for the Camera guru's (nikon)

[msm1018]

I am seriously looking at either a nikon D70 or a D50 and also what is the "s" stand for on the D70s.

If you guys could give me some pros and cons comparing the D50 to the D70, that would be great.

[Steve Foss]

No doubt Tom and hobbydog will have a lot to say, since they're Nikon guys.

You'll get a rundown from the Nikon guys, and you can take their advice to the bank, but in the meanwhile, you can go to 3w canogacamera c0m. At the home page under digital, click on "still cameras," then click on "Nikon," then scroll down toward the bottom until you get to the D50 and D70s. If you click on them, each will take you to a page with all the facts and figures so you can compare that way.

It's good to know those kinds of facts, but it doesn't take the place of advice from veterans who know the Nikon line. They'll steer you right.

[hobbydog]

I quess it comes down to how much cost weighs into the decision factor. I bought the D70 when it first came out so I did not have the choice. If I were to do it now I would go with the 70. It is interesting that both the Rebel XT and the D50 were in response to the original Rebel and D70. The Rebel was first followed by the D70. The Rebel was cheaper and the D70 was deemed to be the better camera. Nikon dumbed down the D70 to be price competitive and Canon upped the pixel count and did a few other tweaks to match the D70.

Back to the topic....how much is money the factor? Do you have any money left over for more lens? What do you plan on primarily using it for? What is your 35mm SLR expertise? Lots of factors to help you decide but it comes down to the rule I usually go by.....buy as much as you can afford and then maybe a bit more. You will never be sorry about spending a bit more later on but you will often have regrets for going the cheaper route.

[island guy]

I ended up recently purchasing the canon 20d. Didn't scrimp on lens. A friend has the nikon d70 and since I'm such a beginer, we've been going out together so he can teach me.

We've been shooting the same shots at the same time and to be honest, I really can't tell the difference in picture quality. Maybe there are some technical points that would put one above the other but this beginner wouldn't know. Printed pics looked the same to me. I saved a few bucks going with the canon so purchased a higher quality lens. Might be a chevy-ford kind of thing.

[Steve Foss]

Well, if you're talking roughly 8 megapixel sensors from Nikon and Canon, it is basically a ford-chevy thing, or, considering how good both are, more like a Lexus-Mercedes thing.

I am a little confused, however. The only version of the D70 retailed by my suppliers is the D70s, which is a 6.1 megapixel camera. Yet I see D70 cameras in a few magazine ads that say they're 8 megapixel cameras, while other ads say the D70 is an 6.1 megapixel. So does Nikon offer an 8 megapixel DSLR or what?

If the D70 you're talking about is an 8 megapixel, it is basically a preference choice between Canon and Nikon, with little difference in photo quality. If the D70 is a 6 megapixel, however, to the 20D's 8 megapixels, then the only time you'll really notice the difference is when you're making very big enlargements. At 8x10 or 12x24, you won't notice a difference. It's only when you get into the 30-inch print range that the difference in megapixel count shows.

[msm1018]

I guess I'm not a MP freak kind of like a H.P. freak to a car guy is. so 6.1/8mp doesn't realy matter. I went to my local camera dealer and I ask a few questions, I also compared the "feel" of both the canon and Nikon. Nos sorry to all the Canon guys, the Nikon felt better, but that is not the selling point for me. the features were a little more to my liking, and the options were better. Price really isn't an obsticle for me since I have no car payments or house payments. I'm talking spring semester off to gather my money and plan, so I'll have a good chunk from working full time. My main plan to use this camera for is outdoor photography, I deer hunt (many of you know the time spent on stand) plus I go out west to pheasant hunt for a week, I have plenty of opportunities to take pictures. I want a DSLR for no photo developing and something I can fiddle with instead of concrete point and shoot digitals. Honestly I have no SLR experience except a few shots with my grandmothers older canon. I plan on saving enough for Nikkor lenses, I won't be buying every model lense because I really don't need that much for dabbling, (as of right now) I appreciate all of the comments, thanks.

[Steve Foss]

msm:

Sorry you didn't get a substantive comparison between the D50 and D70s. Not my brand, but I figured you'd get more help than you did.

For what you're doing, there's no need for 8 megapixels. It's all about meeting a person's needs. Have fun with it. That's the important thing.

