New lens for D7500 (or get D780)

[Brian14852]

I own a D7500 with 16-80mm f2.8-4 and these 1.8 primes, 35, 50 and 85. By far what I shoot most is BMX racing, which my son participates in. (Photo’s can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/BpMXPhoto). Being winter here, we are racing inside which as you can imagine is tough to shoot, without flash help. I do have a speedlight and have used it and will continue to at times, but rather not use one.

I would love to go full frame, specifically the D780. (The D750 is not a consideration as the changes to the D780 fall right in my wheelhouse.). What keeps me from just getting the D780 is financial (wife). I really like the results full-frame renders. I also crop almost all my photos, as I leave myself some room for correction, straightening, etc. I do realize that full-frame weighs more, bodies and lenses.

I have been looking at getting a new lens; I was greatly intrigued by the Signma 18-35mm 1.8 ART, it looks like I could get full-frame type results with this lens. My issue is, I never use my 35mm prime, I use my 50mm by far the most, when using the primes, it has the best range for the situation. In fact, when I used my previous camera, D5100, I used the 50mm 99.9% of the time, including outside, I didn’t like the 18-105 zoom I have. The 85mm I pull out when outside and want some great bokeh photos, but use my 16-80mm 99% outside as the zoom is preferred and the 85mm can be a little slow. I tried the 85mm inside this weekend and it did okay, but I had to be on top of my game as it doesn’t focus as fast as my other lenses.

Another lens I am looking at for the D7500 is the Sigma 50mm ART, curious if I can get the full-frame results reported by the Sigma 18-35?

Am I just fooling myself with the D7500 and should just wait until I can afford the D780? A friend has a D750 and took a few photos at an outdoor race and I like how they are rendered.

 

[GarysInSoCal]

For the D7500... I would strongly recommend the 70-300 AF-P/VR... and make SURE you get the VR version. This focal length almost demands VR as camera movement is a strong possibility for the subjects you have selected to shoot. And YES... stick with the D7500... it's a great camera... love mine!




Kelley in Laguna Beach.

 

[Brian14852]

Dang Gary...hard to pay attention to what is said. .

I stay away from long lenses due to disability, I can't hold them, but thanks for the input; I should have mentioned that.

 

[GarysInSoCal]

Dang Gary...hard to pay attention to what is said. .

I stay away from long lenses due to disability, I can't hold them, but thanks for the input; I should have mentioned that.

Yep... should have definitely mentioned it. And for the record... that 70-300 AF-P/VR weights in at a ridiculously low weight of only 1 pound 8 ounces...




Kelley again... making it even harder to pay attention... LOL!

 

[JasonTheBirder]

In theory the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens should be superior to the Nikon because the Nikon 50mm G prime is kind of horrible wide open. I have one and I prefer to stop down to f/2.5 at least. The Art is far more usable wide open. I don't really know how good the AF on that lens would be for action shots though.

 

[BasilG]

The 85 with a D780 would be pretty close in terms of field of view to the 50 used on the D7500 (which you said is the perfect range) so I guess that could be a viable combination that would give you some more room for higher ISOs to keep the shutter speed up with a reasonably fast aperture.

I have no experience with the 50 Art, but make sure you check whether the AF accuracy is up to speed for what you do. Some people apparently have issues with the Sigma Art lenses in that department.

I take it you are looking for something to use indoors, where you say the main difficulty is insufficient light. For that reason, I would not recommend the 70-300 zooms that someone else recommended. As you are shooting moving subjects, VR won't help much and the slow aperture will be a drawback.

 

[Chen_Calvin]

You could refer to the review on photographylife at https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-16-80mm-f2-8-4e-vr. There are comparisons between D7500+16-80 and D750+24-120, which might relieve your desire for the upgrade, as I did. Besides, I shoot the scenics mostly. The live view and touch screen suit me wonderfully.

 

[visualenvy]

It is 3lbs but how about the Sigma 50-100mm f1.8 which can replace your primes?

