Trade in d500 for d810 if I'm keen on both wildlife and portrait/landscapes

Should I change to d810 or keep d500?

  • Keep d500

    Votes: 4 80.0%

  • Change to d810

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Total voters
    5
Tim Kuiper

Tim Kuiper

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2
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Timothy Kuiper
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Hi all! I started out as a keen wildlife photographer but I am now really getting into other types - portraits, landscapes, events, street photography. I still would say I'm most keen on wildlife, but I'd say I do 60/40% of my time wildlife/other. The d500 is awesome for wildlife, fast AF and fps. I love it. Is it worth trading it for better full frame photography (I'm looking at the d810 in my price range). And the d810 in crop mode will still be ok for wildlife. The better dynamic range and high ISO performance o the d810 would be awesome for the other types of photography.
 
I have a d810.... it’s a tough call imo. The high iso performance from the d810 is ok at best - the d750 is much cleaner at high iso.
In my experience - the d810 af system isn’t ‘that’ good and you may find it lacking significantly behind that of the d500. For landscapes and street photography it’s brilliant. I use mine for portraits and with the right lens and accurate af it’s fantastic. But I do have a number of af at times that frustrate me - especially when shooting on other nikon cameras I’ve had a better hit rate. I’ve used the d810 a few times for events and it’s a pain. The images are excellent but the file sizes are huge and a real issue to edit on the road on my laptop - a better laptop would help- but file sizes are huge. It’s not the fastest camera in the world - I’ve successfully shot sport and a bit of wildlife with mine - but if you appreciate the speed of the d500 the 810 feels like a snail.

If I was upgrading to full frame - it’d be a choice of high iso performance vs speed - d750 for high iso and d4/s for speed
 
The D500 is such a good all round camera its hard to say you would better yourself with a D810. If I had to make a chose to go to FF from my D500 it would have to be a D850 or the new D780.
 
I owned both as I loved the reach and speed of the D500 but loved the resolution of the D810. In fact I upgraded the D810 to the incredible D850 as I love the controls of both the D850 and D500 and the toggle focussing system.
Theres nothing wrong with the D500 as far as images go but the resolution and detail of the D810 swings it for me.
 
Icee said:
The D500 is such a good all round camera its hard to say you would better yourself with a D810. If I had to make a chose to go to FF from my D500 it would have to be a D850 or the new D780.
Click to expand...

Very much this.


Tim Kuiper said:
I'm looking at the d810 in my price range
Click to expand...

Is that highstreet price range or import price range? Jessops currently sells the D810 for £2599, Panamoz list the D810 at £1550 with the D850 only a few hundred pound more at £1850 which is a huge saving.
 
Keep the 500, I have some great landscape shots from mine. Big prints can be made and the quality is great.
only option to swap is the D850.
 
Stretch to the D850 and save yourself a ‘step’.

The D850 has a hidden D500 inside it (crop mode) so you won’t miss the D500 and you’ll get the free ff goodness when needed.

I too echo the comments about the D810 focusing. It’s not bad at all but the D850 is leaps ahead.
 
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Keep the D500, the only swap I'd do would be to the D850 as you kind of get the D500 inside it. The D810 would be a noticeable step backwards in AF (imo), and frame rate.
 
Hello all. I have found this to be extremely useful. I think you folks have saved me from a poor decision. I am now going to be patient, work hard on improving my photography, and maybe in a year or 2 I will be able to afford the d850, and then one day he Nikon 500mm PF :) Until then, I will do my best to improve my skills :)
 
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