and if I remember right it was about a $240 repair. Of course, other things can go wrong besides the shutter over time, but the number of clicks is a fair indicator of how much the camera has been used. Also, as has been mentioned, parts won't be around for ever. Still, the D500 is a rugged, more or less pro level camera that should be good to go for many years. IMO, the only mirrorless Nikon that I would consider better than the D500 for things like birds in flight would be the Z9. I'm sticking with the D500 for now, because a Z9 is way out of my budget. :)
 
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Decide how long you plan on keeping the camera and then cut the time in half. Nikon may stop supporting dSLR in the next few years (I have heard 2025, but that may be the date the stop selling them - really don't know and I don't think Nikon knows yet, either).

As far as shutter count goes I would wait for a lower shutter count. As more people shift to MILC (or accept as their primary camera) more D500 and D850 will come on th market.

B&H has used D500, 8+ condition, w under 50,000 shutter count. Cost $1087
 
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I just got an OM-1 to serve as my lightweight/travel alternative to my Z9. Need to put it through the paces but if I like it I may part ways with my D500, although I do love that camera. I don't know how to tell what the shutter count is but I suspect it's on the relatively low end as I didn't do a lot of burst shooting with it.
 
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I would look at Ebay and other places (KEH, B&H, Samy's) until you find one in excellent condition with low count. Considering how many people are switching to mirrorless, there have got to be some good D500's out there.
 
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As I was just buying D500, I can tell You some things that my trusted Nikon Repairperson told me:
- he never had a D500 failed shutter with a shutter count of less than 220k in his shop.
- look at the screws, to check if the camera was ever disassembled.
- Check the mounting area for any cracks (he said it's common problem he sees with D500)

And what I learned from my used body hunt (man that sounds bad if out of context) is: always look for any usage signs on the body like loose d-pad, scratches, and no paint in the left bottom corner of the body or any other obvious signs of heavy use.
Those when present together with low shutter count could mean heavy video usage or (conscioulys or not) false shutter count.
I hope that the used market when You live is better than where I live.
 
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Mikey D said:
So 2 years ago I sold my D500 to buy a D850 , Im now wanting a second body for wildlife because I hate switching lenses back and forth .I want to dedicate the D850 to landscape only. Im definitely buying a used body from MPB and Im wondering if I should just buy one with high mileage and when it needs a shutter , send it back to Nikon USA . MPB has right now D500's with shutter counts from 80k to 260k and everything in between . Prices are $715 to $919. Should I wait for a lower shutter count body to come in or just buy something with 80k on the clock and send it in for a rebuild when needed.
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How do you find the shutter count on a D500? I looked in the EXIF data in Lightroom and did not see it. Is it there?
 
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Mikey D said:
So 2 years ago I sold my D500 to buy a D850 , Im now wanting a second body for wildlife because I hate switching lenses back and forth .I want to dedicate the D850 to landscape only. Im definitely buying a used body from MPB and Im wondering if I should just buy one with high mileage and when it needs a shutter , send it back to Nikon USA . MPB has right now D500's with shutter counts from 80k to 260k and everything in between . Prices are $715 to $919. Should I wait for a lower shutter count body to come in or just buy something with 80k on the clock and send it in for a rebuild when needed.
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A new shutter isn't cheap for a used camera.
But my D4 has well over 900,000 clicks and is still going well.
Ideally I'd go for the lowest shutter count but the condition of the camera is probably a better indicator... 🦘
 
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Dave Wo said:
Glad I bought my D500 when I did. Would love the D850 but my D810 is great for the landscape work I do. Mirrorless is way on the horizon for us retired folks.
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I still dont see a big improvement in mirrorless for wildlife.
Mirrorless are going back to phase detect AF.
But a mirror or EVF is just part of the feedback system.
I can live without the display in my Z9 EVF.
And I prefer the button layout of my D5/D850 and D500 bodies.
The Z lenses and nice and quiet but the G/F lenses are better value ...🦘
 
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I like my D500 very much. I bought a used one with a shutter count of around a 30000, and haven’t regretted it. If I wanted to get a second one I would try to get a copy with the lowest shutter count I could find.

I also use Nikon’s original mirrorless cameras from the discontinued Nikon 1 series, and I definitely get the benefits of using mirrorless cameras. (For me, better video features.) But DSLRs like the D500 and D850 are still very capable picture takers, and should not be dismissed outright. If photographers like the OP already have DSLRs and lenses for them, then continuing to buy and use DSLRs makes sense.
 
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There are new D500 on ebay for two grand, B-H lists new with 16-80 kit lens. Call and see if you can get body only.
D500 is a superior camera, keeping mine.
 
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