Brenda_md Loc: Jefferson, MD

I have been doing a fair amount of research on these two camera options since last year as well as taking online courses at Digital Photography School. For my interest in all things nature and wildlife (including close-ups), I am leaning toward the D500 vice the D7500. I like the faster autofocus and from my research, the D500 is possibly a good all-around camera for landscapes, etc. The D500 is heavier than the D80, but it is what it is. Using the D80 for some of the class assignments (18-135mm) lens has been a bit limiting at times. The plus with either of these two new camera options, my current 18-135mm lens will still work. For a telephoto lens, I am looking at the Tamron 18-400mm for wildlife shooting. Any opinions one way or the other between the D500 and D7500? Also, for a landscape lens, is there one I should consider adding later in lieu of the 18-135mm lens I currently have?

wetreed

I have the D500 with the Tamron 18-400. It’s a great combination. You can not go wrong with this. It’s not just for sports, it’s also a great all around camera.

Uncawalt Loc: Rimrock AZ

Hi Brenda, i agree with your choice for the D500. For an everyday lens, i chose the Nikon 18-300 for its durability and serviceability AND not having to change lenses in outdoor conditions until i go to a long telephoto. i know Tamron makes good lenses, but a service experience i had with them some time ago brought me back to Nikon... i shoot in dusty and sometimes wet outdoor conditions and my Nikons have stood the test of time and expedition use. Good luck and great light as you continue!

Ron 717 Loc: Pennsylvania

I upgraded to the D500 from a D7200 a couple of years ago. Fantastic camera, especially for wildlife because of its very fast burst speed. If you use an QXD card or a CF express card they will not limit you on burst speed. I also use a fast SD card in the second slot and set the camera to record on both. That's just my setup and it works for me.
Either the Nikon 18-300mm lens or the Tampon 18-400mm lens would serve you well.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Brenda, the D500 would be a great choice for you. Additionally, I'd suggest only using Nikon lenses with it.
--Bob

nealbralley Loc: Kansas

I have two D500s and they are superb cameras. They are a considerable step-up from anything in the D7000-series of cameras. I have used Nikkor 200-500mm lens and the Nikkor 500mm f/5.6, PF lenses with excellent results. For sports and wildlife shooting you can't beat that camera body. You can fire 10 fps, I believe, and you can do that for 20 seconds without filling the buffer. It stops at 200 shots because Nikon programmed it to stop at 200 -- so it won't shoot forever if shutter release gets depressed in you camera bag.

You can buy newer, but I am not sure you can really buy something materially better regardless of source or manufacturer.

The D500 is more than good-enough camera body by any measure! I absolutely recommend this camera.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I have two D500s that I use for everything when a full frame camera is not required. I do not shoot sports or wildlife or birds. They are simply a pleasure to shoot, and can do essentially everything that a D850 can do. (The D850 is about one stop better in terms of dynamic range and low light sensitivity.) My favorite lens for this camera has become the full frame 24-120mm f/4, although I also have and use the 17-55mm f/2.8. (If I need wider, I use the D850 or stitch a panorama.) This is a high-resolution camera (basically the same sensor density as the D850), so even though I have an 18-200mm VR II lens, I don't use it unless there is a specific reason in a casual situation.

The D500 comes from the factory with the Picture Controls set to produce quite unremarkable JPEGs or raw starting points. But with a little tweaking, it can produce beautiful images right out of the camera. I suggest increasing at least saturation and sharpness.

You are going to find the control location structure somewhat different from your D80, but it is quite straightforward to learn. And you can make most "field" adjustments without entering the menu.

I believe that you will be pleased with the choice.

Brenda_md Loc: Jefferson, MD

Thanks all for the comments. I will relook at my telephoto lens choices.

Alphabravo2020

The D7500 is overpriced for what you get. I don't like that they deleted the dual card slot and the aperture preview function among other things. I ended up going from a D5000 series to a D7200 instead, and eventually added a D850.

I would not prefer a crop sensor for landscape, but certainly the D500 should be top of line for wildlife and long lenses.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

First let's talk cameras....

The Nikon D500 is a good camera for wildlife and sports photography... wouldn't be my first choice for landscapes, cityscapes, etc., though of course it can be used for those purposes. The D7500 is sort of like a "D500 Lite", similar design, just not quite as capable and high performance to be able to sell at a lower price.

Without going full frame, in my opinion the best recent Nikon for "all around" purposes is the D7200. It's discontinued, but widely available used (look for low mileage copies on MPB.com, where they're currently under $600).

