imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I recently asked a camera shop owner why he had so much used gear to sell. He said in most cases people needed the money. We are still in the middle of a pandemic and a lot of people are hurting, so my guess is this is still probably the largest reason people sell their gear. Add the new mirrorless technology to the mix for more turmoil.

I saw Sony in the lead with mirrorless a year ago, now Canon is in the lead with the R5 and unbelievable glass (who would of thought you could buy 600 and 800mm primes for under $1000). Nikon's Z7 II looks promising. I wonder how many who moved to Sony A7RIV are now envious of the R5? Of course, they wouldn't admit it.

I use a D500 for wildlife / birding and a D850 for everything else with a lot more $$ invested in Nikon glass than in 4 the Nikon bodies I own. It is a big emotional and economic decision to sell all your equipment and move to a different manufacturer's system so I am going slow and let the market settle first.

reverendray

Hmm I have an D810 and really like it however am thinking of moving up to the 850 with the better sensor and also some of the added things that work better like the mirror up etc. Anyway, would be interested to hear your take on the 850 after you get it as that will tell me do I want to move up too. I am semi-pro meaning I sell but not as main income. My email of easier is tom@frontier.net

tropics68 Loc: Georgia

Some time back B&H (and others) were offering the 5DIV for under $1900.00. That should be an indication of the margins on that camera. They can drop the price $500 and still turn a profit for the dealer and Canon. I would like to perhaps buy this camera but I am not drooling at the mouth to get it. I have nothing against used gear but what they are asking for a used 5DIV is generally more than $1900.00. I for one will wait and keep my powder dry.

ecobin Loc: Paoli, PA

I bought my D850 from a professional who was moving completely to Nikon mirrorless. It was in perfect condition and I'm very happy with my purchase.

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While agreeing with you that too many users blame their “lesser gear” for their lesser results .... I do have sadly serious doubts about them “finally realizing” the plain truth :-(

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That doesn’t matter unless your real fascination with “photography” is just about fully mastering complex devices.

As an extremely capable photographer I have little to no use for, nor interest in, at least half the stuff built into my cameras. OTOH I do give serious consideration to new gear that offers a noticeable upgrade to the aspects that I actually use.

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For instance I’m not especially drawn to two clearly verrrrrry popular upgrades:
1. Ever more amazing AF performance.
2. Ever higher pixel counts.
Yet I certainly DO crop images and I have been using AF since 1987.

For my needs, show me significantly improved high ISO “night vision” and I’m interested. Same for workable flicker reduction and also for any real advances in IBIS.

Mastering every function of modern multifunction cameras is just a geekish hobby for gearheads. Mastering your craft where it applies to the type of images that interest you will always leave you wanting more from SOME of the functions of your camera, and will always find you ignoring various other functions that do not serve your approach to photography.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

Best damn answer yet! Finally someone nailed it!

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

D850 is great for a lot of things including birding.

Good luck.

Looking forward to your new posts.

Jst1moor

Not too long ago I purchased a Z6 wanting to try mirrorless. I wound up returning it and coughing up the extra grand for a D850. Z6 images are nice not great but nice. While having a EVF has it's advantages, it is not meant for serious bird photography. Having to A) Anticipate a shot and wake the camera up, B) bring the EVF to the eye and turn on, C) Acquire focus on the subject and finally D) Fight the EVF lag after a few shots equates to missing photo opportunities. DSLR's win hands down for throwing the camera to eye and grabbing your images almost instantaneously. No contest. The D850 takes glorious images and works very well with BIF photography.
All that being said, I sold my D500 to help pay for the D850 but also purchased a Z50 kit for those times where I want to take some videos of birds in the field that are not in fast action. Being able to see what you are taking videos of through the EVF is wonderful and beats using the Live View in the DSLR's, hands down. It is also nice to actually see what your images will look like through the EVF before you take them.
While the D500 was a great action DSLR, for one reason or another (and I know many will argue the point) I was just never enamored with the images. I already stated how I love the D850 and am not sorry I made the purchase at all.
A final note, FWIW, the D50 kit lenses (while nowhere near my F mount glass) perform admirably for what they are and for what I will use the camera for.

shutterbob Loc: Tucson

The D850 is currently $500 off normal price, nearly the same as a D780, so that could be why they are hard to find right now.

Boris77

Flappy mirror cameras were a dumb concept from the git-go. Unfortunately it is where the image quality improvements were put, so I, like most others, followed the game. Now the flappy mirror works so well that it is invisible. Most people are buying new cameras for the features and because of the advertising, but gradually common sense is shouldering in and the mirrors will go away. BUT...
If you are not content with what your camera will do, buy mirrorless. It is the future - mainly cell phones.
If you have the features you like, buy two or three cameras alike. I did and dropped out of the game.
If I live another ten years I will probably buy a miniature mirrorless camera for my 90th birthday.
Boris

Kubasaki75 Loc: Honolulu, Hi.

I’ve been noticing that many amateur as well as professional photographers, videographers are opting to sell their DSLR cameras and buying iPhone 11, 12’s and attaching lenses to them. Iam selling my Nikon D7200 in order to buy a iPhone 12max. I like traveling light and am impressed with still images and videos taken by Att Eschus professional photographer on Facebook.

In-lightened Loc: Kansas City

I've owned the 810, which I replaced when I fell and it took a harder hit then my knee....which was pretty darn hard. I replaced it with another 850 as it was my back up camera. Being a bird nerd, I decided to sell one of them to buy a used D5 for low light and higher fps. I'd like to say I dont regret that but I dont use the D5 as often as the 850. I like the sharpness that the d850 with the 500mm pf offers over the D5!??! And the ability to crop with the 850 came in handy chasing warblers. My D500 sits in the cabinet most of the time. There is something special about the files from those 850s. This fall I used all three cameras during my landscape trips. My Tamron 24-70 stopped autofocusing just before a mostly shoot from a boat, handhold in the bayou. I had kept my 17-55 just in case, and used it on the D500 when I needed a 24-70 focal length. The 850 had the 70-200 and the d5 had the 500mm pf for the birds. So you never know what you might need...... and after all this, I would be mostly more confused. I'm sure you'll figure out what is best for you.

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It’s toadally a matter of perspective.