D500 + Nikon 200-500

Shanti · 08-11-2016, 07:53 PM

Hi anyone here have the D500 & Nikon 200-500 telezoom? & any feedback on it
I hoped the K1 would have had better AF/ tracking etc.. but it is way too slow & has trouble locking onto BIF (use DFA 150-450 & DA* 300) but when it works its fantastic!! but keeper rate sucks, So I plan to get the D500 & the 200-500 Nikon(as heard its better than Sigma S or Tamron) & price is OK
I know the K1 is not for action,but hoped it would be better with AF on the 150-450..unless a FW upgrade can help??
From the reviews it seems the D500 is the ultimate DX camera now
Thanks for any help

**RobA_Oz** · 08-11-2016, 08:34 PM

The D500 is probably better than any Pentax APS-C body for BIF photography, but isn't your benchmark the D5, seeing you're planning a move from the K-1 with a similar range zoom with the D500?

However, I can't really comment from personal experience on the combo you're proposing, but I understand if you're cautious about trusting the online reviews. Best of luck with it.

rawr · 08-11-2016, 09:18 PM

D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package.

The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S).

Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective.

There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500.

I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens.

Shanti · 08-12-2016, 04:51 PM

Originally posted by rawr

D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package.

The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S).

Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective.

There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500.

I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens.

Aha forgot about the loss of AF points... good to know alot of variation with 200-500,so I make sure I can return it
the 750 has too small of buffer & not the AF of D5
I keep my K1 as love it for the rest
maybe a better tele for the D500 would be best?? F4 prime..
I do agree as the DFA 150-450 is much better on the K1 than th K3II even as same resolution

dcBear78 · 09-09-2016, 07:39 PM

Originally posted by rawr

D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package.

The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S).

Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective.

There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500.

I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens.

Where are you getting that info about only 37 AF points for f5.6? From what I can find all are available up to f8 where it becomes 15.

Shanti · 09-15-2016, 07:30 PM - **1 Like**

Update Just got the D500+ 200-500 Nikon lens..& returned my K1(which was defective

)
OMG what a difference..I get maybe 80% keepers now for BIF compared to 30% with K1/150-450 had not used Nikon DSLR's before (only V2 & compact) & must say it is a killer combo--lighter than Pentax K1/150-450 & better balance. Will take a bit to find out all it can do..but AFC Group setting & AFS single with preview button is optimal for BIF for me..so accurate!!

So I decide to USe Nikon now for all my APSC & will get the K1 again when it drops in price in a few months,for everything else... love the 36MP

Ian Stuart Forsyth · 09-16-2016, 11:10 PM

Originally posted by Shanti

Update Just got the D500+ 200-500 Nikon lens..& returned my K1(which was defective

)
OMG what a difference..I get maybe 80% keepers now for BIF compared to 30% with K1/150-450 had not used Nikon DSLR's before (only V2 & compact) & must say it is a killer combo--lighter than Pentax K1/150-450 & better balance. Will take a bit to find out all it can do..but AFC Group setting & AFS single with preview button is optimal for BIF for me..so accurate!!

So I decide to USe Nikon now for all my APSC & will get the K1 again when it drops in price in a few months,for everything else... love the 36MP

It is a very competitive camera for action work along with the 200-500 makes for a well suited wildlife setup.
I got to play around with the D500 and the 200-500 if only they had this equipment several years ago it sure would have made my life easier.
What I like about the D500 is the higher iso DR here's hoping we see this in newer Nikon bodies Good luck with your new rig

biz-engineer · 09-17-2016, 12:02 AM

Originally posted by Shanti

maybe a better tele for the D500 would be best?? F4 prime..

That's about it. IMO, if you want to rip sharpness from apsc, you'd better use a prime. 200-500 like other zooms in this price range don't resolve much at the long end, which is visible on apsc, and forgived on FF.

