Akoni

@diggy thanks.

@diggy what tray is that in the pics you posted?

Housing and camera are sold.

This would be so tempting as I still prefer using DSLR's over any current MILC.

@oneyellowtang No doubt that such technology can offer benefits not achievable otherwise. Where I work, we have access to devices with EVF’s that outperform what todays cameras offer and yet for certain applications, the OVF continues to handily outperform the EVF counterpart. There are needs for both. As for AI augmentation, there is a company with an EVF binocular that in theory could load data for say birds, such that on top of presenting you an image of the subject, it will also provide an identification. Is that the future of birding? I certainly hope not and I’m not even a birder. I too grab my kindle when I’m heading out on travel but when I have the time to read at home, I still prefer by far and away to read from a book. There are numerous studies indicating that comprehension and retention are higher when reading from printed pages than from a device. So while I love technology, I do realize that it has limitations as well and when it comes to more ‘artistic’ endeavors, technology can be a double edged sword. AI sky replacement in some of today’s photo editing software is becoming quite believable but I’d personally never use it and ‘look down’ upon its use. So while ‘change is inevitable’, we must realize that it is not always for the better. However, I’m not trying to change anyone else’s opinions just offering my view.

In my opinion, companies have 'taken off' on the mirrorless bandwagon for a couple of reasons. Again, my opinion but I believe that building a mirrorless camera yields a higher profit per unit than building a similarly spec'd DSLR. With cellphone and similar devices replacing camera sales for a number of large user groups, certainly understandable. The new buyer at large has been 'sold' on this idea that MILC's offer some great advantages. Meh...minor ones at best. As 'analog' creatures, an EVF will never completely replace a quality OVF in the same way that reading from a tablet cannot replicate the 'satisfaction' of reading from a book. I have current top models of both DSLR and MILC cameras with housings. I still find the DSLR the better tool underwater photography but if I want/need to shoot video, the MILC system get the nod. The DSLR is certainly the more enjoyable tool for me to use and I do hope Canon and Nikon do not fully abandon DSLR's any time soon.

OP are you planning to mostly shoot video or stills? And are these images of a scientific nature, more specifically is distortion and/or soft corners a concern for your use case? I use a the A7iii and riii in a Nauticam housing. Not sure if it was mentioned above but if I have to pack light and small, the housing for the A7iii camera is tiny compared to any other FF housing I’ve seen. Paired with a Nikonos 15mm, that is as small and light as a quality FF gets.

There is no doubt that the D500 remains a stellar choice for underwater photography. It has an excellent pallet of lens options and solid image quality. The AF performance is extremely reliable in underwater settings. If however, you would like to shoot any video, then you need to think a bit more carefully about a D500. The D500 has pretty good 4k if you can work with the crop factor (2.25x) and scene is well lit. The 4k cannot be pushed too much in post, so you have to feel good about getting it right when you shoot it. The 1080 modes are bad. On the D500 you are better off most likely just having a paralenz/gopro mounted on the housing. So if you are more of a hybrid shooter, you are better off looking at other options.

Not sure if it interests you but I have a GH5s I’d sell, possibly some lenses as well. LMK.

Ajay, the menus, ergos and build were always my personal picayune objections to Sony FF MILC but a lot of that is based on using them topside. I have not noticed anything wrong with the skin tones per se (I don't really do portraiture though) but I did find that Sony lenses appeared to provide a cool rendition. I'm guessing this is due to the lens coatings employed and has apparently changed with newer Sony lenses. I have recently, quite by chance, acquired the NA7Riii housing and instead of selling it on to recover the funds I had 'loaned' the original owner, have decided to keep it. I picked up a used A7III to use with it for a trial period although I would have preferred an A7RIII. The current world situation has not allowed me any UW work yet but I am very hopeful to get on well with it since the system is so small. I have been playing around with the camera on land to reacquaint myself with the menu system. The ergos of the housing appear quite good so once I get the camera setup properly, the menus should not be a factor (they really aren't an issue anyway...just complicated). The Z6 is a wonderful camera but it lacks a couple of pivotal lenses in its lineup, chiefly a 28-70 for use with the WACP. The FTZ adapter works very well but I was disappointed that Nauticam designed it's housing with the FTZ adapter in mind as that decision appears to have precluded any hope of a Nikonos lens adapter.

The Nauticam A7riii housing is wonderful. I’m not a Sony fan in the least but that housing is tiny compared to any other full frame sensor housing. With careful port/lens selection, it travels about as easily as a mft’s system and if you choose the Nikonos 15, it is tiny and incredibly capable.

I had an E2 to play with for a little while. It is certainly a capable of producing excellent results but requires a lot from the operator. Continuous AF is out of the question...actually not even sure it has a C-AF function. You would likely want to manual focus anyway. No stabilization. It is a dual base gain with micro 4/3's sensor design so noise can be an issue as it would for any other camera. The Nauticam housing is tiny but depending on that you are doing, you might need to add an external monitor.

OP what prompted you to abandon the available DSLR options?

Nikon is an odd company, so it wouldn't surprise me if they do or do not update the D500, no matter what has been said. It would however be a shame if they were to drop it altogether.

Woah...let's hope you are a fair bit off the mark here. I'm still hoping that Nikon at least, will continue on with DSLR's for a while. I mean a D500 refresh would be a juicy camera and I'm fairly sure we'll see a reboot of the D850. Of course, if people 'will them' to die off by words and action, then it would likely happen. Personally, I still prefer a DSLR over any MILC I've tried to date and Nikon's idea of adding more video functionality to DSLR's is a good thing.