Sell or not to sell.

I could take some advice as I can't make up my mind.
I have two Sony cameras and two Sony lenses. I also have a Nikon D850 and a Nikon 500 f 5.6 PF.
I like the Nikon stuff and the Sony is new but started getting used to them.
I can easily sell the 500 f 5.6 PF but should I?
Also the Nikon D850 is a great camera but it has almost 100'000 clicks.
Should I sell the camera and keep the lens or sell them both?
Thanks for your thoughts.

If you sell the camera and keep the lens, what are you going to do with the lens? Nikon lenses simply do not adapt well to other systems suffering massively in AF performance. So if you do sell the camera, I would sell the lens too. This is exactly what I did a couple of months ago. The 500PF resale is superb. I think I got something well over 90% of new but did include an integrated dovetail lens foot and LensCoat.

Karl, just my personal opinion but I have seen you images for years... The Sony ones are not as good.... I can tell everytime you post which camera you used...

I understand your dilemma Karl. The 500 is a fantastic lens, but Nikon is behind in the mirrorless realm in terms of BIF,etc. I'm still hanging on to mine and use it with the D500, but it's such a great lens, I'm going to hold onto it for now and see if Nikon makes a mirrorless camera that I can use. It doesn't appear that camera will exist for some time. The Nikon lens is so much easier to handhold compared to the sony 200-600.

It's a tough decision Karl. The Z7 introduced me to video and I instantly fell in love with mirrorless. Afterwards I rarely picked up my D850. I waited for two years for Nikon to fix the many shortcomings in the Z6/Z7 and was very disappointed with the Z6II & Z7II. Extremely frustrating after watch many in the birding community shift to Sony long ago. Anyway, with my new found video interests I picked up an a7SIII and 200-600G+2xTC last fall and ran with that for a while doing mostly video. When the a1 was announced, I knew that was the last straw and I've just finished selling all of my Nikon gear including my Z7, D850, 600E and 500PF. Who knows, depending on the Z8/Z9 I might switch back some day, but right now it's hard to believe Nikon will be able to out perform Sony in any substantial way.

Periodically one has to move on, and with the release of the a1 the time was right for me. I will say that the a1+200-600G is a mind-blowingly capable combination that leaves me wanting for nothing. I have no plans to replace my 600/4 -- it's just not needed. I really enjoyed shooting the 500PF but frankly I much prefer the flexibility of the 200-600 so even if I go back to Nikon at some point I'd go with their 200-600Z. After carrying around the 600E for years the zoom is a breeze to handle.

Best of luck with your decision!

Thanks for the advices. I have a buyer for the lens and the guy who wanted to buy the camera says every day; tomorrow morning. So I will put it up on Kijiji and the 1.4x extender and this is going to be my Nikon adventure. It was great but now it is time to move on, before I move on.
 

Karl Egressy wrote:Thanks for the advices. I have a buyer for the lens and the guy who wanted to buy the camera says every day; tomorrow morning. So I will put it up on Kijiji and the 1.4x extender and this is going to be my Nikon adventure. It was great but now it is time to move on, before I move on.
 

No matter what you use, I am certain you'll come up with images worth sharing. I really admire your work.

Good Evening Karl:

Add me to those in the chorus suggesting that you sell your Nikon gear.  18 months ago I was thinking about whether I would stick with my Canon DSLR gear (Canon 1DX Mk II, EF 24-70 F2.8L II, EF 70-200 F2.8L III, EF 600 F4L II) in which I had a lot invested, or switch to the Sony mirrorless system.  After much thought, personally contacting photographers far more knowledgeable than I will probably ever be, and contacting friends that have switched to Sony, I finally sold my Canon kit and switched to Sony.  Succinctly put, it was the right time to make that change.  For me, this time period is similar to the time when 35mm camera manufacturers shifted from film cameras to digital cameras.

Good luck and much success and happiness with your new mirrorless 35mm kit.

