[Joe T]

Hi

Im looking at buying a DSLR soon. My main type of photography is motorsport. Im trying to decide between a Canon 350D and a Nikon D70. When I go to events most of the other photographers seem to have Canon equipment.

Ignoring other uses totally, can I have some opinions (backed up with some detail please) as to why the Canon is better is better for motorsport than the Nikon please. This can include Canon/Nikon lens opinions too. I really want to WHY one is better than the other, not just a straight opinion.

Thanks in advance.

[CT]

They're both excellent cameras Joe and I honestly don't think you'll regret either purchase. Comparisons are really a little unfair as the D70 has been out quite a long time now, (It's replacement is due) while the 350D is the new kid on the block and so obviously steals a march on it in some respects, notably it gains 2 million pixels - not as big a deal as it sounds although it does offer advantages when making big prints. A point often overlooked is that the extra pixels are a big advantage when cropping your pics which is likely to be quite common with motorsport in order to reasonably fill the frame I would think?

Looking at the two cameras from a motorsport point of view, both have about the same continuous shooting rate, but the 350D will take more shots in a continuous burst. The D70 scores though by having a flash sync speed of 1/500 sec while the 350D is only 1/200 sec, something Canon really need to address IMO. Nikon cameras tend to feel like they're built like a tank, so I'd imagine the D70 will feel the better built of the two.

As far as lens choice goes, both cameras have an awesome array of OEM lens choices and other back up system accessories. Nikon and Canon have been competitors for yonks and they've been fulfilling the needs of pros in all fields for a long time, with the result that the feedback they get from these people tends to make them just that little more user friendly, and that 'know how' trickles down from the flagship models and is found in the lesser cameras most of us have to be content with.

I'd highly recommend that you spend some time reading through the full reviews of both cameras before you make a decision.

http://www.dpreview.com/

Pook who is a member here and a pro, had to choose between the two cameras recently and opted for the 350D despite the fact it meant a costly change as he already owned Nikon lenses. If he sees this, he'll no doubt explain his reasons, or you could PM him perhaps.

Hope that helps.

[MyPix]

well, to be honest the only real difference will be personal choice, and Nikon and Canon owners will debate the differences till the cows come home

however:-

the Nikon D70 has an instant startup time, ( well i think the actual time is 1/10th of a second ? )
where as the canon takes longer,

another factor is the shutter speed, i think the Nikon has the Canon there to @ 1/8000th in 1/3rd or 1/2 EV steps

the Nikon has tru spot metering whereas the Canon doesnt

the Nikon has an ISO range of 200-1600 , the top end is greater than Canons ( addendum.....the Canon has 100-1600 and is therefor greater in range )

Battery life on the nikon is phanominal, i have taken over 800 NEF ( raw ) files on one charge , i dont know what the Canon is like tho???

and finally for me is the 3.5 frames per second for as long as you want untill the buffer is full on the Nikon ,tho this is slightly better on the Canon

all this said, the Nikon has a 6.1 senor where the Canon has a larger one ( 8 i think ) , but this doesnt mean it takes better pictures, ( read professional reviews )

another aurgument for Canon is that it has a larger number of newr lenses for the Camera, this is tru, but the Nikon will take any F-mount lens made in the last 30 years, and the camera will work fine depending on the mode chosen

lastly, i would recomend u get the Nikon D70S , it has a larger screen and newer AF setup then the D70



this is my personal opinion and i'm not dissin the Canon , i nearly bought one myself.....honest


peeps like to stick to a brand for whatever reason, i have owned Nikons ans Canons in the past selecting whichever model on what it offers at the given price, and at the moment the Nikon is also cheaper than the Canon and it has a better basic lens in the bundle, as the canon one is widly regarded at ' not up to the job ' ?

i hope this confuses you as much as you require, lol, the best thing is get to a camera shop and give em both a squeeze to see what u like /dislike about each

happy shoppin

MP

[KenCo1964]

I can only comment on the canon 350d as I’ve recently purchased one and I’m very happy with it. The speed at which it starts up, compared to the 300 and my previous compact is outstanding, start-up time is 0.2 sec and writing to the cf card is also very fast. Total pixel size is 8.2 and image quality is amazing in my opinion. It’s a lot smaller and lighter than the 300 which to some seems a problem, I can only think of this as being a small advantage as it’s size means less weight and can fit into smaller case/bag or creating more room for other things in a larger bag. Never used a dslr before and the 350d is very easy to get used to the menus and shortcut features, there is probably not much between them but I just went for the canon and hoped I could get used to it, rather than having a huge massive debate over it for weeks (probably not the right thing to do, but worked I think) if my memory serves me right , I think the 350d was only about £20 more expensive than the d70 and getting an extra 2 mp, coupled with the free 256 cf card and money off £££ coupons was nice, I don’t know how this compares to the Nikon d70 and there offers but I am happy with the 350d.
I know i have probably been of no help at all but wish you all the best in your choice.

[Joe T]

Thanks for the replies guys. I keep changing my mind as to which I want. I was set on the 350D, but then I read last weeks Amateur Photographer, which said the D70 is marginally better than the 350D. Im a regular at the OcUK photgraphy forum, which tends to be a bit of a Canon fan-boy place, so the AP comparison test made me have another look at Nikon.

I have held a D70 and found it big, but I havent tried a 350D. The problem will be that I am not used to an SLR at all and what I feel most comfortable in the shop may not work out best in the long run as Im sure I will adapt. I adapted quite well going from a Dimage Xi to Panasonic FZ20!

