Upgrading to a new Nikon

[Old Griz]

I got permission from SWHTM to upgrade to a new Nikon SLR Digital...
Debating between the D50 and the D70s...
Both are fantastic cameras and will accept all my autofocus lenses from my F5 film camera...
Price difference is about $250 for the body.... and they use different memory cards...

Does anyone have any first hand experiance with these cameras... right now I am leaning more to the D50 because of price and the fact I need a camera my wife can use easily... I am more of the technical photographer (at least with film) and want more bells and whistles..
Nikon Customer Service actually recommended the D50 over the D70s...

 

[coach]

LUCKY!!!!![]

 

[Tangboy5000]

I like the D-50 also. IMHO the D70 just doesn't have enough different features to warrant the extra money.

 

[nilsatcraft]

I have no experience with the D50 but I've used the D70 and I love it. It's more user friendly than you'd expect. I've used some other really high end Nikon cameras that I can barely turn on, let alone adjust properly. I used the D70 easily with no instruction and the pictures were, of course, amazing- even with mediocre lighting. If the D50 is anything like the D70 then you're in a win-win situation. Have fun with that, Griz!

 

[Rifleman1776]

My son has a D70. You couldn't pry it out of his hands with anything but the next, newer, version. At about $5000.00 for the body.

 

[rtjw]

I hate them both. I just bought the D50 about a month ago. Trying to get rid of it. The D50 means you say D@*$ 50 times each time you take a picture.

 

[Dario]

Tom,

Try these reviews...might help you make your decision.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/

For a side by side comparison:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d50%2Cnikon_d70&show=all

I just bought a new digital camera too, a lot cheaper and not quite a Nikon but I am very happy with it. Will post some sample pics later once I find time to play with it more.

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by rtjw
<br />I hate them both. I just bought the D50 about a month ago. Trying to get rid of it. The D50 means you say D@*$ 50 times each time you take a picture.

ROTFLMAO!!!

 

[fritzmccorkle]

i own a D70 and love it. in the military i used an N70 and when in japan used an F70 which is the foreign equivelant. i'm not really familiar with the d50. i use mine for taking pictures of my pens and my daughter. almost all of my shots have been taken in manual mode with a flash meter to measure the exposure. i bought it in a kit with a lens for i think a thousand bucks after a rebate. some of these digital cameras will use non digital lenses, but you can definately lose functionality if your'e not using the ones designed for the camera.

 

[bluesky]

Along with pen turning I do art photos and replaced my Nikon film system with a D70. This was the best move I have made in photography in years. This camera is a very good piece of equipment I had no compatability problems with my old SLR lenses. The camera uses compact flash cards which are very convienent. I purchased a one gigabit card and can get around 140 pictures at the full 6.1 megapixel setting. I am not familiar with the D50 but love my D70.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Tom,
I have no Nikon, but I would go with the one that takes the compact flash card. This, I think, is the media that most cameras use and it seems to be the one for the future. They have cards now up to 8Gig.

 

[alamocdc]

Tom, it looks like you can buy Johnny's and save even more money! []

 

[Old Griz]

Originally posted by alamocdc
<br />Tom, it looks like you can buy Johnny's and save even more money! []

[V][V] He already returned it... I spoke to him... Story of my life.. [V][V]

 

[Dario]

I read a bit about this 2 cameras...looks like D50 is a very good choice! Didn't know that Nikon uses Sony Sensors. With D50 they are using Panasonics SD card...man they are smart using all the best that other manufacturers have to offer!!! []

I wonder why Johnny had problems with it though.

 

[rtjw]

Because I am a nincompoop! Just dont get along with cameras.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I asked my son his opinion. He is an avid photographer, now all digital. He has had work on the cover of several magazines and has won the photographer of the year award in his city several years in a row. As a former professional photographer myself, I feel qualified to judge his work, he is very good. Almost as good as his old man used to be. [][] Enneyhow, his comment below:
"I have a D70, the D50 is a lower version for more consumer level
shooters. I don't know what that's about, the cameras are good, I find
it's low skilled photographers that expect the camera to magically take
good pictures despite their lack of skill that make most of the
complaints about any camera. I have my gripes about the D70, and I
really want a D2X (Nikon's top of the line pro model digital camera),
but all in all if I do everything right it takes as good a picture as
any film I ever shot."

 

[Dario]

I agree about the skills. Let me borrow another turner (from another forum) byline..."It is the Indian not the arrows."

Of course there are also lots of cases where no matter how good you are, the equipment will restrict what you can do.

 

[Rifleman1776]

I have used my son's D70 several times. Personally, I would never make this model my camera of choice. My biggest gripe is that it is very heavy. Add motor drive and a long lens it becomes a major heavyweight, impossible to hand hold steady. Being an old timer, I am biased in favor of simple, quick to use cameras. Having five, eight or a dozen focusing 'zones', another dozen exposure 'zones', etc, etc. is wasteful and time consuming. Experience and familarity with ones equipment allows adjustments manually as fast as or faster than the auto nonsense.

 

[fritzmccorkle]

you don't add a motor drive to a d-70.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by fritzmccorkle
<br />you don't add a motor drive to a d-70.

Whatever, it has motor drive and is impossible heavy.

 

[fritzmccorkle]

Approx. 600g (1 lb 5 oz) without battery and storage media - from nikon's website. lens weight will vary depending on what you put on. the battery is a tiny rechargeable. i guess opinions vary, but i don't find 1lb 5 oz to be too bad.

 

[Dario]

My new Panasonic DMC-FZ5 only weigh 11.5 oz (326 g) with everything...and I love it [] Price is also very reasonable at $359.00 S&H included. All I added is a bigger SD card which I already have and I can snap away!

Specs: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=panasonic_dmcfz5&show=all

Review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/

Ofcourse it is nothing close to Nikon D70 but for my purposes (and skill) it is more than the camera I'll need.

 

[opfoto]

I purchased the D70s in August of this year... I have used both 35mm and 645 systems on stroboframes with flash and battery packs attached. In no way does this camera alone feel heavy. It has a nice feel to it and seems to fit very nicely in my hands. I considered the D70s a nice upgrade from the manuals that I have used. I have an online photo gallery if you care to look. Its located at www.pbase.com/photos_by_marc. Feel free to have a look and leave a commentif you wish. The other thing to consider is whether you have nikkor lenses in your collection that can be used. though some may be limited in their functions.

 

[RPM]

Tom,
I have have had a D70 since December of last year and have probably shot nearly 2,000 frames with it from London to California. This was to supplement my F80 and large selection of lenses. This camera is a joy to work with and provides extreme flexibility. It is in no way "heavy". Depending on the lens, one might get that impression if the lens utilizes a large number of elements. The Nikon spec for weight is 1 lb 5 oz.

If you get this camera, I highly recommend B&H Camera in NYC for compact flash cards. Their prices are great and they provide great service both mail order and I have visited their store several times on business trips.

The other great benefit of moving to this camera from your previous Nikon is that using your old 35mm lenss on the digital body gets you a 1.5x boost in focal length (e.g. your 35-105mm zoom is now effectively a 52.5-157.5mm zoom with the same speed! This is a factor that doesn't show up in a lot of the literature. Given that I also recommend the getting the bundled body and lens. The 18-70mm lens covers you on the low end that you lost given the previous info, plus the 18mm is great in landscape situations.

Hope this helps and sorry for the long post. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Richard

 

[Whaler]

This year I upgraded from a Nikon CoolPix 950 to a Nikon D70 with the Nikkor 18-70mm. The D70 is a pleasure to use the weight and feel takes me back to my 35mm SLR days.