Nikon D500 / 500PF Combo Upgrade from P950 (1 Viewer)

[Lostintwilight84]

I'm a birder first, and don't consider myself a bird photographer. I enjoy getting out and birding. I've been using a Nikon P950 for about a year and really like it, it's perfect for IDing and once in a while take surprisingly nice photos.

I'm looking at a D500/500PF combo to do a little upgrade in image quality to what I have. Where we live, I primarily do songbird and smaller bird type birding in woodlands/grasslands.

I would say most of my photos are at around 1000mm with birds in trees.

Will I find the reach of the 500PF inadequate? I've heard you can use a teleconverter to help with this.....some say the IQ may suffer, some say it's fine..

Any input or help is appreciated

 

[Gzoladz74]

If you take pics at 1000mm with the P950, 500mm 5.6 in the D500 should be more than enough due to the much bigger sensor of the camera, etc. I don't think you will need a teleconverter, keep in mind that with one you will loose 1 stop of light.

Just bear in mind the additional weight and size of that combo vs the P950. If image quality is your priority and you are ok carrying it, that's ok. I own a P1000 and personally prefer the convenience and versatility of a smaller/lighter/all in one camera and I am happy to compromise IQ. The decision is personal, there is no right or wrong. What you don't want is to find out that the combo is uncomfortable to carry after you purchased it.

 

[Andrea Collins]

The Nikon D500/500mm PF combo is an exceptionally good set up for wildlife photography.

However, as mentioned above it is going to be a lot heavier and more awkward to carry than your P950. It also has a lot less reach. The reach will be offset to a large extent by the much better low light capability and the ability to crop a lot. I wouldn't bother with a teleconverter myself.

To get the best out of such a combo you will need to have a good understanding of photography generally. The D500 is a very complex camera and putting it on auto everything won't get the best out of it. Fortunately Steve Perry (Backcountry Gallery) has some really good videos about this camera and lens combination but it could still be quite a steep learning curve. If you are not already familiar with it learning to shoot and process in raw rather than jpeg format will be useful.

If you want to move beyond ID photos it could well be a good investment but if ID is your primary objective maybe not so much.

To give an idea of the low light and cropping ability of this set up, the pic below of a male Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) was taken in very dark woodland at 5600 iso and is a crop from about a third of the frame area, using Adobe Denoise in Lightroom. Bear in mind this pic is a low resolution web version and the full size pic still looks pretty good on my 32 inch monitor.

 

[Lostintwilight84]

HI everyone thanks for the insightful suggestions! I appreciate everyone taking the time to comment. After much deliberation I realized I'm not ready yet for the d500/500pf combo. I compromised and got a Sony RX10 MKIII. I suppose it's more of a lateral upgrade in a sense, a little better IQ for less reach then my 950... we will see.......the d500/500pf may be in the future, but at the moment, I'd like to see what this can do.....

 

[njlarsen]

If and when you would be ready to move up in quality, do keep an open mind regarding system. There are many alternatives to the nikon system you were looking at, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
Niels

 

[Gzoladz74]

The Nikon D500/500mm PF combo is an exceptionally good set up for wildlife photography.

However, as mentioned above it is going to be a lot heavier and more awkward to carry than your P950. It also has a lot less reach. The reach will be offset to a large extent by the much better low light capability and the ability to crop a lot. I wouldn't bother with a teleconverter myself.

To get the best out of such a combo you will need to have a good understanding of photography generally. The D500 is a very complex camera and putting it on auto everything won't get the best out of it. Fortunately Steve Perry (Backcountry Gallery) has some really good videos about this camera and lens combination but it could still be quite a steep learning curve. If you are not already familiar with it learning to shoot and process in raw rather than jpeg format will be useful.

If you want to move beyond ID photos it could well be a good investment but if ID is your primary objective maybe not so much.

To give an idea of the low light and cropping ability of this set up, the pic below of a male Pied Flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca) was taken in very dark woodland at 5600 iso and is a crop from about a third of the frame area, using Adobe Denoise in Lightroom. Bear in mind this pic is a low resolution web version and the full size pic still looks pretty good on my 32 inch monitor.

That pied flycatcher pic is impressive, in particular considering the conditions. Great example of a situation where a compact sensor camera cannot come even close to a combo like that (in addition to action shots).