waegwan Loc: Mae Won Li

Why do you want full frame?

ole sarg Loc: south florida

go out and get a canon sx60 for about $400 and then just shoot away. avoid all the expensive stuff it will just sit in a drawer and depreciate.

Psergel Loc: New Mexico

I started with the entry level Canon T3i, decided I wanted a FF and bought a 6D, decided I wanted to shoot wildlife and bought the much more advanced 7D Mark II (crop sensor).
I find myself using the 7D almost all the time.
I break out the 6D for indoor or night.

The problem with a full featured FF is the cost. My 7D Mark II has most of the features of Canon’s top of the line 1Dx and was less than half the price.
The problem with a crop sensor is more noise at higher ISOs.
I really like the image quality of my 6D but am now addicted to the advanced features of th 7D.

If the $$$s isn’t an issue and you can afford one of the high end FFs.....go for it.
If, like me, you do not have oodles of money.......
My advice would be to consider what kind of photography you see yourself doing most of the time and buy a more low end FF if it will be mostly indoors and buy a crop sensor if you’ll mostly be working in good light.

Buy lenses that will work on both Crop and FF so you can go the either direction in the future.

All of that being said...........you’re not going to learn photography by buying a better camera.

There.........now wasn’t that helpful?

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Of course you are aware the D500 is a cropped sensor camera. If your stuck on a FF camera I would suggest a D610, used or refurbished one's should give you the results you are looking for. Also the D750 has a great reputation as "very good right out of the box", whatever that means. Anyway, those would be my picks for a FF. BUT, that said, the D500 is currently my favorite camera toy (tool). I do wildlife everyday and match the D500 with the 200-500 lens. Great results. One grab shot is shown below. Good luck and keep on shooting until the end.

jfdnp Loc: Coastal Connecticut

I agree.....the best place to start is with a good, local, brick and mortar camera shop where the emphasis is on the right product for the individual and their needs and not the cost

ELNikkor

Get the Nikon D750. It has full frame, a built in flash, and tiltable screen, not too heavy, very dependable.

raferrelljr Loc: CHARLOTTE, NC

Maybe a D800 or D800E or D810 used or even a D700. The D700 is an older model but you will like the results.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"somewhat new to the Hobby" If a DX camera is what you want to get go for it. Nothing wrong with your choice. It's a camera, not rocket science. As in everything, there will be a learning curve. If you aren't going to use your camera to make a living learn the in and outs have fun. YouTube has a wealth of information on photography and peripheral information.
If you are going to get involved in this stuff it is not a hobby. it is an expenditure of disposable income. Right now the D850, if you like Nikon, is the new girl on the block. Pretty soon the lipstick will fade and she to be yesterdays date. Then they will all clamor over the new hot gotta have. There is a guy Bryon Peterson he is a noted and successful photographer, lecturer and author of many things photography. In the fourth edition of his book; Understanding Exposure, on the front cover, He states "How to take great photographs with any camera" Perhaps you are right maybe the D500 is more than you need. Look at something other than that camera. I would think that Peterson's advise on cameras carries a lot of weight.

leftj Loc: Texas

The d500 is not a full frame camera but it is Nikon’s best Crop frame camera.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

If you bought her an EOS (which one you do not say but since you seem to assume the D500 would be a step up it must be a lower end model like a t3 or t2) and she has a couple lenses, you might want to consider sticking with Canon.

But before you pick a camera, think about what kind of photography you want to do. Each camera is built with a market in mind. Some cameras are just better for landscape than others while some are better for sports and wildlife. Some take great indoor studio shots. What kind of photography do you think will be your focus?

$3,000 can get you a very nice setup. You might even want to consider mirroless. But it is hard to say until you have an idea of what you want as a subject. If you are not sure, buy a less expensive bridge camera until you find your passion. After that you will have a better base of knowledge.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Jump in deep. Buy the D850. LOL
Agree with the post. If you and your friend both got Nikon’s (for example) you could swap lenses.

GreenDruid Loc: Toronto, Canada

Absolutely yes. After switching from APS-C to Full Frame you will also start buying your lenses from scratch. Unnecessary expense. Plus a camera like D750 with 24MP will serve you well.
Selecting right lenses for what you do in photography will be even bigger puzzle.

CanonTom Loc: Birmingham

A very sensible comment! That is exactly how I ended up starting with Canon.....that girl friend is long gone now, but I have never regretted being a Canon user. As has been indicated, most mid-level and up DSLR cameras, regardless of brand, are very good today.

As someone else said, and I agree, I would start with either Canon, Nikon or Sony. If you already have decent lenses of one of these brands............that is probably the choice of brand you should make. Then choose based on the type of photography you are interested in.

As far as bodies or lenses, do not be afraid of reconditioned or used, just be afraid of unscrupulous sellers! I have purchased both lenses and recently a full frame body from sellers here on UHH and have gotten great deals on both! KEH in Atlanta is a very reputable dealer in quality used equipment and they allow returns if unsatisfied. Canon, and I believe Nikon and Sony, sell re-conditioned items with full warranty at a discount. I recently bought a reconditioned L series lens direct from Canon, got full warranty, got a decent discount and I would never know it was not brand new!

Do purchase the best you can afford assuming you believe this will be a lifetime deal for you. You will never hear anyone tell you they hate a better piece of equipment than a lesser quality one. Good luck and have a ball!

Tom

tomcat

I would suggest the D500 because it will be perfect for action shots, as well as landscapes. As has been mentioned before, it is an advanced camera for pros and that's the best way to learn by having a camera that will do practically everything you need. You can grow into this camera and learn what you need as each new situation arises. I would NOT buy a D3000 series camera as they are a piece of aggravating crap and just don't have any advanced controls over what you want to do. The D3000 series cameras have led many people to chose a Canon as their next camera, so they are a great marketing tool for Canon or Sony. I don't know why Nikon continues to produce this worthless camera. My wife had a D3400 for less than 24 hours and I took it back to the camera store and traded it back on a D500---coming from a retired pro's perspective I simply could not get the camera to do much of anything manual.

So bottom line is, get the D500 and enjoy it.

mannyo

Wow... lots of great advice from everyone. So I will definitely do a lot more research. Now my primary use will be wildlife, stellar and most importantly my granddaughter is in college and on a Track and Field team, so I definitely want great pictures. One of my other hobbies is Metal Metal Detecting, and I quickly found that having the right equipment makes all the difference, I started with a $200.00 detector and within a few days I realized, I needed to upgrade , so after trying other machines I bought a Minelab ctx3030ml that cost $2500.00 and that made all the difference.
So yes , having the right equipment makes all the difference. Taking a good picture is nice , but taking a great shot is better . My birthday is coming up in September so I'm going to treat myself, now I have a lot of research to do.

Thank you all for your valuable information