Very Best Regards, 

Roman 

Just saw your recent Osprey shot in Birds. Are you really going to sell this wonderful camera and lens??? I'd keep it if you can afford to. I see you've been using both the Nikon and Sony equipment...both have excellent qualities, but I gotta say, the Nikon shots usually looks a tad better to me. (I admit to a big bias as I haven't succumbed to Sony, and likely won't go with mirrorless until something REALLY light and spectacular comes along...). I'd be sad to see this Nikon gear go....

I guarantee you that I could take the same shot with Nikon and Sony gear of similar resolution and focal length and you would not be able to tell them apart on a web sized image. On a big print, the Sony could be better than the Nikon for detail if taken with the highest resolution camera from each system due to the availability of higher resolution sensors on Sony cameras.

E.J. Peiker wrote:I guarantee you that I could take the same shot with Nikon and Sony gear of similar resolution and focal length and you would not be able to tell them apart on a web sized image.  On a big print, the Sony could be better than the Nikon for detail if taken with the highest resolution camera from each system due to the availability of higher resolution sensors on Sony cameras.

Which Sony cameras have that highest resolution? 
Perhaps I am seeing the difference between Sony and Nikon (very subtle, for sure...is it the color i like better, perhaps?),  or perhaps the settings are different enough to be ever so slightly noticeable. Or I am just a wee bit biased.  

a7R4 at 62mp
a1 at 50mp
a7R3 at 42mp

Perhaps what you are seeing is less experience in editing the Sony files than the Nikon files by the photographer that just switched or a difference in the default color profile that the RAW converter is using for the cameras

E.J. Peiker wrote:[snip]...On a big print, the Sony could be better than the Nikon for detail if taken with the highest resolution camera from each system due to the availability of higher resolution sensors on Sony cameras.

So Sony is better in terms of details because it's sensor has higher resolution. OK. Not sure there should be any surprise there.

Cynthia Crawford wrote:

E.J. Peiker wrote:I guarantee you that I could take the same shot with Nikon and Sony gear of similar resolution and focal length and you would not be able to tell them apart on a web sized image.  On a big print, the Sony could be better than the Nikon for detail if taken with the highest resolution camera from each system due to the availability of higher resolution sensors on Sony cameras.

Which Sony cameras have that highest resolution? 
Perhaps I am seeing the difference between Sony and Nikon (very subtle, for sure...is it the color i like better, perhaps?),  or perhaps the settings are different enough to be ever so slightly noticeable. Or I am just a wee bit biased.  

You can download some Sony's raw files from here https://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ ... y-a1A7.HTM to play with them yourself.

E.J. Peiker wrote:.....

Perhaps what you are seeing is less experience in editing the Sony files than the Nikon files by the photographer that just switched or a difference in the default color profile that the RAW converter is using for the cameras

Yep, I thought maybe...And that's one big reason why I'm fixed on Nikon. Getting too old and ornery to learn a new complicated system. Keep hoping Nikon will come up with something mirrorless I can use with what I have for lenses.  I bought a Z6 (first edition) and sent it right back. (Unbalanced weight with the 500 5.6, black out between shots...felt like a toy).

I have no problem switching from one system to an other. It might be me as I was dealing with all different cameras in my life with no issues. Also, I had to deal with all kinds of equipment's and systems in my active life and I did not have the luxury of making mistakes ever. I just hate the feeling that I have three cameras and three lenses specifically dedicated to bird photography and I feel many times after a shooting sessions that I should have brought the other one or the third one with me instead. LOL. In fact I love my Nikon maybe even more than my Sony at least for now and I turned down buyers in the last minute for that reason. It would be especially painful to let the 500 f 5.6 PF go. Time will tell and thank you all for your input.

