Upgrading from N80 to D50 or D70s.....or wait?

[yoel_lax]

I've been a happy owner of an N80 for a couple of years, and I'm

ready to go digital. I mostly use the camera for travel

photography. I have two questions:

 

* Should I content myself with the D50 or step up to the D70s? I

like the DOF preview feature (which the D50 lacks), but with digital

this seems less crucial than with film. Are there any other features

from my N80 that I may miss on the D50?

 

* My standard lens is the Nikkor 24-85 f/3.5-4.5G AF-S, complemented

by a Tamron 70-300 for telephoto shoots. I like and use the wide-

angle very much. On the digital I would most likely swap the 24-85

for a 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G AF-S which corresponds to about 27-105 in

35mm space, and keep the 70-300. I'm a little concerned about losing

the wide-angle range though, but a 12-24mm seems to impractical as a

standard lens and I don't always want to carry 3 lenses with me.

Does anyone know if Nikon (or Sigma, Tamron, Tokina) are planning to

come out with a mid-range (in terms of cost) lens that starts at

16mm focal width (or lower)? If so, I may wait to switch to

digital...

 

Thanks very much,

 

Yoel

[photo5]

Well, I think digital cameras are like computers. You never want to buy last years model, or a two year old model, when you buy a computer. And suffice it to say, the D70s is a two year old camera. I wouldn't consider it, and I would definitely look at the D200. The D200 is a camera that will satisfy you for the next 4 years easy. As for wide-angle, this is a problem with the DX format. I never had the money for a Nikon 12-24mm lens, but bought a Sigma 14mm 3.5 AF lens, which came out to be a 21mm wide angle with the DX format, and that was very nice.

 

So save your pennies, and go for the D200. You will not be sorry, everything I've read says it's a super camera.

 

Cheers,

 

Dave

[greg s]

D70s allows use of a cable release.

 

Some people don't think they need it, while some of us can't do without.

[robbie_caswell]

The D70 is essentially the same performer as the N80. A fine camera in general with a small viewfinder and slow auto focus, but it's a lot of camera for $500-600 used!

 

I doubt you will see any difference in the two.

 

It all depends on your shooting interests. If you have children in sports you may be terribly frustrated. I know I am!

 

If you need more autofocus performance I would take a D2h or D1X over the D200. The Cam2000 and Cam1300 AF are really nice for sports.

 

I would say save the money and go with the D70 and shop here and other forums for used models. Two with less than 2500 shots just sold for $550 and it wasn't on Ebay.

[titospna]

I switched from the N80 to the D50 a couple of months ago, also using a 24-85mm f3.5. It's a quantum leap as far as number of shots I've taken with it. The only thing I badly miss is that the D50 has no grid lines, which I always found useful on the N80. I see it's available on the D70s but overall the D50 was the right choice for me (especially when the 18-200 arrives). Whatever you do, you can't go wrong. There's no drawback to going Digital now.

[johninjapan2000]

I bought a D50 at the end of December after owning - and, due to film and processing costs, getting tired of - an FE-2, an FM2/T, and an F90. The D50 is a great camera! It is small enough to carry in my back-pack nearly everyday, the quality of images is excellent, it is very user-friendly, and it only costs about 500 dollars! I have found that, with the diopter appropriately adjusted, I can even use my 105mm f/2.5 and 200mm f/4 manual lenses without much trouble. And, of course, AF lenses work wonderfully.

 

For wide-angles, I plan to buy the Sigma 10-20mm lens. It has gotten very good reviews and would fill that end of the lens range quite well.

 

In a year or so, I expect I will get the D200, which is more camera and not as comfortable to carry around casually. My original thought was that I would sell the D50, but it is just so nice as a "it's cheap enough to lose or break, good enough to make great prints" camera that I now think I will keep it.

 

Good luck!

[e_b7]

I have an N80 and a D70s. The D70s is not really an upgrade, but a different format (digital). Both are great cameras, and operate very much in the same way. Picture quality of the D70s is great, so there is no point in waiting. Try a 50mm f1.8 for your Nikons while you are at it. Faster, and noticably better image quality at larger apertures. Also, much lighter in weight, and inexpensive.

[dennisprice]

"...Are there any other features from my N80 that I may miss on the D50?..." [Yoel]

 

Yes, the big bright view thru the finder! While you will gradually learn to accept the smaller view on the D50/70s, don't make the mistake (as I did) of comparing the two side by side ;-)

 

Other than that, the D50/70s are both great choices for the money.

[oliver_tan1]

I've used both the D50 and the D70s and I would suggest getting the D70s. When a friend and I went to the dunes, I forgot to use my medium format and film camera altogether. I pretty much use the D70s for color and the film for B&W. And I also have the 24-85 3.5-4.5G AF-S lens. Although, I do miss the 24 on the digital, I can always pull back a little bit or just be creative with what I've got.