Nikon D100 vs. D70

[caroline__]

Hi everyone.

 

So, I finally have the cash to plunk down and get myself a digital camera. I have been

using a D1H at work for a couple of years and, of course, would love to have one of

those but I'm afraid I can't afford one.

 

I was all set to buy the D100 when I came upon the D70 a couple of weeks ago. I

have read many many reviews and comparisons of the two. The price difference is

too small for me to take into consideration, in my opinion. Now, I just cannot decide.

To the people who have used both, what is your advice? What has your experience

been with both? I was leaning toward the D70 recently, strictly because of the flash

sync, because I love to shoot sports, but a friend of mine recently got a D100 and

loves it. I used it for a couple of days and liked it too, but have not used the D70 yet

so have nothing to compare it to.

 

I was a newspaper photographer for three years, and am now getting into freelance

journalistic work, hoping to anyway. It will also be used for fun shots of family and

friends, etc. But more importantly, I want a camera that has the quality to stand up in

the professional freelance world.

 

Thanks for any advice or tips you can give!!

[ken_hassman]

Hi Caroline

I have only used the D70 so I cannot comment on my personal experience. When I was making the same decision about two months ago I came upon this comparison. http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70flash.htm#vsD100

It is a part of his overall review of the D70.

Ken

[grant_.]

either one is fine as far as quality goes. the d70 would probably fair better for pj simply because of the faster flash syncs you get, so i would choose that one at this point.

[roger_michel]

it appears that there is absolutely no reason to buy a d100 when you can buy a newer technology d70. the cameras are very similar, but every difference, as far as i can tell, favors the d70.

 

if only nikon offered a metal body camera (like the 10d) in this price range. then, in my opinion, they'd really have this segment sewn up (leaving the high end to canon). however, the build quality of the d70 is very solid, and the camera certainly outperforms the 10d on a number of fronts.

 

if you end up getting a 10d, make sure you get a GREAT deal. dealers are blowing them out since the camera really can't compete with the d70. i have seen "opne box" d100s for less than the typical 999 charged for the d70 (and the d70 itself is usually available for 939 or 899 when stores have "nikon days").

[caroline__]

Hi again. Right after I posted this, I found the thread asking the same question from

the end of June, so my apologies for the duplicate question.

 

For the record, I have faithfully used my F100 for a couple of years (after making the

switch from Canon) and fully intend on keeping it. I also have a trusty old Pentax

K1000 which doesn't do much these days but serve as a bookend on my bookcase.

 

Thanks to you guys for the advice already here, I am going to go check out the Ken

Rockwell link (I have seen his site, but have not seen that page!)

 

By the way, any word on whether I should wait for the next incarnation of Nikon's

lower priced DSLR? Anyone know if there are others coming out soon that I should

hang around and wait for, instead of buying now?

 

Thank you!!

[davidfink_photography]

Hi Caroline,

 

If you're not already aware of the dpreview website, you should definitely check it out. LOADS of information and discussion forums, including one specific to the D70:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1034

 

As far as I know, there are no indications of a D70 replacement anytime soon. As others have said, the D70 already has important advantages over the older (and more expensive) D100, including flash sync speed and color matrix meter.

 

If you are ready to get into a DSLR now, my advice would be to buy the D70 and start enjoying it. :-)

 

Best wishes,

 

David

[EricM]

Don't wait. No matter what you buy, now or then, the price on these will keep dropping until the plateau in a few years. The D70 is also getting rave reviews in all sorts of non-photographic publications as well. It's raised the bar on the bang for buck scale. Unless you need a remote cable release, get the D70. Buy a legitimate import too, not a grey import.

[grant_.]

technology is such that if you wait for the 'new' model, youre gonna wait forever....at some point you gotta dive in....

[msd52]

As an amateur used to using my good old AE-1 program I have fallen in love with this camera. I have been furioisly experimenting with the many features as I am taking it to Grand Canyon in two weeks.

[ShunCheung]

As a D100 owner for 2 years, I would say the D70 is the obvious choice now. There might be some exceptional situations; for example, if you must have the vertical grip, only the D100 has that option. Otherwise, I would say the D70 is now the better and cheaper camera.

[megan_forbes]

I own a D70, but have used a D100 for some freelance work. To me it seemed that Nikon had done a good job of listening to D100 owner feedback, and made improvements according to that. I'm talking about small things - ISO and WB can be adjusted without leaving shooting mode on the D70, while with the D100 you need to change the top dial from M/A/S priority in order to change the ISO or WB. As I said - small things, but they make a difference :) I can't remember the others - image review seemed slightly slower... ummm... sorry :) Hope that helps a little - both are awesome to use!

[richard_laepple]

I'm a D70 (not a D100) user (maybe it's hard to find someone with both at home). I'm a freelancer too and made my decision 2-3 months ago. At this time the D100 and the Canon 10D cost 500 bucks more. The metal body of the 10D is very nice and more solid. The D70 has a weak internal flash mechanism IMO. The flash itself works very well. But I said to myself: digital cameras are not made for a lifetime like a F2 or a Leica. It's the same with computers, every few years you need a new one. -- But the body is only one thing. You need lenses and probably an external flash. You can get the D70 with a nice 18-70 kit lens. I don't know if Canon has such a good lens for that price. Most other kit lenses are slower and more consumer-like. If you go for a D100 you have to pay more for the lens.

