Would love your opinion...D500 vs. D300 and D3 for sports

greyhoundrick · Apr 6, 2019

Hello,

Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

I currently shoot with a Z7 and D3. I just purchased my Z7 recently and use it mostly for portraiture, macro, pet photography and strobist work. Im very happy with it so far as I continue to use it and practice with it.

When I shoot fast moving sports I use my D3, which is 12 years old, and was thinking about selling/trading it for a Nikon D500. I really like the D3, but would love to have the extra 8MP and newer technology of the D500.

I see that Adorama and B&H, along with others, carry Refurbished D500s from time to time for a fairly good discount.

Two questions:

1. How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

2. What is your opinion about buying Nikon refurbished camera bodies? Ive only purchased one item refurbished and it was a SB-910 and had no problems, but a camera body is a bit more serious of a purchase for me and Id like to hear what you think.

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

Hope you're having a great day.

best,

Rick

Leonard Shepherd · Apr 6, 2019

greyhoundrick said:
How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

The D500 has extremely fast AF, 10 fps, AF point coverage across almost the entire screen area, a 200 shot buffer, better high ISO noise performance and more image resolution.

The D500 is not FX. It is easily the best Nikon DX body for focus acquisition and tracking. To get the best AF performance and buffer out of a D500 you need a relatively expensive 440 MB/s XQD card.

n057 · Apr 6, 2019

greyhoundrick said:
Hello,

Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

I currently shoot with a Z7 and D3. I just purchased my Z7 recently and use it mostly for portraiture, macro, pet photography and strobist work. Im very happy with it so far as I continue to use it and practice with it.

When I shoot fast moving sports I use my D3, which is 12 years old, and was thinking about selling/trading it for a Nikon D500. I really like the D3, but would love to have the extra 8MP and newer technology of the D500.

I see that Adorama and B&H, along with others, carry Refurbished D500s from time to time for a fairly good discount.

Two questions:

1. How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

2. What is your opinion about buying Nikon refurbished camera bodies? Ive only purchased one item refurbished and it was a SB-910 and had no problems, but a camera body is a bit more serious of a purchase for me and Id like to hear what you think.

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

Hope you're having a great day.

best,

Rick

I think the D500 easily matches the D3 in IQ, unless you insist on only having FX cameras, even if there is no measurable advantage in this particular case. In terms of noise, between ISO 800 and ISO 6400, they are in virtual heat, but lower than ISO 800 the D500 has an advantage, and while the official ISO range of the D3 tops out at 6400, the D500 continues all the way to 51200.

But there are the other features where the D500 beats the D3: acquisition, tracking, megapixels, AF, etc. The D3 has to 51 focus points, the D500 has 153. The D500 shoots tirelessly at 10 FPS, the D3 can shoot more, but that is 11 FPS in DX mode, and you severely lose megapixels in that mode.

Caution: I am a DX bigot, so you might want to wait for others to chime in :-D

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers

greyhoundrick · Apr 6, 2019

Leonard Shepherd said:
greyhoundrick said:

How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

Click to expand...

The D500 has extremely fast AF, 10 fps, AF point coverage across almost the entire screen area, a 200 shot buffer, better high ISO noise performance and more image resolution.

The D500 is not FX. It is easily the best Nikon DX body for focus acquisition and tracking. To get the best AF performance and buffer out of a D500 you need a relatively expensive 440 MB/s XQD card.

Thank you Leonard! Very helpful!!

greyhoundrick · Apr 6, 2019

n057 said:
greyhoundrick said:

Hello,

Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

I currently shoot with a Z7 and D3. I just purchased my Z7 recently and use it mostly for portraiture, macro, pet photography and strobist work. Im very happy with it so far as I continue to use it and practice with it.

When I shoot fast moving sports I use my D3, which is 12 years old, and was thinking about selling/trading it for a Nikon D500. I really like the D3, but would love to have the extra 8MP and newer technology of the D500.

I see that Adorama and B&H, along with others, carry Refurbished D500s from time to time for a fairly good discount.

