[jewel]

Hello everyone. When I first introduced myself I was planning on buying a Nikon F100 camera, simply because I was afraid of going digital. I was in a camera store yesterday and I was just browsing when I saw a Nikon D70 and fell in love with it! Felt great in my hands. I was just curious as too who out there has a D70 and could just give me your opinion on how the camera compares to others? Actually anyone out there with an opinion period would be helpful. I don't know alot about digital but it looked like a decent camera. Good enough for me. Remember this isn't my job, just a hobby for a stay at hom mom. I think for me, being totally new to photography it would give me much more of an opportunity to play around with the camera and experiment with it more so than film would. Any advice on the D70 would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jewel.

[CT]

The D70 is an excellent camera Jewel. You can read a full review of it here...

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/

The NIkon D70 was brought out initially to compete in the price war with the Canon EOS 300D. It's worth noting that the 300D has now been replaced by the 350 which has 8 million pixel resolution as opposed to 6 million, so that's something else to consider depending on price of course. :wink:

I know you say photography is just a hobby, but if you invest wisely in a DSLR you are buying a camera you'll be unlikely to outgrow as your interest develops, and one which has an enormous back up system available of lenses and every conceivable attachment you could ever want,

A DSLR still represents a considerable chunk of money for most of us, so just pause now and have a good look at what your alternatives are in your price range. Another possibility is picking up a bargain priced EOS 10D as they are now being discounted with the new 20D on the market.

Happy shopping! 8)

[CT]

You certainly shouldn't be afraid of digital, either Jewel, once you've experienced taking your shots and viewing them on your computer screen within minutes, you'll never go back to film, and in no time at all you'll be cropping and adjusting your shots to just how YOU want them.

[Steve]

Hi Jewel,

I am a Canon user as when I started on the Digital SLR route they were the best and the other manufacturers did not have a camera that matched their specifications and my price range. There is a lot of cross manufacturer loyalty, ie some Canon users will simply say that Nikon are not as good and likewise some Nikon users will say the same of Canon. Don’t get bogged down in these petty arguments as needless to say both manufacturers make excellent equipment.

CT has stated that Nikon released the D70 to compete against the Canon 300D but since then both models have come down in price substantially and the Canon 300D has recently been replaced with the 350D. However you may still be able to get your hands on a Canon 300D if you shop around and its price is likely to be a lot cheaper now that it has just been replaced. In the UK Nikon are also offering £100 cash back to try to even up the price gap but in my opinion out of the two, ignoring the price, the Nikon is a better model.

You should also think carefully about the extras that you will need. Lenses, flash guns and all the other accessories are made specifically for the make of camera you buy, so a canon lens will not work on a Nikon body etc. This must be considered carefully before you by a camera as you are buying into that manufacturers accessories as well. Again here, both makes offer quality lenses etc but check out the prices to ensure that you are happy with their differences. In some areas Canon do better cheaper lenses and in others Nikon have the advantage but once you buy the camera it’s not really an option to change your mind. It is worth noting that third party manufacturers like Sigma and Tamron do make lenses etc that will fit both makes (you specify the fit at the time of ordering) so opting to buy from them is also worth looking into.

Finally, you may like to check out the Canon 350D specification also to get the whole picture, as has been said this is the replacement for the 300D and by all accounts (only reviewers have used them as they are so new) it is quite a big leap forward thus likely to be a better camera than the Nikon D70, however this will come at a cost, being as it’s a new model supplies will be thin on the ground making it hard to get and keeping the prices high.

The best advice of all though is to try before you buy, it doesn’t matter how good a camera is, if you don’t feel comfortable with it in your hands, or can’t get to grips with the way it works, struggle to reach any of the buttons etc. then you will not use it. As you have said you have tried the Nikon and liked it, this in its self and the fact that the camera is also well regarded should make it a serious consideration.

Hope that helps a little?

[silkstone]

To reinforce what Steve has said, it is vital to get your hands on the camera before you make a decision. There's a big debate at the moment about whether the 350D is too small - especially the grip. It may be fine for people with smaller hands, but otherwise it may not suit, especially if you're wearing gloves.

[MyPix]

I bought the D70 in January from ebay, made a substancial saving over the hightstreet and got an excenent camera to boot.

there is only one real bit of advice to be honest, get in a shop and get ur hands on both camera's to see which feels best in ur hands
as this will be the most important thing at you current level of experience , but be assured , this will grow in leaps and bounds whichever camera you buy,
i recently bought a copy of ' what digital camera ' i think which compared the D70 to a 350d, and althought the 350d has 8 megapixels, thy stated that thid doesent mean that the pictures are always better over the 6 meg of the D70,

the other thing to bear in mind is that Canon change their model range more often than Nikon do, this has already been seen with the newer 350d over the 300d in the same timespace as just the Nikon D70 , and its been out a year,
my point here is that Canon will always be bringing out a newer model, and this may annoy you a few months after you have got the 350d to see the ' all new better model ' on the horizon ,

there is also the point that the Canon has over 50 compatable lenses for the 300d/350d range, ...........well every nikon F mount lens will fit the Nikon D70 made in the last 30 years , albeit in more manual modes the older the lens gets, this opens the world to cheaper used high quality lenses for the Nikon

i know i am sellin the D70 here, but it is what you asked about, and as mentioned, you will have the two camps pumping the value of either camera manufacturer,

whichever one you get, make sure it feels good for you and you are happy with the price paid,

happy shoppin

MyPix

[jewel]

Thank you everyone for all of your help. I do agree that the most important thing is to see how both cameras feel in my hands,that will be the ultimate deciding factor, but I do think I am leaning towards the D70. I already have a film camera and although it is an antique by now,lol it's there if I want to get out and shoot some film. I still have about a month or so to decide anyway. I"ll keep looking around in the meantime. Again thanks for all of your help guys.

Jewel