dreamMaker

I currently shoot a Nikon 7100 and I would like to upgrade. I thought I wanted a full frame camera but many people are pushing me towards the Nikon 500 when they hear I shoot a lot of sports. I am also just a mom who shoots everything from her kids portraits, to Sunday morning sunrises, to Saturday afternoon soccer games. Can anymore please give me some direction? I shoot on manual, and I am not a professional but I am not too bad either!

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Before I look at some comparisons, I'm going to recommend the D500. I never had any interest in the D800 series.

Read comparisons and specs, and decide what features are important to you.
(Reviews) https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCameraStoreTV/videos
http://cameras.reviewed.com/
http://camerasize.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
http://snapsort.com/compare
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

djb663 Loc: Massachusetts

I currently shoot both cameras. The D810, hands down, gives you a lot more to work with in post processing, far greater dynamic range so you can manipulate highlights and shadows. That's great for landscape shooting. The D500 is my go-to recreational action camera (I have a D4S as well). I keep a long zoom on it and use it mostly for birds in flight or dog bite training. The D500 is lighter, in my opinion focuses faster, and meets most needs. Finally, it may be about time for the D810 replacement to come out, so if you're not in a rush, the D810 may have another price drop eventually. One last note, if you're shooting alot of indoor sports the D500 does better with a little higher iso and the file size is smaller too. Good luck!!

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

I love my D810, but I'd NEVER use it for sports.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I have both and my wife took my D7100! You prioritized sports,so that makes D500 an easy choice. If I had to give up one it would be the 810 because wildlife is my dominant use. The 500 focusing system is superb.

turp77 Loc: Connecticut, Plainfield

You need to pm to Dave O he has both. I have the 810 and am very pleased with it. From the pictures I've seen and what I have read and listened about the 500 it would do you well with what you said you shoot. Good luck

orrie smith Loc: Kansas

The d500 is a great camera, and if most of your lenses are DX, then the d500 would be a great choice. Otherwise, you will need to reinvest in FX lenses to get the full effect of a full frame camera. If you have FX lenses, then going full frame would be a reasonable choice, although if you shoot a lot of action, the d500 will give you 10 frames per second. The portraits and sunrises would be better with a full frame camera, but the cropped sensor will take great shots also. If you do decide to go full frame, and cost is a concern, you may want to check out the d750 also. It is not as great as the d810, but it is still a great camera at a lower cost.

mymike Loc: Tucson, AZ

Hi dreamcatcher. Another consideration is that your lenses for your 7100 I take it our DX and will work perfectly on the D500 which is also a DX like the 7100. If you have a camera store near you, go and see if you can handle both and see what feels good to you. Another consideration is the cost for lenses for the D810 which is a full frame (FX) camera. While you can get excellant glass, the lenses are expensive. Good luck.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Hey,Turp! Long time no see! Yes,I succumbed to the D810 intrigue! I love it's color rendition and enjoy using it for specific purposes,but the D500 is my pleasure with the birding and grandkids sports that I've been doing. PM me if you get interested in knowing where there are close Osprey,Green Heron and great Blue heron. Dave.

Leaving for a couple hours.

John Howard Loc: SW Florida and Blue Ridge Mountains of NC.

I agree with this. If you want to transition to FF without the added issue of so many pixels (need for better glass, micro blur, etc) try the D750. I have the 8xx and the 750 and shoot both about equally. 750 for wildlife and 810 for landscape. I know the 500 gets good ratings and a great birder I follow uses it exclusively. I would further suggest you think a bit longer term and if you think you'll eventually have a FF camera then come up with a lens strategy. Start collecting FX lenses that give you the length you want on your DX camera. Then when you do go FX you'll have a lot of what you need.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

As long as shooting sports is merely one item on your list of many items, definitely go for the D810.

If more than half of what you do is sports, and those are the shots you live for, go with a D500 or better yet get a used or refurbished D5. They really are specialized cameras that make basic tradeoffs to get high frame rates and high ISO performance. The main advantage of the D500 is lower cost than the D5.

The D810 won't shoot at 10 frames per second. Do you ever shoot in bursts on highspeed continuous??? Do you ever shoot higher than ISO 8000??? If not you will never need what the D500 offers, and will suffer the lack of what a D810 allows you to do. High dynamic range and more pixels are much more likely to affect your photography (even sports).

For a reference point I used both a D4 and a D800 from their initial release. For some time now I have switched to a D5 and a D810.

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Your about to get several hundred responses to your question. This should be fun to watch. I'm in the same boat, do I replace my damaged D600 with the D810 or choose the D500 because I like to shoot wildlife.. I also like night photography along with landscapes, macro and portraiture. A complicated decision. D810 gives me better resolution, less noise, and the sharpest results using the same lens. The D500 will give me that extra reach, more frames per second, lighter weight and less money out of pocket. If you can afford the best I would say get the best. All cameras have limitations and it's up to the photographer to learn these and to work around them to get the the best possible photograph. Are you up for that challenge, not many are....

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

dreamMaker your initial inference on a desire for full frame is in my humble estimation indeed valid... At the commercial level it is the rule not the exception and for compelling reasons... Most notably IQ and more importantly subject isolation if you aspire to shoot in the sports arena... one rather serious misconception with DX (APS-C) sensors is they provide more reach for full frame optics since they only utilize the center half of a full frame image circle... This comes with a dear price of loss of DOF subject isolation... and for soccer this can be (and typically is) a critical component of image excellence...

My question to you is why you are limiting your search to only the D810? While vendor hype has push this platform to center stage in my experience precious few actually benefit from the acuity latent in it's bloated files... Yes for high end commercial studio work it is likely one of the current best choices... but if you advance to the level where post processing enters the image equation you will have to upgrade your workstation and even then the slow response can cripple PP workflow... My commercial clients do not have even the slightest issue with my D3x imagery, if/when they do I may seek a replacement for the aforementioned.

As for the D500? Lot's of outstanding features, albeit IQ isn't one of them... DxOmark rates it's sensor far below the D610 and surprisingly even the D7200... You will leave much on the table with that platform for the gain of frame rate... That said for niche users such as BIF it's cherished for high frame rate since even the most adept among them still must rely on "spray and pray" in hopes to achieve success...

But for Soccer? Nope even 5 frames per second is more than adequate... and trust me a soccer player is considerable larger than a bird and is not moving at speeds approaching 100 mph... lol

Love soccer it is my passion as such I shoot league matches... My choice for soccer is always full frame and I've tried the D7200 here and it's want of subject isolation is more than disappointing... The acid test is to attend a professional soccer match and observe the kit used... without exception it is full frame... period!

Trust that those who champion DX APS-C format will share their soccer images so you can objectively judge the merits of APS-C sensors... Here are samples from a FX Nikon D3x with a AF-S 200-400mm f/4G IF ED VR and another from a FX Nikon D610 with a AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...
I wish you well on your journey dreamMaker...

Nikon D3x with an AF-S 200-400mm f/4G IF ED VR

(Download)

Nikon D610 with a AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR

(Download)

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

oldtigger Loc: Roanoke Virginia-USA

Have and love my 810 but its not the camera for your interests.