Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: jd1566 on May 27, 2005, 08:00:16 am

Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: jd1566 on May 27, 2005, 08:00:16 am
I am currently a Canon shooter, but have handled various Nikon digital and film cameras over time.  My current shooting partner is a Nikon user and when we're not shooting we trade comparisons (insults?!) about what's good and not about our respective cameras. Our common conclusion is that the best camera would be the one that incorporated the good things from both brands (plus a few from Minolta, as I regard them the kings of ergonomic body design).  But let me not stray from the topic of discussion..

D70 vs new Rebel - which one to chose.

For a new DSLR user I think both the Canon Rebel and the Nikon D70 are capable cameras.  I am inclined to think that the image quality is slightly better with the 8mpixel sensor, but usability issues and handling of the Nikon D70 are slightly better than the Canon.  Overall though both are very well matched and I can't call a clear winner.  I am a 20D owner and I feel the D70 is very close in quality to my camera.  
The previous rebel was most definitely outclassed by the D70, the new rebel however is a closer match with more features per gram than the previous Rebel, more professional feel and response.

Your friend will therefore have to look at other factors in deciding which company to go for, as once you start buying more lenses, you are essentially locked into a brand..  
Other things to look at are obsolescence. Canon turn over their consumer models every year.  Nikon every 2.  Canon has a habit of "crippling" consumer cameras to make sure that they don't compete with their pro cameras.  Nikon on the other hand makes unstable lens collars that need to be replaced if you want a stable image, and you're never quite sure when the next model  will be ready for release... Canon is much more reliable in that sense.  Canon also predictibly lower the price of every newly released camera, bringing the price of DSLR's down.  Nikon's marketing department does wierd things with pricing (see D2H fiasco).. I think because their accountants come from Mars. Then again, the recently upgraded D70s is very keenly priced.  Nikon also tries to maintain their product lines for longer (see the D100, D1X models still on sale for those foolhardy enough to invest in old technology), in line with film day economics and pace of product development.  Nikon has more or less stated that full frame cameras are not in their future, so if your friend decides he wants to go that route in the near or far future... Canon is the only one of the two with that option open.

Whichever way you cut it both manufacturers try to do things differently, just so they won't be accused of imitating (and praising) their competitor... and both Digital Rebel XT and D70s are going to be good cameras to shoot with even with these differences in mind.  
How big are your friend's hands? The Rebel is quite a small camera, but feels snug in the hand. The D70 is larger and you can grip it more easily...  

One last item... Nikon has been lambasted on the internet sites because of it's policy for encrypting raw files.  Canon is not an Angel, but if I were buying a new camera and knew what Nikon's policies were, I would select any equally capable competitor camera that doesn't have the same policy about Raw file formats, and I would let a Nikon rep know about my decision.

Good luck, and hope this all helped.
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: Peter McLennan on May 28, 2005, 03:01:51 pm
I've not seen the new Canon Rebel, but the old one wasn't a patch on the D70 for build quality, IMHO.  

I'd advise him to closely compare each camera side by side, specifically noticing things like viewfinder image size and how the controls work.

Shoot a half cardfull with each camera in the store, take the card home and compare.  I think he'd find the image quality differences minimal.

Political differnences aside, I think usability and build qualityare the main differences between them.
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: Graham Welland on May 31, 2005, 12:04:26 am
If you are only looking at the kits then the Nikon D70 with 18-70 lens definitely has the edge over the Rebel XT and it's coke bottle bottom of a lens.

The Nikon is much better built and although they are both basically plastic, the Nikon feels much more robust. If you've got small hands then the Rebel may suit better - for me it's way to small & plasticky.

The mega pixel difference is minimal in practical use.

Fact is that either will work well as a camera body. The Nikon lens is excellent which I feel gives it an advantage if this is the only lens that's going to be used for some time.

If you've got more budget then the Canon 20D definitely takes back the reigns from the D70 ... I admit I'm biased as I just bought one as a travel camera after comparing the competition over quite a period of time. I'll also admit to having been a dyed in the wool Nikon shooter too.
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: Khurram on June 01, 2005, 01:07:23 pm
i'd like to thank everyone for their feeback.

My friend has decided to go with the Rebel - mainly because it costs less.