The D7200 has a 24MP sensor... roughly 15% more resolution than either the D7500 or the D500, both of which use a 20.9MP sensor.

D7200 also has dual memory card slots, something missing from the D7500, but available in the D500.

The D500 has the most advanced AF system of these three models. As the newer model, the D7500's AF system is similar to and slightly improved over the D7200's. But there will be no noticeable difference for landscape photography. The D500 would be the best of the three for sports action and active wildlife.

The D7200's rear LCD screen is higher resolution than the D7500's, but the D7200's is not articulated or a Touch Screen, like the D7500's. The D500's screen tilts and is a Touch Screen, too.

The D7500 and D500 can shoot at 8 and 10 frames per second respectively, while the D7200 can only do 6 fps. This is meaningless for landscape and similar photography, but the fast burst rate can be desirable for fast action photography such as sports and some wildlife. But you've been shooting with a D80 that has a top speed of 3 fps, so as far as you're concerned any of these cameras will be a big improvement for any type of photography.

D7200 and D500 both can optionally be fitted with a vertical/battery grip. The D7500 is not designed to use an accessory grip and Nikon doesn't make one for it. There are third party grip D7500, but they lack the controls of the "true" grips and don't increase battery capacity.

Coming from a D80 any of the above cameras will be a big step up. You will find better image quality across the board... especially D7200, which has most resolution and best dynamic range of all these cameras. You'll also find high ISOs much more usable than your D80 with any of these. The D7200 represents a huge step up, while both D500 and D7500 are even slightly more capable than D7200.

You also might want to consider the mirrorless Z50 (20.9MP, same as D500 & D7500), which can use many F-mount lenses via an adapter (probably including your lenses, but you should confirm if considering Z50). Mirrorless has some advantages and disadvantages compared to DSLRs. Be aware of those. Some here will tell you that mirrorless is the future and they aren't wrong. This year will probably see more mirrorless sold than DSLRs for the first time. All the research and development is going toward mirrorless systems. Now, this doesn't mean a DSLR bought today can't serve just fine... and some people prefer them for various reasons (better battery life, full time optical viewfinder, etc.).

Then there is cost:

Nikon D500 $1597 body only, 20.9MP (MB-D17 grip $367)
Nikon D7500 $997 body only, 20.9MP (MB-D15 grip $239)
Nikon Z50 (20.9MP) $857 body only,
$997 w/16-50mm Z lens,
$1197 w/16-50 & 50-250 Z lenses.
Nikon FTZ adapter $250
D7200 <$600 used body only, 24MP (MB-D15 grip <$90 used)

More detailed comparisons:

D80 versus D7200: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D7200-vs-Nikon-D80
D500 versus D7200: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D500-vs-Nikon-D7200
D7500 versus D7200: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-D7500-vs-Nikon-D7200
Z50 versus D7200: https://cameradecision.com/compare/Nikon-Z50-vs-Nikon-D7200

You can search online and find lots of even more detailed comparisons and reviews for any of these cameras.

Now let's look at lenses for landscape photography:

Nikkor AF-P DX 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR is a very affordable lens that would be an excellent ultrawide for landscape photography with any of the newer DSLRs (note: AF-P lenses will not autofocus on your D80). It also has VR image stabilization that's not common on ultrawides and can be adapted for use on the Z50. Cost is $307 for the lens, $24 for the separately sold HB-81 lens hood (highly recommended).

Nikkor AF-S DX 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED is another excellent ultrawide, but it's very overpriced at $897.

Nikkor AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED would be another great choice for landscapes, but is even more overpriced at $1147.

There are some similar ultrawides from Sigma, Tamron and Tokina.... But there's really very little reason to consider those since the Nikkor 10-20mm is more affordable than any of them and is a very good lens.

Lenses for wildlife photography:

Forget the Tamron 18-400mm. It's not a bad lens for an "all in one" zoom and relatively affordable ($599), but it isn't as fast focusing as some other lenses and that can be a problem for wildlife photography. You also don't really need a lens that duplicates so much of the focal lengths you already have.

100-400mm lenses are offered by both Sigma and Tamron and are similarly priced ($799). Between those two, I'd recommend the Tamron because it's a little brighter through much of the zoom range and because it can optionally be fitted with a tripod mounting ring (which I'd recommend, it costs $129). There is no option to fit a tripod ring to the Sigma lens, which is slightly smaller but a wee bit heavier than the Tamron (adding the tripod ring to the Tamron pushes it's weight higher than the Sigma).

