RickL Loc: Vail, Az

You have had good advice on cameras, if weight is the issue try the Altura photo shoulder strap. The camera does not hang from your neck but across one shoulder and the camera hangs by your hip. Very easy access to your camera and the weight is distributed well. I have this strap on both my D7000 and my D810. A much easier carry with a big lens.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

The Nikon d500 camera with the 200-500 mm lens weighs out at 6 pounds plus with the lens weighing 4.5 pounds alone and costs over $4000.00. The 150-600 mm lens (all versions) weigh over 4 pounds. She said she would like to be able to carry her camera and lens combination! While those are excellent choices let's get real here. None are even close to being "lightweight."

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

Check out the Nikon 1 V3 with Nikon 1 70-300 (189-810 mm equiv) mm lens combination. The lens gets a 5 star consumer review on B&H Photo. Thomas Stirr at "Photography Life" has posted many images with this combination. It might squeak under your price limits and would meet your weight limits. Other than seeing Thomas's very excellent images, I know nothing about the system personally.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Its the lens and the lens budget that is the issue IMO, not the camera. Also suggest renting a lens recommended for birding and see what your results look like before you spend $2K on a camera.

Digital1022 Loc: Holland, PA

I just got back from an Alaska cruise. I bought a Sony RX10iii about three months ago in order to try to limit the weight of carrying a D800 with a 200-500 Nikon Lens as well as other lenses. I had not been happy with the RX10iii at the long end of the lens prior to going. Image quality was not great. However, I discovered that I do not have the rock solid hands any more and so I started using a monopod and shot everything at 1/1000 sec adjusting the ISO where I needed it. Things improved. I used it exclusively in Alaska which was a gamble. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I am attaching some of the shots which were all taken at 600 yards or more. However, to answer your question, I agree with some of the posts here. With your requirements, I don't think there is a better choice for you than the RX10iii even though you returned it. If you are birding, then you are probably hiking. I don't think you are going to enjoy carrying your D5500 attached to a 200-500. The RX10iii takes some getting use too. The controls are not where a Nikon is and when you have been using a Nikon for 40 Years, old habits die hard. I found myself continually searching for the proper controls for the shot. Secondly, in my case I was used to the IQ of my D800 especially on heavy crops. The RX10iii will never stack up to the quality of the D800. On the plus side, if you want a camera that can perform in virtually all situations, I don't think you can beat the Sony. When I bought mine, I consulted a friend who is a National Geographic photographer and he swears by it. I have seen some of his work with it and the problems are clearly mine and not the camera. I use a Manfrotto compact monopod which I carry on my belt when I don't need it. Once I get to about 400mm on the lens, I slap it on and it works great. Just my two cents worth from experience. Here are some of my shots from Alaska. If you want to see the whole series, log into johnwrupley.zenfolio.com. Click on the first icon and then hit slide show. Best of luck in your search for your perfect camera. John

Bald Eagle

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Bald Eagle

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Black Bear

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Bald Eagle in Flight

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Sea Lion

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PH CIB

Birding is fun but Birds in Flight,,,BIF,,,is probably the most difficult photography to do as opposed to stationary birds and other animals,,,,I have a Nikon 1 V2 with the one inch sensor and 27-270 lens and have rented the 100-300 lens which goes out to 810mm,,,great lightweight combo,,,but terrible in low light with a lot of noise and color banding,,,,still one of my favorite cameras for hiking,,,,have rented from Borrow Lenses and Lens Rentals the Canon 5d Mark III and IV with the Canon 100-400 lens and teleconverter and Nikon D810 and D500 with Sigma 150-600 with teleconverter and Fuji XT2 with 100-400 lens with teleconverter but all these combinations were too heavy for your needs and too expensive,,,,I was never happy with the results until I talked to a Professional Photographer shooting birds who said his keeper rate was less than 5%,,,for your needs a good Sony or Nikon or Canon Bridge Camera like the one you sent back but with longer reach might be ideal or maybe the Panasonic Micro four Thirds Cameras with the 100-400 lens which is 200-800mm or perhaps from the reviews I have read the Olympus OMD 1 Mark II with the 100-400 or 200-800mm lens,,,both will be small and light but both will blow your budget,,,,Good Luck and have Fun !!!

