jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes! Two card slots are important. If one card goes bad, the other one will save the images.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Nikon updated from the D7000 to the D7100, the D7200 and I believe the latest update has been the D7500. Each model has different technologies but they all do the same. AF could be better with some models than others. More megapixels does not necessarily means better images.
Modern cameras with 24 megapixels are very capable of excellent images when enlarging. The D3 and D700 had only 12 megapixels but the quality of their enlargements was and still is awesome.

In my book updating should be done when the camera lacks the features we use or need in our photography and a better AF for wildlife comes to mind. It is obvious that if the camera is failing and the repairs are beyond the price of the camera a new camera should be in order. An old camera does not necessarily means that it will not do the job. I own a D7000 and I am entirely satisfied with it. I do not need a more modern camera since the D7000 satisfies my needs to perfection.

My advise to you is to update when it is absolutely necessary because you need new technology to improve on your photography.

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

A step up without a ton of knowledge and skill will not result in better images. If you just shoot general stuff you have all the camera you will ever need.
If you want to do sports and wildlife, then the step up would be the D7500 or better the D500.
If you want to just concentrate on landscape I would advise a Full Frame camera like the D610 or the D750 (great deal on this one right now). But you would have to also get some FX lenses but DX lenses would do for a start.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1082599-REG/nikon_d750_dslr_camera_body.html?sts=pi&pim=Y

But like I said at the beginning, if you are just shooting general stuff a step up will not improve your photography, only learning how to take better images is going to help.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I got a D7200 body for my upgrade when Nikon had a $300 discount on them. Don’t know if they still offer that.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

A 7200 would be a step up. the real question is what do you need and what do you want. What functions, FX or DX, tilt screen etc.

I would suggest you go to the Nikon site and compare the differences between the models. Maybe go to your local camera store look and compare them.

ltcarizona

I have owned every camera (shooting professionally and otherwise) made by Canon, Nikon, and Minolta (years ago) and I can tell you unless you are a professional photographer who makes their living with a camera an appropriate upgrade to the Nikon D7000 would be the D7200 which I own and have used for years. The D7500 and D500 are without dual card slots (a real bummer) and a real negative. The D7500 and D500 are only 20.9 MP and I still cannot accept the reason why they went lower in MP when everyone else including their chief competitor Canon is NOT. The D7200 at 24 MP does have greater resolution (IQ) according to several studies too. And as a side notes the D500 is a great camera but is designed for those who need a fast driving action camera. But what good is that without dual cards? And the pro-models D800, D810, and new D850. I own the D810 and because of weight I do not use it much. In fact I prefer to use the D7200. I would not upgrade to the D850 because it has a specialty for time-lapse photography which I can do with the D810 I own and the D810 has better resolution (IQ). Go for the D7200 which is still sold on the Nikon site. Last but not lease do not listen to all the hype here and else where on the quality of lenses crop sensor (DX) over full frame (FX). Sigma is the producer of some of the sharpest lenses there are and their DX lenses can match that of FX!

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

The D7500 was selling for less than the D7200 on Black Friday.

ltcarizona

Still no two card slots especially if one card is bad or you want raw files at the same time. It's a deal breaker in itself. And lessor MP and IQ.

Bultaco Loc: Aiken, SC

D500 has 2 card slots.

FotoHog Loc: on Cloud 9

The D500 does have dual card slots my friend.

philphotog Loc: Perth, Scotland

I. currently have Nikon d7000 and d7500 with which I use both Original Nikon and Tamron lenses. Delighted with both cameras with the d7500 just having a slight edge. Not much difference between both models though.

no12mo

Agree 100%..

Guys - when we address questions like this, let's assume the OP has invested a LOT in lens already. Going from full to crop kinda OK. Going the other way necessitates reinvesting a bunch of bux in a new set of lens.

Better yet, stay in either the full lane or the crop lane when making suggestions.

In this particular case the OP might want to consider that the D500 has no built in flash and requires a XQD card and a SD card. XQD cards are *very * expensive!!!

I had a bit of a competition going on with a friend of mine where we both wanted the D7000 when it first came out. I won but she was hot on my heels. When we upgraded, she went for the 7200 and took excellent landscape and sports photos with her 7200. I upgraded to two D500's and kept the 7000 so I could have that occasional impromptu fill in flash without going back to the camera bag.

Just an addendum: Here's a good comparison on the XQD cards https://www.nikonrumors.co/best-xqd-uhs-ii-sd-memory-cards-for-nikon-d500/

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Despite lacking two card slots, the D7500 is a superior camera. It has the same processor and light sensing capability as the D500 and D5. What it lacks is the AF capability of those two. As a result it is significantly smaller than the D500 and less expensive. The D7500 does, however, have the Group Area Focus mode. It will also shoot 8fps as a result of it's improved processor.

The D7500 is on sale for Cyber Week at B&H for $796. That's a steal. This sale is so popular, however, that you might have to wait for your camera. It's now on backorder.

Here is an ad from B&H for refurbished D7500's, in-stock for $599. The D500 at B&H is $1500 new and $1100 refurbished.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1380709-REG/nikon_1581b_d7500_dslr_camera_body.html/?ap=y

wetreed

The Nikon D500 has two card slots. You can one at a time or both. It a xdq and a sad slot. I just use the sd slot and have not had any problems.

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

When my D7000 went belly-up (salt air corrosion) I bought a D7100 as a replacement. I've been happy with that choice.