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This gear is simply spectacular. Got the D500, 16-80 f2.8 and 200-500. Upgraded from the D7100, wow, what a leap in performance and quality.

Watched this video when you first uploaded. Got a D500. 4 years later, still shooting with the D500 with close to 100,000 images off it. The camera is a beast and built to last.

Nice recap of some of our conversations from our workshop! Thanks again for a great day and a tour of some of your favorite hotspots!

Thanks to you and Ken Wheeler I have Purchased the D500, D850, and 200-500 F 5.6 .

Such a great video of real life experience. Mark, I love the way you break down your videos with detail explanations. Its mid 2020 and as I am faced with this same exact question right now D500 vs D850 this video is still relevant today. Thank you!

I went with the D500 and I'm 98% satisfied. I am a bird/wildlife photographer and the 'silent' mode really isn't silent... not good for my subjects. oops! But the images it captures really are outstanding and I'm thrilled. I wish I could come to Florida and do a workshop with you.

As usual, Great content without all the normal KZfaq fluff! I went with the D500 with the 200-500mm based on some of your earlier video reviews and have Zero regrets.

very informative and helpful - I will be picking up the D500 and the 200-500 this week- and can't wait to try all the stuff you have talked about - love your bird photography especially

Excellent!! Extremely informative and detailed comparison and rundown of these two cameras...you have covered the things that matter the most :)

That was a great comparison of the two cameras. Thank you very much!

I'm going to be upgrading from a D7500 (that I learned on) to the D850. The reason I'm getting the D850 is because I want something that is going to give me a ton of room to grow. I don't want to keep having to buy new bodies and lenses every few years as my skills develop. I'd rather spend the extra money once and raise my abilities to meet the capabilities of the camera than keep trading things in and buying new bodies.

OMG thanks for making this video Mark. I have been waiting for this comparison from you for ages.

Ace video Mark! Great video! I was one of the many asking this question as you know haha. Very helpful thou and thanks for taking the time to respond and make this video.

Best wildlife photography channel on youtube!

Great!!!! Thank you very much. Very nice video. I have Nikon D500 since 1 year with Tamron 150-600 G2 mm and I'am very happy with results. Thanks Mark from Spain

Hi Mark, great video, I originally bought the D500 then sold it after a year to help fund the D850 purchase with Grip. Have used it for 8 months now and LOVE it especially landscapes. I did miss the D500 though and like you wanted both so purchased it again a week ago. Wow, what a camera, I certainly noticed the quicker auto focus, more buffer, and all the other things you mentioned including the quieter shutter button. Now I am very content, I have both, one for both landscapes and wildlife and one for wildlife with a 1.5x crop sensor used with the Sigma 150-600 S lens and 1.4x converter, lots of zoom power. Cheers Rick from Aus

A D500 with a 18mm - 200mm DX lens and you have the best combo for general photography and a killer setup for street photography.

Another great video Mark, thanks very much. The d500 is my next camera.

Your video was super helpful. Thank you!!!

I switched from Canon to Nikon about 8 months ago....I got the D500 and I'm a seasoned photographer with no budget contrains. I wanted the extra reach of a crop sensor and all I can say is what a major upgrade from the 7D II. If I had prime super telephoto lenses, then the D850 would be on my list as well! Good video Mark!

once again excellent video! I love my D500 for plane spotting but I’m also eyeing with the D850

best channel on youtube for photographers huge fan of yours ... i remember asking same thing a year from now when u shared ur D850 n D500 shots early on and u recommended same things ... so following ur advice n savings in last 1 year ... sold my D810 n upgraded to D850 and im in love ... my 200-500 is a different beast all of a sudden and DX mode on D850 is really really good ... super sharp i think D850 with 3rd party battery grip and D5 battery n all is best swiss0army knife DSLR n bestest value for money especially when we compare its DX mode with D500 ... ur AF sensors just cover wider area i suppose in DX mode as compared to D500 ... Mark would put us wise in a much better way

Mark I am like you...I have both. For me, landscape: d850. Wildlife d500... Spot on comparison....thanks

I use the D7200 and nice glass. It has a good buffer and an excellent auto focus.

I agree about the D500 and the Nikkor 200-500mm being the best wildlife combo out there, one thing I always tell people also is that while older and slower the D7200 and the 200-500mm is an honorable mention wildlife combo for super cheap.. $2400 for both brand new, but the buffer is small so you have to plan your shots

Stepped up from d7100 to d500 with Tamron 70-200 g2 and 150-600 g2 lens. Been extremely happy with my experience to date.