 

[NicholasD]

I own a D7500 with 16-80mm f2.8-4 and these 1.8 primes, 35, 50 and 85. By far what I shoot most is BMX racing, which my son participates in. (Photo’s can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/BpMXPhoto). Being winter here, we are racing inside which as you can imagine is tough to shoot, without flash help. I do have a speedlight and have used it and will continue to at times, but rather not use one.

I would love to go full frame, specifically the D780. (The D750 is not a consideration as the changes to the D780 fall right in my wheelhouse.). What keeps me from just getting the D780 is financial (wife). I really like the results full-frame renders. I also crop almost all my photos, as I leave myself some room for correction, straightening, etc. I do realize that full-frame weighs more, bodies and lenses.

I have been looking at getting a new lens; I was greatly intrigued by the Signma 18-35mm 1.8 ART, it looks like I could get full-frame type results with this lens. My issue is, I never use my 35mm prime, I use my 50mm by far the most, when using the primes, it has the best range for the situation. In fact, when I used my previous camera, D5100, I used the 50mm 99.9% of the time, including outside, I didn’t like the 18-105 zoom I have. The 85mm I pull out when outside and want some great bokeh photos, but use my 16-80mm 99% outside as the zoom is preferred and the 85mm can be a little slow. I tried the 85mm inside this weekend and it did okay, but I had to be on top of my game as it doesn’t focus as fast as my other lenses.

Another lens I am looking at for the D7500 is the Sigma 50mm ART, curious if I can get the full-frame results reported by the Sigma 18-35?

Am I just fooling myself with the D7500 and should just wait until I can afford the D780? A friend has a D750 and took a few photos at an outdoor race and I like how they are rendered.

There's no perfect answer obviously and it doesn't become easier when budgets are factored in. Personally, I think primes are the way to go. What you lose in convenience and perhaps a broader shooting envelope, you make up in size/weight (important factors given one of your replies) and brighter aperture vs most zooms.

I have the Sigma 18-35 and it's a wonderful lens. I would say that the focal length can be limiting - 35mm comes up awfully fast when you're zooming in.... And, it isn't a lightweight lens - in fact, it's heavier than the 70-300 options. Sigma also makes a crop sensor 50-100 mm f/1.8 which Hogan really liked. A bit pricey and no doubt heavier than the 18-35....

If you like the D750, perhaps that's the answer. I'm not sure of availability at this point, but if Nikon still has inventory, price might be ok.

 

[Brian14852]

In theory the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens should be superior to the Nikon because the Nikon 50mm G prime is kind of horrible wide open. I have one and I prefer to stop down to f/2.5 at least. The Art is far more usable wide open. I don't really know how good the AF on that lens would be for action shots though.

Sorry for the slow response, my 'net went down last night.

You brought up a great point Jason and a concern, which I should have mentioned in the original post, and that is, will it focus fast, I must have a lens that is quick.

 

[Brian14852]

The 85 with a D780 would be pretty close field of view to the 50 used on the D7500 (which you said is the perfect range) so I guess that could be a viable combination that would give you some more room for higher ISOs to keep the shutter speed up with a reasonably fast aperture.

I have no experience with the 50 Art, but make sure you check whether the AF accuracy is up to speed for what you do. Some people apparently have issues with the Sigma Art lenses in that department.

I take it you are looking for something to use indoors, where you say the main difficulty is insufficient light. For that reason, I would not recommend the 70-300 zooms that someone else recommended. As you are shooting moving subjects, VR won't help much and the slow aperture will be a drawback.

Correct, I too believe the D750 with the 85mm could be a nice replacement combo for the D7500 with 50mm, when not using flash. If I use flash I use my 16-80mm, I have more options with the zoom and VR. I would just hope the 85mm is a little more responsive on the D780, as it isn't as quick as my 35 and 50.

It is a great point on the AF of the Sigma's, it would be worthless if the AF was too slow.

