Which Digital SLR?

[paulypants]

I need some advice choosing a digital SLR. I only want to spend max $1300 or so. I originally was going to go for the Canon digital rebel (i don't care about the body being plastic) but i realize it's been out for almost a year now and i don't want to spend a grand on it if it'll be updated soon (not as many canon rumor sites as mac rumor sites unfortunately ;))

I have also looked at a few other cameras such as the Nikon D70...

Anyone have any knowledge that will help? Anyone know when Canon updates it's lineups usually?

Thanks...

[Mr. Anderson]

Most people who have seen these SLRs would say the D70 is the best bet right now. This is always subject to change. But the best advice I can give you is that you know that all your money should be spent on the lenses, period. So once you pick a body, you're going to be buying lenses for a Nikon, Canon, etc. That's a big consideration.

I'm waiting for the next upgrade from Canon to the 10D - its way overdue - and since I have more that a couple lenses for the Canon cameras, I'm pretty much stuck with that unless I want to trade them all in and start over.

Go to www.dpreview.com and see what the pros have to say.

Good luck!

D

[DGFan]

The list probably goes:

(worst to best)
Canon Digital Rebel
Nikon D70
Canon EOS-10D

How much you will be able to do with your camera will depend greatly on what lenses you get. And you will find that the lenses often cost more than the camera. The plus side is that a good lense will last a long time - certainly a lot longer than the digital camera body.

So when deciding on a camera body you will probably be making a decision for years to come. I would base the decision more on the lenses and the line of cameras from the company than simply which camera might be slightly better today.

For really good, in-depth reviews visit www.dpreview.com

[javabear90]

I'm going to get a D70, accually I was raising money for it just several minutes ago. :D I have a great comparasion I will attach.... I hope.... I just typed it up to convince my Dad. I dunno if the pictures will work or not.... but..

Edit: go to dpreview.com and go to compare, and read the reviews of both. Most people say that the D70 is a much better buy.

[Mr. Anderson]

So when deciding on a camera body you will probably be making a decision for years to come. I would base the decision more on the lenses and the line of cameras from the company than simply which camera might be slightly better today.

For really good, in-depth reviews visit www.dpreview.com

Hahahaha, that's damn funny - we were thinking exactly alike - I guess we're both right?

D :D

[javabear90]

jeez thats a lot of replies in like 6 minutes!! :eek:

[stevec999]

The Drebel and D70 are on par with each other. You have to decide which things are more important. I prefer the image form the Canon CMOS sensors.

You can currently pick up a 10D for your budget (no lens).

The thing that over rides the body is the lens system. Look at what Nikon and Canon have to offer and decide which lens systems will best handle your needs. Camera bodies will come and go but good lenses will be around a long time. Both systems have good and bad points to them. I have Canon equipment and like the way Canon does things. Many like Nikon better, it is almost as bad as PC vc Mac. Both can take great pictures.

Just for refereance I am using a Drebel and my main lens is the Canon 24-70 f2.8L but I am going to add a 10d and use the Drebel for my backup body.

Steve

[James.Paul]

I've been looking into this a lot and the Nikon D70 is getting great reviews all over the place, i shall probably get one in the next month. Just a shame that it is only 6 megapixels.

[stevec999]

James.Paul,
Do not let the 6MP thing bother you, you can not compare these cameras to the point and shoots. The D70 (or Drebel/300d) will take better pictures than the 8MP point and shoots. It comes down to the size of the image sensor. The DSLRs have much larger sensors, in a word the quaility of the pixels are higher than the small sensor point and shoots.

I was just at the camera store a couple hours ago and one of the people was showing off a 36" tall print made from a Nikon D100 (6MP). The quality of the picture was fantastic.

[DGFan]

I've been looking into this a lot and the Nikon D70 is getting great reviews all over the place, i shall probably get one in the next month. Just a shame that it is only 6 megapixels.

Don't worry too much about the megapixels. Having a high number of pixels does not guarantee quality. Check out the new 8MP cameras. Their images look downright terrible next to a 10D or D70 6MP image. Or even try comparing a Canon G2 (which I have) 4MP image to a Nikon D2H 4MP image. They're not even close.

[Mr. Anderson]

Don't worry too much about the megapixels. Having a high number of pixels does not guarantee quality. Check out the new 8MP cameras. Their images look downright terrible next to a 10D or D70 6MP image. Or even try comparing a Canon G2 (which I have) 4MP image to a Nikon D2H 4MP image. They're not even close.

