You know, it seems to me that any time someone asks a simple question on here, it ends up in a pissing contest! People start bragging about their cameras and photographic knowledge and for God's sake, even automobile horsepower. I subscribed to this thing to further my knowledge and interests in photography, not read 5 or more pages of comparing penis sizes. Color me gone!

You won't regret it! I use mine on a D7200 and just love it. Like it's been said, you won't likely be trekking very far.

I'm a Affinity fan. Does everything that I need done. PS might be better but I don't need better.

I recently acquired the 200-500 and am well pleased with it. The VR is excellent and although kinda heavy, I can get very good hand-held shots. I don't do sports but from what I read, it is an excellent choice for shooting sports. I looked at specs long and hard before plunking down the bucks but am not disappointed.

I have been using Affinity since it was first introduced and am completely happy with it.

I agree. This was my first thought. It's obvious that the photo is centered in two different places and this will affect exposure, white balance and other things.

I started with a D90, added a D300s (which I later sold) and now use a D7200 along with the D90. I continuously look at camera comparisons and although there is some incremental improvement, I'm quite happy with the 7200. The D500 is slightly better according to what I read, but not enough to justify upgrading IMO. As several on here have pointed out the current new and used price makes the D7200 a great buy.

I use Affinity for my Nikon raw files. Extremely powerful - much more than I can deal with but not difficult to learn and there are many youtube tutorials. You can download a free trial version . I sometimes use the Nikon software for minor adjustments and am pleased with it - worth a try.

I use Affinity for my Nikon raw files. Extremely powerful - much more than I can deal with but not difficult to learn and there are many youtube tutorials. You can download a free trial version . I sometimes use the Nikon software for minor adjustments and am pleased with it - worth a try.

Well said!

First, if you do some research, you might discover as I did that moving up to a D7500 or even a D500 is a very small incremental gain from the D7200. The advice to spend your money on better glass is a better bet, in my opinion. Also, gaining one stop for a lens with the advanced ISO of todays cameras is not worth the cost to me. I have a D7200, Nikon 200-500 and Nikon 70-200 2.8 (bought used) as well as others. For birding, the 200-500 has provided me with some great photos and I seldom use the 70-200, except for portraits and usually well above 2.8. Unless you are a pro and making large prints, there are some good older lenses that work well. All this being said, I am only an amateur hobbiest photographer but can afford pretty much whatever gear I might want. I constantly research both cameras and lenses for comparisons and am quite happy for now with what I have. When it no longer does what I want, I'll move up a notch.

I recently bought the 200-500 to use on my D7200. Results are amazing! VR makes it easy to hand-hold at 500mm with sharp photos. Best decision I've made lately - I highly recommend it.

I love my D7200 and frequently check against newer models. The D7500 seems to be a downgrade to me and the D500 isn't sufficiently better to warrant the extra cost. I do believe the D800 series is probably the best upgrade option for me but can't justify the cost for amateur photography. I have one slot set for JPG and the other for raw. For normal use JPEG is good enough but occasionally encounter a shot or series that could be improved starting from the raw file. Having both available as an option and backup works. All this being said, my recommendation would be for a D7200 - a great bargain at the current price and available on the used market.