Nikon Body for Dog Photography

matty D

matty D

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Matt
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Hello all, I am returning to photography after a 10 year break, and am completely lost with the new cameras in the market.

My trusty D810 was dropped a few years ago and the mount ring has broken. I think it’s beyond economical repair.

I need a body that can autofocus well on black dogs that are running towards the camera. A tough ask I know.

I have a good range of Nikon FX 2.8 glass which I am not prepared to replace.

As far as I can tell my best options are a Z6iii with an adapter, (I’d likely buy a grey import from Cotswold cameras for £1299)

Or I’m half tempted to just get a used D500. I remember when it came out it was very highly recommended for sports/wildlife. If it worked well back then, it will still work well IMO.

Can anyone provide some insight or recommendations please?

Current glass is;
Nikon 14-24 2.8
Nikon 24-70 2.8
Nikon 70-200 VRii 2.8
Sigma 105 Macro
Sigma 35mm 1.4 ART
Nikon 85mm 1.4

Thanks in advance
 
matty D said:
Hello all, I am returning to photography after a 10 year break, and am completely lost with the new cameras in the market.

My trusty D810 was dropped a few years ago and the mount ring has broken. I think it’s beyond economical repair.

I need a body that can autofocus well on black dogs that are running towards the camera. A tough ask I know.

I have a good range of Nikon FX 2.8 glass which I am not prepared to replace.

As far as I can tell my best options are a Z6iii with an adapter, (I’d likely buy a grey import from Cotswold cameras for £1299)

Or I’m half tempted to just get a used D500. I remember when it came out it was very highly recommended for sports/wildlife. If it worked well back then, it will still work well IMO.

Can anyone provide some insight or recommendations please?

Current glass is;
Nikon 14-24 2.8
Nikon 24-70 2.8
Nikon 70-200 VRii 2.8
Sigma 105 Macro
Sigma 35mm 1.4 ART
Nikon 85mm 1.4

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

Hi, I do have a D500, but no Z6iii, so my recommendation is limited. I am happy with my D500. I have a black dog, but have never taken any action pics of her.

(The adapter will make the Z combo with your lenses a little more front heavy.)

Black cars and a bike I can show ... :


DSC_7832-d500c.jpg



DSC_7834-d500c.jpg



DSC_7836-d500c.jpg



DSC_2401-d5002-c.jpg
 
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gramps said:
D500 has superb AF and is very fast, I doubt the extra on a new mirrorless will be worth it.
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Hi, which is why I bought it. My wife has one, too. She uses it for bird photography.
 
I’ve had the D500 and Z6iii. I’d definitely choose the Z6 iii. Today’s autofocus and subject recognition along with fast burst rates really help. This from the Z8 with adapted 300 pf. Same AF algorithm as Z6iii. Camera easily finds the eye.

Action test-2-2 by -justTrev-
 
trevorbray said:
I’ve had the D500 and Z6iii. I’d definitely choose the Z6 iii. Today’s autofocus and subject recognition along with fast burst rates really help. This from the Z8 with adapted 300 pf. Same AF algorithm as Z6iii. Camera easily finds the eye.

Action test-2-2 by -justTrev-
Click to expand...
Brilliant image of a stunning dog. Thanks for the help.
 
trevorbray said:
I’ve had the D500 and Z6iii. I’d definitely choose the Z6 iii. Today’s autofocus and subject recognition along with fast burst rates really help. This from the Z8 with adapted 300 pf. Same AF algorithm as Z6iii. Camera easily finds the eye.

Action test-2-2 by -justTrev-
Click to expand...
I agree. AF in the latest Z's is just quicker and more accurate than the D cameras.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I’ve decided to get a used D500 for £500. I’m sure it’s going to be a giant step up from what I’m used to, and the crop factor gives my 70-200 extra reach.

If it doesn’t live up to expectations I can always resell it for what it cost me, and then I’ll take the plunge and get a z6iii.

Thanks again all.
 
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Absolutely no way you want to get a dslr for action images; you definitely know better not to end up with over 70% of defocused images like many of posters on Facebook groups do.
 
Mintchocs said:
That’s true but but the advantage of mirrorless is that the AF will also keep the eye in focus as the depth of field of shooting a running dog ( nearer) will be different to photographing a falcon at distance.
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Have you ever photographed a Peregrine Falcon in attack mode?
LongLensPhotography said:
Absolutely no way you want to get a dslr for action images; you definitely know better not to end up with over 70% of defocused images like many of posters on Facebook groups do.
Click to expand...
Wow, all those amazing action photos before mirrorless .. must be Ai I guess. :thinking:
 
gramps said:
Have you ever photographed a Peregrine Falcon in attack mode?

