DaveyDitzer Loc: Western PA

Recently my neighbor and I both took shots of an eagle perched behind our houses. His was a better version because he got a closer shot (crop sensor) with decent results. I was using a FF with a 70-200 f4 because that was there to grab at the time. By the time I got my 200-500 mounted, the eagle "flew the coop". Later I viewed Steve Perry's free video on cropping and and I am reaching the conclusion that a crop body deserves a place in my kit when cropping a FF image will yield less satisfactory results. I also note that Steve includes a D500 in his kit. Hogger thoughts welcome.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

All my "long distance" shots are done with a crop body, mostly motor racing and a few bird pics.
I am a Canon shooter, however the D500 looks like a real good camera.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Suggestion -- Save your money -- Crop your ff image as much as his camera cropped his -- You will now be "just as close" as his shot !!

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

But you may have fewer mega pixels on the subject.

Say shooting at a place where you can't get closer, say a blind at a wildlife refuge.
my 5DIV with a given lens will have 30 MP in the whole frame. Crop it to the coverage of my 80D or 7DII and I have (30 mp / 1.6 =) 18.75 MP on subject. My 80D will have 24 MP and my 7DII will have 20 MP. More MP = more details.
So I use a crop sensor to go after smallish things or subjects at distance. If I can get close I will use my 5DIV with my 100-400L or Tamron 150-600 G2. For portraits, buildings-inside and out, people and things up fairly close or macro I will use my 5DIV with a low light and or wide angle lens or my 24-105L.

grandpaw

If I shoot my FF D600 24mp and crop it to crop sensor size photo the MP go from 24mp to a little over 10mp.I throw away or crop out over half my file.

If I shoot my D500 that is 20.9MP I retain all of the 20.9mp the camera has which gives me almost twice the file size to work with on the D500.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

only my opinion --- His reasoning for having two cameras when one camera with the right sized lens would have done the job is illogical & expensive --

PS: Save your money -- For this one shot of the bird crop it !! -- Next time use the right sized lens which you already have!! --

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

I use my crop sensor Nikon D7200 for wildlife.

SnappyHappy Loc: Chapin, SC “The Capitol of Lake Murray”

For me my primary camera is a FF Canon 5DSr. Most of my interest is in landscape photography, so I’ve been very satisfied with this carema since it’s release. Recently I added a Crop 7Dii for action photography. Same processor in both cameras, one captures 55mp files the other 22mp files. Auto focus systems differ for intended use. Burst rate differs in speed basically because of file size. The 7Dii has a 1.6 crop factor compared to the full frame but that is the least of differences of why I wanted to add the 7Dii. My reasons were to improve focus with moving subjects and to increase burst rate to produce more captures to choose from and/or opportunities to catch a decisive moment. Sometimes the crop is handy, sometimes it’s a handicap. Both cameras have their advantages and disadvantages over the other, combined they make a more rounded kit. Just my opinion, hope it makes sense.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I've recently added a D500 to complement my D850 and D810. It's controls and menus are almost identical to the D850, and it has all of the important functionality of the D850, including the relatively new Highlight Weighted Metering mode. In addition, its sensor "character" is almost identical to that of the 850, as is the pixel density...an image taken with the D500 is almost identical to one taken with the same lens in DX crop mode on the D850.

I waited quite a while to do this...using my D300 and D300s instead. But good as those cameras are, they just lack too much in performance and functionality against the full frame models. As I used the full frame cameras more and more, they became less and less useful. They are now my snapshot cameras.

My suggestion is that having a compatible crop sensor camera is a good idea. But it should best be truly compatible with your full frame kit, in operation, performance, and 'character.'

Keep in mind...I could take almost the identical shots with the D850 by using crop mode. Same resolution and even the same view in the viewfinder with the viewfinder masks. But think about the comments that always generates here. And it also provides me with a third body if needed.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

Some time back, before I sold my 7DII, I did a comparison between it and my 5DIV. The 7DII is 20mp, the 5DIV is 30mp. With the lens, a 100-400 L II, mounted on a tripod and with the same settings on both cameras I just switched out the cameras and shot the same target. Rock, fence post, whatever. Don't remember. Cropping the ff photo to the size of the crop sensor photo showed a distinct difference between the two. The resolution of the crop sensor was noticeably better. Not surprising. Just doing the math shows that the crop sensor has higher pixel density then the cropped area of the ff sensor.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

Notwithstanding brand of camera, which has the widest field of view and most pixels with the same lens at the same focal length, APSC or FF? I have both and this will help me when I (frequently) pack for trips.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

FF does best with wide angle.
On my 5DIV FF my 14 mm UW is a 14 mm, on my 7DII or 80D APS-C it gets the field of view of a 22.4 mm on the 5DIV.

pmorin Loc: Huntington Beach, Palm Springs

That I can understand. Thanks.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

Like wise it is why I use an APS-C to go after small birds unless I know I will be able to get in close - like from a blind near where they will be. On one of my crop sensor bodies my long lenses also give the angle of view of a longer lens (my100-400 acts like a 160-640 and my 150-600 acts like it is 256-960).
In fact one of my favorite tricks with hummingbirds (they will let you very close if you don't do dumb things to scare them) is to use my 180 f/3.5 macro with a 1.4x on an APS-C body for an angle of view of a 403 mm. I am often 6-8 feet from them, close - but they are tiny. And even with the 1.4x that macro lens has resolution to burn.

cmc4214 Loc: S.W. Pennsylvania

Cheaper to buy a D500 that will make the 200-500 equivalent to a 300-750 than to buy 750mm lens of equal quality, and he will have a back-up camera (and not lose any pixels)