Birding Kit: Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking...

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

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

The D500 might be 4 years old, but is still a great camera.
It looks like Nikon is heading more and more in the mirrorless direction.
So there might not be many more DX cameras coming down the pike.

will

Bill_de Loc: US

John Howard wrote:

Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera.

Depends on the cameras. A D850 has about the same resolution in DX mode as the D500. That's because the D850 has a lot more pixels.

If you compare an FF and DX camera with the same pixel count, putting the FF into DX mode would give you a lower resolution.

Basically you need to be comparing apples to apples.

The D500 is an excellent camera. I've had mine for a number of years and have no intention of getting rid of it.

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MadMikeOne Loc: So. NJ Shore - a bit west of Atlantic City

John Howard wrote:

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

I shoot birds and wildlife with my beloved D500 and my 1st ever prime lens - the Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF. Very recently, I considered adding a D850, but decided against it. If my D500 were to die, I would replace it with another D500 in half a heart beat.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I use a D850 / D500 combination. When I can fill the frame, it's the D850. When I can't, it's the D500. BTW, the D500 has a 7% higher pixel density than the D850, so the D500 will put more pixels on your subject than the D850 is in DX mode.

There was a presentation that Nikon Rumors summarized and Nikon is supposed to announce 2 new dslrs for 2021, but it did not say whether or not one of them would be DX. Nikon is also releasing several new F-mounts lenses in 2021 as well.

If I were starting from scratch, the way to go right now is the Canon R5, which has the best AF system of any of the major camera brands. Canon also has an under $1000 600mm f/11 and 800mm f/11 lenses that get excellent reviews for wildlife / birding. I know, I know, everyone wants fast glass, but buy these to start with and buy faster long glass as money allows.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

John Howard wrote:

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

I use the D500 as an all-around camera. There's really nothing you can ask of it that it cannot deliver. It is difficult to imagine what an updated model might deliver that it cant do now...maybe a couple of the nifty functions that the D850 has, maybe a half stop or full stop of additional dynamic range with a newer-generation sensor. But that's about it. I also have a D850, and when the two cameras are both set up the same, I'd challenge anyone to identify from a print which image came from which camera. For night-sky photography, extreme wide angle shots and maybe a couple of other assignments, the D850 is a better choice. But the 21 MP image from the D500 is just about perfect most of the time, and it is the camera I carry most often for anything else.

Ourspolair

Have you thought about a Z50?

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

John Howard wrote:

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

If you are looking for reach, then the problem is not the sensor size. You need to get closer to your subjects. Try that instead of a camera. What lens(es) are you using?

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

I have both a D500 and Z50 (as well as a Z6). The Z50 is a great little camera, but for birding, the AF on the D500 is unbeatable. I, too, would seek to the D500 with another if mine ever failed. Even considering picking up a « gently used » one as backup. They are great cameras.

tcthome Loc: NJ

Get it. I'm thinking of getting it also. What do shoot with now &, how many pixels when in crop mode?

zenagain Loc: Pueblo CO

Strodav wrote:

I use a D850 / D500 combination. When I can fill ... (show quote)

Talking with a guy who works at Mikes Camera in Colo. Springs, he claims the 2 new dslr's are just basically updates. One a d550 and the other a d880.
But it is just talk..... You know rumors.

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

John Howard wrote:

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

Age has nothing to do with it. The D500 with the Nikon 200-500 was, and still is the gold standard for birds in flight. FOR THE PRICE there is still nothing on the market that can compare to the reach and sharpness of this combo. CASE CLOSED.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

John Howard wrote:

Thinking of adding a DX camera to my birding equipment for the extra reach. Have been reading that the IQ is better than simply going to DX mode on an FX camera. Thinking of the D500, but it is 4 years old. Wondering if there are rumors of a Nikon replacement or upgrade pending. Giving the deals being offered I think maybe. Went to Nikon Rumors and could not get any info. Thoughts?

Have you consider a blind...cost under $100.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

zenagain wrote:

Talking with a guy who works at Mikes Camera in Colo. Springs, he claims the 2 new dslr's are just basically updates. One a d550 and the other a d880.
But it is just talk..... You know rumors.

What Nikon really needs is a mirrorless counterpart to the D500 maybe the Z55? Should be the same or better epic performance AF wise and fps. Nikon needs to up their game in 2021-2022 to survive and thrive. The Z7ii not quite on par with the D850 but getting there - maybe the Z8 will fit that mold. Maybe they should consider a hybrid optical/ EVF mirrorless bridge DSLR - they have the patent!

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

chrisg-optical wrote:

What Nikon really needs is a mirrorless counterpart to the D500 maybe the Z55? Should be the same or better epic performance AF wise and fps. Nikon needs to up their game in 2021-2022 to survive and thrive. The Z7ii not quite on par with the D850 but getting there - maybe the Z8 will fit that mold. Maybe they should consider a hybrid optical/ EVF mirrorless bridge DSLR - they have the patent!

Interesting, Nikon just posted really great results for their mirrorless camera's. They have UPED THERE GAME.