If I did purchase the Sigma, I would have interest in using it sometimes for outside action as well to get the desired result, where I don't need more reach. My 16-80mm takes stellar photos outside , and inside with flash, but it just doesn't give the depth and focus on the subjects like I see with FF, too much of the back and foreground in focus. The 85mm will accomplish this look on my D7500, but 85mm is a bit too long at times and a tad slow, some shots not in focus.

Maybe I should have spent more time with the 50mm outside on my D7500 with the aperture at something like f2.8, maybe I'd be surprised. I guess I am hoping the D780 with 24-120 would give me the beauty I see with the D7500/85mm.

The 70-300 is not a consideration.

I also need a lens of f1.8.

 

[BasilG]

The 85 with a D780 would be pretty close field of view to the 50 used on the D7500 (which you said is the perfect range) so I guess that could be a viable combination that would give you some more room for higher ISOs to keep the shutter speed up with a reasonably fast aperture.

I have no experience with the 50 Art, but make sure you check whether the AF accuracy is up to speed for what you do. Some people apparently have issues with the Sigma Art lenses in that department.

I take it you are looking for something to use indoors, where you say the main difficulty is insufficient light. For that reason, I would not recommend the 70-300 zooms that someone else recommended. As you are shooting moving subjects, VR won't help much and the slow aperture will be a drawback.

Correct, I too believe the D750 with the 85mm could be a nice replacement combo for the D7500 with 50mm, when not using flash. If I use flash I use my 16-80mm, I have more options with the zoom and VR. I would just hope the 85mm is a little more responsive on the D780, as it isn't as quick as my 35 and 50.

It is a great point on the AF of the Sigma's, it would be worthless if the AF was too slow.

You're probably aware of this, but just to make sure: The issue I referred to was accuracy, which is different from speed. Something can focus very quickly but to the wrong place, which isn't that helpful either. Hopefully some Sigma Art owners can jump in to clarify.

 

[Brian14852]

You could refer to the review on photographylife at https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-16-80mm-f2-8-4e-vr. There are comparisons between D7500+16-80 and D750+24-120, which might relieve your desire for the upgrade, as I did. Besides, I shoot the scenics mostly. The live view and touch screen suit me wonderfully.

Thank you Chen, I will check this out, sounds like this could be helpful.

 

[Brian14852]

The 85 with a D780 would be pretty close field of view to the 50 used on the D7500 (which you said is the perfect range) so I guess that could be a viable combination that would give you some more room for higher ISOs to keep the shutter speed up with a reasonably fast aperture.

I have no experience with the 50 Art, but make sure you check whether the AF accuracy is up to speed for what you do. Some people apparently have issues with the Sigma Art lenses in that department.

I take it you are looking for something to use indoors, where you say the main difficulty is insufficient light. For that reason, I would not recommend the 70-300 zooms that someone else recommended. As you are shooting moving subjects, VR won't help much and the slow aperture will be a drawback.

Correct, I too believe the D750 with the 85mm could be a nice replacement combo for the D7500 with 50mm, when not using flash. If I use flash I use my 16-80mm, I have more options with the zoom and VR. I would just hope the 85mm is a little more responsive on the D780, as it isn't as quick as my 35 and 50.

It is a great point on the AF of the Sigma's, it would be worthless if the AF was too slow.

You're probably aware of this, but just to make sure: The issue I referred to was accuracy, which is different from speed. Something can focus very quickly but to the wrong place, which isn't that helpful either. Hopefully some Sigma Art owners can jump in to clarify.

Thank you for the clarification, I was thinking speed. You are correct in that it is obviously important to be focusing where my "point" is set, as I am following a moving object; I pick it up a little early with the camera on continuous focus.

 

[Brian14852]

It is 3lbs but how about the Sigma 50-100mm f1.8 which can replace your primes?

I did look at this lens and it would be perfect, the right range, right aperture, but 3 lbs may be more than I can handle, so I ruled it out. (There may have been another issue, but I have read so much I can't remember.)