Two questions:

1. How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

2. What is your opinion about buying Nikon refurbished camera bodies? Ive only purchased one item refurbished and it was a SB-910 and had no problems, but a camera body is a bit more serious of a purchase for me and Id like to hear what you think.

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

Hope you're having a great day.

best,

Rick

Click to expand...

I think the D500 easily matches the D3 in IQ, unless you insist on only having FX cameras, even if there is no measurable advantage in this particular case. In terms of noise, between ISO 800 and ISO 6400, they are in virtual heat, but lower than ISO 800 the D500 has an advantage, and while the official ISO range of the D3 tops out at 6400, the D500 continues all the way to 51200.

But there are the other features where the D500 beats the D3: acquisition, tracking, megapixels, AF, etc. The D3 has to 51 focus points, the D500 has 153. The D500 shoots tirelessly at 10 FPS, the D3 can shoot more, but that is 11 FPS in DX mode, and you severely lose megapixels in that mode.

Caution: I am a DX bigot, so you might want to wait for others to chime in :-D

JC
Some cameras, some lenses, some computers

Thanks so much JC!! Great information and very helpful!!

Nikon1user · Apr 6, 2019

Assuming from your name, you're shooting dog sports... a lot of photographers use the D500 for agility, flyball, and racing/coursing successfully. That's what we bought ours for, and we're thrilled with it.

greyhoundrick · Apr 6, 2019

Nikon1user said:
Assuming from your name, you're shooting dog sports... a lot of photographers use the D500 for agility, flyball, and racing/coursing successfully. That's what we bought ours for, and we're thrilled with it.

Thank you for the post!

Yes, I used to be the track photographer at Phoenix Greyhound Park until it closed in 2009. Now, as far as greyhounds go, its mostly portraits for the adoption group we support.

Glad to hear that you like the D500 for fast action with the dogs!

This information is very helpful thanks again!

best,

Rick

ToxicTabasco · Apr 6, 2019

greyhoundrick said:
Hello,

Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

I currently shoot with a Z7 and D3. I just purchased my Z7 recently and use it mostly for portraiture, macro, pet photography and strobist work. Im very happy with it so far as I continue to use it and practice with it.

When I shoot fast moving sports I use my D3, which is 12 years old, and was thinking about selling/trading it for a Nikon D500. I really like the D3, but would love to have the extra 8MP and newer technology of the D500.

I see that Adorama and B&H, along with others, carry Refurbished D500s from time to time for a fairly good discount.

Two questions:

1. How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

2. What is your opinion about buying Nikon refurbished camera bodies? Ive only purchased one item refurbished and it was a SB-910 and had no problems, but a camera body is a bit more serious of a purchase for me and Id like to hear what you think.

Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

Hope you're having a great day.

best,

Rick

I think you'd be more comfortable with the D300. As it's from the same era. That with D3 has the same button layout, similar performance and similar files for editing. Adding in a D500 may change up your workflow.

Ruekon · Apr 7, 2019

The D500 sounds like a good match for your Z7. You get about the same pixel density, i.e. same amount of pixels as DX crop of the Z7. Meaning that both have the same requirements on resolution of lenses. Both use XQD cards. Both have AF points throughout the whole frame. The D500 gives you better AF and an optical view finder for fast action. You can use the same lenses if you would crop with your Z7 anyway.

greyhoundrick · Apr 7, 2019

Ruekon said:
The D500 sounds like a good match for your Z7. You get about the same pixel density, i.e. same amount of pixels as DX crop of the Z7. Meaning that both have the same requirements on resolution of lenses. Both use XQD cards. Both have AF points throughout the whole frame. The D500 gives you better AF and an optical view finder for fast action. You can use the same lenses if you would crop with your Z7 anyway.

Thank you Ruekon! Excellent points. Appreciate your input!

Robert Cohen · Apr 7, 2019

I’ve used my D500 for my local kennel club’s outdoor agility trials. It’s been quite good for that (I previously used either a D300 or a D700 for those trials.)

greyhoundrick · Apr 7, 2019

Robert Cohen said:
I’ve used my D500 for my local kennel club’s outdoor agility trials. It’s been quite good for that (I previously used either a D300 or a D700 for those trials.)

Thank you Bob!! Great to hear!

