Taking out student loans for a d200 or a d70s

Hey there guys,

I'm going to be a junior at the University of Oregon next year and have been

trying to get a job with the paper for a while. I feel like I am at the point

where my AE-1 50mm1.8 and Dual Scan IV aren't working for me any longer. I know

that gear doesn't make the shooter, but I think I've hit a wall with my gear.

Do you think that taking out some extra cash for a d200 or d70s is a worthy

plan? Also, will the d200 be too much camera for me? I've borrowed my buddies

d70 and while I like it, I am used to my AE-1's viewfinder and find the d70's

way too small. I also really like the fast AF that the d200 has for sports etc.

I think I am looking for someone to sell me on this.

Thanks,

Mike

I think you would be paying off a camera and the interest on it ,for much longer than the camera would last. Are you a photojournalism major and would you be buying this because you want it , or because you need it? Do you think not having the camera is the reason that you have not been able to get a job with the paper? Tough questions, important answers.Good luck

I say go for it. Taking out a few extra thousand in student loans will make little difference in your monthly payments once you graduate and lock down the interest rate. Financially speaking this may be the only opportunity to upgrade your gear at a reasonable price(student discounts & low interest rates) for a few years becuase chances are after you graduate it may take a few years to become financially stable enough to drop that kind of money on gear. So if you feel the need to upgrade do it before you graduate.

"I also really like the fast AF that the d200 has for sports etc." - it may be surprising to you but D200 AF is not that much faster than the AF on D70. Both have only one cross type focusing sensor that is the limitting factor when comparing them to professional grade cameras. If talking about AF only, (not AF-S that is), the screwdriver on D200 seems to work a bit faster, but the focusing decision is made based on the sensor output. If you need speed for sports, get D2H, or D2X.

To take a different tack. I would say the choice between the D70 and the D200 would hinge on this question. Would the thousand dollars you would save on the D70 allow you a comprehensive lens set or would you have enough money to outfit the D200 the same way?

 

Suppose you have 2K to spend. This would get you a D70s, 18-70 Nikkor and one gig card from Cameta for about 1000.00. With the remaining 1K you could also get a 80-200 f2.8 Nikkor and an SB-800 flash. This would be a sweet outfit for an aspiring Photojournalist. The 1/500th Flash sync on the D70 is worth far more than the additional 4MP on the D200 IMO. The 80-200 f2.8 is a 'must have' for a photojournalist.

 

The same 2K will just get you the D200 and 18-70 lens. No Card, no flash. If you want to shoot for a paper you will certainly need the more powerful flash and a good mid telephoto. The D70 and D200 are about a wash on focus speed. If you are a hard-core sports guy the D2H would be very cool but expensive unless you can find a good used one. You will find the D70 serves quite well. For the sports that allow you to use a flash the D70's 500th flash sync is the hands down winner. This feature trumps anything the D200 brings to the table. I used my D70 the other night to photograph a Karate exhibition and left the D2Hs with its amature 1/250th flash sync in the car. Forget the 'trick' flash modes, they are not what they seem. My D70 pics at 1/500th were icy sharp.

 

A good photojournalist matches his tools to the job. You won't need a bazillion pixels for a newspaper or magazine. I do glossy full page magazine pictures with the D2Hs. I assumed when you asked this question that money was an object. I picked the 2K number because it is the least you could pay for a D200 and 18-70 zoom. If you are bucks-up then get the whole load. If you want the 2K outfit that any professional photojournalist could use quite easily go for the D70 and the stuff I mentioned.

 

Good luck with school. I hope it is the best time of your life.

Rick, you've given me a lot to think about. Money is an object, quite a bit one for me. But, loans are easy to get and I have to take them out anyway for school, another 2500 tacked on isn't too big of a deal.

Right now I am absolutely positive that the d70 with a nice kit will be enough camera for me. However, do you think its likely that I'll "grow out" of it in the next 5 years?

Rick, you've given me a lot to think about. Money is an object, quite a bit one for me. But, loans are easy to get and I have to take them out anyway for school, another 2500 tacked on isn't too big of a deal.

