Nikon D70s
on 07.18.06, 06:26am in gadgets • comments (8)
Several people emailed me the other day after my post on Digital Photo Organization regarding my decision to go ahead with the Nikon D70s instead of the Canon Rebel. To be fair, it wasn’t an easy decision at all - it was one that I was researching for months. It finally came down to my wife saying "would you just go ahead and order the damn camera!".
When I first started looking into the somewhat confusing (and consuming) world of DSLRs, I quickly discovered that there’s a similar trend to PC’s when it came to digital camera brands: religion. In much the same was as people had a PC vs Mac mentality, whenever I asked any of my ‘pro-sumer’ friends, they were all dedicated to the brand that they bought. Some folks were Canon freaks, others swore by the Nikon.
In the end, my decision was based on a few factors:
- Cost. I really wanted to keep the cost under $1000 including a decent lens. When I compared the Canon Rebel XT to the D70s Outfit, the D70s came with a better lens in the ‘kit’. I know I’ll eventually want to get a 200mm (I’d love to get the Nikon 18-200mm - hint, hint, my birthday is in April), but when it comes to DSLR’s, im a total newbie.
- Feel. How it feels in your hand was the second factor for me. I went to a local camera shop, held both, looked through the viewfinders, etc. For me, it was a personal choice, and the Nikon just felt better in my hand.
- Future expandability. This was going to be a long term investment for me. Once you start down the path of buying lenses, you’re pretty much in with a particular brand. I felt that with either camera, I was safe here.
While I’m sure I would have been happy with either one in the end, I ended up going with the DSLR that just felt better to me. Per Streams suggestion, I went ahead and picked up the Lantern guide for the D70 and a 2GB compact flash (which holds around 315 RAW+JPEG photos).
The only real thing left for me to do is to find some time to read through all this stuff to really learn how to use it…
Tommy Williams (July 18, 2006 @ 7:01 am)
I’ve been shooting with a Canon DSLR since January 2002 but I’m convinced you made the right choice. Nikon doesn’t have anything like the Canon 5D and the Canon 1DSMkII is still the king, but the D70s and the D200 really are better cameras than their ostensible Canon competition like the Digital Rebel and the 30D.
But then that seems to be deliberate on Nikon’s part: there’s an interleaving in features (and, usually, price) between the Canon and Nikon cameras. You’ve got the Rebel, then the D70, then the 30D, then the D200. I’m not quite sure where the D50 fits in, although I’m sure it is a very capable camera.
High-ISO image quality still goes to the Canons, but “shootability” definitely belongs to the Nikon cameras in this space.
I also like that Nikon has chosen to commit to the small sensor and has such a wide range of DX lenses. Canon is beginning to develop their EF-S line, but they’re way behind Nikon *and* it’s hard to be sure how long they’ll retain their value since Canon continues to make full-size sensors (for cameras like the 1DS and 5D). With Nikon, the whole line uses the DX lenses and the investment in Nikon glass doesn’t seem as risky as investing in Canon EF-S lenses (even if they are as wonderful as the 17-55 f/2.8 IS).
Dave Kekish (July 18, 2006 @ 7:36 am)
Nothing wrong with making the personal choice of the Nikon. I’m a canon freak and probably will be for a long time. Esp since I just got a nice 200mm L series lens last week.
Somethings you might want to check out would be a tripod or monopod and sensor cleaning. If you ever get long glass (that 200mm for instance, you will want the tri/mono pod.
Oh, call your insurance agent, you might be surprised what isn’t covered on your policy. A camera rider is cheap peice of mind.
gdkzen (July 18, 2006 @ 8:25 am)
Agreed on all points for why you went with the D70s (this from a card-carrying D70s owner).
Dave’s post above is probably right on about the tripod. Rule of thumb - for a given focal length X - exposures exceeding 1/X require a tripod or other stabilization device (in some situations a little beanbag will do the trick).
Nat (July 19, 2006 @ 8:25 am)
Glad you made your choice ! Pretty eager to see your photos !
Steve (July 19, 2006 @ 8:39 am)
I thought the gorillapod was kinda cool too (for stabilization):
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/digital-cameras/joby-gorillapod-slr-launches-186185.php
gdkzen (July 20, 2006 @ 7:31 am)
That _is_ kinda cool.
Sean Alexander (July 20, 2006 @ 8:14 am)
I also picked a Nikon - D200 recently and have been taking shots that can be seen at http://www.flickr.com/photos/seanalex/ You should definitely get an 18-200mm lens, it’s amazingly versatile.
Let me know if you want to do a photo tour of Seattle sometime.
Lou (August 3, 2006 @ 4:02 am)
Hi- I’ve recently entered the DSLR world from a Canon 35mm SLR and I have to say I am just loving the D70s.
It’s great to read all of the comments and seeing your work too Sean.
I would love to see a photographic tour of Seattle as I am in Australia and have never been there or seen a personal view of it…
Just a question regarding filters and digital SLR’s. I want to do some macro work and don’t want to invest in a lense. My ’shortest’ lens is an 18-70mm, not close enough for photographing native bees. Are you able to use magnification filters on a digital SLR? My local camera shop advised me that I may not be able to but I was curious to know others opinions on this as the above shop isn’t great.
Thanks!!