je13quincy

Advantages of the Sony Alpha a6300 over the Sony RX 10 iii

Much smaller 120×67×49 mm vs 133×94×127 mm 4x smaller

Many more focus points 425 vs 25 Set focus accurately within the frame

Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection Catch candid moments easily

Much thinner 1.9" vs 5" 2.6x thinner

Much lighter 404 g vs 1,051 g 2.6x lighter

Has interchangeable lenses Yes vs No Can take advantage of a variety of lenses

Larger viewfinder 0.46x vs 0.26x More than 3x larger viewfinder

Higher true resolution 24 MP vs 20 MP Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos

Faster max shutter speed 1/4000s vs 1/2000s 2x faster max shutter speed

Slightly cheaper $870.89 vs $1,394.49

The above info is from "snapsort.com" comparison

I just got my Sony a6300 with the kit lenses at Best Buy in a bundle, I too don't like carrying a heavy camera around and chose this for portability and quality. Still getting used to a Sony after Nikon film cameras and Olympus point and shoot. So far am happy with the results!! Good luck finding the right camera for you.

jackpi Loc: Southwest Ohio

Consider an Olympus OM-D E-M10 MARK II will cost around $650. Or get an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II will coat around $1100. Add a M.Zuiko ED 75-300mm f4.8-6.7 II for $550. That will give you an effective FOV of 150-600mm which is great for birds and other wildlife.
Either camera plus the lens will weigh less than two pounds. Plus you will have five stops of in-body stabilization, allowing you to handhold even in low light.

blue-ultra Loc: New Hampshire

If you purchased this camera from B&H and returned it, I think I just bought it...

JimmyJames241 Loc: Eustis, FL

A monopod is an excellent suggestion for a heavier. At Disney's ESPN Wide World of Sports we used Nikon's with telephoto lenses (I'm sorry, I don't remember what equipment we used exactly). When shooting baseball,football, soccer, etc, we used the monopod's when shooting as the action changed frequently and we had to adjust appropriately. Using the monopod with a quick release/attach should make the load a little more acceptable.

jack schade Loc: La Pine Oregon

Welcome to the forum. It's difficult to find a good lightweight camera and lens combination for birding. I did some recent birds in flight photography with my Nikon D810 and a 70-200 mm lens. The combination was not light, but it worked. Maybe a mirrorless combination could work for you. I have not found one that focuses fast enough with continues focus.

Jack

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JimmyJames241 Loc: Eustis, FL

Awesome photo. Jack!

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Lots of opinions will arise. While I love my a6300 Sony, for your birds you need a longer lens, >400mm. With an adapter, I use my old Nikon 400, but if birds were my primary interest, that would not do. (There are some great lenses, but no super long ones.) The problem with the "Superzooms like the SX60 is that to get those long zooms, the sensor is restricted to "tiny". It's a physic issue. The result is a photograph that can never be printed large 11x14 or bigger. That's a limitation I will not live with.

I think your D5500 with a Tamron or Sigma 150-600 would do very well. Those lenses are available new for <$1000 (Either Tamron or Sigma Contemporary) or you can get the Sigma Sports model, which people say is beyond compare, for another $800. That gives you the great sensor of the D5500 plus the long zoom. It seems to me that this is the best option.

I've tried the superzooms and just found the final images okay for posting on Facebook or Instagram, but not able to go bigger than 8x10 printing. I print almost everything 11x16, 16x24, or 20x30. The D5500 will do that nicely. Your birds can fly in your living room, not just on a cellphone.

If Anselm Adams had only printed "Half-Dome" for a cellphone, he would have become a plumber. Cellphones were invented by the Devil. LOL

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

For birding a refurb APS-C body (the 80D can be had under 1,000) and a refurb Sigma 150-600 C (can also be had under 1,000) Might be a little heavy but you should have enough left over for a nice monopod