I'm a D500 (I've had one since they came out, so it's going on 3 years now) wildlife photographer and do a lot in low early morning light. One of my tricks is to shoot in Aperture Priority mode and open up to the widest aperture I can. This gives a shallow depth of field and a nice bokeh, you just have to be sure you are focused on your subject tightly. I use manual ISO and start at ISO 400, that way the only thing the camera can change is the shutter speed. I roll the ISO up and down to get the shutter speed I want. A perched bird might be 1/250 or even slower. A bird in flight 1/1000 to 1/4000 depending on the subject and light conditions. I use spot focus and spot metering, that way the camera is metering on your subject rather than the whole frame, which is what I want for birds and wildlife most of the time. I find that I have to remove noise in Lightroom or elsewhere when I bump up much past ISO 500 if I don't want a grainy look to my background, which I sometimes do. I'll use the spot adjustment brushes to sharpen my subject and make selective exposure adjustments too. I paint around the subject with a noise reduction brush. If you do both noise reduction and sharpening to your subject, it will look like plastic. Yes, I have shot indoor events at ISO 3200 and above with no flash, but you need to fix some noise in post. I couldn't even get these shots with older cameras. The D500 is a low light beast, I think you just need to learn to work around noise and limit it by using the slowest shutter speeds and widest apertures that you can to keep your ISO within reason. That's my 2 cents. Good luck!

On Nikon bodies, I have D500 and D7500 for wildlife, you can shoot a single image by using the BBF and then pressing the shutter. For moving objects, like birds in flight, you hold down continuously on the BBF button and also on the shutter. You need to use AF-C (Nikon's equivalent to Canon's AI-servo) and the camera will track your subject. I prefer single point focusing, others may recommend a grid. Check these videos out by Tony Northrup, they shows you why it is a good thing. I use it 100% of the time, even for stills. You just need to develop the muscle memory so it becomes second nature. https://youtu.be/8PN9R0D3pF0 and https://youtu.be/y2yz-wrZYCI.

Just back from my 19th trip to Kenya doing mission work in and around Nairobi. I was glad I have had my Sigma 150-600 with my D500 on the last few trips. I've been to every major game park in Kenya since 2009 and you always want as much reach as you can get. I carry all of my camera gear in a backpack along with my laptop as my carry on. I always pack a re-usable grocery store bag and if asked to separate stuff out due to weight, one bag is under the seat in front of me and the other is in the overhead bin. Problem solved. I'm usually 2 or 3 pounds over with my stuff and only occasionally get busted during checkin. Bring an empty gallon Zip-Lock bag to fill with rice or beans as a bean bag. It is good for steady shots resting your lens on it on the roof of your vehicle. Also, DEMAND that the driver turn off the engine each time you stop. Motor vibration will kill any long zoom shots. Safe travels and bring back lots of great images!

mr pc

My progression was from a Nikon 55-300 to a Sigma 18-250 (a good walking around lens) but you always want more reach as a wildlife photographer. The beauty of an 18-250 or an 18-300, which I carry on one of my bodies now, is it is all purpose and it teaches you to be stealthy and get close. My main lens now is a 150-600 Sigma Contemporary which is now only $910 on Amazon for your Canon. I'd stretch a little and do that or maybe a refurbed Canon 100-400, a very sharp lens. I did have a Sigma 150-500 that I got used at KEH.com and it served me well for about a year and a half. I was able to sell it for 2/3 of what I paid, so don't be afraid of reputable used and refurbished dealers. Hope some of this helps you in your decision. And get good at getting close to your subjects, even with a longer lens, close is always better. Good luck!

Great points David, your shots from all the major zoos and shelters in Texas has been very inspiring. I need to take up that angle in addition to my love of being in the wild in the state and national parks and refuges. Keep up the good work!

www.keh.com. I've gotten a series of different lenses over the years there. If you get Excellent or Excellent Plus from them I defy you to tell it from new. Also refurbs from Nikon or through Amazon or other authorized resellers like cameta.com. Good luck!

Look out if you own a D500, aftermarket batteries won't work, has to be original equipment EN-EL15. Third party batteries work fine in my D7200, D500 rejects anything but the real deal.

I've been using the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary since it was released about 2 years ago, first on a D7200 and now on a D500 and it rocks as long as you have a reasonable amount of light, since its wide open aperture starts at F5. I've tried extenders, they cut the light down by another stop or two and really mess with the autofocus and quality of the image. Better to have a good camera body with low light sensitivity (think D500 or equivalent Canon or Sony) so you can crop to get a little extra reach. My 2 cents...

I've been very happy with a Sigma 18-300, originally $579, there was a recent price drop to $399. I have the Nikon version and it is sharp and would give you a little more reach. The AF is fast, a good walking around lens.

I've always been happy with them too. If you stay one model behind the latest and greatest, you can save a lot of money and still have great equipment. I always judge a vendor by what they do when things go wrong. Anybody can be great when all is well. Your story gives me even more confidence in KEH. If you are lucky enough to live near a large camera shop, they go out on the road occasionally and take trade-ins in person and sell used gear.

Computer repair guy here. I've had several Nikons and they go wonky sometimes. I have one of the first D500s and love it. Have you tried resetting to defaults? This has fixed weird stuff on 2 previous Nikons for me. Page 230 of the manual says to hold in on the Qual and The Exposure Compensation buttons for 2 seconds to restore the camera to factory defaults. Some combinations of settings don't play well together and this may do the trick for you. Pulling the battery won't have the same effect. Good luck!

LR5 didn't have it, it was added in LR6 or in the Adobe CC subscription, which is the best $10 a month you can spend. Good luck.

I would love light and small also, but am staying in shape with a Nikon D500, Sigma 18-300C and a Sigma 150-600C and am using a D7200 as a backup, usually with the 18-300 on it. I mostly use the Sigma 150-600 on the D500, due to it's incredible low light performance, advanced AF system and 10fps in RAW for 200 shots at a time without stuttering. The D500 plus the Sigma 150-600C is right around $3000. I'll keep lugging this around until I can't do it anymore. I use a monopod on occasion, but the AF system is so good that even hand-held, if you lock onto a bird in flight, it won't let go and a high percentage of the shots are tack sharp. I loved my D7200 (and still do) but the D500 is head and shoulders above it. My 2 cents.

I use the Sigma 150-600C with a Nikon D500 and I couldn't be happier, it's very sharp throughout the whole focal length range. It works best with lots of light, but the low light capabilities of the D500 help offset that somewhat. I keep the Sigma 18-300C on a D7200 for wider angle shots and have the 150-600 for birding and other wildlife where the zoom comes in handy. I personally don't think you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers for your Nikon body. Spend as much as your budget will allow on good glass, bodies come and go...