In my opinion, a longest zoom focal length of 400mm is about the bare minimum for a wildlife zoom. Someone who primarily photographs larger critters or simply wants to keep size and weight to a minimum might choose a zoom that's "only" 400mm (which is still quite powerful). But some people want more. For that reason quite a few of the lenses I list or at the link below go to 500mm or 600mm. Just be aware these will be bigger and heavier (though all do include a tripod ring).

150-600mm lenses are also being offered by both Sigma and Tamron. The Sigma "Contemporary" or general consumer grade 160-600 is currently on sale for $899. The Tamron 150-600mm "G2" is a newer and superior lens, but also a lot more expensive at $1399. The Sigma "Sports" or more pro-oriented version is the best built of the three and may have slightly better image quality than the Tamron G2, but it's also a lot bigger and heavier, as well as quite a bit more expensive at $1999.

Nikkor AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6E ED VR is very popular among Nikon shooters, offering a lot of value for the money. It's currently on sale for under $1100 (regularly $1397).

Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is another very popular lens, both sharper and smaller than the Nikkor 200-500mm.... but more expensive at almost $2300.

Here's a more complete list of the telephoto zooms for wildlife photography:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/products/SLR-Camera-Lenses/ci/274/N/4288584247?sort=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH&filters=fct_lens-mount_3442%3Anikon-f%2Cfct_lens-type_3446%3Asuper-telephoto%7Ctelephoto%7Ctelephoto-zoom%2Cfct_zoom-focal-lengths_2206%3A100-400mm%7C120-300mm%7C150-600mm%7C180-400mm%7C200-500mm%7C80-400mm

Finally the link below compares in more detail the four I'd recommend most highly for your consideration. Particularly note the size, weight, filter size, etc.:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/compare/Tamron_100-400mm_f_4.5-6.3_Di_VC_USD_Lens_for_Nikon_F_vs_Nikon_AF-S_NIKKOR_80-400mm_f_4.5-5.6G_ED_VR_Lens_vs_Nikon_AF-S_NIKKOR_200-500mm_f_5.6E_ED_VR_Lens_vs_Tamron_SP_150-600mm_f_5-6.3_Di_VC_USD_G2_for_Nikon_F/BHitems/1362803-REG_936121-REG_1175034-GREY_1277357-REG

Brenda_md Loc: Jefferson, MD

[quote=amfoto1]First let's talk cameras....

That is a lot of info. I did use the Camera Decision website in comparing the cameras. Good point about duplicating focal points too. I do realize there are much longer lenses, but they also get quite large. I will relook at the telephoto lenses. Thanks.

CO

I have two D500's and one D7500. The D500 gets the job done like no other camera I've used. Its autofocus system is superior to the one in the D7500. All of my lenses focus a little faster on my D500 than on my D7500 or D750. Its dual memory card system is a plus. I set the second card to backup. It uses one XQD card and one SD card (it's compatible with UHS-II speed SD cards). The D500 and D7500 share the same sensor though. The image quality is equal. I love that the D500 has so many controls on the outside. Once you have your basic settings set in, you won't need to go into the menus.

I agree with amfoto1 above about the Tamron 18-400mm lens. Stay away from superzoom lenses. One problem you can experience is inconsistent focusing accuracy at different focal lengths. I have checked superzoom lenses that I have rented for focusing accuracy at different focal lengths. They are usually all over the place. My Nikon 80-400mm AF-S lens focuses very accurately throughout the entire zoom range. I have checked mine using the DataColor SpyderLensCal at 80, 105, 135, 200, 300, and 400mm. It focuses almost perfectly at all focal lengths. Another problem with superzoom lenses is color fringing. You can often get a purple outline around high contrast subjects.

Drbobcameraguy Loc: Eaton Ohio

Nigel the Nikon ambassador uses a 24-70f2.8 in a lot of his landscape shoots. Not at the wide open setting but he is an interesting person. I watched a discussion he had on Sat for an hour. Very educational.

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

I have used the D500 with the Nikon 200-500 for wildlife photography in Florida for the past 5 years. The focusing system on the D500 is the same one in the D850 and D5. It is a double processor and very accurate. You get more frames per second with the D500 and gives you the advantage of getting that perfect shot.
The D500 is an action camera designed to do wildlife photography. Don't short change yourself.

uhaas2009

Updated to higher pro camera. I was using the 7000/7100 and the focus system on my 810 is way better than the 7xxx. The tokina 100 responded to the 810 perfectly. On the 7xxx the tokina focus without finding focus.
The 500 is a DX body and some lenses are DX and if you use a DX on a FF you lose pics