Based on your needs I would forget about the D500 or any full frame camera. The natural upgrade for you is the D7500, which you can have for $800. new or $600 Nikon refurbished. Even then you may notice little advantage relative to your D7100. I have made tens of thousands of shots with each of my D7100, D500, and D750, so I speak from experience. The D500 lacks a built in flash; it's a specialized camera for sports; for wildlife the D7500 is almost as good-- I picked one up recently and now my D500 sits. The D500 and Nikon full frame cameras are 5 to 10 oz heavier than a D7500, for which I think YOU would get very little.

I have never owned a D7200 (24Mp); jumped from D7100(also 24 Mp) direct to D500 (20.7 Mp). Recently picked up a new D7500 for $796. They are now available Nikon refurbished for $599. (DEAL!) My D500 has sat while I have been using the 5 oz lighter D7500 and been very satisfied. So far it seems the D7500 lacks little relative to the D500 for what I do: mostly wildlife and mostly birds. 8 fps relative to 10 fps, not a big deal. The D500 advantage is mostly for sports, especially team sports, where AF coverage of the whole frame is important. I never shoot team sports. As far as comparison of D7200 with D7500 image quality goes, most people will never notice any difference, either in resolution or dynamic range. A friend of mind who is more finicky than I about ultimate sharpness had several D7200's and SOLD THEM ALL and replaced with D7500s. That tells me something. He also says that the D7500 has better color accuracy than the D7200, especially reds. The D7500 has another advantage than no one has mentioned so far, a feature previously available only in Nikon pro cameras: an ISO button conveniently located on the top right of the camera. I can live with only one SD card slot; a smart move would be to train yourself to replace the SD card with an empty one immediately, each time you remove a card to transfer. Summary: Buy a D7500 great camera.

I set all my Nikon's to BBF and Continuous AF years ago and that's all I use. KISS.

Nikon 300mm f4 VR PF on D7500

Alstromeria Princess Lily

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Penstemon

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Salvia

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Lucky capture though being prepared was essential. The whale breached directly in front of me and very close, completely without warning, and outside of a more typical "show."

Possibly skin reaction to barnacles.

Once in a lifetime opportunity to have a whale so close for almost three weeks. I can tell you many in our town were moved by the experience. Alas Allie the whale has departed Alameda waters, hopefully to join other humpbacks in the ocean.

Thanks. Now if I can only find some space on a wall!

This humpback whale spent nearly three weeks in Alameda lagoons near the aircraft carrier Hornet, feeding and putting on spectacular shows. Most of my shots and that of others (all from shore) were from hundreds of yards away, but the whale suddenly breeched right in front of me, less than 30 yards away. Would have got splashed except I was pretty high above the water. Was lucky to be at only 70mm focal length and ready!

Yesterday she left Alameda, hopefully for her normal feeding grounds in the ocean.

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My 200 -500 is very sharp at 500mm f 5.6 and did not require AF Fine tune. It is still sharper at f8. With the Nikon 1.4x III TC (f8 net) it may be a little less sharp but that can be greatly improved by stopping down to f10 or f11, a practical alternative only for static subjects. That means the lens is effectively a 700mm for static subjects in good light and 1050mm FX equivalent on a DX camera. With or without the TC I am able to hand hold the 200-500 safely for only a few shots at a time without risking my left elbow tendons (once you damage them they will never be the same, so be careful)

Not much noise for that ISO. Did you use any NR in PP?

Thanks and yes, the 300 f4 PF works well with the Nikon TC14 II.

Thanks. I can see why.

Nikon D500 with 300mm f4 PF + 1.4x TC

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At Crown Beach, Alameda, California.

Nikon D500 with 300mm f4 PF and 1.4x Nikon TC III. 1/1600 sec f5.6 net ISO 200.