Upgrading From Nikon D500

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Beau Cotter

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Hello! Im new here, I am a 16-year-old bird photographer located in Michigan, I would consider myself an intermediate photographer, I use the Nikon D500 with the good ole 200-500 f/5.6.
I have been thinking about upgrading. I am throwing around the idea of either getting a D850, or looking for a Nikkor 500 f4 g vr, to use with the d500. (I know its heavy, Im pretty young though and haven't had problems with fatigue yet)

What do you think would be the best option?

Also not entirely sure how these forums work, so apologies if I did anything wrong!
Thanks for any info
Beau
 
Welcome! Did you have a budget in mind? Any way you can manage the jump to mirrorless?

Perhaps the main thing with birds is getting enough pixels on the subject. You get that nicely with a d500. A d850 in crop mode is similar but I'm not sure it is much of an upgrade for birds. Certainly for landscape but you said you focus on birds.
 
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Welcome! I'm shooting with a d500 as well. I upgraded to a 500mm pf and find that it's much easier for BIF, due to being much lighter. I'm also thinking of a 500mm f4, for lower light capabilities.
However, depending on your budget, I'd think about making a switch to a z6iii, z8 or z9.
In my case, I will probably get one of these bodies as my next upgrade. The better AF, better high iso, etc, are compelling to me especially after reading these forums.
We'll be entering the modern world, so to speak with all the software improvements of new designs.
The only reason I may stay with dslrs is budgetary. I might get a d850 for botany, landscapes and astro, but the movement of wildlife will be better served by mirrorless.
Of course bargains in glass can be had in the F-mount and they still work with the ftz.
So, my upgrade will be a z8, try it with my good F-mount glass and ftz. Then make a decision about new glass.
As a beginning intermediate, I think it will take me a while to use a new z8 reasonably well. Heck, I'm still learning how to use my d500 after 4 years...
Good luck.
 
This is just my point of view ( I'm a Canon guy) but mirrorless is the way you eventually want to go. For $2500 you could get into the z6iii, which wouldn't be ideal for birds, but within budget. A z8 would be better but out of your range.

Sticking with the d500, folks here love their 500PF. And it is reported to adapt well to mirrorless if you eventually go that way. To me it's better to get quality glass that will work on mirrorless when you eventually jump rather then invest in old tech with the d850.
 
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I think if I were in your shoes I would wait a little while and pick up a used Z8 or Z63. The benefits of subject detection can’t be underestimated. You can absolutely get great images with any dslr but the future is mirrorless and you can keep using your lenses. They will have a new life.
 
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Beau Cotter said:
Hello! Im new here, I am a 16-year-old bird photographer located in Michigan, I would consider myself an intermediate photographer, I use the Nikon D500 with the good ole 200-500 f/5.6.
I have been thinking about upgrading. I am throwing around the idea of either getting a D850, or looking for a Nikkor 500 f4 g vr, to use with the d500. (I know its heavy, Im pretty young though and haven't had problems with fatigue yet)

What do you think would be the best option?

Also not entirely sure how these forums work, so apologies if I did anything wrong!
Thanks for any info
Beau
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FWIW - I have always heard that you invest in the glass first. The 500pf pairs very well with the newer mirror less cameras so when you have more money you can upgrade to mirrorless Camera and still use a very capable lens. The 500pf is a big improvement over the 200-500 And your d500 is still a great camera.
 
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Topper1946 said:
FWIW - I have always heard that you invest in the glass first. The 500pf pairs very well with the newer mirror less cameras so when you have more money you can upgrade to mirrorless Camera and still use a very capable lens. The 500pf is a big improvement over the 200-500 And your d500 is still a great camera.
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In a world where they would be around the same price, do you think that getting the 500 f4g vr would be preferable over the 500pf?
I think I probably underestimate the 500pf because on paper it seems so similar to my 200-500. Also, I know for a lot of people weight is a primary concern, but I think I could manage the extra pounds of the f4 if I were to get it. (I think... 😂)
 
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Beau Cotter said:
In a world where they would be around the same price, do you think that getting the 500 f4g vr would be preferable over the 500pf?
I think I probably underestimate the 500pf because on paper it seems so similar to my 200-500. Also, I know for a lot of people weight is a primary concern, but I think I could manage the extra pounds of the f4 if I were to get it. (I think... 😂)
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Honestly the one stop difference is probably only useful in certain situations. Also consider that the G version is very old and probably not repairable. The E version is the only one I’d consider.
 
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Beau Cotter said:
In a world where they would be around the same price, do you think that getting the 500 f4g vr would be preferable over the 500pf?
I think I probably underestimate the 500pf because on paper it seems so similar to my 200-500. Also, I know for a lot of people weight is a primary concern, but I think I could manage the extra pounds of the f4 if I were to get it. (I think... 😂)
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Since I am not a serious birder, I have not felt the need of f4 and denoise can take care of many early morning problems. I had the 200-500 and found the 500pf to be a big improvement. I have used it on both my d500 and z6iii. you will prob want mirrorless pretty soon and the money you save with the PF could go toward a Z. There are lots of video reviews of the PF to help you decide.
 
