I'm ready to go to the dark side... need help

[ShunCheung]

We have gotten into this type of debates over and over and over ever since the D70 was introduced in February 2004. There is little doubt that the D70's viewfinder, AF capability, general built quality, etc. are "consumer grade" and are not nearly as good as those in pro models such as F5, F6, D2, etc., but with the right applications, the D70 is capable of creating excellent images and is used by plenty of pros, such as our own Ellis Vener. Therefore, whether the D70 is "ok" or not is a highly individual choice.

 

I'd say use the suggestions here as pointers to looks for shortcomings in the D70 and determine for yourself whether those are problems for you. In this case Robbie (or whoever) needs to try one out and make their own decision.

[walterh]

Robbie I can not see what you could do wrong getting a D70 in addition to your F5. You get a nice sensor chip that will deliver. If the AF system is too slow or not accurate enough you grab your F5 - just as easy as that. I recommend you put a WA on the F5 - thats always a good team to complement the digital camera with a film body+wide angle. If you find after the equivalent of 50 rolls of film (cost: film + dev.) that the D70 is not your cup of tea- sell it. You will not loose money on it - you saved so much on shooting cost that you come out ahead even if you can use only half the images from the D70.

[heklephotoimages]

The new D70s I think is out now and has a improved focus (faster)and screen (larger).

I have a F100 (sits on a shelf now), then got the D70 last July. Shot a lot of hockey and ringette in low light with the D70. It is not as good for sports as the D2H for either speed or focus, but I still got some nice pictures using high ISO. The best part is I also shot a LOT of bad ones, which I just got rid of by a push of a button. No need to hand over any $ to a lab for the bad shots.

The reality is there is not a camera out there that does it all. D2H is great for sports. D2X is beautiful for fine pics, outdoor sports, and most everything else. Just not for sports indoors where you can?t use a flash. The D2X has lots of camera shake because of 12mp on same size sensor and you need higher than average shutter speeds for clear shots. To get that, you need an ISO over 800 and it has lots of noise. (Our arena?s are very dark)

For the cost, the D70 is a great camera where you are able to do both sports, fine art and weddings.

Mind you I have had to send my D70 into Nikon 2 times already. Once for shutter repair, and the last time to replace circuit, and aperture control unit.

If it wasn't for the D2X given for a 25 anniversary gift (no diamonds for me LOL), I would have bought a D70s and used my first D70 as a back up.

Hope this helps

[bill_harris1]

I own both D70 and a D100...They are both set on "mass storage', auto white balance and auto ISO..I believe most people have problems "jacking around" to much with something they no nothing about.They could have any camera made and still have problems ....I have no such problems as to what I read on this forum.I have SB 28 Dx on the D100 and SB800 on the70. When out in the bright sunshine I use a 2 stop ND filter. I am fortunate to have a professional lab close by that makes my shots look great. I believe some of you mess around with things you do do not have the experience to be messing with. I prefer the D100 over the D 70 because it has a vertical shutter release and most of my shots are vertical and there is not a nickels worth of difference between the cameras two otherwise.I use nothing but Nikor "D" type lens..I think some of the newer lens are not of the same quality as the "D" type.. I have had N90s and still have a F5..No digital ever made compares favorably with them. I now use digital now for the same reason most of you do..Expense. Both of these cameras will perform most anything you might want to do. You will find it unecessary to ask a lot of second grade questions when you get out and use the camera until you have mastered it..I download my pictures to a Lexar Jump Drive, edit them and then put them on disk and off to the lab. Sending you work to a drug store or WalMart a no-no..send you work to a professional. You will not have near as many problems. My 4X6 prints cost me $.42 cents..I have been shooting for around 35 years and I have learned a few things about cameras and how to use them.

[jay_blocksom]

<BLOCKQUOTE><I><B>robbie caswell , may 16, 2005; 10:00 p.m.</B>

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I see the folly of my ways. I may not sell my F5 just yet, but the used backup F5 I just ordered will go back in exchange for Nikon digital.

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The D2X is a long term pipe dream, and I've read plenty of horror stories about the D2H.

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Is there a major difference in technology in the D100 and the D70? Would it be worthwhile to wait for the D50?

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Like virtually all "What should I buy?" questions, this one depends greatly on what you shoot, and how you shoot it.  And unfortunately, you didn't give us much to go on there.  That said...

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First and foremost, forget the D50.  It offers virtually nothing over the D70/D70s, save for a small cost savings -- so small that it's nearly non-existant if you can still find a "leftover" original D70 which qualifies for the current Nikon USA rebate.  (Truth be told, I really don't understand Nikon's thinking on this one.  The D50 is nowhere near *enough* cheaper to kill the Canon D300; yet, it's noticably inferior to their own D70.)  So, moving on...

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With a few specific exceptions, there's not much to recommend the D100 over the D70.  Unlike the sad situation with the Canon D300 vs. the (then-current) 10D, Nikon did *not* seriously cripple the D70 in a lame attempt to "protect" the sales of its more expensive models.  Hence, the D70, having had the benefit of nearly two years-worth of technological evolution (so to speak) is superior in several notable ways -- especially if you shoot sports/action stuff -- with virtually no "down side".  Now, about those exceptions...

 

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The viewfinders on both the D100 and D70 are notably small, cramped and dim.  Supposedly, the D100 is a *little* better in this regard, but it's a relatively small difference.  Neither one fares at all well in a comparison to your F5.

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The original D70 carried no provision for a "cable release" save for the not-so-convenient ML-L3 wireless (infrared) remote control.  This has been fixed in the new D70s version -- which is likely all you'll find on dealer shelves by now (or "real soon now") anyway -- which accepts the (wired) MC-DC1 electronic cable release.

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There is no (factory) portrait grip / auxillary battery pack offered for the D70.  However, there is a third-party one available from Harbortronics: <A HREF="http://www.harbortronics.com/detail.php?id=2">http://www.harbortronics.com/detail.php?id=2</A>.

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The D100 body is made (mostly) from magnesium alloy, vs. the D70's all-polycarbonate (with metal lens mount) construction.  So theoretically, the D100 will withstand greater abuse than the D70; but in practice, I've not had a problem with the D70 (then again, I'm not brutal on my equipment).

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To my mind, none of these things are important enough to make me want a D100 over my D70, even ignoring the cost difference.

 

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I love the power and heft of my F5. I will miss 8fps, but 3 fps and no film processing is looking like an acceptable tradeoff.

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If you really want the "power and heft" of a so-called "Pro" Nikon DSLR, perhaps you might consider a used D1x? Per a quick check at KEH, these seem to be selling for anywhere from about $1,300-2,000, depending mostly on completeness (the listed "condition" of all the current examples is either "Excellent" or "Excellent Plus").  This would address all of those bullet points above, and then some -- albeit, at the cost of saddling you with somewhat older technology.  Still, it's a thought.  You can read more about this model here: <A HREF="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond1x/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond1x/</A>

 

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The lenses I own are all primes...the 28mm (f/2.8), 50mm + 85mm (f/1.4), 135mm (f/2). Flash is a pair of SB800's...

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Then you're apparently in very good shape for making the jump to digital.  You'll probably want to add at least one more lens on the wider side, since your existing 28mm lens will be "equivalent" to a 42mm when used on a DSLR body due to the "cropping factor"; but you can probably put that off until "later", presuming you keep using the F5 at least some of the time.

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