D810 vs D500 vs wait for D820 - Travel and Landscape

Hi all,

I'm a former Nikon shooter (D3/D700/D300s/D7000) and was thinking of picking up a lightweight, high dynamic range camera to supplement my Canon kit, specifically replacing it for travel and landscape purposes. With the impending D820/D900/whateverthey​'recallingit release, which would you recommend?

D810 + 14-24mm F/2.8 + 70-200 F/4
D500 + 16-80 + 70-200 F/4

Is the weight difference substantial? I'm carrying a large RRS tripod anyways. The D810 lacks things like auto AF fine-tune and light up buttons (is that a thing on the D500 or only on the D5?). My guess is the D820 will be MSRP around $3500, so a D810 at $2500 may be a good deal anyways.

I mainly shoot with 2 D5, but own a D500 and have shot with a D810. For travel and landscapes, I'd definitely go with the D810 14-24 & 70-200 combo. The detail with the D810 is just incredible. The DR at low ISO is really good (check out DxO). With the D500/16-80, you're starting at a 24mm equivalent, if that matters to you. The 14-24 is really wide on a FX body, maybe so that you might want to go with a 24-70 to compliment it, but landscapes over 70mm can be really nice too.

I haven't had great results with Auto AF Fine Tune - I use my regular LenSpyder for all of my bodies and lenses. I think the D500 has the lit up buttons too, but I've never used it on my D5. Between what you see in the viewfinder and what you can get with the info button, it's all pretty well covered. If you're doing landscapes at dawn or dusk and you really need to see something else, a little pen light will work.

I think the strong aspects of the D500 are for when you need the extra reach of a DX body or if you need a better AF system for sports or wildlife, or the 10 fps. Otherwise, I'd go D810 or even D750.

I don't like guessing about yet to be announced cameras or bodies, but I did get rid of my 70-200/2.8G when Nikonrumors had enough posts about the new E version coming out. In hindsight, I lost money by frequently renting a 70-200 than I would've taken a hit on selling a 70-200/2.8G after the E version came out.

If Landscapes are your game then the D810 and 14-24 is the best combo available from Nikon.

Ive had two D810's before my recent switch back to Canon and its an awesome camera, especially when combined with the 14-24.

Heres a recent shot with that combo.

Lightweight would lead me to suggest that the D8xx series isn't the best option, same with the D500. The 14-24 is a heavy monster as well. If you really want lightweight with high DR (and I assume resolution) I'd suggest Sony (A7RII + 16-35/f4 or f2.8 or 12-24/f4 if it either ends up being as good); if you don't need the super high resolution even the A6000 and 10-18 is capable of good photos.

BUT, if you're set on an SLR format then I'd stick with the 810. Who knows when the D820 is going to be announced...it was due to come out last fall (along with a couple other bodies), and when it is there'll likely be a long wait between preorder and shipping. Plus, given their recent history I tend to think it's best to wait 6 months before picking up a Nikon body nowadays.

Out of boredom I checked the weights of your suggested kits and the two I suggested:

D810 + 14-24mm F/2.8 + 70-200 F/4 = 2730g
D500 + 16-80 + 70-200 F/4 = 2190g

A7RII + 16-35mm f4 + 70-200mm f4 = 1983g
A7RII + 16-35mm f2.8 + 70-200mm f4 = 2145g
A7RII +12-24mm f4 + 70-200mm f4 = 2030g

A6000 + 10-18 + 18-105 = 999g
A6000 + 10-18 + 70-200mm f4 = 1409g

The D810 obviously is the heaviest, but between the sensor being a bit older and now being surpassed by Sony's 42mp performance and the 14-24 showing it's age, especially compared to new options like the Tamron 15-30...I'd have to think long and hard about get them if I wanted something lighter for travel, in addition to a Canon kit. The D500 would be amazing for moving subjects or times you need that additional crop, but I wonder if the 16-80 (24-120 crop) is a good choice, since you are thinking of ultrawide with the other kit.

