Nikon D70/D100 still cutting it?

[david_thomas___banned_from]

Over on the Wedding forum, I have been a number of times of using antiquated

equipment? Two issues are mainly sited: 6MP is not good enough for serious

enlargements and crucially, the D100 is not capable of handling RAW images in

realtime and is therefore unusable in a wedding context, especially photo-

journalist type weddings. Some even claim these cameras are totally unsuitable

for professional use. Do I bite the bullet and get a D200? The thing is I love

my current combination and am very confortable in their use. I know the results

I'm going to get. How long can I continue to use these brilliant cameras before

they really do get outdated? And lets be realistic here, sentimentalty aside.

[david_thomas___banned_from]

PS I never shoot RAW, just JPEG fine.

[chris_leck]

I used a D100 for over three years in 'unusable' situations: sports, weddings, modern dance, and more. A few months ago, I upgraded to a D200. I learned several things: 1. If you are skillful, you can get a lot out of lesser equipment. I always surprised my shooting mates, both of which had better cameras. 2. The D100 was holding me back in numerous ways. The D200 is a much more flexible, responsive, and capable tool. I can do things that were difficult or impossible with the D100. My photography has taken steps forward on several fronts. 3. The D200 still is holding me back. YMMV.

[walterh]

David only you can know if your personal skill is limited by the tools. But I could speculate: Yes you need an update rigth now :-) By the way which is the realistic part of your question? My realistic part is that it is obvious that the D100 is outdated by the D70 and the D70 outdated by the D200 and D2x - you did not know this?

[studor13]

"Some even claim these cameras are totally unsuitable for professional use"

 

I know a guy who has a D70s and takes passport photos and so forth in his studio. I have no idea about studio work. However, IMOH I am a better landscape photographer than he is, but I consider him a professional.

 

To me if you earn more than 50% of your income from taking pictures whether it be a D70 or a disposable camera, then you are a professional photographer.

 

If the D70 doesn't "cut it" because your clients demand something that it can't do, for example large enlargements as you say, then it may be time for an upgrade.

[graham john miles]

Are you sure you are listening to the right people. Who's is complaining? Your peers? Or you clients?

[mfophotos]

I say, pick up a vintage Nikon F and bash their heads in while telling them... "Is this professional enough for you?"...

Seriously, I know a wedding photographer that does all her stuff with a Holga in B&W. It doesn't matter if you are using a brownie or a Blad, so long as the equipment gets the job done. Ignore them.

[jimi colteryahn - rep. of]

Hello!<BR>

<DD>I use a D70 for most my fotos and it works great. I think my D70 will wear out before they become "unsuitable" or outdated for profesional use. (I also don't shoot in RAW, just JPEG fine...shh!) I like the camera and I think I'll wait for a D200-like camera at a D50-like price(2008 most likely) as I can't afford a D200 or D2x anytime soon.

<br>You can see a few of my fotos at my <A HREF="http://www.colteryahn.com/">website</A><br>

Thanks!<br>

Jimi

[photo5]

I used a Nikon 990 for personal work from December, 2000 until November, 2004 and loved every minute of it, slow AF and all. The colors and resolution was excellent up to 8x12 prints. Recently I went back and looked at a lot of them and was very impressed with the quality.

 

Now I am shooting with a D70s and love it too for the same reasons. There is plenty of detail in there for me. If I needed more detail I would step up to a Mamiya RB or RZ 6x7 medium format camera system. Stepping to a D200 from a D70s isn't that big of a jump in detail in my opinion, the value of the D200 lies more in the build quality (more robust for pros) and in the speed of the drive (5fps or whatever).

 

The D70s handles RAWs very well I think I can shoot about 1 RAW+JPG per second which is plenty for me. A faster card (I have a 40x Lexar) might even do better, I don't know.

 

I'm committed to shooting with my D70s for the next 3 years, and then I'll upgrade to whatever flavor is best for me, D200s or something.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[travel gypsy]

Mr. Obrien....bravo!! I have been digital now for two years....it was hard to take the step, but I did it with my D1x...love it....I have the D70 and find it a very worthy camera...took it all over Mexico and Haiti on assignments this year...but I also took my N8008 too...but that's more nostalgia than preference(and I have even been known to take my old K1000)...now I have the D200 and I love it even more, but for reasons other than image quality...I have noticed that when I bump my ISO up on the D200 the noise looks more like film grain (that makes me happy)...but I like it because it feels better in my hands and it is pretty quiet. I moved to the D200 for one main reason.....so I would have a backup body (and I couldn't afford the D2x). So D200 is my main and D70 is the back up. I think it is all preference...

 

major point....it's you, not the camera....yes enlarging is going to be better quality with a few more MP's, but don't be pressured by mass marketing....it could eat you alive....

[tom_luongo1]

The jump from 6mp to 10mp is only a 30% increase in resolution. And there are plenty of people in the Wedding Forum using 6mp cameras. If you have to crop so much that the pixel difference makes a difference, then you probably didn't get the shot right in the fir

 

I can't speak for the D100, but for me the difference in going from the D70 to the D200 were issues like viewfinder size and the availability of a real vertical grip. The handling of the D200 is also considerably better than the D70. You don't have to dig into menus to do things like switch between AF-C and AF-S.

 

If you are still using the D100 and are very comfortable with it, then all the power to you. I still shoot with my D70 and even with my 2.7mp D1.

[gokmen]

This might be slightly off topic, but I wanted to share my experience.

 

I am a technically unskilled but keen photographer, and I just bought a used D2X (as a

present to myself after a deal) , my pictures improved dramatically from my D100 and the

D50 I was using before.

 

Everything is faster, the exposure is spot on, now I play with white balance whilst I always

left in on auto before. Focusing is amazing, and I have so much more confidense that I will

capture the moment.

 

I agree that a great photographer can take great shots with any camera, but ironically I

think the less accomplished you are, the more a better camera improves your results.

[chris_leck]

"...but ironically I think the less accomplished you are, the more a better camera improves your results."

 

A lesser tool holds one back. I also see this as a flutist. As a beginner with a cheap beginners' flute, it's quite possible to spend so much effort overcoming a bad tool that one never progresses properly. OTOH, some with vision and determination may succeed against all odds.