Wow, all those amazing action photos before mirrorless .. must be Ai I guess. :thinking:
Click to expand...
If i hadnt tried i might bite this, but i did. Day and night. Repeated failure and instant success. Take your pick
 
Trust in technology or develop a skill.
Hmm.....
My Z9s are fabulous but the eye detection is fallible. Many a time I've wished I had turned it off and gone old school with single point focus.
Spent half a day shooting for a local vet recently. Reviewing the images it is frustrating to see how often the focus has found the dog's nose and not the eye.
 
matty D said:
Thanks for all the replies.

I’ve decided to get a used D500 for £500. I’m sure it’s going to be a giant step up from what I’m used to, and the crop factor gives my 70-200 extra reach.

If it doesn’t live up to expectations I can always resell it for what it cost me, and then I’ll take the plunge and get a z6iii.

Thanks again all.
Click to expand...

I went from the Sony A9 with it's amazing AF system (at the time) to the D810 and it was a very noticeable downgrade in AF performance, so whilst the latest CSC's may have the best AF, I think you will still be very pleased with the D500's AF seeing as it's next gen to the D810 and a significant step up.

The D850 would have also been on my list as some suggested. It's the same AF system as the D500, has wider dynamic range, colour depth, low light handling etc, which could be handy for a black dog if in a bright environment, but the files from that 45MP sensor... ouch! :D

I'm considering upgrading to the D850, so it will be interesting to hear how you get on with the D500's AF.
 
From my experience of bird photography, the D850 is great for keeping detail when cropping but the AF and tracking is not as keen as the D500.
The D500 is just that bit more responsive and was my 'go-to' when AF & tracking were the most important issues.
 
I think the D500s autofocus tracking is probably a little better than the D850 where you are taking advantage of the crop factor (using only the middle of the screen on a D850). They have the same 180000 pixel tracking system but on the 850 the pixels are spread over twice the area.

Of course if you can afford to zoom in optically 1.5x with a 850 there is no difference in tracking.
 
Erty said:
I think the D500s autofocus tracking is probably a little better than the D850 where you are taking advantage of the crop factor (using only the middle of the screen on a D850). They have the same 180000 pixel tracking system but on the 850 the pixels are spread over twice the area.

Of course if you can afford to zoom in optically 1.5x with a 850 there is no difference in tracking.
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Hi, yes, this is my experience, which is why I bought the D500 after the D850. The D850 seemed to have difficulties at times with headlamps and reflecting grills of bikes and cars.

I am not interested in a high burst rate, because at a car event with 150 cars this might give me thousands of pics. I want perfect focussing with one shot.
To be on the safe side, I take two.

I can understand Z photographers who appreciate high burst rates, however. They might have spent a lot of money to take pics of a rare bird or beast in motion on a safari,
when a high burst rate is helpful, and they don't mind checking hundreds of pics ...
 
gman said:
I went from the Sony A9 with it's amazing AF system (at the time) to the D810 and it was a very noticeable downgrade in AF performance, so whilst the latest CSC's may have the best AF, I think you will still be very pleased with the D500's AF seeing as it's next gen to the D810 and a significant step up.

The D850 would have also been on my list as some suggested. It's the same AF system as the D500, has wider dynamic range, colour depth, low light handling etc, which could be handy for a black dog if in a bright environment, but the files from that 45MP sensor... ouch! :D

I'm considering upgrading to the D850, so it will be interesting to hear how you get on with the D500's AF.
Click to expand...
I used to shoot dog agility shows.
The D850 AF is, in my experience, in no way comparable to the D500. I know what Nikon says - my experience across two separate D850 bodies and two D500 bodies says otherwise.
The D500 is a superb action SLR.
 
Chris_911 said:
I used to shoot dog agility shows.
The D850 AF is, in my experience, in no way comparable to the D500. I know what Nikon says - my experience across two separate D850 bodies and two D500 bodies says otherwise.
The D500 is a superb action SLR.
Click to expand...

I wonder why that is considering it's the same AF system? I'm guessing the cropped sensor and coverage must be a key factor, but I don't know for sure nor looked it up.
 
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