Because its all about the lens :D

That really makes the biggest difference.

D

[Chip NoVaMac]

Right now the D70 wins because it was the last announced. So it has som nicer features.

The question you really need to ask is what lens mount do you want to use for the long term - Nikon or Canon. The D70 is the hot one today.

If Canon were t announce the 310D or the 20D tomorrow how would you feel if you bought a D70 today?

[GeeYouEye]

The D70 is great, better, IMO, than the Digital Rebel (I've used both quite a bit). Also, the lens in the D70 kit is much nicer than the one that comes with the Digital Rebel.

[James.Paul]

Don't worry too much about the megapixels. Having a high number of pixels does not guarantee quality. Check out the new 8MP cameras. Their images look downright terrible next to a 10D or D70 6MP image. Or even try comparing a Canon G2 (which I have) 4MP image to a Nikon D2H 4MP image. They're not even close.

It doesn't bother me too much but my project requires images to be able to be printed at A3/A4 300 dpi (tourist brochure spreads - big files). A 6 megapixel although good will not produce enough pixels to fill that requirement. They are getting there, i'm encouraged by the quality of the D70, i think it is superior to some of the very expensive digital slr's and i will buy one next month and experiment with it but until they produce an image i'm happy with and that i can use at the size required without losing too much quality then i'll be sticking with a film based camera for my project work.

[bousozoku]

I would not suggest the Canon 300D/Digital Rebel over the Nikon D70.

The D70 kit lens seems more durable and this would be a big point, esp. if that's your only lens. You could buy a better Canon lens but then you could actually spend more on it than on the 300D body. Also, if you're comfortable with the way non-Canon SLRs work, you'll probably be uncomfortable with the way the Canon works. Canon has great technical expertise, but their ergonomics are very, very different from any other brand.

[stevec999]

I guess i would recomend the Drebel over the D70, the D70 is a good camera but the the Drebel is also. Ignore the cameras and look at the lenses. I will agree the D70 kit lens is a better lens than the Drebel kit lens. I have the kit lens and it is not a bad lens but I use 24-70 2.8L which did cost more than the Drebel. The Drebel was my way to swith to a DSLR, I will be keeping it as a backup and buying a 10D in a couple weeks.

Consider the Drebel with out the lens and pick up the 28-135 IS, that will fit in your budget.

I guess the best thing I can tell you is buy the one you want, you will not go wrong either way.

[DGFan]

Both the standard D70 and DRebel lenses aren't terribly good. Thankfully you can buy both without the lense. But the DRebel is about $180-200 cheaper. With that money you are most of the way to a decent entry-level 24-85mm (or so) zoom lense (should run around $300).

I think a lot of people have a problem with the DRebel just because the grey body makes it look amateurish.

[stcanard]

Depending on how much you like to "fiddle" with things, don't forget that there is a firmware hack available for the Rebel to enable a number of the 10D features that already exist in the firmware ... you can't improve the timing or body obviously, but you can get features like mirror lock up.

[virividox]

Depending on how much you like to "fiddle" with things, don't forget that there is a firmware hack available for the Rebel to enable a number of the 10D features that already exist in the firmware ... you can't improve the timing or body obviously, but you can get features like mirror lock up.

where can i get this firmware hack and is it easy to undo?

[paulypants]

Wow, thanks for all the great responses! I've done some more research on lenses and such and I think I'm going the canon route because the assortment of lenses that canon offers seems to suit my needs more. The D70 looks nice, but I think i may get more out of a canon for my needs.

However, now the decision is between a DRebel or 10D, maybe I should get the DRebel body with better lens and try that firmware hack.

hmmmm...

[Chaszmyr]

I would HIGHLY recomend going with a Canon DSLR. They're all good, just get the one that is most in your budget.

ALSO REMEMBER: Lenses are very important for DSLR, don't get a more expensive camera and the expense of having to get too cheap of a lens

[iBook]

I have to weigh in on the side of the Nikon D70.

I've now held both cameras, and it is my clear choice. The Canon Rebel feels "plasticky," almost as though the shutter could come springing out the back when you snap a photo. The Nikon, by contrast, feels solid yet light and has a classic, clean design.

