D70 vs. DRebel

[paul_batalla]

Here's a conversation starter. Assuming i own no lenses from either

manufac. which is a better buy? The d70 or drebel? Thanks. This will

totally influence my next purchase.

[andreas_carl]

D70.

[alexdi]

Buy for lenses, not bodies.

 

DI

[carl smith]

The D70 has more features you might find usable in some situations (spot meter to name just one but someone will probably list all the specs). One thing I don't like about the D70 is no provision for a vertical grip/battery pack. The Drebel has this capability. The D70 can control a second flash remotely, while the Canon cannot.

 

My main use for such a camera would not depend on spot metering or slightly cleaner high ISOs, the super clean ISO 100 on the DRebel would actually be more important to me. The remote flash wouldn't matter to me that much either.

 

Do you have any idea how you'd use the camera?

[paq]

Yeah, gotta agree with everyone, decide what you want first. If you like the really really clean pics from the rebel, then go for that, fi you can handle the little bit of noise and possible moire (it can be removed, but still) then go with the D70. I am 99% certain that i would LOVE having a lot of the features of the D70, but i am also 100% sure that i love the smooth noiseless 300D pictures..

 

sooo

just depends. I'd probably go with the D70 if i were just looking and reading stats/features, but the 300D's image quality blows me away everytime

[rick_helmke]

I was a long time Nikon user until I went digital. After a lot of research, gnashing of teeth and many discussions with my shooting buddy involving cameras and Crown Royal I went with Canon. I still think that was the right move and the D70 has done nothing to change my mind. It is true that you will do better to choose based on lens preference but both brands have outstanding glass. So there you go.

 

Rick H.

[basscheffers]

My brother, who faced the same choice after shooting with a friend's D100 for over a year decided on Canon DRebel.

 

His main argument was: Nikon's lenses and other accesoiries are more expensive. That and USM, even on cheap lenses like the 28-105/3.5-4.5 kicks any of Nikon's EF-S lenses ass and many of the cheaper Nikon offerings (which he'd be looking at) are of the old screwdriver design.

 

Every review I have seen praises the D70 for superior handling, features and built quality, but says that while the camera gets the job done, the DRebel's image quality is higher.

 

I got my Drebel before the D70 was even announced, and I did have Canon lenses already. I am glad I decided on it. When time comes to upgrade, I will have to have a hard look at what else is available and if it makes sense to trade in, or keep with Canon. (Olympus's E-1 system makes a lot of sense, especialy in the amount of lenses you need to buy and carry to cover the entire range, Canon and Nikon have yet to come up with a real answer to the crop-factor problem)

 

But if I weren't to switch brands, Canon has for the past few years shown more innovation and higher image quality every time. So I am pretty sure I will never switch to Nikon. (Unless they, like Olympus, also take the plunge and come up with a good system while Canon doesn't, of course!)

[jim_roberts]

Go somewhere and handle the two cameras. For me, the D-70 feels like a more substantial camera for the money.

 

I also decided to go buy the D-70 because I use wide angle lenses and the Nikon 12-24 DX is a great lens. Canon hasn't come up with comparable wide angle lens for the DRebel.

[cappoldt]

Actually, after all is said and done, the image quality, in my opinion (and in several reviews I've read) isn't much diffrent. The Nikon's noise is less blotchy, too, so its not so easily perceived. Besides, you're talking about noise at enlargements of up to poster-size on shots at 800 ISO and higher. Nit-picking! The Drebel seems to render exposure a little better on Auto modes, but if you get to know your camera, this shouldn't effect you, especially if shooting in RAW? I feel it's a name brand choice. . .I think the Drebel looks kinda crappy in silver (cheap), but the D70 build isn't remarkably better. S'up to you!

[alex_j]

As others have said, decide what sort of pictures you want to take first. Landscape? Action, Low Light, Flash? Then decide what camera features and lenses... not to mention tripod/flash etc, you might need to take those photos.

<p>

Do you need wide angle? Nikon DX lenses might have an edge there, unless you think the kit lens on the 300D will do the job or you are happy to use third party lenses like Sigma.

