gabriel_afana Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I own a D70 and a D300. I do nighttiem photography at raves and nightclubs. I use a D300 and my grilfriend comes along with me and uses the D70. The D70 started producing errors recently and Nikon said it would be $200 to repair. My D70 is 4 years old. My questions is do you guys think the D70 is worth spending another $200 on or would it be smarter to put the money towards a d80? The reason I ask is because the D70 worked ok for her, but a D80 would be much better (since it has much lower noise at higher ISO's than the D70...pplus all the other massive improvements). The D70 was doing just fine for her and I never considered buying a new one for her BUT since I now have to shell out money to fix it...im kind of torn. I am feeling its a waste to leave a d70 dead just for a few hundred bucks...but then I am thinking for $629 I can get a D80 body from Amazon. To help give you a better idea...the D70 was doing the job, but a D80 would do a much better job because of its better ISO noise performance. However, we are not paid for this (long story, but its part of a service we provide from my website). Fix the D70 and go on with life?Upgrade to the D80 and leave the D70 dead? ANYBODY WANT A D70? haha, Im willing to trade it plus a few bucks in exchange for a 50mm f/1.4 :-) So what do you guys think...im curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_skomial Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 How many shutter actuations do you have on the D70? Does the $200 repair include rebuilding the D70 shutter with a new mechanism ? Do you use any of the flash features that the D70 has and D80 will never have ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric_arnold Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 repair the d70 now and save up for a d90, d200, or d300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I would say spending $200 to fixed a D70 now in 2008 is like pouring good money into a bad (actually very out of date) investment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl_becker2 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I would go with a newer body. I think there are a few reasons to go with a D80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_hooper1 Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Boy, 'the times, they are a changing'. I just bought a 34 year old Nikon and I'm happy as a clam. Today we are in the age of disposable cameras. I agree that it would not be cost effective to repair your Nikon D70. Although sometimes, that may not be the only consideration. I have a Nikon D80 and like it. However, I have to believe Nikon will replace the D80 pretty soon, as it is getting long in the tooth, so I would wait if you can. Shouldn't be too long. If you can't wait, the Nikon D80 is a very fine choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vrankin Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Some say the D70 makes really wonderful images but it's now very old technology. You'll spend $200 and still have an old camera. Nikon Service wanted $240 to repair mine. I sold it on auction and never looked back. You might find a clean used D80 with low cycles that is reasonably priced. Even that's old technology now. I see a lot of online raves over the D300, especially for your kind of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vrankin Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Some say the D70 makes really wonderful images but it's now very old technology. You'll spend $200 and still have an old camera. Nikon Service wanted $240 to repair mine. I sold it on auction and never looked back. You might find a clean used D80 with low cycles that is reasonably priced. Even that's old technology now. I see a lot of online raves over the D300, especially for your kind of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolan_ross Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I would not repair it. The D70 is excellent condition is worth about $300.00. I would put it in the electronic recycle bin and purchase another camera. The D80 would be a nice improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabriel_afana Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 I have a D300 for myself...but what we are taking photos for doesn't justify a second D300! :-P I have about 15k shots on the d70. I've used the D80 before (before I got my d300) and it works GREAT for the type of shots we need (high ISO shots). Im sure when the D90 does ever get released, it will be priced slightly higher than the current $600-$700 price of the D80 (which spendingmore money is something Im trying to avoid). Nobody has any reliable information as to when the D90 would come out....which makes making a decision a little difficult. I have a friend who is willing to buy my D70 plus a quantitary kit-lens for $350 (after I repair it). I think this is great...but I MUST have a camera.... Does anybody know anything elseon the D90? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff_rauch Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Put the money towards a new body. The D80 is a great camera, and waiting for the "D90" (or whatever it will be called) should be out towards the end of the summer (according to a nikon rep). If you need a camera now. I suggest either buying a used d50/d70 or (if you have enough) a D80. On a side note, if you do leave the d70 dead, I'd love to open it up. If you get rid of it, let me know, I'll cover the shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronbudway Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I'm going to disagree with most of the other responders here and suggest you get the D70 repaired. If you don't get it repaired it's worthless. If you do get it repaired you can probably get the $200 back even if you sell it a year from now. The $200 is going out the window either way, but if you fix it you've got a camera for the $200. I go through this with my old Saab all the time. It costs a fortune to repair and maintain, but still much less than a new car payment. Also, is the D80 really that much better than a D70? I know there are improvements, but how much will they really show up in the final pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabriel_afana Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share Posted July 26, 2008 I didn't know anything about the D90...I did a lot of reading and it seems nobody knows anything about it - its all rumors. According to Nikon, the D700 was officially released July 1st (or maybe just officialy announced?) Either way, many people believe the D90 (if it does exist) will be announced at Photokina which is 2 months ago. Then I have to wait some time for it to be made available and plus im sure at a price higher than what the current D80's are going for. "Also, is the D80 really that much better than a D70? I know there are improvements, but how much will they really show up in the final pictures?" Absolutely - the D80 blows the D70 away in ISO performance. I can shoot at ISO1600 on the D80 and it be acceptable for the web...the D70 at ISO 1600 is a disaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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