Right now I am absolutely positive that the d70 with a nice kit will be enough camera for me. However, do you think its likely that I'll "grow out" of it in the next 5 years?

Lots of good sense articles about gear over at <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/">Strobist Blog</a> including <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/04/money-choices-light-or-mor_114590285884455531.html">this one</a> and <a href="http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/05/when-are-you-gonna-learn.html">this one</a>.

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Have a look around there if you haven't seen it before. Loads of good advice and ideas of how to work within a budget etc.

Mike, get the cheapest camera body that will work for you and spend the extra money on good lenses. With today's rapidly changing technology, today's wonderflex is tomorrow's paperweight, but good lenses can last a lifetime.

-----Rick, you've given me a lot to think about. Money is an object, quite a bit one for me. But, loans are easy to get and I have to take them out anyway for school, another 2500 tacked on isn't too big of a deal. Right now I am absolutely positive that the d70 with a nice kit will be enough camera for me. However, do you think its likely that I'll "grow out" of it in the next 5 years?-----

 

I don't think you will "grow out" of it but in 5 years who knows what the technology will be. I can offer this.

 

If you plan on keeping the camera for that long and using it daily for work you might want to invest in a professional body. Maybe a D2X even. Since you are just starting college in the fall you will have the opportunity to apply for student loans every year. I think you can take a wait and see attitude. Use the D70 for a couple of years and see what your needs really are. Then if you are sure you want to do this for a living, use your senior year loans to buy whatever is the state of the art then. The lenses will likely still be OK and you will always need a spare body so you are not out anything.

 

Its easy to become a gearhead. We all want the newest, latest, flashiest, etc. But resist the temptation. Pictures not equipment make a good photographer. Let me illustrate.

 

Tomorrow I am shooting a calendar for a tattoo parlor. I will take the following equipment.

 

D70 (D100 as a backup) Nikon F5 (Just for fun and for some archive shots)

- SB800 X2 - A bunch of White Lightning Lights - Nikor 80-200 F2.8 - Nikor 18-70 zoom. 50mm f1.4.

 

Leaving home: D2Hs, D1X, Rb67 with all its lethal accessories, a boatload of Nikon Glass. The dog and my girlfriend (not necessarily in that order).

 

My point is that we select our equipment based upon a number of factors. Convenience among them. The D70 is light, accurate and the 1/500th fill in the bright Arizona sun is a God-send. I like the way it and the D100 renders skin tones. The D2H is heavy but Fast so I might take it along in case I do some pool pics. The 8 FPS is useful. The models are professionals and will not be impressed by my equipment (photo). It will be over 100 degrees in the shade so I won't wear my very professional Domke vest either. If it weren't for the fancy lights I would not look much like a professional at all:) Except I am the guy getting paid to photograph beautiful girls with fake tattoos. Not a bad deal at all.

 

Hope that helps.

I work at a newspaper professionally, full time (albeit a small paper) with a Canon 10d, a 50 1.8, and a 70-200 2.8 as my main lenses. I have a flash, a studio kit, and a bunch of other knick-knacks I use.

I've so far taken a couple awards during college, and came close on a couple afterwards.

It's the photographer, not the gear, which will get you the job.

 

That being said, having nice gear will also give you a confidence level in your work which using crap gear may not. BTW, I started with a Pentax K1000, so I feel your pain when it comes to upgrading.

Since you show few images in your portfolio, is photography for a paper really the way you want to go?

Thanks everyone. You've brought up a lot of strong points and after sitting with my calculator for a while, I think the d70s+sb-800 and some nice glass will be what I go with.

John, last I checked that was all the stuff I could put up on my profile and also I'd rather be shooting that showing my work off on a website. Aside from the joking around, you're right, I should have more work up. But yes, I know that photography is something that makes my heart sing, I built my first darkroom about 8 years ago and since then its been with me ever since. A year from now, I'll (hopefully) be done with my art school pre-reqs so I can jump into the photo program. Right now I'm working on the J-school. Double majoring doesn't leave me as much time to shoot as I would like.

Thanks again guys.