Having scoured the internet for months, I have just purchased a d500! The reviews are (almost) unanimous - the d500 is the BEST dslr for shooting birds and wildlife generally. Thanks for an informative and enjoyable video.

The D500 is still highly relevant in 2022. At a recent local airshow I was using only my Z bodies and regretted it as my keeper rate was much lower than if I’d brought along my DSLR

I’ve had my D500 for over three years now and I’m still finding little tweaks to further enhance its performance and to also give me an advantage. I’ve been managing to get to a local hide only 10 mins drive from where I live and because I’ve been going during the evening in good light on consecutive evenings, I’ve learned a lot on what works best for me. The AF sensitivity in the D500 can be very sensitive and sometimes I find I have to tame it a bit by selecting 4 in the AF Sensitivity menu so it doesn’t lock on to the background while photographing BIF. I’ve also found for static subjects, It’s best to use AF-S instead of AF~C as the AF can lock on to something an inch away from the bird’s eye resulting in a slightly out of focus subject. I have the 500mm PF so it could the speed of the AF on the lens making it very sensitive. I’ve also found for BIF against a plane sky, 25 point Dynamic is best but if the bird is flying in front of a textured background such as hedges and vegetation, Group AF is best. If you do a lot of BIF,set your function buttons up to various AF Area Focus modes so you can change from one to the other while you are still tracking your subject in the viewfinder. I have my AF On button set to Single point, my PV button set to 25 Point Dynamic area and my Function 1 button set to Group AF. Have a look at Steve Perry on YT, he has an ebook about the Nikon AF system. He explains which mode is best to use and he also explains why. I learned from his book that Group AF can be your saviour because it regains lost focus immediately and anything under the Group AF points, it’s the closest part of the subject that is in focus.

Additional notes for users/buyers of D500 bodies: If or when you find and purchase a D500 body, check the firmware. If it is too old, it will need to be upgraded in multiple steps, not just one. Be sure you do, though, since the camera was designed to use XQD cards from the factory, but with the most recent firmware, you can now use CF Express Type B cards, which are faster and cheaper! Two of the bodies that I now own had firmware that was old enough (1.00 and 1.01) that I had to find archived copies of older firmware and then upgrade to 1.12 before they would go further. All of them now have 1.31 and can use both XQD and CF cards. Two of my CF cards are 512 GB and work flawlessly. As mentioned in this video, use back-button focus. Also, use the body MF/AF switch to engage or disengage auto-focus, set the CH speed to 10, and set the artificial limit for maximum number of continuous shutter releases to 200 (the max allowed). If you run across any YT videos who attempt to demean the value of the D500, don't listen to them. They're either ill-informed or completely uninformed. These are darlings!

Fantastic video new subscriber,I just had to send my D500 to Nikon for repair trouble with the mirrors not working. I miss shooting Ive herd nothing but horror stories about Nikon customer service I pray I get it back soon and working properly. The D500 is a fantastic camera great marriage with the Nikon 200-500 for wild life.

Bought one used for under 550 € Last Weekend. Currently rocking a z6 II which is Fine for Most wildlife work but i think that the 1,5 crop comes in handy. I have a 500mm pf. cant wait to pair the d500 with that amazing Lens.

Great shots and a great explanation of your setting Robert, I especially like the images of the razorbills and puffins. I'm not sure I'd be getting so close to the edges of those cliffs though!

awesome photos you've captured and tips explanations. great sharing 👍

We have a great Gannet Colony here in Auckland at Muriwai Beach but I loved seeing your Puffins that we don't get here in NZ. Thanks you

Very nice video Robert thanks so much.

Great tips in this one mate. That lens is such a beast! Great in-flight shot at 1:40! And really enjoyed the puffin shots, would really like to see those someday. I think my favorite one was the dead on one at 12:42, love that salty expression he had LOL Great stuff as always mate, really enjoyed it. Hope you guys are doing well over there!

Enjoyed this video and it was easy to follow and understand i feel like some videos just like to show off and use as much jargon as possible which means you just come away confused whereas this was very informative but simplified at the same time

Awesome and helpful. Got to love puffins. Still struggling to choose between the Sigma and the Nikon 200-500mm for the D500. Tough choices for wildlife.😅

10:07 .... what a cool shot. brilliant Robert 🙂

Some great images mate, always a sucker for a good puffin shot and you got a few - love the 'dancing' puffin! I really want to get to this place, it's going to have to sub in for my monthly Lake District visit one of these days (although I guess I'll miss the Puffins unless I get up there in the next couple weeks) - did you have to book in advance or just rock up on the day?

I have had the D500 now for many years and agree it is the best tool for wildlife, I would say even better than the Z9. They are incomparable, one costs more than my car and has a constant steam of firmware updates, the other can be bought for less than a grand and works. You took some great photos in the video. I have the same lens as well. For the money a hard set up to beat. I set my D500 up a little different in that I always shoot in manual with auto iso, unless the situation is controlled, then I go fully manual. I would ask this question of you, what difference does it make shooting in manual iso and auto? While in auto I am still in control of it, it just means I can do this with one finger, and in my experience when the action starts the less buttons that need pressing the better. But I would be interested in your take on this? I also use single point focus because I have found that group can and will focus on a wing tip or something other than the subject. I do how ever set up my d500 so that I can toggle from a group of 9 to single spot using my bottom front fn button. I find this is a complete game changer for picking up birds flying, as soon as I am locked on I release the button and revert to single to refine the focus. Great video thanks for posting.

Subscribed. Awesome video and photos, thank you for the information. I recently upgraded to a D500 (used a D3500 for almost 4 years) and am using a Sigma 170-500mm f/5-6.3 lens. Would you say f/6.3 is ideal? I'm photographing wildlife, mostly birds.

Great video, thank you! I currently shoot birds with the Nikon D7500 (your camera's little sister) and the Nikon 500mm f5.6 PF. I am not thrilled with the mirrorless Nikon options so far. I'm sure the Z9 is amazing but it is super big and heavy. How do you find you camera and settings perform with smaller, faster birds in flight?

I have found using Aoto iso with my D500 and the 200 - 500 5 .6 and ss at 3200 work well for me

Do you ever find when shooting faster shutter speeds that the lens stabilization causes any sort of issue with sharp focus? Do you have a speed where you tend to turn it off shooting at?

My d500 can only read my cfexpress card if NOT fully inserted -- if I fully insert it says err. if I leave the door open and the card not fully inserted it works?

What is the best time to visit Bemton cliffs for photographing puffins and gannets?

Where did you get the Philadelphia Eagles cap?

🙏👍👍 thanks 👍

Not all Nikon do work well with Auto ISO D5 will not be sure about D850 as I do not try it on Auto Iso I use it on A for landscapes on low Iso 64

เป็นภาพที่ยอดเยี่ยมและฉันรู้สึกตื่นเต้นมากที่ได้เห็น ติดตามตอนต่อไป แล้วพบกันใหม่ สมัครสมาชิก🔔

I tried one of those Sigma lenses and it broke on day two. Seems they have a common problem. You have to send it in to get it fixed. No more Sigma for me. 👎