 

[Brian14852]

I own a D7500 with 16-80mm f2.8-4 and these 1.8 primes, 35, 50 and 85. By far what I shoot most is BMX racing, which my son participates in. (Photo’s can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/BpMXPhoto). Being winter here, we are racing inside which as you can imagine is tough to shoot, without flash help. I do have a speedlight and have used it and will continue to at times, but rather not use one.

I would love to go full frame, specifically the D780. (The D750 is not a consideration as the changes to the D780 fall right in my wheelhouse.). What keeps me from just getting the D780 is financial (wife). I really like the results full-frame renders. I also crop almost all my photos, as I leave myself some room for correction, straightening, etc. I do realize that full-frame weighs more, bodies and lenses.

I have been looking at getting a new lens; I was greatly intrigued by the Signma 18-35mm 1.8 ART, it looks like I could get full-frame type results with this lens. My issue is, I never use my 35mm prime, I use my 50mm by far the most, when using the primes, it has the best range for the situation. In fact, when I used my previous camera, D5100, I used the 50mm 99.9% of the time, including outside, I didn’t like the 18-105 zoom I have. The 85mm I pull out when outside and want some great bokeh photos, but use my 16-80mm 99% outside as the zoom is preferred and the 85mm can be a little slow. I tried the 85mm inside this weekend and it did okay, but I had to be on top of my game as it doesn’t focus as fast as my other lenses.

Another lens I am looking at for the D7500 is the Sigma 50mm ART, curious if I can get the full-frame results reported by the Sigma 18-35?

Am I just fooling myself with the D7500 and should just wait until I can afford the D780? A friend has a D750 and took a few photos at an outdoor race and I like how they are rendered.

There's no perfect answer obviously and it doesn't become easier when budgets are factored in. Personally, I think primes are the way to go. What you lose in convenience and perhaps a broader shooting envelope, you make up in size/weight (important factors given one of your replies) and brighter aperture vs most zooms.

I have the Sigma 18-35 and it's a wonderful lens. I would say that the focal length can be limiting - 35mm comes up awfully fast when you're zooming in.... And, it isn't a lightweight lens - in fact, it's heavier than the 70-300 options. Sigma also makes a crop sensor 50-100 mm f/1.8 which Hogan really liked. A bit pricey and no doubt heavier than the 18-35....

If you like the D750, perhaps that's the answer. I'm not sure of availability at this point, but if Nikon still has inventory, price might be ok.

Thanks Nicholas.

The D750 isn't a consideration as the improvements in the D780 ate a benefit in what I do most.

Weight is a factor for sure, otherwise I would probably look closer at the Sigma 50-100 f1.8. Based on what I have read, I really want the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 like you have, but the 35mm I feel is just to short for my needs, a lot of cropping would be done. I used my 35mm a few weeks ago and wished I had my 50mm the whole time. (Ironically the following week I setup with the 50mm and in my initial location I needed the 35mm.)

 

[Brian14852]

You could refer to the review on photographylife at https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-16-80mm-f2-8-4e-vr. There are comparisons between D7500+16-80 and D750+24-120, which might relieve your desire for the upgrade, as I did. Besides, I shoot the scenics mostly. The live view and touch screen suit me wonderfully.

I just finished reading that review, thank you again, it was very useful. My two takeaways, it makes me appreciate my D7500 with 16-80, which I have always liked, and also made it clear that full-frame has the clear advantage shooting in low light.

I may not be in a rush to go FF, but I can't shake the desire either. If I do switch, after reading that I may want to consider something different as a zoom other than the 24-120.

As another posted here, there may be no clear winner.

 

[blueknigh7]

Low light situations are challenging - it's the only scenario that makes me think of moving to FF, just for the extra stop of light.

I took a look at the FB page - what ISO and shutter speed are you up to typically? Just trying to get an idea of how much light there is to play with.