Shanti · 09-17-2016, 06:10 PM

Originally posted by Ian Stuart Forsyth

It is a very competitive camera for action work along with the 200-500 makes for a well suited wildlife setup.
I got to play around with the D500 and the 200-500 if only they had this equipment several years ago it sure would have made my life easier.
What I like about the D500 is the higher iso DR here's hoping we see this in newer Nikon bodies Good luck with your new rig

Yes at ISO 4000 its still quite good DR for birds..

---------- Post added 09-18-16 at 03:13 AM ----------

Originally posted by biz-engineer

That's about it. IMO, if you want to rip sharpness from apsc, you'd better use a prime. 200-500 like other zooms in this price range don't resolve much at the long end, which is visible on apsc, and forgived on FF.

the 200-500 is quite sharp @500 when stopped down a bit,contrast not as good as a prime though...
now Sigma come with a new 500 F4 @ 3kg...could be good for handheld for a short time (or off the the gym

)

biz-engineer · 09-18-2016, 10:51 PM

The D500 is what we call making customers constructively discontent (ref. Enerst Dichter, The strategy of Desire). Before the D500, you were happy with your keepers (with any camera). Nikon made you unhappy of their current result in order to trigger sales with the D500. Good for Nikon business, not so good for customers. If you aren't working for Nat. Geo, 20% more keepers is rather expensive.

redpit · 09-19-2016, 12:38 AM

Glad you found a better combo than the K-1+DFA 150-450. The D500+200-500/5.6 is a very nice "tool" working like a machine gun and super fast AF. I was not so impressed though (I'm one of those who preferred the D750+200-500 combo as the IQ was excellent and the files so easy to PP that I was amazed) as I still saw a lot of OOF frames in those huge bursts (I'm talking about aviation photography and AIF). There are so many more frames though that you get many more keepers and it is highly unlikely to miss any "important moment" that happens all of sudden! If you miss it with the D500 then there is nothing you could do about it in the first place!

But to return to my initial findings, I know that there is not a perfect camera or combo and surely the D500+200-500 is better than the K-1+DFA 150-450 in speed, AF and reactions in general, but I was expecting maybe too much and I wasn't that impressed after all. I decided to stay and fight with my K-1 and find ways to work around its shortcomings, because when the K-1 delivers the pics are awesome (only comparable with the D810 from what I've seen). Different shooters-different interests-different priorities and so many different options available is what makes all this diversity in the photographic world!

biz-engineer · 09-21-2016, 06:02 AM

For me replacing a consumer zoom by another consumer zoom isn't going to cut it. Everytime I'm wowed by bird photos, they are taken with long primes producing sharp image with smooth bokeh. If I'd up my game, I'd not move from a Pentax DFA150-450 to a Nikon 200-500 since the range and IQ are pretty much the same. If I'd move to Nikon, I'd get a 500 f4 prime, that's the only way to get any significant step up in photo results.

noelpolar · 09-21-2016, 06:38 AM

Originally posted by biz-engineer

that's the only way to get any significant step up in photo results.

mmm....... my view is slightly different..... I rank the things that get better bird photos at the level we are talking at as.... bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic!

biz-engineer · 09-21-2016, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by noelpolar

bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic!

yes sure ,that's the getting close thing. And there is also lighting and background... all of this being independent from the lens and camera.

RonHendriks1966 · 09-21-2016, 10:46 AM

Originally posted by noelpolar

mmm....... my view is slightly different..... I rank the things that get better bird photos at the level we are talking at as.... bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic!

Yeah we had a Pentax bird photographer presenting some excellent images of some prey bird eating a pigeon. Turned out that the pigeon was nailed to a board and brought by him.....

08-11-2016, 07:53 PM	#1
Shanti Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 927	D500 + Nikon 200-500 Hi anyone here have the D500 & Nikon 200-500 telezoom? & any feedback on it I hoped the K1 would have had better AF/ tracking etc.. but it is way too slow & has trouble locking onto BIF (use DFA 150-450 & DA* 300) but when it works its fantastic!! but keeper rate sucks, So I plan to get the D500 & the 200-500 Nikon(as heard its better than Sigma S or Tamron) & price is OK I know the K1 is not for action,but hoped it would be better with AF on the 150-450..unless a FW upgrade can help?? From the reviews it seems the D500 is the ultimate DX camera now Thanks for any help

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08-11-2016, 08:34 PM	#2
RobA_Oz Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Tasmania, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,200	The D500 is probably better than any Pentax APS-C body for BIF photography, but isn't your benchmark the D5, seeing you're planning a move from the K-1 with a similar range zoom with the D500? However, I can't really comment from personal experience on the combo you're proposing, but I understand if you're cautious about trusting the online reviews. Best of luck with it.

