Nikon 100D vs Canon 10D, or wait for the new D70?

[kevin_trimmer]

I know this discussion has been proposed many times in the past, but

I plan to buy a DSLR within the week. For awhile now, I have been

leaning towards the Nikon D100, mainly because I've worked with

Nikon systems in the past, and have read good things about the

camera. However, in my last week of research, I've found that the

Canon 10D is equally matched, and may be considered to alot of

people, a better camera. and now, Nikon is coming out with the D70,

an almost cheaper version of the D100. Does now Nikon plan to

replace the D100 soon? and is it worth my money to buy this year old

camera only for a new better one to come out in acouple months? or

is it better to go with the newer canon 10D? any advice would be

greatly appreciated.

[daniel_taylor]

Waiting for a new DSLR is like waiting for a new model computer: there's always one around the corner with better features/lower price, so if you're going to wait for the newest model you'll wait forever.

 

I kind of feel like your choice is between the 10D and D70.

 

I can tell you first hand that the 10D is an awesome camera. If I were buying today I would still pick the 10D. The 9 frame RAW buffer, mirror lockup, vertical grip, and ISO 100/3200 are more important to me than anything on the D70. I also prefer the metal body. Your needs/wants may be different, and the D70 is a very capable camera. I just wouldn't benefit much from its advantages. I never shoot normal JPEG so I would never see the continuous shooting ability. I don't really use partial/spot meter now that histogram is available. And the other "advantages" are really minor setting variations (i.e. do I really need +/- 5 stops on exp comp instead of +/-2?).

 

That's my take on it. Your mileage may vary.

[adam_eberbach]

Buying a digital SLR this week is a really bad idea. PMA is in one week, things may change or get cheaper.

[hyunyu]

I agree with Adam; wait a couple of weeks (if you can) and see what new stuff gets announced at PMA. Even though the new stuff won't hit the store shelves for a month or two afterwards, knowing what's coming may influence your decision.

 

Personally I'm eyeing an Elan 7 body, but am still going to wait until after PMA to buy one.

[._._z]

<i> I plan to buy a DSLR within the week.... is it worth my money to buy this year old

camera only for a new better one to come out in acouple months? or is it better to go

with the newer canon 10D? </i><p>

 

It doesn't sound like you're really ready to buy within a week. <p>

 

Get your hands on both cameras and see which user interfsce you prefer, then wait

until you're sure of what you want. Either body will offer good performance but you

have to be sure which system (& system of lenses) you want to lock yourself into.

[david_littleboy__tokyo__ja]

Correct answer: none of the above: the 300D.

 

Why? It's available now, image quality is excellent, and it'll make a great second body when Canon comes out with an affordable camera with more than 6MP and a less than 1.6 crop factor. The 6MP generation is getting long in tooth (the D100 is two years old), and spending top dollar for a camera that's going to be replaced with something a lot better real soon doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

[andrew robertson]

All I have to say about the D70 is ARE THEY FACKING NUTS? No cable release, no mirror

lockup, and the plastic build add up to a camera that isn't suited to serious photography.

 

That being said, either one of the two cameras that ACTUALLY EXIST at this point in time

are pretty good. The question you need to ask yourself is "Which system, overall, offers

the best selection of gear for my photography, and in which direction is each one headed?"

Unless you never plan on expanding your camera bag, in which case it doesn't matter in

the least bit which one you choose.

[rick_helmke]

I know exactly where you are with this debate. I shot Nikon since high school and after much debate, research and looking at both (some alcohol may also have been involved but I admit nothing) I changed over to Canon, went with the 10D. It was the right choice and I'd do it again now.

 

Rick H.

[jkantor]

Unless you are doing all studio or setup photography, you need a spotmeter - which the 10D doesn't have. (If you want the same sensor in a cheaper camera, get the Rebel.) But if you need a spotmeter go with Nikon. Even the D70 will have one.

[peter_phan]

<i>Unless you are doing all studio or setup photography, you need a spotmeter - which the 10D doesn't have.</i>

<p>

A spot meter or a partial meter is just fine for digital photography. With the flexibility of digital images and having a histogram for you to review, there is no longer a "need" for a spot meter, nor do I believe that there ever was a "need" for a spot meter when doing serious photography of any sort, with the exception of maybe Zone System black-and-white photography. In the days of film, I shot thousands of frames of slide film exposed with partial metering. Now, the digital image is immensely more flexible-- JPEG or RAW-- with the histogram on top of that. Better to have a decent understanding of light and exposure and appropriate degrees of exposure compensation. For that, I highly recommend Charles Campbell's Chromazone System.

<p>

These days, I take 70% of shots on my 10D with evaluative metering. The remaining 30% are taken care of with partial metering. But I could just as well take 90% with evaluative metering, reserving only 10% for partial metering if I wanted to. So there really isn't any "need" for a spot meter. Plus, I actually prefer the slightly larger sampling area measured by a partial meter. I usually fit some highlights into the 9% partial metering area so that the camera takes that into account and keeps the highlights from blowing out. You can't really do that with the tiny sampling area of a spot meter.

[cl_ho2]

Go for Fujifilm FinePix S3 Pro

 

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0402/04020503fujifilms3pro.asp

[yuriy y. vilin]

The funny thing is: you can't go terribly wrong with either camera (I mean 10d and d100). If your hands grow from right place, both cams will give you the SAME image quality despite all that popular forum noise about "CCD vs CMOS" thing. Maybe except flash system, Nikon's version of which lets you get better results with less efforts. But if you shoot for fun only go for lighter and more compact camera, which means your choice is "limited" to d70 and 300d, if interchangeable dSLR is what you want. And here it looks like d70 is more sensible choice as far as specs concerned + set of DX Nikkors that are already available. My 2 cents,

[jon_austin]

If you really plan to buy "within the week," then the D70's out of the question, since it isn't shipping yet. That said (I feel better now), the advice by several to wait a couple more weeks to see what PMA reveals makes good sense.

 

Personally, I bought a 10D last May, and I wouldn't hesitate to select the same body again, if I was making the decision today. However, I think it's more important to pick the lens system you want to live with, since the inventory of lenses you will eventually build will probably stay with you long after you've moved up to a better digital body. For me, in spite of the Nikon DX offerings, that decision for me was still Canon.

[marshall]

<I>With the flexibility of digital images and having a histogram for you to review, there is no longer a "need" for a spot meter, nor do I believe that there ever was a "need" for a spot meter when doing serious photography of any sort,...</I>

<P>

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I use my spotmeter constantly, and never rely solely on the center-weighted, partial meter. I'd never consider buying a camera without a spot-meter. Not saying that people who can rely on partial metering are wrong, just that it's about how you shoot, not how we do. [And no, I don't think Canons suck; I just wouldn't buy a camera without a spot meter.]

<P>

Onward.

[._._z]

Well, a week's come and gone. How do you like your new camera?