Nikon D70 and more to come??

Bythom.com has a good comparison of the D70 versus the D100. The D70 is the better camera overall, and the 'reduced' number seems to imply a higher level digital body such as a D80 at some not to far away point in time.

And we are seeing the RGB meter in a lower priced body for the first time. Thank goodness! It's about time Nikon took advantage of this fabulous metering system.

In the meantime, Nikon owners can revel in the superiority of the D70 as compared to the pathetic digital Rebel.

Why do you want to get the Canon vs. Nikon debate going again? Go ahead a revel while I'm out taking pictures with my Canon.

TSparger wrote:Why do you want to get the Canon vs. Nikon debate going again? Go ahead a revel while I'm out taking pictures with my Canon.

I was thinking the same thing about the Mark II. Sounds fine. I think I'll go to Alaska and shoot some Eagles with my D2H.

Anthony, I knew I could get you into this conversation with my post.

I have pretty much decided that I'm selling my D100 and D1H and getting the D70 as a backup to the D2H. Sort of like all those 1D users that have one or two Mark II bodies on order. The only thing that I see as a negative on the D70 is the inability to switch from continuous focus to single focus without going into a menu. Not a big deal with AFS lenses but it's not what I'm used to. Everything else, including that 1/500th flash sync, looks fine to me. (Note that neither the D100, nor the D70 can use FP mode for the flash so getting higher than that 1/180 limitation of the D100 is very important.)

I am sure Paul was simply joking indicated by the wink. I realize some are a bit sensitive on this issue but let's try to keep things in perspective.

It's pretty hard not to compare Nikon's products to Canon products because they are obviously companies that are competing for the same business. As long as the comparisons and debates are healthy I see these discussions as quite relevant to the nature photography community and we welcome healthy discussions comparing products between the two (or any other company's products or services for that matter). There is no evil in discussing the pros and cons of one product versus another, or even one company versus another.

Let me give you an example on the latter: In a recent thread someone asked about laptops and folks went on to discuss the various manufacturers and their service. I feel this was quite relevant to the conversation and in choosing a product. No-one said "let's not get into a Dell/Compaq debate".

So why would it be different for Nikon or Canon? I realize some people are quite defensive regarding the system they use but have really yet to understand why. As long as you are happy why concern yourself with what someone else prefers, simply because they shoot a different brand name than what you shoot?

Paul wrote: Nikon owners can revel in the superiority of the D70 as compared to the pathetic digital Rebel.

Actually, it's D70 owners specifically, not Nikon owners in general, who can celebrate.

However, the digital Rebel, far from being pathetic, is a ground breaker. I do not recommend it to anyone serious about photography because the 10D is still a better, and much more solid, product. Likewise I discourage people from buying the film version of the Rebel because the Elan series is a much better product and not as easy to outgrow.

The bottom line in this, however, is that as a Canon owner I LOVE NIKON. If it wasn't for competition from Nikon, Canon's products wouldn't be as good as they are. If it wasn't for competition from Canon, Nikon's products wouldn't be as good as they are!

Well put Dick.

Dick Ginkowski wrote: If it wasn't for competition from Nikon, Canon's products wouldn't be as good as they are. If it wasn't for competition from Canon, Nikon's products wouldn't be as good as they are!

Oh how true that is!!

TSparger wrote:Go ahead a revel while I'm out taking pictures with my Canon.

Of couse, I was being jocular with my comment about the rebel.

We all benefit from the competition and the digital world changes so fast that leadership can change numerous times in only a few months depending the factors by which one judges a leader.

I, of course, still shoot film, so depending on one's view I am way behind the curve, or elegantly positioned to jump in at the best moment.

Roger that Dick. Thank god for competition or we'd be stuck with $20,000 dollar bodies and not doing very well at that.

Shoot, in my book the best practice is to choose your tools and hang with them. I'm still learning new things on my 2.5 year old Nikon D1h and the images are still as fantastic as they were when the camera was new. In fact I just got its slight backfocus issue resolved and the camera is as perfect as ever. I'm as psych'd as if I'd gotten a new camera.

BTW, I totally believe wonderful things will happen in the next year with digital cameras with the prices coming down. More people will be able to afford them and the quality/quantity of awesome imagery will increase when more people start shooting with them.

It's a wonderful time to be shooting.

Cheers