D70s vs. D50 - what you get for $300 more?

[photo5]

Hello folks,

 

I hope this isn't a dead horse topic. I'm aware of the main differences between these two fine cameras.

Mainly the kit lenses differ quite a bit. I am very impressed with the 18-70mm lens having shot with it

last year when I bought a D70 (and later sold). Now I am thinking the D50 offers more for the money

than the D70s. BUT I know the D50 has fewer features such as custom white balance, depth of field

preview, and no LCD cover.

 

Is the D70s worth the extra $300 to get the better kit lens and the custom white balance? I also like the

on demand grid lines. I was thinking to get a D50 but am wondering now if that extra $300 to get not

only the better kit lens is worth spending for other features too.

 

Some things that puzzle me is that I've read the AF is better on the D50, the photos out of the camera

are better on the D50. But the D70 has custom white balance - who actually uses this feature and can

you explain when and how you use it?

 

I probably wouldn't shoot with the 18-55mm lens. It has no shade and I want the range of the 18

-70mm anyway. I also have the Tokina 12-24mm lens which I will probably shoot with most of the

time as I like landscapes and architecture.

 

So...is the D70s worth the extra $300 when all the extra things are taken into account?

 

Your opinions. D70s and D50 users welcome! Why did you buy the D50/D70s over the other, and do

you wish you'd done differently?

 

Dave

[ramon_v__california_]

the D70 also has the subcommand dial that you will need for serious manual shooting; and the flash synch can go up higher. i wonder why you sold your D70? anyway i think it's worth the extra $300.

[Jerry_]

It would depend on what you plan on shooting.<div></div>

[robertin_m]

The D50 and the D70 actually have the same flash sync.

 

When I shoot with the D70 for my school's yearbook, the custom white balance is a really nice feature. This allows you to have more control over the color temp (orangeness and blueness) of the final picture.

 

As for me, I am going to buy a D70s this week :) instead of the D50 just because I dont think I will be able to live without the fine tuning of the white balance. But, they are virtually the same camera. Have fun buying your new camera!

[twmeyer]

<i>"custom white balance - who actually uses this feature and can you explain when and how you use it?</i>" ... half of the posts on this forum are about this topic, have a look around. Then try a Google search. I got about 745,000 hits on "nikon custom white balance"...t

[lex_jenkins]

I've handled the D50 several times and like the size, weight, ergonomics and overall feel of quality. My cousin has a Nikon Coolpix 8700, a fairly high end fixed-zoom type that cost roughly the same.

 

Between the two the 8700 is considerably smaller but, for me, more difficult to figure out. The D50 feels more intuitive. And it will accept all of the autofocus Nikkors I already own, plus the SB-800 flash (altho' not as a full CLS type).

 

I'd guess that quite a few D50 buyers might otherwise get a high end P&S type but want more options and accesseries.

[john schroeder]

D70s meters 1005 points in RGB while the D50 meters 420 segments.

D70s has a flash trigger voltage of 240v the D50 is 6v

You can turn off the preflash on the D70 you cant on the D50

The D70s has two command dials the D50 only has one.

The D70s max shutter speed is 1/8000 sec the D50 1/4000 sec

The D70s can use a cabled shutter release and ir remote the D50 is ir remote only.

The D70s shoots at 3fps the D50 is 2.5 fps

The D70s uses C.F. memory the D50 uses S.D. memory (2gb max)

[greg_barnett]

Hi Dave,

 

I've just gone through the same dilemma so I can sympathise with you and tell you I decided on the D50 (impatiently waiting for it to arrive) for the following reasons:

 

1. I already have SD cards so that was an extra cost saver over buying the D70s (for now)

 

2. I liked the "newer" technology that the D50 seemingly has according to some reviews such as AF as you mentioned, noise, etc.

 

3. I actually like the single command dial rather than two. Being an FM3-a user I like as fewer dials as possible. Also I'm used to working in A priority mode and the one command dial is fine for that.

 

4. Cheap. I bought D50 body only and wanted to put the savings towards other things without missing out on the fun of having a digi slr.

 

5. I wasn't too worried about custom WB as I plan to shoot raw (although this could change once I become a more experienced digi shooter)

 

6. DOF preview: can live with viewing LCD for confirmation

 

7. No LCD cover: Plan on buying one of those plastic stick on thingos for $12

 

8. No grid lines. I can live with using the AF marks as a point of reference with pssibly adding a spirit level for more critical items.

 

I should note that I have handled but never really used a D70s. If the the D70 had a better view finder than the D50 I would def go the D70 but based on above D50 was my choice. With some luck mine will be delivered this week and I can give you some real feedback.

 

Best of luck with it!

 

Greg.

[photo5]

Thanks to all for your excellent responses. I have been racking my brain over this tonight. I think Greg makes some good points here and I also shoot in A mode most of the time so one command dial is fine. The smaller size is attractive too. I'm still leaning towards the D70s kit with the 18-70mm lens as it is the range I like. But the fact is I have a Tokina 12-24mm that I will probably want to shoot with most of the time anyway so the D50 body only option may be the one to go with after all.