There's not too many good avenue's here. I have both the 18-35 and 50-100 Sigma 1.8 Arts. They're my sharpest and favorite lenses. I will say that the AF Acquisition isn't the fastest, and they're liable to hunt in low light situations. Once locked, they do fine for foot sports for me on a single subject, but I wouldn't suggest them for rapid target changes in low light. The AFP and my 50 1.8G prime lenses lock focus much much faster. The 16-80 is not as fast, but is pretty close to the 50 1.8G speed.

From reading reviews, the Sigma 50 Art seems to be similar. Maybe someone can chime in on their experience. Do you have the ability to rent one for trial?

There is the Nikon 50mm 1.4G, or the much more expensive 58mm 1.4G, which would give you an increment better on your shots for aperture and sharpness, but if the approval board is denying a 750, then this may also be a dead end. ;-)

The other considerations with "faster" lenses is that they need bigger apertures for the light. Glass = weight. You may have explored this, but what about using a monopod or rigging something to help with the holding weight?

One option - how about asking the venue to add some flood lights to your shooting spot? Or maybe they'll allow you to setup your own? Posting pictures as "free marketing" could be a win win for everyone. Perhaps it's better than a flashing speedlight as well.

The last option is more post production. Noise Reduction and sharpening tools are amazing on what they can do in low light. They can also product much better results than straight out of camera. If you're not shooting RAW - give it a try!

 

[BasilG]

There is the Nikon 50mm 1.4G, or the much more expensive 58mm 1.4G, which would give you an increment better on your shots for aperture and sharpness, but if the approval board is denying a 750, then this may also be a dead end. ;-)

Even those who like the 58/1.4 will admit that sharpness wide open is not one of its strengths.

 

[Cycletourer]

I own a D7500 with 16-80mm f2.8-4 and these 1.8 primes, 35, 50 and 85. By far what I shoot most is BMX racing, which my son participates in. (Photo’s can be seen at: https://www.facebook.com/BpMXPhoto). Being winter here, we are racing inside which as you can imagine is tough to shoot, without flash help. I do have a speedlight and have used it and will continue to at times, but rather not use one.

I would love to go full frame, specifically the D780. (The D750 is not a consideration as the changes to the D780 fall right in my wheelhouse.). What keeps me from just getting the D780 is financial (wife). I really like the results full-frame renders. I also crop almost all my photos, as I leave myself some room for correction, straightening, etc. I do realize that full-frame weighs more, bodies and lenses.

I have been looking at getting a new lens; I was greatly intrigued by the Signma 18-35mm 1.8 ART, it looks like I could get full-frame type results with this lens. My issue is, I never use my 35mm prime, I use my 50mm by far the most, when using the primes, it has the best range for the situation. In fact, when I used my previous camera, D5100, I used the 50mm 99.9% of the time, including outside, I didn’t like the 18-105 zoom I have. The 85mm I pull out when outside and want some great bokeh photos, but use my 16-80mm 99% outside as the zoom is preferred and the 85mm can be a little slow. I tried the 85mm inside this weekend and it did okay, but I had to be on top of my game as it doesn’t focus as fast as my other lenses.

Another lens I am looking at for the D7500 is the Sigma 50mm ART, curious if I can get the full-frame results reported by the Sigma 18-35?

Am I just fooling myself with the D7500 and should just wait until I can afford the D780? A friend has a D750 and took a few photos at an outdoor race and I like how they are rendered.

Hi Brian,

I'll second the suggestion you give the AF-P 70-300 VR a twirl.

Potential for less cropping/post processing?

Very speedy usage that I suspect will surprise you as will its lack of heft.

Best of all it won't put you too offside with your minister of finance the way a new body and then of course new lenses to go with it, given you are already cropping which might suggest losing a third of your current primes focal lengths might cause consternation and "her indoors" unwanted negative attention.

Just my first thought.

Good luck with the conundrum

Sorry I just spotted that you've already decided its not for you.