Thanks Mark, your information was very helpful. Love your videos. 👍👍

Nice honest video Mark, good to see a comparison based on actual hands on experience. Well done and thank you for your efforts.

I have both now! Got the D850 yesterday and of course its pouring today when I have the day off.

Roger on the demands of the D850. Dang thing magnifies every mistake I make. OTOH, it's also motivating me to step up my photographic game.

Awesome information Mark, thank you for this!

Again...excellent job Mark !

I had a d7100 ith a 200-500. Changed it for a d500. I mostly do wildlife. Best move ever made. I really like that combo nd that's what works best for me. Great video. Can't wait to see the next one.

I’ve given considerable consideration to upgrading to the (very) desirable D850. But, I’m simply very happy with the results using my D500 and 200-500 combo. P.S. I love the Osprey video.

I have both! Partly because I’ve watched you shoot them. I shot the D850 this morning in crappy light. But I prefer the D500 during normal light. Nice video as always.

KZfaq will one day sponsor the KZfaq Awards at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, and you Mark will win a huge trophy. Maybe it will be a golden condor. Speaking of condors when can we expect some shots?

I would do the 850. I have a crop sensor, and I love it. I just don't need the high speed of the d500. I would like the high ISO, high megapixel for low light imaging, so it's the d850

Thank you for this very informative video Mark!

Thanks Mrk. Another informative video. I have a D500 with the grip. I shoot primarily sports and wildlife. I thought about buying the D850 but I want the extra reach from the crop sensor. I feel that I will have to crop my images in the D850 and the effective resolution wouldn’t be any better. I have the 200-500 zoom and the 70-200 FL zoom. I don’t have the inclination to use a teleconverter as it degrades the image and affects the aperture. I also don’t want to spend 12k to buy a 600mm lens. I do notice the crop sensor affecting my family portraits as the 1.5 crop is not needed, or even wanted, for this type of photography. Since I don’t need to shoot ultra wide angle, it’s more of an annoyance to have the extra reach of the crop sensor. I just use the 16-80 wide angle for portraits, as well as the 35mm and 50mm. They all work well. I would prefer the D850 if I know I can get close to the wildlife (I just can’t count on this) or for shooting portraits and other stills. So, the D500 is still the camera I would buy, even today. Just love it.

Good video. I like the high res on my D850 (Nikorr 200-500) for wildlife photography. Subjects are often far away and I have enough pixels to crop a lot and still have enough for a sizeable print. Thinking about adding the grip for the extra fps mostly for eagles catching fish.

Thanks Mark. I have the D500 and 200-500 and it is a killer combination for wildlife, but I do get some very noisy images if shooting in low light situations. There is always some sort of compromise, whatever kit you opt for!

I've been saving up to buy the d500, nice upgrade from my d7100! I will be using a tamron 150-600 which I love for my whale watching pictures!

Love the video, very informational and straight forward. I would love to see more gear reviews of like tripods other important accessories, I know you sometimes sprinkle that information into your normal story videos.

This was a very hard question for me! I was literally right there asking myself this very same question! I told myself if Nikon released a 40+ MP D800 replacement, I was all over it. As time marched on, I developed a new addiction, wildlife photography. I started monitoring Raptors for the city and been using a B700 and spotting scope. But I wanted more and the D500 is a beast in that field. So what to do, I couldn't afford bought. I decided to make do with my D800, its still a great camera and went with a D500 and 200-500mm! I have zero regrets!! The added bonus is the D500 4k video! The video is really quite well compared to my old D800 and slightly smaller.

Upgrading from my D2H next year and I think I’m going with the D500. Great presentation on both cameras.

Agreed on the D500's tendency to overexpose whites. Besides dialing down exposure compensation, using the highlight weighted metering mode can be a very effective remedy. I've found it to be especially helpful when the subject is in direct sunlight and the background is shaded. On overcast days, matrix metering and -0.3 to -0.7 EV works pretty good. Still, the D810 and D850 retain more detail in the whites thanks to their superior dynamic range.

Well, I ended up with the d500 new, and used d7200 for learning. Thanks, I'll do full frame once I've learned. Thank you very much for filling the blanks, and saving me 2k plus. And the used 7200 wad Well taken care of with lots of lenses and extras, some things, like the extra 3 batteries work in d500 as well. So you've helped me very much. Now I'll buy a nice lens with savings. Cheers mate.

Congrats on 20k!

