NIKON D70

I am a photography student, and I just got my D70 yesterday. I am

very excited! I havent had any time to fiddle with it yet but I do

have some questions.

 

**I've read that only two flashes are compatible-- Nikon SB-600/800.

Is this true? I have a Vivitar 285HV, would this work? I am planning

on getting a SB-800 but I dont have the money right now.

 

**I am going to be working with a wedding photographer, assisting

weddings starting in September, I have the lens (28-70) that the

camera came with, should I try to save up and purchase a 28-300? Is

that the best option for weddings?

 

**What about battery life & memory? What's the best route for that?

My instructor told me I should go with XD-Picture cards instead of

memory cards.. is this true? Any one used an Image Tank? The

photography I'm going to be working with uses one. But my instructor

told me she has heard bad things about them? And also.. should I get

a few different batteries, or get a battery pack?

 

What am I going to get the most for my money, because like I said I

am a college student, with limited funds!!

 

Thanks,

Kacy

**I've read that only two flashes are compatible-- Nikon SB-600/800. Is this true? I have a Vivitar 285HV, would this work? I am planning on getting a SB-800 but I dont have the money right now.

 

Those are the only two that are fully TTL compatible, but for non-TTL use your Vivitar will function.

 

**I am going to be working with a wedding photographer, assisting weddings starting in September, I have the lens (28-70) that the camera came with, should I try to save up and purchase a 28-300? Is that the best option for weddings?

 

I'd ask the photographer you'll be working with. I certainly would not base my lens purchase on one small job. The 28-70 is a pretty versatile length for a single lens. I think I'd consider adding something either wider (i.e. 12-24mm or longer 70-200) if you want another lens.

 

**What about battery life & memory? What's the best route for that? My instructor told me I should go with XD-Picture cards instead of memory cards.. is this true? Any one used an Image Tank? The photography I'm going to be working with uses one. But my instructor told me she has heard bad things about them? And also.. should I get a few different batteries, or get a battery pack?

 

Your instructor knows nothing about the D70. You'll need a few decent size CF cards...You'll have to decide that on your own based on what you shoot and how much you shoot and how often you'll off-load the memory cards and how much back-up you need. It depends a bit on what format you'll shoot in as well. Read your manual then peruse some of the forums. I'd suggest at least 2-3 512mb or 2 1GB to start.

 

The battery will last a LONG time, esp. if you don't use on camera flash and don't auto-review every shot. But, I definately recommend keeping a charged back-up in your bag. The Li batteries that fit in the holder cost upwards of $5 each--3 are needed in the holder...an extra rechargable battery is about $45...you do the math there.

 

I don't have experience with the image tanks, I need something of the sort but am having a hard time deciding what would best suit my needs. I tend to upload to my computer ASAP then burn to CD or DVD ASAP after that.

Evan pretty well nailed it. Two things to add. Read the manual.

Sounds trite, but it works. And, shoot a lot of pictures, using a lot

of configurations. This camera is pretty amazing when you get to

know it.

 

If you have the kit lens, I believe it's 18-70mm (instead of

28-70mm as you stated). It's a nice lens for general shooting,

but talk to some pros you work with and see what works best for

them.

 

Good luck.

1GB memory card sounds good, try to get an 80x speed card if you plan to shoot continuously

Regarding the lens: I sure hope it's the 18-70, as that is the lens Nikon intended to be in the kit, and it's a good lens; but I know of at least one Web retailer in the UK who has created their own kit by using the 28-80 lens, which is not nearly as good and is FAR cheaper.

A 28-300 is probably the worst option for almost everything. The tiny viewfinder will go pitch dark with a lens like this. If you meant the 18-70, that's a capable lens for its price and a good choice for a wedding if you're on a budget. Just use some tool in postprocessing (like PTLens) to correct the severe barrel distortion at the wide end.

 

Look up http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0096rU regarding the battery life question. One charge *can* last for a whole wedding but I wouldn't rely on it.

 

I use an Archos Gmini 220 as ImageTank. It's actually a 20GB harddisk MP3 player with CompactFlash slot. Just start up the thing, put the CF card in, press copy and put it back into your pocket (it's smaller than a pack of cigarettes and shuts off automatically). Its display is not suited for review since it's low resolution monochrome. The Gmini acts as a normal USB harddisk on a PC.

I belive it was the 18-70mm, because I did purchase the kit from a leading photo retailer. Sorry. I havent really even had a chance to look at my camera yet. I will tonight though, thanks for the help everyone.