Karl Egressy wrote:I have no problem switching from one system to an other. It might be me as I was dealing with all different cameras in my life with no issues. Also, I had to deal with all kinds of equipment's and systems in my active life and I did not have the luxury of making mistakes ever. I just hate the feeling that I have three cameras and three lenses specifically dedicated to bird photography and I feel many times after a shooting sessions that I should have brought the other one or the third one with me instead. LOL. In fact I love my Nikon maybe even more than my Sony at least for now and I turned down buyers in the last minute for that reason. It would be especially painful to let the 500 f 5.6 PF go. Time will tell and thank you all for your input.

I've juggled different camera systems for years as well. I still keep my Olympus system for macro work because it works so well for that niche purpose. I have the 500PF and, like you, would hate to part with it. However, while I don't below Nikon is out of the game; I'm sure they will eventually deliver great products; it is unlikely they will have a mirrorless with solid AF and fast frame rate for some time. They've hinted at a pro-level body but no information. Nikon is notorious for announcing gear, then being unable to deliver it for months and months. The 500PF being a prime example. I guess they don't have the production capacity? The current shortages in the world are not going to help them. 
Canon seems to have an enormous production capacity in comparison. So, while I continue to hang on to the 500PF, I'm not sure how wise it is either. But it is so easy to carry around, and I can't part with selling it. 
I like to photograph spring wildflowers, and it's a no-brainer to toss the 500 in a shoulder bag and do macro and then switch over to the 500 as needed. 

Scott Fairbairn wrote:

Karl Egressy wrote:I have no problem switching from one system to an other. It might be me as I was dealing with all different cameras in my life with no issues. Also, I had to deal with all kinds of equipment's and systems in my active life and I did not have the luxury of making mistakes ever. I just hate the feeling that I have three cameras and three lenses specifically dedicated to bird photography and I feel many times after a shooting sessions that I should have brought the other one or the third one with me instead. LOL. In fact I love my Nikon maybe even more than my Sony at least for now and I turned down buyers in the last minute for that reason. It would be especially painful to let the 500 f 5.6 PF go. Time will tell and thank you all for your input.

I've juggled different camera systems for years as well. I still keep my Olympus system for macro work because it works so well for that niche purpose. I have the 500PF and, like you, would hate to part with it. However, while I don't below Nikon is out of the game; I'm sure they will eventually deliver great products; it is unlikely they will have a mirrorless with solid AF and fast frame rate for some time. They've hinted at a pro-level body but no information. Nikon is notorious for announcing gear, then being unable to deliver it for months and months. The 500PF being a prime example. I guess they don't have the production capacity? The current shortages in the world are not going to help them. 
Canon seems to have an enormous production capacity in comparison. So, while I continue to hang on to the 500PF, I'm not sure how wise it is either. But it is so easy to carry around, and I can't part with selling it. 
I like to photograph spring wildflowers, and it's a no-brainer to toss the 500 in a shoulder bag and do macro and then switch over to the 500 as needed. 

Brad Hill has been evaluating his Z6II using the 500PF with extenders and has been pleasantly surprised with its performance. If Nikon can just improve the AF capability with fast moving subjects (and I think eventually this will happen)  they will be able to retain at least a large portion of their base.
http://www.naturalart.ca/galleries/latest/index.html then click "In The Field" Tab

Brad has GREAT images, but he does not do to much with BIF. I switched to Sony for BIF, Nikon did not work as great for me, plus Sony mirrorless is what you see thru the viewfinder, with the histogram and peaking helps with the exposure.

I sold all my Nikon equipment after all. I like the Sony a7R4. It is highly customizable and generally speaking does a good job most of the time.
I find the 200-600 too heavy but I also have the 100-400 + 1.4x TC which is lighter. I still use the 200-600 but only on tripod or monopod. I'm waiting for the release of the predicted a7IV and hoping that it would be my BIF camera. I had good time with Nikon equipment so did I have with Canon equipment.
I retrospective I could have kept all my Canon lenses and now I could have bought the R5 to replace my 5DM4. Hindsight is 20/20 LOL.