I think I need to jsut go and try them both, and buy what I like. I do like the idea of the Nikon with a kit lens that I wont have to replace. For £600 after cashback this looks like a great deal. The lens itself retails for £280! On the other hand, Im a bit unsure as to what I need to buy for RAW processing.

Thanks again for the replies guys. Much appreciated.

[dazzajl]

Canon make the better lenses, simple as that and that's why you see almost nothing but eos after eos in the press section of any sporting event.

HOWEVER....... unless you are going to be looking at lenses like the 70-200 f2.8 IS up to things like the 400 f2.8 or the 600 F4 it's not going to make a whole heap of difference to you. Personal comfort will make the most difference to your images.

I use an eos btw.

[MyPix]

cool
as far as raw processing goes you wont have to buy anything, the nikon comes with its own software, as does the canon i expect,

and to be honest the only real reason for a DSLR is to take advantage of RAW or NEF ( Nikon electronic format ) and shoot in that mode, tho there aint much wrong wiv the Jpgs they both produce,

as you mentioned, a DSLR will feel larger than any compact or psudo-slr , but you will come to love it, as they are usually more ballanced with the different lenses on, and another thing is that the canons have optional grips for portrait photography, whereas the Nikon doesnt need one, lol ( as there aint one )

its a tough choice i know, but as CT said u will be happy with either model

one small thing to consider, but doesnt mean that much, Canon regularly cycle their model lineup, so the 350 will soon be replaced, as it did to the 300,
nikon tend to hang on a little longer b4 changing, saying that, the D70s has replaced the D70, but it is literally a screen and AF upgrade with an extra pc socket on the body, there is a D50, but its a lesser model, the D100 aint much more over the D70 ,

MP

[Joe T]

Im almost tempted to go Nikon just to be different!

[CT]

Originally Posted by Joe T

Im almost tempted to go Nikon just to be different!

:lol:

Not the best thing to base your choice on Joe, particularly when you'r e going against the bulk of conventional wisdom and experience. You really wont go wrong with either but I think it needs to be a more considered choice than that.

I just have to take issue with MyPix when he says RAW is the only reason for using a DSLR. You can shoot RAW on many digital compact cameras. You choose a DSLR because it is simply the most convenient and adaptable photographic tool yet devised. You can't put a price on focusing on ground glass and actually SEEING if your subject is in focus with no parallax issues, and seeing pretty well exactly what you'll see in your pic in the vewfinder. The other major reason is of course the ability to change lenses and the specialist accessories available. You'd be hard pressed to justify an SLR if you never change lenses when there are compacts on the market giving wide angle to tele zoom straight out of the tin. :wink:

You're in an enviable position at the moment as you have free choice and you aren't committed to any brand by owning a series of lenses. In time, the lenses you own may well considerably outweigh the value of the camera body and once you become THAT committed it's a seriously expensive business to even think about changing.

I see this will be your first SLR and one thing I will say in favour of Canon having made the change from Nikon is I've found their menu screens much more intuitively user friendly than Nikon, who's menus can be a bit of a maze. To be fair I've never owned a Nikon DSLR but I've owned two Nikon high end compacts, and you only had to leave them alone for a week or so to be totally lost by the menus when you picked them up again.

Happy shoppin'.... take your time, and as MyPix says, go and give them both a squeeze, but by then you should know everything there is to know about both cameras. :wink:

[MyPix]

well, to be honest the only real difference will be personal choice, and Nikon and Canon owners will debate the differences till the cows come home

told ya, :lol:

your prolly right CT, as my Fuji S7000 had RAW , but i never used it as i found it slowed the camera down a bit between shots,
i have not experienced this on my DSLR,

to be honest its like the difference between a Ford and a Vauxhall......................there aint one, its down to the individual to make his own mind up, lol, as both machines ( or camera's ) will do the job very well for what you require

happy shopin
8)
MP

[SDK^]

Originally Posted by CT

The D70 scores though by having a flash sync speed of 1/500 sec while the 350D is only 1/200 sec, something Canon really need to address IMO.

Flash syncing is not an issue if you buy a 420EX (or higher) Flash unit and use High Speed Sync mode, you can go up to the fastest shutter speed on the camera.
Who uses on board flash anyway ?

[MyPix]

Originally Posted by SDK^

Flash syncing is not an issue if you buy a 420EX (or higher) Flash unit and use High Speed Sync mode, you can go up to the fastest shutter speed on the camera.
Who uses on board flash anyway ?

Me

as i cant afford a flashunit at the mo ( well not the SB800 anyway ), lol

MP :cry:

[Joe T]

Originally Posted by CT

:lol:

Not the best thing to base your choice on Joe, particularly when you'r e going against the bulk of conventional wisdom and experience. You really wont go wrong with either but I think it needs to be a more considered choice than that.

I was joking by the way!

Thanks for all the comments & advice people.

[MyPix]

CT said

You really wont go wrong with either but I think it needs to be a more considered choice than that.

stuff that.............................., go for the good lookin one, lol

( Nikon ) if u didnt know which one i meant, lol

MP :wink:

[CT]

[quote="SDK^"]

Originally Posted by CT

The D70 scores though by having a flash sync speed of 1/500 sec while the 350D is only 1/200 sec, something Canon really need to address IMO.

Flash syncing is not an issue if you buy a 420EX (or higher) Flash unit and use High Speed Sync mode, you can go up to the fastest shutter speed on the camera.

You sure? 1/8000 with a focal plane shutter? I'd be interested to hear how that works

Who uses on board flash anyway ?

Me sometimes - until I get the 580EX anyway.