I have a long history (15 years) with Nikon SLR cameras, so maybe I'm "wired" to like them better, but I've never been less-than-satisfied with the results. Nikon lenses are among the finest of the world and the reviews of the D70 are overwhelmingly positive.

The D70 will produce photo-quality prints that are poster-sized and larger.

Can't wait to get one of my own.

[puckhead193]

I'm also considering the two... I like the D-70 but its also alot more $. I'm prob. gonna get the lens because i don't have the budget to buy a $400 lens. I'm son confused about the two. I'm prob gonna ask the person at my mom and pop camera store he/she recommends.

[stcanard]

where can i get this firmware hack and is it easy to undo?

As long as the flash goes fine, it's supposed to be easy to undo. It's not really a hacked firmware, so much as it's enabling features that are already there but turned off.

Google 'russian rebel firmware' (it's a guy in Russia that did it) and you should find a lot, including other people's experiences.

OB Disclosure: I don't actually have a rebel to try it out, I just _really_ want one.

[obeygiant]

jeez thats a lot of replies in like 6 minutes!! :eek:

Well, its like going to a geek convention and asking what kind of slide rule is best.

[wingman]

Jeff Keller's Digital Camera Resource Page web-site has positive reviews about both the Canon Digital Rebel/EOS 300D and the Nikon D70.

http://www.dcresource.com/

Keller gushes over the low-cost and image quality of the DReb. He also gushes over the build quality of the D70. One interesting thing Keller points out about the D70: moire (odd stripes or colors in a digital image) appears in some photos. Nikon tech support posted a page about it here:

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_sid=WRUFmt9h&p_lva=&p_faqid=9544&p_created=1080656943

I do not know if there is a lens available which can help cure this issue.

Given the acknowledged existence of this problem with the Nikon, and the lack of mention of any similar problem with the Canon, and given the Canon's lower price, I would say the DReb is the better value at this point.

[jywv8]

I bought a D70 right after it first came out, and I'm really happy with it in terms of ease of use (I'm no pro), picture quality, and features.

[viper1701]

When it comes to Drebel vs. D70, it is mostly a question of personal preference. I work in a camera store and have used both and I like the Canon better (though the shutter does sound cheap). BUT, I have used Canons for the 8 years I have been seriously into photography, so it makes sense that I find the Drebel better- it is more intuitive for me. Honestly, I got the 10D and love it, but it is more than most people need and it is a LOT heavier and a bit bigger. In terms of quality, the Nikon might feel more solid, but I can assure you, the build quality of the Drebel is very good. The cheapness is more of an allusion created by the shiny silver finish on the exterior.

Again: 10D reigns supreme, but the Drebel and D70 are really too similar to quibble over specs: choose the one that is more comfortable for you.

[revenuee]

I know this post is a little late ... but i haven't gotten my hands on a D70 for long enough to give good reviews

i've been a nikon user for several years, so build up a collection of lenses and accessories so i've kinda been stuck into nikon so the D70 was a no brainer, but working in a photolab/retail shop i get to play around, test out this stuff for myself .

It comes down to prints ... at 6x4 they come out pretty much the same ... Now to make the testing impartial i tested both camera's with a third party lens ... i used the Sigma 105 EX Macro lens on both the Rebel and the D70

I took the same pictures at 100 ISO on the Canon and at 200 ISO on the Nikon (lowest ISO each Camera provides) took them into my lab at work and printed 8 x 10 and 16 x 20 prints out of both cameras

Conclusion -- the D70 beats the Rebel hands down ... while the Rebel still held it's own at the 8 x 10 --- at 16 x 20 there was no comparison --- the D70 is far superior camera even though it has the higher ISO

[ThomasJefferson]

I'm waiting for the next upgrade from Canon to the 10D - its way overdue - and since I have more that a couple lenses for the Canon cameras, I'm pretty much stuck with that unless I want to trade them all in and start over.

Go to www.dpreview.com and see what the pros have to say.

Good luck!

D

Ditto. I have a Rebel Ti with several lenses and an A80. My next tax return will pay for a 10D. Canon has till May 2005 to update.

[absolut_mac]

I need some advice choosing a digital SLR.

I think that these two comprehensive reviews on the Nikon and Canon will make your choice a little bit easier.

http://www.photo.net/equipment/nikon/D70/

http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/300D/review/

Good luck and let us know what you end up with :)