upgrade to a D780 or D850? Hello, If you have seen me before on here, you will know that I shoot aviation. I currently own my late grandfathers D5100 and I am currently saving up to...

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Hello,
If you have seen me before on here, you will know that I shoot aviation. I currently own my late grandfathers D5100 and I am currently saving up to upgrade to a full frame D780, however I just learned about how much detail you lose when cropping on a full frame vs a crop sensor. If anyone owns a D780 (or at least the D750 as the D780 only has like 0.3+ mp more than the D750) for airshows, what is the quality like when you crop in vs the D850.

My plan was to save up for the D780 with the kit lens but if it looks like the D850 is gonna be better, im just gonna get the body. I use a Sigma 150-600mm C for aviation and I have currently got 1 UHS-II card 128gb intended for the D780.

lemme know your thoughts,

Thank You

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I prefer a light fast handling 100-400 on crop frame at airshows .....fast handling for extended times is the key IMO.

Lots of weight with the 850 ....

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Are you saving too for FX lenses? If you don't have full-frame lenses, you're wasting your money on a full-frame camera, as the FX camera will need to operate in DX mode with a DX lens. Your Sigma is fine on an FX body, but the question remains: what other FX lenses?

Regarding the D780 vs D750, they're both 24MP FX cameras and the D780 was pretty much a waste of time by Nikon, ignored by most of their customers. Look at a used D750 if a D850 is out of your price range.

You probably should be looking at a D500 or D7500 for your airshow needs, the more logical upgrade from a DX D5100.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

Harry P wrote:

..... I just learned about how much detail you lose when cropping on a full frame vs a crop sensor....

Loss of detail when cropping is a resolution thing. If you compared a FF and a crop sensor with a similar MP count and with similar amounts of PP cropping, I wouldn't expect the FF sensor to give worse results. I would expect the opposite, but the differences would be marginal.

Cropping is one of the few things that justifies high resolution. You comments suggest that detail is important to you, and if that's the case you should go for the higher resolution sensor.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

I mentioned I had a 150-600mm by sigma which is designed for FX cameras. I also have the prime nikkor 50mm f1.4 which is a FX lens too.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

CHG_CANON wrote:

Are you saving too for FX lenses? If you don't hav... (show quote)

I mentioned I had a 150-600mm by sigma which is designed for FX cameras. I also have the prime nikkor 50mm f1.4 which is a FX lens too. (forgot to add in)Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Go with the D850. You won't be sorry.

JohnR Loc: The Gates of Hell

A 24MP D5600 will give you far better results than your 16MP D5100. Much, much lighter than the FX models. Probably pick one up quite cheaply.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

If sensor size is your most important consideration, you might look at a D610. Good frame rate, I think 6fps, Full Frame 24MP. Lighter than the 7XX or 8XX. I have one and I like it. MyD850 is my go-to FF but you can find Like New 610's for sale at MPB for @$700. It's a nice camera!

User ID

Retired CPO wrote:

If sensor size is your most important consideration, you might look at a D610. Good frame rate, I think 6fps, Full Frame 24MP. Lighter than the 7XX or 8XX. I have one and I like it. MyD850 is my go-to FF but you can find Like New 610's for sale at MPB for @$700. It's a nice camera!

Amen.

The D610 is strangely overlooked and under estimated. Its "only" 24MP but most Hogsters know close to nothing about the *realities* of pixel resolution. Therefor they fear cropping down to about 8MP.

therwol Loc: USA

Harry P wrote:

Hello, br If you have seen me before on here, you ... (show quote)

The D850 in the DX mode gives you 19.4 megapixels out of the 45 available in the sensor. This is roughly on par with the D500 and slightly less than the 24 megapixels of the D780. In reading your followup posts, it looks like you're using FX lenses already. If you shoot FX and crop to 20-24 megapixels, you'll be ahead of the camera you are currently using, and you have the option of shooting FX for portraits, landscapes etc with stunning results. For what it's worth, the D780 is far superior to the D850 for video due to its hybrid sensor that can use phase detect autofocus. The downside to the D850 is bulk and weight.

If you're going to buy a new camera these days, wouldn't looking at a mirrorless camera like the Z8 make a lot of sense. I guess it would depend on your budget. The Z8 and Z9 win hands down for autofocus performance and frame rate.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

therwol wrote:

The D850 in the DX mode gives you 19.4 megapixels ... (show quote)

so on that basis, I would be great going with the D780? I struggle to find a load of posts online showing what the detail is like for the D780 when cropped in. a massive concern I have with going mirrorless when I own Nikon F lenses is the battery life of mirrorless and I think i little bit more importantly; Using a Mount adapter to use my lenses on a Z body, if autofocusing works at all or if there is focus speed lag.

Bill_de Loc: US

Harry P wrote:

I mentioned I had a 150-600mm by sigma which is designed for FX cameras. I also have the prime nikkor 50mm f1.4 which is a FX lens too. (forgot to add in)Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro

When using the 150-600 do you wind up cropping a lot? If so the D500 should work just fine. When shooting birds at a distance (relative term) I typically but my 800mm on the D500, rather than cropping.

There are no rules, you just have to see what's best for you.

---

Burkley Loc: Park City

I am extremely impressed with the focusing improvement on rapidly moving objects with the Z8, but it comes at a substantial price compared to the D600-850. My composition fairs much better when I crop a full frame in post processing versus a Dx that shoots cropped. Because of that, the higher pixel numbers are extremely beneficial. The D850 may be heavier, but the weight needs to be balanced against the 45 Mp. That said, all of the final versions of Nikon’s DSL’s are worth a close look.

Harry P Loc: United Kingdom

Bill_de wrote:

When using the 150-600 do you wind up cropping a lot? If so the D500 should work just fine. When shooting birds at a distance (relative term) I typically but my 800mm on the D500, rather than cropping.

There are no rules, you just have to see what's best for you.

---

not alot, its when I am photographing something jets very far away when i really crop in do i see a lack of image quality. I have added a few examples