My son wants the 500, and I’m about to purchase the 850, I have owned my D4 for 6years, incredible camera, which is why I haven’t bought the 500. Great review mark, keep up the good work

Discuss advantages of D850 Backside Illuminated Sensor. I’ve heard it allows in more light, and supposedly is just a bit faster. Combined with a full frame sensor which brings in more light than a crop body, it seems like the D850 in a given shot, side by side comparison with the D500 might be able to give the shooter a bit faster shutter speed and/or lower ISO.

Thank you so much for the good information. I'm really into macro photography, so I was looking into buying the D850 for the stacking and the image quality, but I also love birding so the D500 looked to be a better choice, especially because I have small hands and not a whole lot of physical strength. I do want the stacking though, so rather than being paralyzed by choice, I'm making do with a 7200 until they upgrade either the D750 and/or the D500. I know, it may be a couple of years. It will be a long wait. Thanks again, I loove, love your pictures and the way you present your material. Kudos.

It's a fantastic recap. I prefer D850 for my architecture and wide life.

I have to up my budget and get the D500 and 200-500 for my upcoming Alaska trip. Thanks for the great videos you make. They are very helpful.

I decided to stick to DX until I will get really good money on photography, since my budget. I shoot landscape and Street or portrait with D500 printing up to 90cm in Photo rag or Baryta paper and there isn't any sort of problem. I tried a FF and honestly, I cannot see a huge difference in the end for my type of photography that's why the choice. Yes better ISO and Super shallow DOF but I shoot astrophoto that to me looks good already in APS-C and my portraits are never shot at1.8. so I do not feel the necessity for that. I saved lots of money and get the top level APS-C! What could be better than that! I put aside of the D500 a D7200 for star trail and recently also landscape for the slight higher Dynamic range and with this combo I am the happiest man on the World now. The most difference I notice on FF is the view inside the viewfinder but again... that not affect my shot. When I will get money then Let's think to FF. For now it does not make sense.

As always, superb opinion. I have nikon D850 with tamron 70-200 g2 f/2.8. Insane quality

Great info, love my D500/200-500. Kinda of waiting to see how all the mirroless stuff shakes out.

Great video Mark. I currently own the D500 and have been considering changing it for the D850. You've given me some things to consider there that I hadn't initially thought about. Thanks.

Thanks for this video.I intend to get the D700 because its a great affordable camera now plus it shares accessories with my beautiful D200 , so now i can save up to buy the D500 as I will never afford D850 this decade.

Great video.... as always I just (two minutes ago) bought one of your "Unisex Walk Softly and Carry A BIG Lens Long Sleeve XL: Black" shirts to throw a little support your way. I have learned a lot from your videos. Thank you!

Thanks Mark- I'm upgrading from my Dinosaur D80 and Ive tested the D500. It was quite nice and I liked the speed and focusing. I haven't had a chance to test the D850 yet. This helped with decision making!

Thanks Mark, very helpful and timely for me as I settle at last on the D850 and after much though is now in the way home from NJ. :=) I have using my 500 4.0 G VR ll with a D7200 for birds and the 200 2.0 G VR ll with a D750 for street portraits.Again thank you for your time.

Started with the D500 but recently got the D850. Both killer machines😎

👍 Mark..you answered many questions that I personally had about the two.. Thank you..Ken

Great video Mark!!! Thank you Harry

👍👍 Thank you for a REAL due diligence and field experience comparison of the D850 vs D500. It is amazing the difference between a REAL field tested camera review verses the youtube standard talking heads rambling without doing any due diligence just to get a video and their affiliate links posted before any other channel.

My prayers have been answered! Nice haircut by the way.

I think that Nikon D850 is better for macro photography because it has focus bracketing and focus stacking. Sorry for my english (i don't live in an english speaking country)!

Great video! Just picked up a D500 to compliment my D810. Maybe in a year or so I'll upgrade the 810 to the 850. While money certainly is a consideration for me, the combination as you've said is the ultimate rig! Thanks.

Thanks for a nice video. I'll take contact before coming to Florida.

Great video. Love my D500 with grip and 200-500 Nikkor!

Superb review, Thank You!

I would always vote for the D850 if I can afford it. With the vertical grip it is almost as fast. I have a pair of D800s along with a D500. I do appreciate the lighter weight of the D500. The D500 doesn't handle highlights quite as well. It is great for speed but when I want image quality I use one of my D800s. I shoot the same RAW images to both cards and that really slows it down and reduces my buffer. I printed a 20X24 out of my D500 and it looks great. I over sharpened it a bit but that is my fault.

