JeetND

I love wildlife photography. Photography is not my profession but i like to give voice to the voiceless mainly through pictures.
I love Bigcats. I also do click birds if chances arise, wouldn't like to miss them. But bigcats are a priority.
I spent maximum 1-2 months in a year in the jungles, rest i have to work. So, i don't want to miss any chances because of less reach, or angle of view.

I am confused between the D750 and D500. The D850 is out of budget. The other Dxx series is not at all available here or older ones like D3s.

The bigcats are mainly active in early morning and late evening especially the tigers, which i shoot mostly as they are in India.
But these leads to low light scenarios.

I currently own the D3400 with 18-55mm & 70-300mm VR kit lenses which is good upto 2000 ISO & have used D7100(rented) which was good till ISO 3200 max. But picture quality takes a hit after 1600 ISO in both.

I have recently got an used Nikon 70-200mm VR II f2.8 for 785 USD and an used Nikon 200-500mm f/5.6 for 642 USD.

I know the D500 have all the fancy features of D5 and D750 have nothing of those features, even a max of 15 raw bursts buffer. But it has low light performance which helps with shutter speed when handholding. There is no room for tripods or monopods in shared vehicles. I will be attaching a few images with focal lengths if possible, you can check them.

Price of D500- 1614 USD ( Also have noticed a grain present in D500 shots, in sunlight for birds its not noticeable but in shades for mammals i can see it in few images)

Price of D750- 1271 USD, used around 930 USD
Price of D7200- 700 USD, used around 400 USD

So, i could get a used D7200 and a new D750 for the price of a new D500.

D7100 300mm 1/500s ISO 1250 f/6.3

JeetND

Sorry guys, couldn't attach other images, shows some kind of error,address temporarily down or moved something.

CO

I have both a D750 and D500. The D500 is the superior camera for wildlife. It has Nikon's best autofocus system. The D5, D500, and D850 have Nikon's best autofocus. They're the first Nikons to have a processor dedicated to just the autofocus. With the D500 you get extra reach because it's a DX format camera and because it has a higher pixel density. The D500 can shoot at 10 frames per second as compared to 6.5 for the D750 and has an almost unlimited buffer.

The D750 would have slightly less digital noise at high ISO settings but the D500 images are very clean. The D500 is far superior for wildlife though.

(Download)

Don, the 2nd son Loc: Crowded Florida

I saw and was impressed by an article on UHH about high school night/low light success with an older Nikon a D300 or a D3 I think. Perhaps 12MP sensor. Search back a couple of months ago here, the low light image quality was excellent.

sergiohm

I would get the Nikon Z6 with the Adapter for the F mount lenses because of better low light and IS. The only caveat is the 1 card slot.

JeetND

Yes i know the D500. I think it doesn't have a motor dedicated to Autofocus like the D5 but still the D500 is a beast. But can it handle 6400 ISO and above ?
I could get the reach if i buy a D7500 and also get 8 fps, 50 raw buffer.
I could get the low noise performance of a D750, if i buy used.
For the price of new D500, i could get a D750 used and a D7500 new.
I now focus with only 11 points of D3400 and never ran out of buffer and also the 51 points on D7100 seemed enough. Hardly will need 153 points, mostly will use Group autofocus (4 points) and single point.
Thanks

JeetND

D3 is a full frame and D300 is DX i think.

JeetND

Its lot pricier around 2228 USD and its battery performance not as good as DSLRs. These interior areas are full of powercuts and total absence of electricity. I have to buy double amount of battery than a DSLR for trips.
Not ready to go mirrorless way, yet. Its still costly.
D850 would be better instead of Z6.

uhaas2009

I love my used 810. My 7000 collecting disk. I love my 810 when I crop a image I’m impressed how much I can vs the 7000. Just saying because I don’t comparing camera’s right now......

CO

The D500 does have the dedicated processor like the D5. The D5, D500, and D850 are the only Nikons that have that processor. The D7500 and the D500 share the exact same sensor. What do you gain by purchasing two cameras? Get the best one for wildlife.

I have both the D500 and D750. The D500's autofocus runs circles around the D750's autofocus. The D750 is what I use for portraits mostly.

JeetND

D810, D800 or D800e is not available.
Yes even after cropping 1.5x it will be similar to D500.

JeetND

With two bodies i could get the reach when needed with full 20mp with the D7500 and with the D750 i will cover the low light scenarios. My setup will be like this-
D3400+18-55mm VR f/4.5-5.6
D7500+70-200mm VR f/2.8
D750+200-500mm VR f/5.6, when more reach is needed i could switch to D7500+200-500mm VR f/5.6.

With D500, i get reach and autofocus facilities. But not the low light.
Thats also the difference between D5 and D500. With D500 my setup would be like this-
D3400+70-200mm f/2.8
D500+200-500mm f/5.6

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Hopefully you will will continue your research before making your final decision.

Dalek Loc: Detroit, Miami, Goffstown

D500 with extra battery or the extra grip with the D5 battery, a wonderful combination + the 200-500.

JeetND

Is it good above ISO 6400- ISO 8000 ?
I hate noise, thats it.