[john_carter_rhodes]

As a user of neither, I can only go on what other people say...and it seems to be that the D70 image quality is considerably better than that of the D100, but at a lower cost. If that was all you wanted, then the D70 would be the way to go.

 

But you also want a well built camera to stand up to lots of use anf you already own an F100. Neither the D100, nor the D70 are so well built.

 

What in particular do you want to achieve by the move to a digital SLR that you can't get from your F100...and maybe a scanner if you want digital processing?

 

John.

[roger_michel]

what kind of freelance work will you be doing?? stock houses now mostly require 12MP size files -- which makes canon your only choice (unless you are going to scan film). if you are not going to shot stock, then your choices for digital capture are much more wide open.

[bart_tuymelaar]

Personally, I'd go for the D70: I'm using the D100 a lot at work, and although it's a solid camera with extensive possibilities, it's main drawback against the D70 is it's flash synchro. Apart from that, the D70's autofocus is a bit faster and somewhat quieter. Basically, it all comes down to this: The D70 has all I need, and the D100 doesn't offer more. (although a extra grip with vertical shutter release for the D70 would be nice, but I expect that'll be on the market soon)

Good luck, Bart

[ilkka_nissila]

I've used the D70 quite a bit and taken some shots with the D100, as well as printed images from both cameras. The D70 has much superior colour balance and quality of colours (more natural & saturated) as well as providing noticeably sharper images. Most significantly, the images from the D70 need just a levels adjustment for printing with excellent results, while a lot of photoshop work seems to be needed to get similar results from the D100. It is quite surprising really considering the similarity of specs in the two cameras.

[kasiad]

I was wandering myself which of these two cameras would be a better choice, when a camera store rep told me that the D70's shutter life is a lot shorter than that of D100. Has anyone heard of this? I haven't been able to find any more info...

[ShunCheung]

The D70 is hot and some stores may not have it in stock, but they have some D100s that nobody wants now because they are more expensive and yet are not as good a DSLR as the D70 overall. A few stores may be willing to make up any lie to move those orphen D100s. I have heard stories such as the D100 is a lot more rugged, etc. If a store clerk starts telling you that BS, especially if they don't have the D70 in stock, I would take my business elsewhere.

 

As a D100 owner and have used a friend's D70 quite a bit, I would say neither one is particularly rugged, but they are well built enough that they'll last a while. Essentially they are similar to the F80/N80. Keep in mind that digital technologies progress rapidly. In 3, 4 years, you might want to upgrade your DSLR anyway. There is no point to build D70s to last 20 years.

[berg_na]

The D100 definitely has a better viewfinder than the D70, which is important for some, myself included, but may be not for others, so I'd recommend that you try it out before making your final decision.

[wilfred_wong]

I've used both, in general, I prefer D70. Higher flash sync, lighter/smaller body, much faster write speed (esp RAW), auto ISO etc... but I really miss the mirror prelease on D100 and the color D100 produce (just personal preference, and can deal with that with software). I sometimes adjust HUE for images (sky a bit greenish) from D70. I don't do that to images from D100.

[Sanford]

Why not wait a few months to see if there is a D100 replacement. It could mean some heavy rebates for the D100.

[lionel_chew]

But which is more ruggedly built for the field? I think the D100 wins in this respect. The

D100 has a rare feature ( so I think), the Anti-mirror shock mode, excellent for taking

pictures through the microscope or long telephotos on a tripod using a very slow speed to

take off that vibration. But if this feature is not needed, who cares? As a wild guess, I

think Nikon will probadly produce an improvement of the D100 which will be better than

the D70 in technology and built a little stronger, at least a metal frame, amongst other

things. I don't think it will that soon, though... I am not buying the D70. I have the D100

and yearn for a higher sychro flash but since I am only a hobbyist now, I can wait. But

others may not be in my shoes.

[roger_michel]

on the mirror lock-up question for the d70, you can bet your flash cubes that as soon as d100 stocks are exhausted, nikon will offer a firmware update to permit MLU in the d70. you already have the ability to lock the mirror up through the setup menu, but the shutter is disabled (it is a cleaning mode only). probably easy to address through a firmware change. this is the ONLY reason to get a d100 now, and an important reason for some people with very specific needs.

[diana]

Here's the answer from http://support.nikontech.com <P>

 

<a href="http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=lDVkK7fh&p_lva=&p_faqid=9212&p_created=1077205528&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTE1MiZwX3NlYXJjaF90ZXh0PSZwX3NlYXJjaF90eXBlPTMmcF9wcm9kX2x2bDE9MTkmcF9wcm9kX2x2bDI9MjAmcF9jYXRfbHZsMT1_YW55fiZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**&p_li=">What are the differences between the D70 and D100?</a><P>

 

More Nikon Q/A links here:<P>

 

<a href="http://leovilletownsquare.com/ubbthreads/showthreaded.php/Cat/0/Number/608453/">Nikon Fanatics at Leoville</a><P>

[ken_hassman]

Diana

Thanks for those links, that is good information for me!

BTW, you have some really funny photos. I also liked Orchid #4.

Ken