I keep hearing the old question/debate again and again here by members. Many appear to beginners or advanced amateurs. To buy or not to buy a Mirrorless. I have been in photography for over 40 years owning Nikon, Canon, and Minolta top of the line cameras and basic consumer models. And not the same thing occurs with the top levels and down of mirrorless cameras. There are some very good people that respond asking those inquiring this question: What is it you are going to be photographing. One of the many claims for people to go to Mirrorless is the shooting speeds they can obtain that many standard DSLR cameras cannot. And the other normally asked questions are: Portability/Camera Size, 4K, the size of your present system, what you are going to do with the non-mirrorless system, and of course the cost of obtaining a complete mirrorless system.

What I would like to point out is why everyone wants to get rid of their tried and true system just to jump to mirrorless. Some of the most famous pros in the world still use top line Canon, Nikon, Pentax DSLR in all parts of the world and have won it one time or another every major award out there. And these camera are still selling. They are the workhorse of cameras.

But what everyone forgets is one MAJOR ASPECT OF PHOTOGRAPHY. Something I was taught by an professional photographer when I was first starting out. I thought it was how good of a camera you bought (this applies very well to the debate we have here). He took my first cheap camera and out shot me every time while I was using his top of line Canon.

And this it: It is not the camera, but the expertise and capabilities of the Photographer. It is the effective use of lighting and composition, and little for maybe lens quality. The eye as some call for the great photographs, not just any photograph. Ones to be proud of and show off. And Guess What neither camera wins here!

I still have two Nikon DSLRs, 70 years old, and will carry these big boys as long as I can. Unless I can no longer hold them effectively without using a tripod for every shot. Then and only then will I move on to a mirrorless. Photography demands dedication to some degree or another and giving up a established system for the sake of getting what many perceive as the mirrorless being better is dead wrong.

Unless you have the money to invest in a mirrorless with all the necessary lenses and accessories to match the old DSLR then you have not accomplished what you should. Don’t compromise do it right. Moving from a top line DSLR to a top line Mirrorless for example is a huge chunk of money that most cannot afford to have one of impress their friends. You prints should be the things to do that.

If it was up to me I would skip the D850 and the D880 and go professional all the way. Skip the middle man so to speak. I had the old D300 when it came out back in the day and had it for several years when I discovered I was only fooling myself. No more I said. I went to the professional D series FF and never turned back. Sure it is more money, but why stop in the middle. I have heard reasons for the D850 being built good, but the best construction and the cameras that can best take the beatings are always the pro cameras with Nikon or Canon. I bought the D5 and love it. Never looked back. And I still have my D810 and D7200 as backups. Now I don't worry about this or that little things. The pros use the D5 in all parts of the world in all conditions. But I am still looking at getting the Nikon Z8 when it comes out. I was told when I first started that photography was not a cheap hobby, especially if you wanted the best.

To all those considering the FF Nikon DSLR cameras like the D850. The D880 is being released next year and it will blow the D850 out of the water based on preliminary specs. I'd wait for this camera.

To all those considering the FF Nikon DSLR cameras like the D850. The D880 is being released next year and it will blow the D850 out of the water based on preliminary specs. I'd wait for this camera.

I lean to what CO says. Additionally the Z series lenses are some of the finest lenses Nikon has ever made. And while limited in size to other Nikon lenses there are still 20 Z lenses garnering praise to use for every need right now. So the Z system is in no way a step down. And there have been several articles posted on the internet in camera reviews as to the toughness of the Z6 and Z7 which I would expect the Z8 (rumored 60mp) to just as tough or tougher. Nikon has been getting very positive reviews on the initiative they have taken to lead the pack on mirrorless cameras over even Canon. And if you travel the world like I do who wants to carry the weight of the FF D850 or D5 or whatever. Also Nikon has a new series of lenses coming for the Z bodies called the S-series a big step above. Now you can understand with Nikon seeing the future and putting itself at the head of the pack except for maybe Sony why the Z line is no slouch compared to the D line. I am going over from my bulky D810 etc to this as soon as I can. I won't look back neither.

I read a lot of comments here that you should go for the Nikon D850 instead of the D810 which has better IQ. I own the D850 and D7200 and I am fine with both. Over the years I have shot professionally (Playboy), wedding photography, and family. I have owned the very best Canon and Nikon cameras and found the camera is only as good as the user. All the bells and whistles though nice that is about it. Sure there is improvements in weatherproofing, but with the 850 and 810 they are the same basically. Sorry no thunderstorm photography.

Now down to you question where you want to upgrade to a FF camera. My question to you is what are you going to do with the extra resolution between the D850 and D810 (which has great prices)? Are you a professional where you need to extra mp to blow up prints? If not the difference between the two in mp is not a big difference. Also handy is the popup flash on the D810 that your D500 does not have or the D850. Great for those fill flash moments when you want to go light and not carry a flash.

One more comparison I have been a active shooter over the years shooting everything from a 454 castile, 44 mag, 357 mag on down. But bigger isn't always better. Often comes with a larger learning curve and if I am not shooting wild boars I don't need a 454 or 44 mag. My 9mm semi is the best controlled gun out of the group and I can place all my shots in the heart in a 1' group. Rapid fire in a 2' group. So I am saying this is similar to a camera. What will get the job done. You have one of Nikon's finest camera's in the D500. Think about this. Also the Nikon 500 uses DX lenses. The 850 or 810 has FX lenses more expensive.

