D500

Am going drag racing next weekend with the kids ( and camping for the first time in 30 years ) and I have the e-m1 mk2 on loan for the weekend. It's a toss up between this and the d500 as an upgrade / change. So I was thinking of using @StewartR with lensesforhire for this and the 70-200 vr1 but I'm tight and don't really want to spend the £180 ( sorry Stewart :hug: ). That said, it a prime opportunity for a side by side test

Ooohhhhh...damn and blast. I might have to spend the pennies otherwise I'll never know. If only there was a discount code for forum members :love:
 
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damianmkv said:
Am going drag racing next weekend with the kids ( and camping for the first time in 30 years ) and I have the e-m1 mk2 on loan for the weekend. It's a toss up between this and the d500 as an upgrade / change. So I was thinking of using @StewartR with lensesforhire for this and the 70-200 vr1 but I'm tight and don't really want to spend the £180 ( sorry Stewart :hug: ). That said, it a prime opportunity for a side by side test

Ooohhhhh...damn and blast. I might have to spend the pennies otherwise I'll never know. If only there was a discount code for forums members :love:
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I'd be interested to know how close the EM1-II gets to the D500
 
Santa Pod next Thursday to Sunday - according to the email they sent me, it's the largest nitro field in 10 years ( 16 top fuellers ), 22 pro mods etc etc. and night racing on Friday. If the weather holds, it will be fantastic !
 
so, discussed the d500 with wifey who said " if you don't hire it, then buy it and hate it you'll lose more than the hire cost "

Valid point :love:

So i've placed the order for next week and am waiting confirmation from LFH. Should be interesting as i'll have the e-m1, e-m1 mk 2 and d500 with me. Obviously, it will pee it down so no racing and a waste of time
 
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I hired from Stewart and still ending up buying.....
If the weather holds, my D500/70-200 2.8 will be on the banking sunday.....
Only coz Im working Saturday and prefer Quali days
 
You'll be able to recognise me as, in the words of my eldest...I'll be the one who " looks like a d*ck " with all the cameras. Bless 14 year olds nowadays. I prefer quali days too but the kids are at school on Friday so I'll miss the night racing too

Booking has been confirmed - I hear Stewart deducts the cost of the hire from the cost of the camera when you buy one :exit:( some of that sentence might not be true.... )
 
damianmkv said:
I hear Stewart deducts the cost of the hire from the cost of the camera when you buy one :exit:( some of that sentence might not be true.... )
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I wish I could, I really do. More than once I've tried to put together try-before-you-buy deals in conjunction with retailers. Hire from us, buy from them within N months, and between us we'll refund your hire charges, or something like that. But the economics just don't work for retailers. They don't make enough of a margin to be able to afford to do this.
 
Mike.P said:
Anyone using a D500 with the Sigma 150-600mm sport?

I'm seriously thinking about selling all my Canon gear (bar a cheap body and the MP-E65mm) and getting Sigma to change the mount on my Sigma lens ... and go from there.
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I used the Tamron 150-600mm and at around 520mm + it switched to being only able to use the limited focus points (those when using say an f5.6 lens with 1.4tc) due to not enough light entering the AF module. Other members have mentioned similar with the sigma C but not heard anyone mention the Sigma Sport.
 
@Mike.P , I rented that combo from LFH and really disliked the handling of the 150-600. I found it very nose heavy and quite slow.
I bought a D500 bit not the lens......
 
you do get used to it though .. it's a big lens .. with good weather sealing .. good glass ..I'm happy
 
and besides, 600mm with a 1.4 tele gives me the reach .. I have walked along the cliffs all day and the wetland centre without any support, but i did get a monopod (Gitzo with Wimberley mkii) and it does make it easier, especially for those shots that require a bit of waiting. I was thinking of a Cotton Carrier so I can support when hiking .. undecided yet .. but otherwise I haven't had a problem and i'm shooting at 600mm all the time. I took the time with the lens and calibrated it properly (use 3,6,15,30 metres and it gives better focus) and I haven't looked back. It's wider focal length makes it easier to use in tight spots and so it's far more flexible that my 300 prime with 2x converter ..
 
I think @Mike.P is saying he already has a 150-600 sport but in canon fit and is thinking of moving to Nikon D500 and converting the lens of Nikon which is a service sigma provides, so he knows what the lens is like to handle etc just looking for opinions from people using this combo?
 
sure and if he does, (i don't know if he has it calibrated), he can get them to check the calibration at the same time. At least that is the service I have been told about here in the UK .. I thought mine was good until I tried calibration .. the results were even better then :)
 
Really just want to know that I'm not likely to run into any compatability problems and that the AF speed is ok. Being mainly a Pentax user I'm used to slow AF speed anyway ;) but as Long as it's on a par with my old 7D then I would be happy. I was talking to someone in a hide yesterday and he was using the new 300mm f4 with a 1.4x on a D500 and tbh I couldn't believe how fast that locked on. I'm not expecting the Sigma to be that snappy but close would be nice.

Or maybe it would be worthwhile selling the Sigma and buying a 200-500mm? I would like the flexibility of a zoom until I have got rid of my Canon gear (if I go ahead).

So being sensible what lenses should I be looking at to get me from say 16mm to 500mm ?
 
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Mike.P said:
So being sensible what lenses should I be looking at to get me from say 16mm to 500mm ?
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I found the Nikon 16-85mm a great general lens for DX for many years, and the 18-80mm has proved to be a bit better, as one would hope for the difference in price. ;) I like the Nikon 70-300mm too, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the new version is like in comparison.