08-11-2016, 09:18 PM	#3
rawr Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11,913	D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package. The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S). Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective. There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500. I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens.

08-12-2016, 04:51 PM	#4
Shanti Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 927 Original Poster	Originally posted by rawr D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package. The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S). Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective. There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500. I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens. Aha forgot about the loss of AF points... good to know alot of variation with 200-500,so I make sure I can return it the 750 has too small of buffer & not the AF of D5 I keep my K1 as love it for the rest maybe a better tele for the D500 would be best?? F4 prime.. I do agree as the DFA 150-450 is much better on the K1 than th K3II even as same resolution

09-09-2016, 07:39 PM	#5
dcBear78 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Gladstone, QLD Photos: Gallery Posts: 823	Originally posted by rawr D500 with the 200-500 should be an awesome package. The Nikon 200-500 is by all accounts a decent lens, better in general than the Tamron 150-600 or the Sigma 150-600 C (but not perhaps better than the Sigma 150-600 S). Note that with any f5.6 or slower lens, not all of the D500's 153 AF points will work. 'Only' the centre 37 points will be active, and only 25 cross-types. Add a 1.4 TC and even fewer AF points will be active (15). Something to keep in mind for BIF tracking performance - everything will need to stay close to the frame centre for tracking to be most effective. There have also been reports of considerable sample variation with the 200-500. I have also personally found that when using the same long telephoto on FF or APS-C (Tamron 150-600) , you can see real IQ difference between them. So my personal preference would be the D750 + 200-500 over the D500 and the same lens. Where are you getting that info about only 37 AF points for f5.6? From what I can find all are available up to f8 where it becomes 15.

09-15-2016, 07:30 PM - 1 Like	#6
Shanti Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 927 Original Poster	Update Just got the D500+ 200-500 Nikon lens..& returned my K1(which was defective ) OMG what a difference..I get maybe 80% keepers now for BIF compared to 30% with K1/150-450 had not used Nikon DSLR's before (only V2 & compact) & must say it is a killer combo--lighter than Pentax K1/150-450 & better balance. Will take a bit to find out all it can do..but AFC Group setting & AFS single with preview button is optimal for BIF for me..so accurate!! So I decide to USe Nikon now for all my APSC & will get the K1 again when it drops in price in a few months,for everything else... love the 36MP

09-16-2016, 11:10 PM	#7
Ian Stuart Forsyth Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,531	Originally posted by Shanti Update Just got the D500+ 200-500 Nikon lens..& returned my K1(which was defective ) OMG what a difference..I get maybe 80% keepers now for BIF compared to 30% with K1/150-450 had not used Nikon DSLR's before (only V2 & compact) & must say it is a killer combo--lighter than Pentax K1/150-450 & better balance. Will take a bit to find out all it can do..but AFC Group setting & AFS single with preview button is optimal for BIF for me..so accurate!! So I decide to USe Nikon now for all my APSC & will get the K1 again when it drops in price in a few months,for everything else... love the 36MP It is a very competitive camera for action work along with the 200-500 makes for a well suited wildlife setup. I got to play around with the D500 and the 200-500 if only they had this equipment several years ago it sure would have made my life easier. What I like about the D500 is the higher iso DR here's hoping we see this in newer Nikon bodies Good luck with your new rig

09-17-2016, 12:02 AM	#8
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,237	Originally posted by Shanti maybe a better tele for the D500 would be best?? F4 prime.. That's about it. IMO, if you want to rip sharpness from apsc, you'd better use a prime. 200-500 like other zooms in this price range don't resolve much at the long end, which is visible on apsc, and forgived on FF.