A really nice summation of strengths and weaknesses between the two cameras. 👽👍👍👍

Another solid video, Mark...great comparison! You made me feel pretty good for buying the D500 (I'm using it with a Nikkor 80-400mm lens) considering the expenses involved. I wanted to mention something I learned about the 200-500mm lens, as well as my own telephoto zoom, while in the Khutzeymateen earlier this year. I was told that the 200-500mm doesn't have a seal to keep out the moisture that you'll encounter in that sort of landscape. I had issues with condensation with my own lens although it has a seal. The nature of how these lenses work can create problems when there is a lot of moisture/rain. The Everglades can be rainy, but I've never experienced the same sort of issue there (much warmer obviously in South Florida). Thanks!

The D850 is not just faster to autofocus with the Nikon grip and D4/D5 battery, because of the frame rate increase. It is actually also slightly due to the larger battery that provides much more power to the camera and therefor the autofocus motor/system. This nothing new, but most people have never noticed or said anything if they have. I have a D810 with the grip and I own two D4s' bodies. I noticed when I put the larger D4s battery into the grip on the D810 you can actually hear the autofocus system become faster and it's audible.

Thanks a lot Mark. Very helpful as usual. I always have an eye open for an upgrade and read a few reviews but really think that yours are way the best......you are a hands on , practical and excellent photographer. Many reviews are too much in laboratory mode and don’t give a real idea of the performance of the camera in the field. I have a D500, D800 and P7700 (which lives permanently in the car so I always have a camera). Surprising the P7700 os capable of producing some reasonable quality shots, certainly better than nothing. The D500 and 200-500 is absolute magic and thanks to you. So upgrade of the D800 ? .....still a great camera but the clunky focus can be a drag. Have been thinking Z7 or D850, but the D850 seems to be a good acquisition, particularly for landscape and I love the sound of it’s low light ability. Great in those dark rainforests. Mostly busy birding with the D500 at the moment. Thanks again.

Hi Mark Great video. You know me, I shoot with basically the same setup(s) except I can't handle the expense or weight of the 500 f/4. I agree with everything you say. I really would have a hard time choosing between the 2 if I had only one choice. Believe it or not I have found working with the D500+200-500mm and the D850+80-400(G) a great combo and the TC 1.4 works well with it. That 80-400 is proving itself. Hope to see you soon

BOTH! You buy BOTH!!! I had the D500 for a year and I loved every second of ownership! The only reason I don’t have it still is because I sold it to help pay for my D4S! The D850 is an absolute MONSTER! That thing can do no wrong...sure not everyone is balling out of control when it comes to finances but these two bodies are well worth whatever sacrifices that you may need to make...BOTH!

Really nice video Mark 👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Thanks Mark for the great video

Mark everything is well done in this video. Today it would be great to include the Z6 II to compare with these 2. You are a great photographer, love your work thanks for share all this stuff

Thanks Mark, great video. I’m coming from D300 and after a ton of reading and watching videos I convinced myself the D850 was best step for upgrade. I use all FX glass, so it felt right. However I rented the D850 this weekend and man what a beautiful camera, but after shooting with this and my D300 with all my f2.8 glass, I think I should have rented the D500 as well. Image quality is obviously deep, but in all earnest I’m not blown away to justify file size (6x) cost and less throw on my lens that I’m used to with DX crop. Waste IMHO to buy D850 to crop, and all the bigger prime telephoto are way too much for “fun” shooting, so I’m now not sure what to do. I like having 2 of the same bodies on me at all time so a D850 and a D500 makes sense but for me it doesn’t. I’ll rent the D500 and see how that compares. All your points about the D850 are spot on and it’s a fantastic camera! I think what you said early in video is most accurate, each are meant for different things...coming from DX to FX is not an easy step from what I’m seeing after this weekend. Ok just rented the D500 (lensrental.com) and I think it’s a snappier camera and seems faster shutter speed, but the 850 detail is insane compared to the 500 which is awesome! The 850 is just more. Also for those with bigger hands the D500 is smaller and is not as comfortable as the 850, which is much closer to the D300. I was hoping I’d love the 500, but the 850 is the winner.

Thanks Mark. Much appreciated

Mark, you should be a spokesperson for Nikon. I learn so much from you. My wife and just returned from the Great Salt Lake and we took some beautiful pictures if bison using the D500 with the 200 to 500 lens. We also enjoy using our Nikon 18 to 300 lens on our D500. The picture quality on this lens is excellent and our go to lens if we don’t want to pack a bunch of lenses.

