Wildlife replacement kit after burglary

[Holst1981]

Hi all.

We were burgled yesterday and the scum stole all my camera kit

Although I use my camera for other stuff my main interest is wildlife photography.

I was using a nikon D500 with a 300f4 + 1.4 tc.

Im not really sure what to replace it with.

My first thought was to upgrade my lens to the nikon 500 5.6 but I they are still on a waiting list (up to 6 months)

So question 1 is what lens to buy?

Secondly I'm not sure what body to buy.
I really like the D500 but could also give the D850 a try.
Reluctant to try mirrorless as focus performance is really important although it may be an long term advantage to change to the new mirrorless mount.

Insurance payout should be £4.5k ish but I can add to that if I think it's worth it.

I will consider changing brand but I have only ever used nikon so I would need a good reason to switch.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Holst1981]

As long as I get what I expect from insurance I will bite the bullet and order the 500 5.6 and pair it with a D850.

Then buy one of those superzooms second hand and sell it on once the new lens arrives.
It should be easy enough to sell on should I change my mind.

The insurance company may replace my old 300 F4 with the new lighter version with VR but I suspect they will pay me the cash instead.