09-17-2016, 06:10 PM	#9
Shanti Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Western Denmark Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 927 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ian Stuart Forsyth It is a very competitive camera for action work along with the 200-500 makes for a well suited wildlife setup. I got to play around with the D500 and the 200-500 if only they had this equipment several years ago it sure would have made my life easier. What I like about the D500 is the higher iso DR here's hoping we see this in newer Nikon bodies Good luck with your new rig Yes at ISO 4000 its still quite good DR for birds.. ---------- Post added 09-18-16 at 03:13 AM ---------- Originally posted by biz-engineer That's about it. IMO, if you want to rip sharpness from apsc, you'd better use a prime. 200-500 like other zooms in this price range don't resolve much at the long end, which is visible on apsc, and forgived on FF. the 200-500 is quite sharp @500 when stopped down a bit,contrast not as good as a prime though... now Sigma come with a new 500 F4 @ 3kg...could be good for handheld for a short time (or off the the gym )

09-18-2016, 10:51 PM	#10
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,237	The D500 is what we call making customers constructively discontent (ref. Enerst Dichter, The strategy of Desire). Before the D500, you were happy with your keepers (with any camera). Nikon made you unhappy of their current result in order to trigger sales with the D500. Good for Nikon business, not so good for customers. If you aren't working for Nat. Geo, 20% more keepers is rather expensive.

09-19-2016, 12:38 AM	#11
redpit Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Greece Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,857	Glad you found a better combo than the K-1+DFA 150-450. The D500+200-500/5.6 is a very nice "tool" working like a machine gun and super fast AF. I was not so impressed though (I'm one of those who preferred the D750+200-500 combo as the IQ was excellent and the files so easy to PP that I was amazed) as I still saw a lot of OOF frames in those huge bursts (I'm talking about aviation photography and AIF). There are so many more frames though that you get many more keepers and it is highly unlikely to miss any "important moment" that happens all of sudden! If you miss it with the D500 then there is nothing you could do about it in the first place! But to return to my initial findings, I know that there is not a perfect camera or combo and surely the D500+200-500 is better than the K-1+DFA 150-450 in speed, AF and reactions in general, but I was expecting maybe too much and I wasn't that impressed after all. I decided to stay and fight with my K-1 and find ways to work around its shortcomings, because when the K-1 delivers the pics are awesome (only comparable with the D810 from what I've seen). Different shooters-different interests-different priorities and so many different options available is what makes all this diversity in the photographic world!

09-21-2016, 06:02 AM	#12
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,237	For me replacing a consumer zoom by another consumer zoom isn't going to cut it. Everytime I'm wowed by bird photos, they are taken with long primes producing sharp image with smooth bokeh. If I'd up my game, I'd not move from a Pentax DFA150-450 to a Nikon 200-500 since the range and IQ are pretty much the same. If I'd move to Nikon, I'd get a 500 f4 prime, that's the only way to get any significant step up in photo results.

09-21-2016, 06:38 AM	#13
noelpolar Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Goolwa, SA Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by biz-engineer that's the only way to get any significant step up in photo results. mmm....... my view is slightly different..... I rank the things that get better bird photos at the level we are talking at as.... bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic!

09-21-2016, 10:18 AM	#14
biz-engineer Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2015 Photos: Gallery Posts: 12,237	Originally posted by noelpolar bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic! yes sure ,that's the getting close thing. And there is also lighting and background... all of this being independent from the lens and camera.

09-21-2016, 10:46 AM	#15
RonHendriks1966 Banned Join Date: Jan 2009 Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,675	Originally posted by noelpolar mmm....... my view is slightly different..... I rank the things that get better bird photos at the level we are talking at as.... bird feaders or artificial habitat constructs, photo shoping with significant editing, semi taming birds over time ..... but I'm a cynic! Yeah we had a Pentax bird photographer presenting some excellent images of some prey bird eating a pigeon. Turned out that the pigeon was nailed to a board and brought by him.....