<p>

Then you could do worse than read the various reviews online... like Phil Askey's review on dpreview.com:<br>

<a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/">http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/</a>

<p>

Regarding the comments about the noise, they (dpreview.com) come to the conclusion that "Visually a very similar performance, although looking at the split out RGB crops you can see that the pattern of noise is quite different at higher ISO's. At ISO 1600 the 300D's noise pattern is quite large and blotchy, the D70 with much finer more granular noise."

<p>

The Canon has the advantage of a ISO 100 setting, with slightly lower noise than the ISO 200 setting of either camera, so if your subjects are well lit and don't move around a lot, then you probably don't care too much about slightly lower noise at higher ISO's. The dpreview article also covers the moiré / maze artifacts question - again, this may or may not be a major issue for you, as it seems to depend on the subject.

<p>

Contruction and appearance.... is light weight the major factor for you? The 300D wins here, but only by 30 gms. The Nikon *seems* to have a more solid contruction - Neither is super-strong. If you want something more solid you may have to save up for a 10D or something. Is colour an issue for you? I think silver is great.... for metal cameras like my old Pentax MX that is, but for plastic it just looks cheap and nasty. So I'd go for the black finish of the D70. This shouldn't be the main deciding factor of course. As others have said, go to a shop and get a feel for them both.

<p>

Action shots - do you want to shoot large sequenses of pictures without filling the buffer. The D70 is a clear winner here and as someone that uses a camera to take photos of motorsport events, it would make the D70 the winner for me.... but not for everyone.

<p>

Hope some of this helps, but go to the reviews from people that have spent time using both.... rather than people like me who have only picked them up in the shop and tried them for a few minutes.

<p>

[steven_clark]

My peeve about the D70 would be that they didn't even bother giving it stop-down metering for non-CPU lenses. To me that shows that talk of F-mount compatibility on the part of Nikon is just so much hot air, if the Canon is more compatible with other manufacurers lenses then Nikon is with their own.

[mcconnel]

I bought a Dreb a couple months ago well before the D70 was available. I owned NO camera gear whatsoever beforehand.

 

With the D70 reviews and feature set, sure - Im wondering... but at the end of the day it IS all about glass for me.

 

So - whats the concensus view? Seems to me the Canon lenses are indeed the better respected and better performing lenses. Accurate? Innaccurate?

 

PLEASE SPARE US ANY FANBOY RANTS! Its an honest question from a guy who doesnt much care either way... Im just curious what the overall view is and what the PROs say about Nikon lenses VS Canon lenses.

 

Cheers, and thanks!

 

-Michael

[river side]

Paul,

 

since u own no lenses.. u might wanna find out which range of focal lengths you'd be using.. then look for available lenses in both Canon and Nikon offerings and check out their ratings and prices etc.

 

Once you have the lenses marked down u can read up on the features available on both cameras and decide which are more important to you.. Faster startup and burst of D70 vs Lower Shutter Lag and faster AF of DRebel.. Uniform noise in higher ISO for D70 vs ISO100 on DRebel.. longer reaching kit lens on D70 vs better macro kit lens in DRebel.. No Battery Grip on D70 vs Wired remote and grip on DRebel Black vs Silver and so forth..

[rob t.]

"Every review I have seen praises the D70 for superior handling, features and built quality, but says that while the camera gets the job done, the DRebel's image quality is higher."

 

Really?

 

Could you please point me to a single review that says this?

 

I don't own either camera, so I don't consider myself biased. I have read NUMEROUS reviews, and all of those who actually declared a "winner" definitely give the nod to the D70. In fact, it would be a more fair comparison to put the D70 up against the D10.

 

In any event, I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the issue of flash photography. The D70 has a very big advantage here, including a sych speed of 1/500.

 

Here is a very thorough review that also discussed the flash advantages with the D70: http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D70/D70A.HTM

[rob t.]

"Seems to me the Canon lenses are indeed the better respected and better performing lenses. Accurate? Innaccurate? "

 

Innaccurate.

 

They both have outstanding lenses. Perhaps it would be a more valid point to say that Canon lenses are the better value, since Nikon does seem to charge more for a similarly featured lens (such as Nikons VR (vibration reduction) lenses vs Canon IS (image stabilization) lens, Nikon's Silent Wave motor lenses vs. Canon USM, etc).