Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

One little quirk to mention is, if you use Nikon Creative Lighting System with the controls built into the menu on the camera it is not available on the D500, but is available on the D7200.

Ed Chu Loc: Las Vegas NV

for a site that allows you to compare cameras and their features, go to snapsort.com

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

nmachtiger stated another way... what are you giving up by going with EITHER the D7200 OR the D500...
FULLFRAME... period! There is absolutely no way you'll be competitive at the highest level shooting sports on a crop sensor...
Seriously, the incredible subject isolation full frame affords blows crop bodies out of the water...

Or more tellingly, how many professional sports shooters are using crop bodies on the sidelines... Easy to check this out at any major sporting event... Do you think there might be a reason why full frame is indeed the overwhelming choice of working sports shooters?

However the body/format you choose should be driven by the genre you work in... If you are a hobbyist then crop sensor is the norm...

As an alternative I would seriously consider the D610 which has a current street price nearly equal to the D7200 and offers so much more value... As for the BS about lack of sensor array... I have both a D7200 and a D610... The D610 is so far superior for subject isolation it is laughable... as for frame rate? I don't shoot ice hockey and 6.5 fps is more than adequate for soccer... Also the myth of more reach is just that... the price one pays for cheaping out on long glass is a huge compromised in DOF isolation...

BTW, have you checked out DxO Mark's comparison between the D610 and the D500?
The D610 has an overall score of 94 while the D500 is far behind at 84
More importantly the D610's low light performance is stellar with a DxO Mark score for sports of 2025 while the D500 is lame at 1324...

What you are reading in this thread is Vendor Hype...
Sincere best advice is to rent each body and you'll will soon cut through the "Hype"...
Full Frame is to be cherished if you have any aspirations whatsoever to shoot commercially...

Hope this helps or is at least food for thought...

Bear2 Loc: Southeast,, MI

I upgraded from my d7000 to a d7200, and could not be happier.
Yes the d500 has more potential depending on what your goal might be.
But for me the winner is the d7200; more MPs, pop up flash which I use to trigger my sb700s, and nearly 1K less to put toward lenses.
My .02$.

Duane

morvib

If you are a serious sports photographer or bird photographer then the D500 does have the edge. However, if you are neither of these the $1000 difference doesn't seem worth paying.

astrosteve Loc: Kansas

If you use the Nikon creative light system (is that the name?) the 7200 can act as the commander, the 500 cannot without an adapter.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Interesting, when the Nikon D7200 arrived
around early 2015, everyone was comparing it to the D7100. A friend owning a D7100 said that the D7200 did not offer much advantage, that he would not buy the newer D7200. Truthfully, the D7200 is better than the D7100, IMO. You can now get a refurbished D7200, if available, for $789. Yes, the D7200 may have a feature or two that the D500 does not. One being megapixels. 24 vs 20.9. And while each of the cameras have different purposes, I'd rather have the D500, now priced at $1796, with extras. I can afford a refurbished D7200. I can't say that for the D500 right now. The D500 is a prototype of the D5 with XQD card, 10fps. Wildlife/sports ready to go from the start. Especially with the Nikon 200-500mm zoom lens. I've seen the positive results of that combination.

NJphotodoc Loc: Now in the First State

With respect to the CLS system on the D7200 (not available on the D500), while it is good, it is not great. It is a line of sight system meaning the off camera flash has to be able to "see" the camera which can be an issue. For that reason, I use a Phottix system that meets my needs for TTL metering and is not overly expensive, Whatever you decide, if you are planning to use multiple flashes with either camera you may need to use an alternate system to guarantee coverage in non-standard conditions

MtnMan Loc: ID

Advantage of D500:

- Lighted buttons. Inability to find buttons in dim light is one reason I chucked my D7000.

- Faster multiple shots/ bigger buffer

Giving up on D7200:

- Flash

- 2nd SD slot (q slot needs MUCHO expensive cards...and not sure they will work in a pc slot)

- 4 MP

- $1,000

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

XQD cards are fantastic. Super fast and reliable (so far). Once you've tried them you won't want to go back to SD or CF.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

Wow! That's saying something. Never go back to SD or CF cards. However, you can get a CF Card version of the D5. But, I don't think it sells as well as the XQD version of the D5.

Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan

I held off using them in my D4s for a year and a half. Finally took the plunge, card and reader, and that's what I now like to use over the other slot.

Jim Bob

Nope. Does not blow it away.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I bet they'll correct that.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

No that is the new wave as the radio transmitter is in the D500 and can trigger the new SB-5000 flash, and they want to sell them. Also the D500 is temperamental with the SB-800 flash units and will not fire in live view. I use two Godox AD360II-N TTL Flash Speed-lite with their radio transmitters and receivers plus two Godox TT685/N TT685N Build in Receiver Speed-lite.