I like the D500 for its speed, af performance (which I perceive as slightly better than on d850), the buffer (incredible!!!) and the pricing.

Mark you are the best one in youtube .. i get tired looking for that answer .. you the best photographer explain easy and simple .. thank u so much and subscribe and millions like ❤😘

Great comparison, thank you.

Great video. You certainly have a lot of knowledge, a lot of talent, and a knack for making interesting videos. I’m curious where the Canon 80D would fit in to this comparison, particularly for wildlife, but also for overall camera usage. I know it’s a bit older, and it doesn’t have 4K, but I generally prefer Canon. I am more of a novice, I’m not a pro. Also like to take the cameras with me when I travel, so size is important.

If I ever decide to put my nikon F4 in the dry box for a long rest and have a different change I would highly recommend the D500 as u said good review thanks mark

Wow, another fantastic video! Mark, you've answered the question of why the AF is improved with the grip added to the D850. Couple questions, please: 1) If you did "not" need the extra 2 fps, would you still add the battery grip for the better AF? 2) If I decide to add the grip, I'll stick with the expensive Nikon grip but what do you think about using a third party charger for the big-boy battery.....in order to save some money? Again, thanks for this great video

Thanks Mark, another great video! I have been looking for a comparison like this. I have used the 500 for landscape along with a Tokina 11-16 ATX and it delivered great shots. I have yet to use the 850 though, for wildlife, so I am really interested in how you setup your 850 for that. I downloaded a few of your guides and look forward to reading them. Thanks again for the efforts you put into these, very very helpful!

I bought both of them and love them. D500 I use for wildlife shots requiring a long shot. The D850 I used for everything else! The D500 I do use the Nikon 200 to 500mm and agree great they work great together

Excellent real world comparison Mark. Thanks for a really good video.

Lookin' mighty spiffy today, Mark, with that new hair cut! :-) Great "comparison" video -- very informative, as always. If the day ever comes where I feel I'm ready to upgrade to a SERIOUS camera, I'm definitely leaning towards the D500. And a big THANK YOU for comparing the SOUND of each camera. I was really amazed at how much louder the D850 is. That, alone, would keep me from purchasing the D850... the darn thing sounds like an automatic weapon and I'm sure it would scare off any wild life you're trying to shoot. Do you have a local B&H down in Florida? (Just curious) I bought my first 35mm Minolta X700 back in 1982 from their mail-catalog. Great camera in its day. I actually still have it and it still works like new. Although, the hunt for 35mm film these days is like looking for a needle in a haystack, LOL! The only B&H I have around here is the one in New York City and, Dude, what an amazing outfit they are! Sure is fun to walk around in there, but I've found that every time I turn a corner the WISH LIST just gets longer and longer. If I ever win Powerball or MegaMillions B&H will be my first stop!

Great job on this video👌🏻

If you can only afford one or the other, and I think that applies to quite a few of us, then I'd go with the D850 if I were shooting in mainly lower light situations and the D500 for well lit, open fields and skies situations. I recently moved from D500 APS-C and Olympus EM1 mark II M43 systems to a Sony full frame system, because I'm nearly always shooting into tree lines or bushes. Changing to full frame has paid off for me, as the format does cope better with higher ISO values. As a wildlife photographer the one drawback with both the D500 and D850 for me, is the lack of presets on a top plate dial. My EM1.2 had three incredibly customisable presets and my A7III and A7II each have two. Having customisable presets means you can change between slow shutter speed, large aperture, single focus point, single frame etc., to fast shutter speeds, smaller aperture, multiple focus points, continuous focus etc., at the blink of an eye by just turning a dial. The Nikon D7500 has customisable presets, so for some one starting out, who cannot affors two camera bodies, it could be a better purchase than a D500. You may be capturing an image of a perched bird, then immediately switch to a bird in flight with the turn of a dial because you have already stored the necessary settings in the presets.

Thanks I really like the Ospreys that you Shot !! I live on the South Oregon Coast and Shoot Ospreys my Favorite Bird I don't get them Diving much they are out on the Ocean and I can't stay with them they move around to Much but I get nice shots in the Nest on Rocks on the Beach !!

Thanks for guiding

I have been using the D500 with a tamron 150 to 600. great for wild life. Iv'e used it for a wedding. It did a good job. Once I get a 2.8 zoom it will be a perfect blend.