And if you buy premium glass, regardless of whether we're talking Canon or Nikon, you'll be rewarded. It's not only that the top glass is a bit sharper, but that the professional grade lenses focus and track so much faster than consumer grade glass that you get shots you wouldn't otherwise be able to accomplish.

I'd highly recommend any money you spend on telephoto lenses be spent on Nikon's Vibration Reduction lenses. VR (or Image Stabilization for Canon users), will give you the opportunity to make sharper photographs at lower light and slower shutter speeds than non VR or IS lenses.

My go-to nature photograpy lens is a 100-400 mm image stabilizer, and it's SWEET! Nikon has a comparable zoom. With the 1.6 magnification factor from the 20D (not sure what the D70 or D50's mag factors are, but non-full-frame DSLRs tend to run from 1.4 to 1.6 in general), that's actually a 160-640 mm.

And unless you're a pro, you don't need a lot of lenses. You need a wide angle zoom and a telephoto zoom, and that's about it. If you want to do serious close-up work of flowers and other subjects, you'll eventually need a macro lens.

Just wait until the day you're in your stand and the light is prime and that 12-pointer is coming in and you can't decide whether to pick up your camera or your bow/gun!

Also, since you haven't had much SLR experience, shoot, shoot and shoot some more. Then keep shooting. The more you familiarize yourself with the camera, the faster you'll get better. And since there's no film or developing costs, you can shoot to your heart's content. I also recommend getting at least a 1Gb card. I use Lexar, but there are several top brands. Make sure you also get the fastest writing card you can. The fastest 1Gb card run about $100. Cheaper cards tend to have slower write speeds, and that will compromise the top speed of your camera. My Lexar cards are 80x cards. The cheaper cards are 40x. And you know what they say about JB80 penetrating oil compared with WD40: It's twice as nice! And for $10 to $15 you can get a card reader that attaches with a USB cable to your computer. You'll get a cable to download pics direct from the camera to the computer in your camera kit, but the card reader is WAY faster, and outrageously cheap for what it does.

One more piece of advice is to get at least one spare battery. Digitals eat batteries. If you buy a Nikon kit with battery and charger included, that's cool. Buy a second one though. Nothing worse than a dead camera in the field, and VR or IS lenses eat batteries 30 percent faster than standard lenses. For my 20D, I bought an optional battery grip that allows two batteries to be used simultaneously, and also has additional shutter controls so that you don't have to wrap your hand all the way around the camera when shooting vertical. Makes a big difference both in shooting longevity without having to change batteries and in sharp vertical shots, so if Nikon offers that, I'd put it on your long-term list. Generally, they run under $200.

Uh, ok, one LAST piece of advice. I got a UV filter for each of my prime lenses. More than anything, it protects the lens from scratches. Much better to scratch a $100 77mm filter than a $1,300 lens. You'll also find that circular polarizing filters add richness to color and kill reflection off water and windows etc.

[metro 1]

I sure like the photos that you all take on here.I deer hunt with a guy that takes great pictures and makes quite a living from it. He shoots a Nikon d2x and also has a d70 for a back up plus a bunch of film format cameras.The pictures are absolutely amazing he shoots and we talk allot about cameras.I was thinking that if I had a nicer camera that my pictures would look as great as his , but he is quick to give credit to the Nikon optics.As were talking last weekend while hunting that the motor home we are staying in cost about $5,000 and the one Nikon lens (3mm to 800mm) cost $5200 + tax. He has said that the Olympus I have c700 ultra zoom will be more enjoyable for me because it takes great pictures and I will not need a different lens to get great pictures.that lens The zoom lens he shoots can take very interesting photos ,one is across my pond 1/3 of a mile and you can read the tire pressure of the neighbors lawn tractor tire. another one is of a deer in a field about 100 yards.and he said zoom in on the right eye.So I'm thinking that there is something in the reflection of the deer's eye but I keep zooming in and there is a mosquito on its eye lid engorged with blood and the sun shinning through it ,too cool!

Now he has told me about a new camera from Olympus "Evolt e500" is a big bang for the buck. Do some research read some reviews and see what a 8+ meg.with 2 lens and all the bells and whistles can go for . $850 or so .I have been doing some reading on this and this is why I'm suggesting to take a look at it. Metro