 

Or I could completely put my marriage in danger by buying the D200 with the kit lens. Ha ha ha, uh no thanks! I figure I can pick up a D200 in another few years. Having one to test for free at my company is super, but it's not available most of the time and after being able to use it for a few weekends now, I really feel like I want to get my own dSLR again. Shooting film with the F3HP is great, but shooting digital is better, I think. Plus I can lose the film, but the digital photos get loaded right on to my Powerbook and are there to look at anytime.

 

As an aside, I sold the D70 kit when I was rear ended last summer and needed cash to replace the car. It was an old Civic and I replaced it with another old Civic, this time an excellent 4 door Civic Wagon. Now my wife is working full time so we have a little more money and I think I want to get in to digital SLR shooting once again.

 

Plus the local lab raised slide film processing to $12 a roll, which is outrageous! (I could drive way into Seattle to get $6 a roll processing, but time is limited lately and gas just keeps going up so...) Not to mention not having to scan film (I have 25 years of slides and negs still to scan anyway!)

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[darrengold]

I had the same dilemma about six months ago and went with the D50 body only, to use with the glass I already had (Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and Nikon 80-200 f2.8. A friend of mine who has a D70s played with it for a few days and was sorry he hadn't bought a D50.

 

It has a preset WB function and the ability to use previous images as a preset for WB. This with an expodisc gives you almost limitless flexibility. Would anyone who really needs more than this on a regular basis look at a D50 anyway.

 

The images from it are excellent especially with good glass. I love mine. One you've played with the optimise configuration settings and got them how you like it, there's no looking back.

 

If you have a 12-24 why not buy the D50 body and use the $300 to put towards a Tamron 28-75 f2.8. I promise you won't regret it.

 

good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

Regards

[tholte]

If you can afford the extra $300 get the D70s.

[philip_b]

isnt the D70 body 700 and the D50 about 500? making the price difference 200

[robert_m3]

You can always make the argument that if I only spend $X more, I can get a better camera.

For what I needed, the D50 is easily good enough compared to the D70, better in some

important areas, and I've been delighted with the shots I've taken. And for me that's all that

matters.

[w._ditto__iii]

everywhere I've checked, the D70s is only about &150 more; heck of a deal...

[akira]

Hi, Dave,

 

Forst of all, the prices of the two shouldn't be that different. At least in Japan, the difference is just about $150. I don't know if your problem would be solved when the actual difference is much smaller than you thought at first.

 

By the way, if you are going to utilize Nikon's excellent iTTL system, you may want to get D70s because the built-in flash on D70s can be used as commander (I'm not sure if the built-in flash will fire in this case, though) to control remote flash units (SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200) whereas the one on D50 cannot.

 

Considering that the new clip-on commander unit SU-800 costs more than $150 or maybe more than $300, D70s shouldn't be a bad choice.

[mawz]

The D70 offers Wireless commander mode for the popup flash, DoF preview (useless due to dim finder), a wired remote, sub-command dial, ISO in 1/3 EV steps, custom selectable WB and slightly higher fps.

 

The D50 has better high ISO performance (especially at 800, which is as clean as the D70 at 400), is smaller, produces better JPEG's (The D50 meters hotter as it doesn't protect the highlights like the D70 does).

 

I had to make this decision recently and the High ISO performance of the D50 was the deciding factor. I'd like a wired remote and wireless commander flash, but I shoot a LOT of low-light ambient shots.

 

The 18-70DX is significantly better than the 18-55DX.

 

I'd say the best kit is buying the D50 body only then picking up an 18-70 from somebody who's dumping it for the 18-200 VR (they're going cheap these days).

[Andrew in Austin]

<p>I have a D50. It was $629 with an 18-70 Nikkor. So, in my case the D50 was a $329 lens cap for the 18-70 DX Nikkor.

 

<p>The three features of the D70s I miss are :

 

<p>a) The viewfinder grid lines, <br>

b) DOF Preview <br>

c) LCD info panel illuminator.<br>

 

<p>The bracketing button of the D70s would be nice to have.

 

<p>All in all the D50 is a heck of a good camera for what little I paid for it. Meanwhile, I'm building up my AF-D lens collection. The lenses are where the real money is being spent.

 

<p>When the next generation replacement for the D70s or a hopeful introduction of a new model between a D70s and the D200 comes out, I'll be ready to move on.

[frank_skomial]

"The D50 and the D70 actually have the same flash sync" - wrong.

 

The D70 built-in flash has a Commander mode, white the D50 built in flash does not. This can be important to more advanced shooters.

 

D70 flash synchrionizes down to 1/8000 sec. with flashes that are not recognized as Nikon's, while D50 only to 1/4000 - but that perhaps does not matter that much.

[dave wyman]

With toys like cameras, computers, etc., I usually go for the best I can afford. I could afford the D70s, which, as mentioned above, has a plethora of extra features missing on the D50, some of which I like and use. On the other hand, I'm positive my photography would not suffer if I had chosen a D50.