The Sony's are lighter, have a sensor that admittedly outperforms the Nikon in just about every area (I found that every Sony I ever had needed more work with skin tones in post) and the lenses they've been coming out with lately are all solid performers (at a ridiculous premium though). The A6000 and 18-105/10-18 would be my vote though, if I were in the same position. Can't go wrong with the Nikons if you decide to go that way... I love my 800e/610 combo...but I just hate lugging them around unless I'm working.

Why not stay with a system you know and have? Going back and forth from one to the other will slow you down in some ways and do so at inconvenient times.

Anybody here have any experience with the Tamron 15-30? I have seen reviews from different sources saying it actually outperforms the Nikon 14-24 in several aspects; vignetting across the spectrum being one of them.

tomstephens89 wrote in post #18387153
If Landscapes are your game then the D810 and 14-24 is the best combo available from Nikon.

Ive had two D810's before my recent switch back to Canon and its an awesome camera, especially when combined with the 14-24.

Heres a recent shot with that combo.

Hosted photo: posted by tomstephens89 in
./showthread.php?p=183​87153&i=i52887973
forum: Camera Vs. Camera

May I ask what made you switch back to Canon's 5DSR?

Deardorff wrote in post #18392131
Why not stay with a system you know and have? Going back and forth from one to the other will slow you down in some ways and do so at inconvenient times.

Used D700/D300s/D3s back in the day, sometimes while using Canon kit, so not that big of a switch. Just finding my 1DXII heavy to lug around, although I prefer the viewfinder and eyecups of the 1D / D3 / D700 series more so than the 5D/7D series. Small preference there.

tdlavigne wrote in post #18387478
Lightweight would lead me to suggest that the D8xx series isn't the best option, same with the D500. The 14-24 is a heavy monster as well. If you really want lightweight with high DR (and I assume resolution) I'd suggest Sony (A7RII + 16-35/f4 or f2.8 or 12-24/f4 if it either ends up being as good); if you don't need the super high resolution even the A6000 and 10-18 is capable of good photos.

BUT, if you're set on an SLR format then I'd stick with the 810. Who knows when the D820 is going to be announced...it was due to come out last fall (along with a couple other bodies), and when it is there'll likely be a long wait between preorder and shipping. Plus, given their recent history I tend to think it's best to wait 6 months before picking up a Nikon body nowadays.

Out of boredom I checked the weights of your suggested kits and the two I suggested:

D810 + 14-24mm F/2.8 + 70-200 F/4 = 2730g
D500 + 16-80 + 70-200 F/4 = 2190g

A7RII + 16-35mm f4 + 70-200mm f4 = 1983g
A7RII + 16-35mm f2.8 + 70-200mm f4 = 2145g
A7RII +12-24mm f4 + 70-200mm f4 = 2030g

A6000 + 10-18 + 18-105 = 999g
A6000 + 10-18 + 70-200mm f4 = 1409g

The D810 obviously is the heaviest, but between the sensor being a bit older and now being surpassed by Sony's 42mp performance and the 14-24 showing it's age, especially compared to new options like the Tamron 15-30...I'd have to think long and hard about get them if I wanted something lighter for travel, in addition to a Canon kit. The D500 would be amazing for moving subjects or times you need that additional crop, but I wonder if the 16-80 (24-120 crop) is a good choice, since you are thinking of ultrawide with the other kit.

The Sony's are lighter, have a sensor that admittedly outperforms the Nikon in just about every area (I found that every Sony I ever had needed more work with skin tones in post) and the lenses they've been coming out with lately are all solid performers (at a ridiculous premium though). The A6000 and 18-105/10-18 would be my vote though, if I were in the same position. Can't go wrong with the Nikons if you decide to go that way... I love my 800e/610 combo...but I just hate lugging them around unless I'm working.

By lightweight, I mean compared the the 1DX II, haha. Been eyeing the A7RII and 12-24mm, although I'm not sure if I'm sold on the build quality, controls and battery life, especially for landscape and sometimes gloved winter operation and resistance.