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If you were retirement age, I might say stick with D500 and get a better lens. But considering how young you are, you will want to switch to mirrorless since that is the way everything is going. If you buy a lens for your current system, you are using money for something that will soon be obsolete (though of course DSLRs continue to produce excellent results). At your age I think the only logical step is to start investing in mirrorless. A good first step is to get a Z6iii and if you can't afford a Z lens yet, get the FTZii adaptor and use your current lens until you can afford a Z (the 180-600 is an excellent and somewhat affordable option). Right now, you can get the Z6iii with a free adaptor, so if you have the money I would say grab it.
 
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I agree with the idea of investing in the newer tech if possible. But our bird alliance chapter just had a young talented photographer speak and to my surprise, he seemed to be using a lot of dslr gear. Perhaps because it can be acquired less expensively. He's doing a lot with camera traps. Check out his results!
www.vishalsubramanyan.com

Vishal Subramanyan Conservation Photography

Vishal Subramanyan is a 21 year old wildlife photographer and undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley. Using camera traps, telephoto lenses, and other photography techniques, he aims to capture unique imagery that raises awareness about conservation and inspires action. With an...
www.vishalsubramanyan.com www.vishalsubramanyan.com
 
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What do you find lacking with your current set up? I would identify what the reason for the upgrade would be, then the decision might be easier. I know I found the 200-500 to be a tad slow and not as sharp as I had hoped. I'm using the 500mm PF with my D500 and I am quite happy with the fast autofocus and sharp images. I get with this combo.
 
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Woodyg3 said:
What do you find lacking with your current set up? I would identify what the reason for the upgrade would be, then the decision might be easier. I know I found the 200-500 to be a tad slow and not as sharp as I had hoped. I'm using the 500mm PF with my D500 and I am quite happy with the fast autofocus and sharp images. I get with this combo.
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I think the main reasons are AF speed, and image quality, as in bokeh, clarity, and sharpness.
My 200-500 isn't terrible of course, but sometimes I think it makes the background all messy, and the bokeh is pretty inconsistent.
 
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Beau Cotter said:
I think the main reasons are AF speed, and image quality, as in bokeh, clarity, and sharpness.
My 200-500 isn't terrible of course, but sometimes I think it makes the background all messy, and the bokeh is pretty inconsistent.
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Faster lenses help with that but camera bodies don’t. They help in other areas. You can work to improve your technique to get some of that. Working to ensure your subjects are not near the background goes a long way. If the subject is on the ground there is no substitute to being at ground level as well. Those will instantly improve your pics. Getting closer will also help as it reduces your depth of field.
 
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Closing the distance between you and your subject and increasing the distance between your subject and the background will do more for you than the one stop difference between 5.6 and 4. Far easier said than done, but true just the same. If I were you I would focus on my skillset while saving up to jump to mirrorless in the next year or so.
 
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Got it. I will definitely keep these things in mind, and thanks again everyone for all of the responses!

(I know this would probably be the wrong thread, but if anyone would want to critique my photography more directly, I put most of my shots onto my ebird, which should be linked on my profile)
 
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Gosh, when I was 16 I did not have $22.50 to spend. D500 was the last DSLR i sold off, great camera. I am another mentioning the 500pf, it slaughtered my 500f4 G lens (I may have had a poor sample of that 500).
 
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Beau Cotter said:
What do you think would be the best option?
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I guess the question is what's lacking in your current setup?

Are you having to crop a lot when shooting your D500 with your 200-500mm lens? If so, one advantage of the 500mm f/4 is its ability to take a 1.4x TC and still deliver great images at only f/5.6 so still retaining great AF performance on the D500. If you're not having trouble getting sufficient image size with your current setup then the 500mm f/4 can help you shoot in lower and softer light and can help you blur backgrounds a bit more which are both great.

If you aren't filling the frame as much as you'd like then I'd look for a 600mm f/4 or expect to use a 500mm f/4 with a 1.4x TC a lot.

If you plan to do most or all of your shooting hand held then like others I'd suggest a 500mm PF which is an amazing and light lens, very good for agile hand held photography. But the 500mm PF won't help with getting larger subjects in the frame and though it takes a 1.4x TC very well from an image quality standpoint, the drop from f/5.6 to f/8 wide open aperture when you add the TC isn't great in terms of D500 AF system performance. That limits the D500 to the center most AF sensors and in my experience it slows down the AF a lot in anything less than very bright light when I don't tend to do much wildlife photography due to the resulting harsh lighting and dark shadows.
 
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The 500 pf is the Best Buy for a birding lens using DSLR on a budget. You will also want a 1.4x teleconverter to go with it.

At the same time the Z 8/9 is the best body for birding in the Nikon arena. Superior subject detection autofocus plus the ability to shoot at 20 fps create unique opportunities not possible with dslr cameras.

Unfortunately, bird photography equipment tends to be on the expensive side. You are young and have years to develop talent and acquire equipment.

Look for deals on used equipment.
 
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