BluesImprov

A few days ago I was literally on the verge of buying a Nikon D500. . .BUT just as I was about to go ahead with the purchase a friend (?) told me I better research the murky future of XQD cards before I buy. He says XQD cards are going away and a camera like the D500 is going to have problems when those cards are discontinued by everyone. I have to say, this has caused me to pause and reconsider. I'm wondering if there are any experienced D500 users here who are also concerned about this. He also said Nikon will have to come up with a firmware update to try to make the XQD card slot on the D500 work with the new cf-express cards. . .He says the cf-express cards are the future of card technology. He says there is no way to know if such a firmware update would actually work, or work very well. So now I'm thoroughly confused about whether to invest in this camera or not. It's the right price range for me and has the features I want, but I can't afford to spend this much money only to have an ongoing card problem to deal with. I was so excited to make this purchase but now I'm kinda depressed about the situation. Are there any D500 users who have any thoughts about this? And, of course, the thoughts of any shooters using a different camera model that also uses XQD's would be appreciated. Thanks for reading, and thanks for any ideas you might have about this!

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

With the number of cameras currently supporting the XQD card, I scarcely think Sony would be discontinuing this product. So, the question is on what authority is your friend basing his statement.
--Bob

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

So, buy the camera and a lifetime supply of XQD cards.

SoCal Dave

Simple firmware upgrade... No reason for panic... From Nikon itself "CFexpress memory card support will be added to the Nikon D5 (XQD-Type), Nikon D850, and Nikon D500 digital SLR cameras as well."

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

I have the D500. I had never heard of XQD cards before purchasing. When I started looking to buy an XQD card I couldn't believe how expensive they are. I've only had the D500 for about 6 weeks and have only used it with SD cards. Dual slots have never impressed me and I don't know that I will ever buy an XQD card, or miss it if I don't. How long does it take to swap out SD cards?

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I believe that it depends a lot on how you plan to use your D500. I don't do burst shooting, so I have my D500 and D850 set up with the SD slot as primary. My larger capacity cards are SD cards, and I use XQD cards of about half the capacity as secondary. A couple of button presses can switch the cards if I should need that to happen. At this time, I haven't had any problem finding more cards. I just try to pick one up occasionally so that I'll have a supply.

Also important is to handle and use the cards properly. I still have every CF card ever bought since 2007 and every SD card bought since I bought my D300s, and they all still work just fine. But a lot of that longevity revolves around careful handling and following a good, logical process around moving files to their final destination and periodically reformatting the cards. There is no reason to believe that the XQD cards are any less reliable and durable than those older cards.

Japanese manufacturing companies have a long history around obsoleting products, whether it is Mikasa discontinuing popular china or stoneware patterns without warning, Yaesu making specialized replacement batteries unavailable for their two-way radios, rendering them obsolete, or Nikon discontinuing perfectly serviceable camera models, like they did with the D300s and have done with a number of other models since. That will always be a risk with these products. It is also possible that updating these cameras to CFExpress cards may be a one-way change. It is entirely possible that once the change is made, those cameras will no longer be able to use XQD cards. Might happen that way, might not. We'll just have to wait and see.

So you are going to have to make your decision based on what makes sense today and for the intermediate term. Personally, I am considering buying a second D500 as soon as I can put the funds together. It might be discontinued next week, but that would not affect my plans.

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

If you want to buy a D500, buy it. No excuses.

wetreed

I just bought aD500 six weeks ago and have not used a XQD card yet. When I can afford one I will look into one. You should not let this stop you from buying this camera. The D500 is great and I have no regrets. The sad slot works great.

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

You need to find better INFORMED friends!

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I would be a lot more sanguine about future of XQD if Sony would use them in their latest camera.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

I have a Nikon D500 and the Nikon Z7 and both use the XQD cards and that is all I use. Not worried. Card technology keeps changing but the older cards are still available.

CO

I read that Nikon has started to produce their own XQD cards. It looks like they're only available in Japan right now. I found them on the Nikon Japan store. I would think they would bring them over here. I have two D500's. I hope there's never a shortage.

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twice_shooter

The fastest path to misery is to worry about things that have yet to happen.

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

I would say your friend is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, how many times would I have to repeat this for you to believe me.
Nikon is heavily invented in these and has put them on their flagship camera's, D500, D850, and D5. Companies do not do that unless they are sure of the future.
So, you let a friend (and I use that word lightly) because he is not, persuade you on your buying decisions? I wonder if the thousands of folks who bought D500's were also listening to their supposed friends?
Better continue to listen to him, maybe he can make all of your decisions for you. Is he a photographer? What camera does he shoot? How long has he been a photographer? What qualifications does he have to make such a decision?

bengbeng Loc: Houston, Texas

Your friend is right XQD is about to be superceeded and the prices are artificially high because of the Sony licensing terms/ near monopoly. Fortunately , Nikon have stated that existing cameras using XQD can be upgraded to be able to use the new cards via a firmware upgrade. Chances are that initially at least you won’t see CFExpress cards at rock bottom prices , but they are the future. So enjoy the D500 with an SD card and then if you need go CFExpress later