Gabyto

Only the D850 is mentioned as great deal. The other 2 cameras are never mentioned?.

Gabyto

In reality not everyone can afford the new technology. The new lenses will cost you a kidney. I rather guide some one with super great deals in the so call old technology. The D750 can be purchase with a lens with less than $1,500 almost new. You can not get a z camera equal to the 750 with a lens for that price. Also the Z lenses will be on back order for a while until things start getting back to normal. The dslr will have tons of lenses at great prices.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I disagree with Paul a little bit here. I'd be a little bit iffy about buying any of the top DSLRs used unless I knew and was very confident of how they had been treated. They are very complicated gadgets and it's pretty easy to damage their internals. Just be very careful.

There is no question that the D850 is a great camera. But 46 MP is a lot and can sometimes be a burden. If you can't really justify it, I'd look for a D810 instead. It's available for a lot less money, has an incredible smooth, quiet shutter, and will do probably 98% of what a D850 can do, just at 36 MP, which is plenty most of the time. There are some really nice D850 features missing from the D810, but nothing that will prevent you from taking great pictures.

For a DX camera, there's really nothing else that comes close to the D500. They are not quite as easy to find, and the ones I've seen in what I
consider buyable condition can be more expensive than the D810.

I've not looked at consumer grade cameras on the used market, so won't speak to them. I do own and shoot all three of the cameras I've discussed.

Gabyto

I know the beast D500 is a great camera. I am not very familiar with the other. I really do not put too much time in the web because some information is miss leading. I rather get my from the real users. In your opinion what is the biggest difference between these 2 cameras?.

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

What do you shoot, BIF, wildlife, landscape, sports water falls. Do you want to make large prints then the d850 is great; but the D850 requires the best and sharpest glass you can afford. I was very disappointed with the 28-300 zoom it was not sharp; I returned it to B&H and bought the f2.8 24 to 70 and 70 to 200. Reviews shows that primes are sharper; but so far I am satisfied.

The D500 is good for BIF and wildlife long lenses; again lots of dollars. Most of the time the D500 with the 18 to 300 zoom works well for me as a walk around setup when I do not want the weight of the d850 and associated lenses. the 18 to 300 is as sharp as the F 2.8 lenses. I have made good 24 x 36 with the D500. I took the D500 to Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro for a month and got home yesterday. I think it worked well; as i have not reviewed the shots. Most issues are operator error.

I bought the D 500 first and then the D850 when I wanted more detail at larger prints. It is my carry around when at home.

If you want wide angle the full frame works better. Check the Nikon USA website for specifics on lenses. Nikon sometimes has good prices on sale items
You need to define what you shoot, and then the budget.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

At this point, all my cameras were purchased used. Given the new cameras I've bought in the past, coupled with later buying used, I really don't see myself buying a new camera again, as in 'new' being the first owner. If they're built to last for 150,000 to 400,000 shutters for the original owner, they're likely to be just as long-lived for you. There's plenty of tips here, and the general internet, on where to buy and how to inspect / assess a used camera. Certainly, for a camera from 2017 (D850) or older (D810, D750, so forth), buying used either is the only option, or is the only logical / cost-effective option.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

A good used or refurbished D850 - "master of all trades" FF

Ditto for D500 but for sports/bird/wildlife A+ (a D850 in crop mode is almost a D500)

These two would be an ideal pair together covering 99.9% of photography genres.

n4jee Loc: New Bern, NC

The best DSLR is the D850. The question was the best deal. The best deal would be a Nikon D2x in the $2-300 range. This 10MP camera sold for over $5K new and is built like a tank. I gave mine to my daughter and told her that if she was ever attacked, that the camera swinging at the end of it's strap was a formidable weapon. No carry permit required. The workmanship is beautiful and built to take the beating that some pros subject their cameras to. A 12MP D3 in the $5-700 range would also be a good deal but I've never owned one of them.

BebuLamar

The D2X is 12MP.

AZNikon Loc: Mesa, AZ

Thanks for your good advice for dedicated Nikon shooters. I bought my D750 new with the intention of making it my last DSLR purchase, and so far, I've stuck to my guns. I'm even ignoring the temptation to go mirrorless with the Z series. When I'm too old to lift my D750, I'll just switch to my Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G full time. Sure, it has limitations, but so does an old man .

therwol Loc: USA

I agree with you totally, but the OP wanted to talk about DSLRs, and when the D750 versus D780 came up, I just pointed out that the D780 can do video better. I do think it's overpriced. Personally, I still use a camcorder for video. I tried it on my D850 and was disappointed. (Nothing else about the camera disappoints me.)

photoman43

There are two of them: D850 and D500. You may need both or just one of them depending on what you like to shoot. D500 for fast action, wildlife sports. D850 for everything else.

I own both and use both and have been a Nikon user since the 1970s.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

All sound advice. And please note that I said I disagreed a little bit. That's based on my experience buying a used camera 5 or 6 years ago that mostly worked fine, but had hidden damage (discovered later) that prevented it from working properly with AI lenses. It was a 7 or 8 year old camera, and no parts were available from Nikon for repair.) It had been abused by a clueless user and was quite a chore to restore to full functionality. I have a history of restoring radios and toy trains and other items, so I was able to bring it back to full operation, with a little help. (No, it was not an economically justifiable endeavor, but it was never intended to be.) My entire foray into medium format film was with used Mamiya equipment back in the 1990s.

And...my D850 had problems out of the box which required warranty repair. That repair would have been at least $800 if I had to pay for it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

And the first reply is from the Canon expert.

You have to decide how much you're willing to spend. I've bought many refurbished and used, and they might as well have been new - except for the warranty, of course. If I wanted a good, older Nikon, I would decide how much I wanted to spend and then look on eBay, KEH, etc., to see what's available.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

The D850 will do it all. Unless you are a professional sports photographer it is great for action, too.