Er Chitara · Apr 7, 2019

Not wanting to bash the D500, which is one wonderful camera, but in your position I'd be thinking at a used D4/s.

Once you tried the D-digit ruggedness and ergonomics, all other cameras feel like lesser cameras.

greyhoundrick · Apr 7, 2019

straitouttahell said:
Not wanting to bash the D500, which is one wonderful camera, but in your position I'd be thinking at a used D4/s.

Once you tried the D-digit ruggedness and ergonomics, all other cameras feel like lesser cameras.

Totally understand. When I got my D850 after using a D3 for years I could tell the difference in build. The D850 with the battery grip feels excellent, but its not the same as a solid body with a built in grip.

Also, Ive heard that as good as the D500's focus mechanism is that the D5's is a step ahead in overall performance. This makes sense as it is the flagship sports camera and is priced nearly 3x higher than the D500.

Thanks,

Rick

David dBx · Apr 7, 2019

D500 is amazing for fast moving sports. I use my D500 for my local ski club. Ski race photo is quite challenging for AF, metering, AWB, ….

I also have a D3s (better in low light), and a Fujifilm XT2 (excellent in standard situation, but not as good as D500 or D3s in high speed sports).

D500 is my favourite for sports. D3s may work better in low light (indoor?), but in outdoor sports AF-zone speed, metering and AWB, the D500 shines.

CrittendenJim · Apr 7, 2019

I'll leave it up to you about what camera is best for you. 2 years ago I purchased a refurbished D500 from Adorama and have had no problem. As you might already know the D500 is refurbished by Nikon and the camera also includes 90 day warranty from Nikon as well. Just recently I purchased, refurbished, a Nikon 16-80mm lens and it came without any problems.

Additionally, Adorama gives you a 30 return policy to return for any reason.

greyhoundrick · Apr 7, 2019

David dBx said:
D500 is amazing for fast moving sports. I use my D500 for my local ski club. Ski race photo is quite challenging for AF, metering, AWB, ….

I also have a D3s (better in low light), and a Fujifilm XT2 (excellent in standard situation, but not as good as D500 or D3s in high speed sports).

D500 is my favourite for sports. D3s may work better in low light (indoor?), but in outdoor sports AF-zone speed, metering and AWB, the D500 shines.

Thank you David! Yes, it is sure reassuring to have a camera that you trust in challenging auto focus situations. I think the Z cameras Nikon has introduced are excellent but their achilles heel is definitely AF reliability. If you need to have a camera you are confident in regarding grabbing and holding focus for fast moving subjects, the Z cameras are not there yet. Thats where it sounds like the D500 comes in!

Thanks again for your input.

best to you,

Rick

Rich Rosen · Apr 9, 2019

greyhoundrick said:
Hello,

Thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

I currently shoot with a Z7 and D3. I just purchased my Z7 recently and use it mostly for portraiture, macro, pet photography and strobist work. Im very happy with it so far as I continue to use it and practice with it.

When I shoot fast moving sports I use my D3, which is 12 years old, and was thinking about selling/trading it for a Nikon D500. I really like the D3, but would love to have the extra 8MP and newer technology of the D500.

I see that Adorama and B&H, along with others, carry Refurbished D500s from time to time for a fairly good discount.

Two questions:

1. How do you feel about the D500 vs. the D3 in terms of focus acquisition, tracking and image quality? or if not a direct comparison, how do you like the D500 in general?

The D500 has the better focus acquisition and tracking. It's burst rate is slightly faster, and its buffer with and XQD card is almost unlimited. I loved the D3 for its toughness and it s low light capability. If not cropping, or only slightly cropping; the D3 had excellent image quality. The D500 is pretty good in low light situations (dependent on your tolerance for noise) , but its image quality really shines in daylight shooting. It is already a cropped sensor, so your image will be "tighter," compared to the D3, at the same focal length. But it's extra pixels will allow you to crop even further in post, if necessary.

greyhoundrick said:
2. What is your opinion about buying Nikon refurbished camera bodies? Ive only purchased one item refurbished and it was a SB-910 and had no problems, but a camera body is a bit more serious of a purchase for me and Id like to hear what you think.