 

Kacy

Regarding the 28-300mm lens, I would say NO, do not buy it. As you are going to be working with someone, I would stick with what you have. If you find that you need wider, or longer, or faster, or sharper, then you haven't spent any money that you would regret. For ceremony's, I tend to work primarily with an 80-200mm f-2.8 from the back of the church, and occasionaly a wide angle prime from a balcony. For formals, I tend to use a 50mm f-1.4 and a 24mm f-2.8 and the 80-200. For the reception, I tend to use the 50mm f-1.4 for well over 80% of the shots. The next lens in line for the reception is a 24mm f-2.8. The only time I will use either the 28-105mm or 80-200mm is for either some slow dancing or the toasts. Since you are assisting, you probably won't be shooting much for the formals and ceremony, but instead the preparation and reception. I think you should work with the 18-70 and see where that leads you. If you want to upgrade lenses at some point, a used 50mm f-1.4 in great shape can be had for about $200.00, a 24mm f-2.8 in great shape is around the same, and an 80-200mm f-2.8 in great shape can be had for around $500.00, all from keh.com

 

Brady

The 285HV will work fine but you won't have TTL Auto, you will have to use the flash mounted sensor. I would recomend that you shoot some trials and use the histogram to fine tune the flash/camera settings. I use a Nikon SB-24 in Auto (non TTL) with my D70 and get "perfect" flash exposures over 95% of the time.

 

I would suggest that you get a couple of fast "primes" for use inside the church so you don't need to use a flash. The 50mm f1.8 is cheap, fast, and very sharp. Add the 85mm f1.8 to the 50mm and you have enough speed and reach to record the ceremony without anyone noticing you. Make sure to take a custom white balance reading and don't be afraid to boost the ISO to 640 or even 800. Higher ISO settings may look a bit ugly on the computer screen but I think it looks very nice when printed.

 

As for batteries, a freshly charged battery is good for about 400 exposures. I would suggest that you carry one spare, with a fresh charge. This will give you enough power for 600-800 images. For memory, a lot depends on your budget, and whether your shooting RAW or JPG. If you shoot in JPG-Fine, Large Size, this camera produces images suitable for prints up to 11x17 inches, and you can get about 185 images per 512mb. If you want larger prints that 11x17, this means shooting in RAW and you will only get 45-60 images per 512mb. I prefer to carry multiple, smaller, memory chips, that way I have a "fall back" if one fails. That is why I have 2, 512mb chips instead of 1, 1gb chip.

 

The ONLY memory that is compatible with the D70 is Compact Flash, types I & II. XD-Picture cards ARE memory cards, just a different form factor than Compact Flash, your instructer does not know what she is talking about if she suggested XD-Picture cards for this camera. I prefer Sandisk, mainly because I have some of their stock, but they do have a good reputation. Be cautious of cheap "no name" memory, saving 10 bucks on memory is not worth the aggrivation if you lose a chip full of images. The same goes for "no name" batteries, the Nikon battery is not that expensive and a junk battery could damage the camera.

 

I don't know about the Image Tank. It's a nice idea in theory but I am not sold on their need.

 

Other tips. When shooting in the church, by available light, make sure that you have used the Custom White Balance feature. It's much better to have the color balance correct at the time on exposure that to try and fix it during post processing. Also try to keep your exposure times shorter than 1/45 second, the D70 has some infared sensitivity and it shows up in longer exposures of people, they can develop a heavy "blush". If this means that you have to boost the ISO, do it, that heavy "blush" can be difficult to correct. Major tip, BUY Capture, this program expands the capabilities of the D70 by a HUGE margin. Learn about the Custom Tone Curves and download some curves to play with, this feature can really improve the mid-tone response of the camera so you get near perfect results. Last tip, spend a LOT of time just playing with your camera, the D70 has a lot of "pro level" features and a learning curve just as steep as any "pro level" digital. The good news is that it also can give "pro level" images when used by someone who really knows the camera.

 

BTW, I agree with a previous post, the 18-70 Nikon Kit Lens is superb, mine is sharper at f4 than my 50mm f1.4 AF-D is at the same aperture. Optically the Kit Zoom is a bargain, very sharp with excellent contrast. It has some distortion typical to a zoom but, it's not sever enough to show in "everyday" type images. If I want to shoot architecture, I use a "prime".

<blockquote><em>1GB memory card sounds good, try to get an 80x speed card if you

plan to shoot continuously

</em></blockquote>

 

<p>If you're looking for speed, I suggest skipping the Lexar 80x, at least for now.

It has been shown to be about 10% <em>slower</em> than the Sandisk

Extreme/Ultra II (60x, I think) cards on the D70 (when shooting RAW). See <a href="http:/

/www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007-6816">Rob Galbraith DPI- Nikon

D70</a>. I conducted my own test and came to a similar conclusion. Lexar is supposedly

working on a revised version of the card which will be faster, but it's not out yet.</p>

If you're shooting a lot, and especially if you shoot raw (nef) format, you'll want a storage device unless you have a laptop that's reasonable to carry along. A 20GB Archos Gmini can be had for $200. That's 20 1GB cards worth of capacity for the price of a single 1GB card, and it's tiny compared to a laptop. I'd suggest you get a sense of how much capacity you may need before you buy anything but your first compact flash card (I'd suggest 1GB Sandisk). If you're doing primarily jpeg shooting you may be fine without a tank for a while.