Some people want lenses with wider apertures, but with that comes extra cost, size and weight. :rolleyes: I can do almost all of what I want with the 16-80mm and the 70-300mm. I treated myself to a Sigma 10-20mm last year for the very odd occasion the 16-80mm is not wide enough. If it is something further away then it will be small on the sensor or won't be bothered with. ;)
 
Mike.P said:
Anyone using a D500 with the Sigma 150-600mm sport?

I'm seriously thinking about selling all my Canon gear (bar a cheap body and the MP-E65mm) and getting Sigma to change the mount on my Sigma lens ... and go from there.
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Hi Mike

I had the same conundrum last year. Already had the 150-600S as a Canon fit but could not get pin sharp with any lenses using the &D Mark II. Was wowed by the D500 and sold all my Canon gear except for the Sigma 150-600 which I took down to Sigma. They quoted £279 (from memory) to get it changed to a Nikon fit, apparently it has to go back to Japan and takes about 6 weeks.

I have been reasonably happy with the outcome, Siggy seems quick and sharp. Still love the D500 but prefer using the 200-500 over the Sigma due to less weight to carry around. May be selling the Sigma soon (one air display left for me this year).

It's a small price to pay for the conversion and if you don't like the outcome you can always sell through eBay or similar

Nikki
 
Just looking at SIgmas price page the conversion is £280 ... once you factor in postage you are talking £300 to do the mount swap.

That's a third of the price on a new grey 200-500mm ... I can live without the extra 100mm to be honest :)

Do the 200-500mm and 1.4x play well together?
 
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remember that the Sigma settings can be set to focus at maximum speed and even with the 1.4x tele it's very quick and accurate .. I've never had cause to complain about it
 
Mike.P said:
Just looking at SIgmas price page the conversion is £280 ... once you factor in postage you are talking £300 to do the mount swap.

That's a third of the price on a new grey 200-500mm ... I can live without the extra 100mm to be honest :)

Do the 200-500mm and 1.4x play well together?
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Sorry I have not tried this combination BUT I did try a Sigma 1.4x with the Sigma 150-600 Sport and was pretty disappointed with the results so returned the extender the next week. (I have heard from others that this combo works well, but not my personal choice).

I guess you have see the Super-sized zoom lenses review in the current N-Photo magazine?

Results were:
1) Sigma 150-600mm Sport
2) Tamron SP150-600 G2
3) Nikon 200-500mm
 
Collected the d500 and e-m1 mk2 today. Fantastic service from @StewartR - thank you :clap:.

Initial impressions were that the d500 was massive compared to what I'm used to...then I picked up the e-m1. Oh...not much weight difference at all but that comes in the lenses. Took a few test shots at home, including some e-m1 / e-m1 mk2 / d500 comparisons at iso10000. VERY impressed with the Nikon and it cleaned up well - surprised that the mk2 Oly wasn't toooo far behind. The mk1 is noticeably noisier as you'd expect..

Weirdly ( to me ) I thought the Nikon focussed quicker than the mk2. My last Nikon experience was 3 years ago with a d7000 and m43 was lightning quick in comparison. Times a changing m'be ?

Hope that I've tweaked the settings on the d500 satisfactorily as I'm drag racing all weekend. Can you charge the battery in camera via USB or is it AC only ?
 
damianmkv said:
Weirdly ( to me ) I thought the Nikon focussed quicker than the mk2. My last Nikon experience was 3 years ago with a d7000 and m43 was lightning quick in comparison. Times a changing m'be ?
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That's because the D500 has the best AF system in the world implemented. Everyone is surprised how good it is when they first use it! :)
 
sooo..both cameras ( d500 and e-m1 mk2 ) were returned on Monday after a few days shooting by me and my son ( we swapped cameras so we could give them a fair try )

I'm familiar with the e-m1 so that felt more " natural " - the pluses are much improved AF, much improved battery, weight / size. The negatives are the EVF, the AF still isn't DSLR-like, and ( to me ) the IQ isn't quite up to the D500

a comparison - i was using the e-m1 and my son was to my right with the Nikon, both a 1/80s


Pro 2 e-m1 mk11 by damianmkv, on Flickr


Pro 2 d500 by damianmkv, on Flickr

They're both cropped ( not quite the same but you get the idea )

My son and my wife prefer the Nikon. I must admit that i didn't get as many keepers as i thought ( maybe due to the weight of the 70-200 f2.8 ) but more with the Nikon than the Olympus

Snapbridge didn't work - the camera and phone could see each other but wouldn't pair..hopefully that will be sorted as i use the wifi alot on the Olympus..
 
Not surprised you had more keepers with the D500, the AF is fantastic, really light years ahead of previous bodies.
Snapbridge is a bit of a pig and I note that the D850 has a 'new improved Snapbridge', (i.e. Nikon agree the D500 Snapbridge is a pig), I finally got it to work with a firmware update and going from iPhone 5 to iPhone 7.
 
just gotta think about what i need...a D500, a 70-200 ( probably f4 as i don't think i need 2.8 ), 16-80 and a small prime i guess. If only i was on the forum last friday as I would've snapped up @trevorbray camera
 
gramps said:
No not yet Adam, still showing 'Awaiting repair' :(
Wonder if they are overrun with D750 third recalls.
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I guess you could be right but still not good press for them, might be worth putting pen to paper and lay it on a bit as you certainly been an avid Nikon supporter over the years and with all your images and posts it has to be worth a try ! you are close on 30k posts on this site alone !
 
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