And here's a new flash for you that you need to know Nikon is proceeding with releasing in 2021 a D860 with a 60 mp. That blows the D850 out of the water and places that camera in competition with Canon. Also they are releasing the Z8 mirrorless. By the way Nikon has released some of their finest lenses as mirrorless. And the mirrorless is far more nicer to carry. And it can do anything the 850 can and more. Faster motor drive.

So here are things you should be thinking of. I am 69 years old with 45 years professional, etc, photo experience including teaching and photojournalism and I am going to go mirrorless really soon the way of the future. Nikon sees this as the way to the future.

As a photographer of over 50 years (amateur and professional) there is no doubt a huge difference between a IPhone (I too have the X, 12 MP) and a good grade DSLR (mirrorless or otherwise 20 -35+ MP)!

Sure if you wish is to only take candid photos rarely ever blowing them up then you are fine. But what if you do want to blow them up? And furthermore you have tons more control over your exposure settings and zoom capabilities, etc. with a digital SLR over an IPhone.

But of course you do have to carry the extra weight of a DSLR over an IPhone. But that is where Sony with one member mentions he has a Sony A6300 wherein my wife has one and I am in the process of buying the A6600 just out. These mirrorless cameras kick the but of the IPhone every day without really any extra weight due to a compact camera body and lens. And they can shoot at over 10 frames a second (IPhone can't) and has all the capabilities of its bigger brother DSLR cameras. This is my travel light camera and one you should carry on cruises and trips when you do not want the other DSLR you have. And mirrorless cameras are sharp and have fast startup times.

Still no two card slots especially if one card is bad or you want raw files at the same time. It's a deal breaker in itself. And lessor MP and IQ.

I have owned every camera (shooting professionally and otherwise) made by Canon, Nikon, and Minolta (years ago) and I can tell you unless you are a professional photographer who makes their living with a camera an appropriate upgrade to the Nikon D7000 would be the D7200 which I own and have used for years. The D7500 and D500 are without dual card slots (a real bummer) and a real negative. The D7500 and D500 are only 20.9 MP and I still cannot accept the reason why they went lower in MP when everyone else including their chief competitor Canon is NOT. The D7200 at 24 MP does have greater resolution (IQ) according to several studies too. And as a side notes the D500 is a great camera but is designed for those who need a fast driving action camera. But what good is that without dual cards? And the pro-models D800, D810, and new D850. I own the D810 and because of weight I do not use it much. In fact I prefer to use the D7200. I would not upgrade to the D850 because it has a specialty for time-lapse photography which I can do with the D810 I own and the D810 has better resolution (IQ). Go for the D7200 which is still sold on the Nikon site. Last but not lease do not listen to all the hype here and else where on the quality of lenses crop sensor (DX) over full frame (FX). Sigma is the producer of some of the sharpest lenses there are and their DX lenses can match that of FX!

I find a lot of people offering you advice on buying this camera or that without giving you are realistic advice. First of all, price. Full frame cameras (Nikon D850, D810) and their proper lenses cost a lot more money. And that is fine if you can afford the camera and associated lenses. I have owned top of the line cameras from Nikon and Canon over the years, presently using the Nikon D810 which you can get a good deal on right now. Secondly, speed is something you want to have with birding, especially if you want to catch and track them in flight as in the case of sequence photos with motor drive. In this case the Nikon D500 or D7500 would be the better choices. Especially the D500. And both cost less than a Nikon D850 or D810 body. The Nikon D750 is good but can't compete in speed with the likes of the D500. Also quality lenses are usually cheaper with these cameras.

So first determine your budget, the camera cost and then the lenses cost. Then make your decision.

It really amazes me after shooting as an amateur and professional for over 35 plus years that we have the questions as to what is the best camera between the virtual Nikon vs Canon war, the best lenses, etc. I agree as others have said it is about the photographer and how good he is. The lowest cameras on the Nikon or Canon line can take top quality photographs that is often proven on the contests. But what really drives me wild is when someone with evident lack of much photography experience has to buy the best camera in the line and thinks it will make he a better photographer when he lacks the very basics of lighting and composition. No camera or lens can fix that correctly. I always tell anyone buying a camera to start out with a beginner camera AND once they can master that camera's capabilities then move up if you need to get other benefits like larger pixels, faster speeds, better sensitivity, etc. If not don't wast the money unless you want to impress your friends with your money only for them to see you not progress past the auto mode on the camera. Impress with the photos not the camera.

First make sure your software has the latest updates. Secondly Windows computers can be quite buggy I have found over the years and programs can become corrupt because there should be no difference between computers. Only other thing I can think of is the computers must have the Ram and CPU to process the large amount of memory these files and associated programs can use and place on system resources. I also own an Apple iMac and MacBook pro. I never have the problems that Windows computers create and do not have the programs you have not work between the computers. Maybe that is the reason artists and photographers have been turning more and more to Apple. I hope this helps, good luck.

Let's be realistic the camera mirrorless or not is not really the difference maker. The real difference makers are the photographer's experience and the glass he uses! To stress my point as far as cameras only are concerned - amateur photographers are winning photo contests all the time with the simplest of DSLR cameras or mirrorless cameras. But these are not consistent deal makers, it takes the photographer's experience to really win.

I never received a letter from them stating they were reporting me to my state Illinois. But as one to this forum has already said maybe Colorado is leaning on them. Or maybe it is a new policy that instituted this year, maybe even due to IRS telling them.

CAUTION...Again just as with 3rd party lenses if the 3rd party flash causes damage (rare) your warranty is void and you will pay for the expense of the damages if Nikon agrees to fix it.