D70 + 18-70 ($650) or kit D40?

[steve_chen6]

I am a beginner to the dSLR set and had finally decided on a Nikon D40, since

I have little experience and felt like it would be a good entry-level camera

that I could either add to, or move away from without too much trouble or

money down the drain.

 

I then ran into an opportunity to purchase a display-model D70 with the AF-S

DX Nikkor 18-70 lens for $650. I know this is a decent deal, but I'm

wondering if the newer camera would be better, despite the lesser lens that

comes with the D40. I figure that I could spend the roughly $100 price

difference on a bag, SD cards, battery, or put it towards another lens like a

55-200 or 70-300.

 

Again, I am a newbie, and want to shoot some sports action (mostly indoors),

my daughter, and some travel shots to begin with.

 

If you have thoughts, I would appreciate them.

[simon_hickie1]

Steve, I'm not familiar with either, but do have the D50 in addition to the D80. If you can find a D50 with the same lens, at even less, that might be worth it. Is the D70 new? The D70 will give you some nice things such as wireless remote flash, on demand gridlines and (allegedly) more accurate exposure than the D40. The D70 takes CF cards, the D40 SD cards.

 

If you already have some AF (not AF-S) nikkors, they will not autofocus on the D40. If you are happy only ever to use AF-S nikkor lenses, then the D40 is OK - but I think a D50 on close-out is a better deal.

[ronald_moravec1]

As long as there is a full Nikon warrantee with the 70, go for it if it appears to be in good condition.

 

The 18/70 is a better lens and has a longer range than the D40 kit lens.

 

I don`t know how far you can push picture size with the D70. D80 and D200 will allow one standard size bigger, say 11x14 instead of 8x10.

 

You will use the lens on the next camera.

[elliot1]

As a former owner of a d70, and a current owner of a d40, I suggest you look into the d40. You will get a bigger, better viewfinder, bigger monitor to review the pictures and better prints with the d40. The only reason not to get the d40 should be the lens issue as per Simon. Since you are just starting out, that should not be an issue.

 

The kit lens is excellent. You will be thrilled with it.

[michael s.]

My only real hesitation about the D40 is something not yet mentioned, namely, the unavailability of autofocus on that camera with certain lenses, including one of my favorite and most used lenses: the 50mm f/1.8 AF-D Nikkor. (At approx $100 new, it is not only an excellent lens, but an affordable one.)

 

If your 'standard' prime, used for sharp available light photos w/out flash, should turn out to be a 20, a 24, a 28, or a 35 -- well, same problem. None of those lenses will autofocus on the D40. And if you want a pretty decent consumer level 70 - 300mm Nikkor zoom, like the 70 - 300mm AF-D ED Nikkor lens I bought used, you have the same problem again. (There are other good choices among the zooms that *are* AF-S lenses, with AF-S being the designation you'll require to use autofocus on a D40.)

 

Lastly, the quality of final print you'll get from a D40 vs a D70 will in my opinion have much more to do with (i)the photo you've taken and (ii)your post-processing skills, than with which camera you've used. While I believe the in-camera jpeg processing has gotten better in the 3 + year newer D40, I don't believe that alone will be the critical factor. And it will not be a factor should you decide, at the outset or later, to shoot raw (which Nikon calls "NEF") instead of jpeg.

 

So, while I agree that the 18 - 70mm kit lens for the D70 is better than the lens packaged with the D40 -- better range, a bit better optically, and certainly better build quality -- my hesitation about the D40 is mostly premised upon other factors.

 

I won't knock the D40. Had it been around when I was first shopping for a dslr, I'd have been very tempted by it.

[michael s.]

Oops, I now see that Simon did mention the autofocus issues. Well, I've emphasized them. :-)

[albertdarmali]

I second the suggestion of D50 too. Providing you can still get it, it's an excellent value for money. (try eBay?)

[michael s.]

D50 would certainly be worth a look as well. I agree.

[Peter_in_PA]

Still new D50 and D70s cameras out there. good idea to look at them. My D50 has served

me well and I still love it.

 

Get the D70 over the D40 if you want or need CLS, DOF preview, gridlines, CF

compatibility, old-style AF compatibility.

 

Get the D50 over the D40 if you want Old style AF compatibility but don't care about the

other things listed for the D70 above.

 

Get the D40 if you don't care about any of those things, but like the idea of the bigger

brighter screen and viewfinder.

[johnclinch]

I went through the same choice

 

I went for the D70s

 

The 18-70 focuses much much faster

 

Image quality is similar in RAW

 

D70s has great handling

 

both will take great pictures

[juanjo_viagran]

IMO the D70 is a AWESOME camera, you can use ANY Nikon lens from 1977 and up, try that with the D40.!

The 18-70mm wasn't my 'cap of tee' but many people like it.

 

I'd go for the D70/18-70mm.