Never bought refurbished, so no opinion. Have bought used, but not digital. No complaints after some research about the cameras, I bought and the sellers I bought from.

greyhoundrick said:
Thanks so much for your time and thoughts!

Hope you're having a great day.

best,

Rick

lgs6632 · Apr 9, 2019

The D500 is an interesting camera, and many people I know have a love/hate relationship with it. Personally, I love mine, it’s the compliment to my D5 that just works. There are some drawbacks, it isn’t quite as good with high ISO (everyone’s definition differs, for me high iso is 8000 and above) but I have no problem shooting it at 10000 or 12800. The following are just my experiences using all of the cameras you’ve mentioned.

The advantages of the D500 over the D3 and the D300, in my opinion: 1) Anti-flicker: you won’t notice this really, you just turn it on and forget about it. You might not even notice it in the final product until you’re shooting inside in a venue without LED lighting and using a camera that doesn’t have this feature side by side, then you’ll be like “wow, it really is working and it really is magical.”

2) High ISO performance: The D300 I was comfortable shooting up to ISO3200, the D3 and D3s were both good up to 8000 in my book. I’d feel more comfortable shooting 8000, 10000, and 12800 with the D500. The noise is similar and the slight edge of pixels makes it a little less noticeable.

3) The AF system is revolutionary. The jump up from the D4s/D750 systems isn’t just a little bit, it rocks the floor with them. The D750 and the D4s aren’t slouches, I still use my D4s extensively because the viewfinder information is more helpful for event shooting than the D5. But with the D500 you will have one of the best AF systems available. For shooting indoors or sports, this really pays off.

This isn’t to say that the D300 or the D3 won’t serve your purposes, the D300 is a solid camera that I owned two of. It is still a nice camera to use, especially with the grip and the EN-EL4 in it. The D3/D3s were revolutionary, no doubt about it. They really broke the ISO barriers down, and are solid as rocks. With the D300/D3/D700….i really thought they would be the last cameras I would ever need. Literally, out of the box, that generation connected with me in a way that I hadn’t felt since moving to digital. But now, I’d still go with the D500 if there was a choice.

greyhoundrick · Apr 9, 2019

lgs6632 said:
The D500 is an interesting camera, and many people I know have a love/hate relationship with it. Personally, I love mine, it’s the compliment to my D5 that just works. There are some drawbacks, it isn’t quite as good with high ISO (everyone’s definition differs, for me high iso is 8000 and above) but I have no problem shooting it at 10000 or 12800. The following are just my experiences using all of the cameras you’ve mentioned.

The advantages of the D500 over the D3 and the D300, in my opinion: 1) Anti-flicker: you won’t notice this really, you just turn it on and forget about it. You might not even notice it in the final product until you’re shooting inside in a venue without LED lighting and using a camera that doesn’t have this feature side by side, then you’ll be like “wow, it really is working and it really is magical.”

2) High ISO performance: The D300 I was comfortable shooting up to ISO3200, the D3 and D3s were both good up to 8000 in my book. I’d feel more comfortable shooting 8000, 10000, and 12800 with the D500. The noise is similar and the slight edge of pixels makes it a little less noticeable.

3) The AF system is revolutionary. The jump up from the D4s/D750 systems isn’t just a little bit, it rocks the floor with them. The D750 and the D4s aren’t slouches, I still use my D4s extensively because the viewfinder information is more helpful for event shooting than the D5. But with the D500 you will have one of the best AF systems available. For shooting indoors or sports, this really pays off.

This isn’t to say that the D300 or the D3 won’t serve your purposes, the D300 is a solid camera that I owned two of. It is still a nice camera to use, especially with the grip and the EN-EL4 in it. The D3/D3s were revolutionary, no doubt about it. They really broke the ISO barriers down, and are solid as rocks. With the D300/D3/D700….i really thought they would be the last cameras I would ever need. Literally, out of the box, that generation connected with me in a way that I hadn’t felt since moving to digital. But now, I’d still go with the D500 if there was a choice.

Fantastic information! Thank you Igs6632!

Would love your opinion...D500 vs. D300 and D3 for sports

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