[photo5]

I would get the D40. It is completely redesigned over the D70/D70s. Better viewfinder, faster release, SD cards, and better in-camera processing will get you better images. Sure, the 18-70mm is a better lens than the 18-55mm, but by how much? Use the money you save to get a flash or another lens.

 

Dave

[ShunCheung]

Juanjo Viagran: <I>IMO the D70 is a AWESOME camera, you can use ANY Nikon lens from 1977 and up, try that with the D40.!</I>

<P>

Sorry, but what is your point? You can use any Nikon lens from 1977 on the D40 just like on the D70. Their respective metering restrictions are exactly the same; i.e. both of them can only meter with lenses that have a built-in CPU. The main difference is that the D70 can AF with AF/AF-D lenses that are not AF-S.

<P>

The trade off is pretty simple: with the D40 you get newer digital technology and a bigger viewfinder. On the D70s you get separate command dials, more AF compatibilities as mentioned above and wireless flash control.

[juanjo_viagran]

Shun, what's YOUR point..!

Like you don't know what I'm talking about :/

[ShunCheung]

Juanjo, please explain what your were talking about. The way I understand it, it doesn't make sense.

[photo5]

I don't think anyone here has said the D70 is a bad camera. However, the D40 is newer technology and yields slightly better images. I had a D70 and D70s and loved them! Nothing wrong with them at all. However, if purchasing today, I would get a D40. I like the small size especially.

 

Dave

[albertdarmali]

But with D40 you are most likely stuck with AF-S lenses, and there are so many nice Nikon AF lenses out there.

[steve_chen6]

Thanks to all for keeping me confused. =) I ended up purchasing the D70s for $650 w/ 18-70 lens, so now I'm off to the races to see if I can take advantage of the camera... Handling it, I can see where the size and weight of the D40 would be handy... well, 9 more days with it until I can't return it for a full refund. =)

[allan_levene]

My original digital camera was the D70S with the kit 18-70mm lens. I didn't care for the camera, but loved the lens. I sold the D70S and bought a D40 and shelved the kit D40 lens. I am very, very pleased with the combination. The image quality is better than the D70S and the camera is very easy to use. While it's true that some features are not available on the D40, they weren't used enough, if at all, to make a difference anyway. And the D40 screen is great when you're working a dark room. The displays on the "Pro" cameras as too dim to be that useful.

 

Finally, as the pace of digital technology changes I believe that it always the soundest idea to buy the latest, low end DSLR camera as the manufacturers expect volume sales and tend to place the newest, and best sensors in them. I didn't get the D40X as it uses an older sensor and processing chip. And the sensor and chip combination is the heart of the camera

 

The "Pro" cameras are very nice, but become dated very fast and have old technology, or newer technology at ridiculous prices. They just don't sell many of them to charge a reasonable amount.

[steve_chen6]

Allan, out of curiousity, how much experience do you have? I don't have much, so I'm just wondering if you were in the same boat as me. Are there things on the D70s you felt were extraneous?

 

Thanks for the help. I have been pondering the change...

[everett_cavazos]

I've used them both and prefer my trusty, original D70. The D70 is an amazing camera, arguably one of the best workhorse cameras around, and has the better feature set when it comes to IMPORTANT issues. The D40 is great but has some limits. Here they are.

 

1. D70 can use any Nikkor lens. D40 cannot

2. D70 can wirelessly control an SB-600 or SB-800, or use a Wireless Commander to control multiple wireless flashes. D40 cannot use any wireless flash at all.

 

If these are important to you, then buy the D70. If not, then go for the D40.

 

Check out this great article from Ken Rockwell about the D70. It's an interesting real-world take on the camera, including comparisons, prints and more. http://kenrockwell.com/nikon/d70.htm

[everett_cavazos]

Just in case you wanted to see my portfolio...all taken with my D70.

<http://unrealentertainment.net/portfolio/>

[albertdarmali]

I'm not sure I agree with the statement of D40 has better image quality than D70s. It can be just a matter of tweaking the camera setting and internal processing of Jpeg inside the camera.

 

D40 is aimed more for beginner who wants less post-processing routine and prefer ready to print shots. Colours from D70s might be flatter, but they need post processing to really shine.

[tom_yuan]

I went with the D40, the thing takes pictures in low-light with nearly no noise! I do not mind having to manually focus my 50mm lens. Camera bodys only last for a couple years anyways, when I upgrade I will carry over the lens.

 

I'm not quite sure that the 18-70mm lens is all that much better than the kit lens. It has wild distortion at 18mm, much much greater vignetting than the 18-55mm and the MTF charts show less resolution. Why would you pay an extra $200 for this? Maybe if they were the same price...

[tom_yuan]

Did anyone else notice that he said indoor sports photography? For that you'll probably need a much faster lens (f/2.8 and up), moderate telephoto, preferably a prime or a quality zoom. And those are not cheap, especially for someone buying into the range of the D40.