I think for myself, if i wasn't already a canon shooter with a a hefty investment in canon lenses, flashes and accessories, and didn't want to spend the money on a Canon D20, i probably would have gone with the Nikon D70.  I have never been able to use any rebel camera - too small for my taste.  But for my friends purposes, he didn't want to pay extra for the nikon kit, even thought the lens was a higher quality.

I'm planning on going digital next year, and hoping that either canon significantly upgrades - and reduces the price of the D20 (nothing wrong with hoping)  , or reduces the price of the the 1d MkII.  As someone who shoots a lot of wide angle landscape, the cost of a full frame or 1.3 factor camera has been the main reason for not going digital.  However, this year while shooting the full moon at delicate arch at Arches  national park, i saw the advantage that digital shooters had by being able to do multiple exposrues on the spot, and check the results, whereas, I'm still waiting to see what will turn up on my Velvia slides.
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: Khurram on May 26, 2005, 12:13:21 pm
i haven't made the switch to digital yet.  But i'm helping a friend of mine decide on a new rebel or waiting for the new nikon d70 (s?) to be available here.

appreciate if someone who has used both the new rebel and the d70 could provide some feedback.  I know even though i'm a canon shooter, i've never be able to use the rebel for myself (just too small), but it does have more megapixels, and overall the D70 did get better reviews then the original digital rebel did.  based on the reviews betweeen the original rebel and the original d70, and the fact that my friend doesn't have $12,000 invested in Canon lenses/flashes/accessories like I do, i'm inclined to suggest the nikon d70 to him, but would still like to hear if anyone has any comparsions of the the new rebel and the new d70.
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: BernardLanguillier on May 28, 2005, 04:35:36 am
Quote
Nikon has more or less stated that full frame cameras are not in their future, so if your friend decides he wants to go that route in the near or far future... Canon is the only one of the two with that option open.
Hi there,

I agree with just about everything else you wrote, but I am not so sure about Nikon not going FF in the future.

They have on the contrary clearly said during the last Kina that they were currently investigating the FF option as well.

Anyway, considering the current level of quality achieved with the D2X, this debate is only relevant for picky people printing at A2 or larger, probably not the case of someone considering a Digital Rebel.

Regards,
Bernard
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: mikebinok on May 28, 2005, 07:03:53 pm
Since your friend is getting your advice on cameras, presumably he's not a camera fanatic who will be upgrading the camera regularly.  So he'll presumably have it for a long time.

Both the D70 and Rebel XT are good quality cameras.  Either would be satisfactory.

So I suggest your friend may want to look at the lens lineup in the two systems and consider which one fits his needs better.  If your friend is going to only buy a couple of fairly standard lenses that are in every line and never buy anymore (the type of person who might have bought a 24-85 zoom and a 70-200 zoom on a film camera, and never felt the desire for anything else), I'd go for whichever body and lens(es) "felt right".
Title: New Rebel or new D70?
Post by: on June 01, 2005, 06:35:48 am
It's the same old question - "which camera body should I buy ?" - and the same old answer. It's not the specific body which counts or the specific features it contains, it's "Which system is better for YOU?". The camera is the heart of the system so it's important to choose the one which is more suitable to you. I - personally - don't see how any other system can match Canon or Nikon. Those two are in the peak as they have a wealth of lenses, flashes and other accessories no other system can match. So, here are some system differences between them.

1. All EF (but not EF-S (http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#efs)) lenses are perfectly mated (http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#compatibility) with every EOS body. This is very different (http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/nikon_articles/other/compatibility.html) than Nikon. As far as I am concerned, this is the most important issue.

2. Canon has more AF lenses. BTW, mounting a manual focus lens on an EOS body is a bit of a chore (http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-manual-lenses). If this is your goal than Nikon is a much better option. They have a lot of optically excellent MF lenses that can be had for a fraction of their AF counterparts.

3. Canon has more IS lenses.

4. Canon has more USM lenses.

5. Canon has more TS-E lenses.

6. Prices of comparable items are generally cheaper.

Search. A lot has been written on that subject. Here are some links for a start.

http://www.photofocus.com/showarchive.php?aid=80&cid=5 (http://www.photofocus.com/showarchive.php?aid=80&cid=5)

http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-fa...eral.html#which (http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/general.html#which)

http://www.photo.net/equipment/what-camera...d-I-buy#35mmslr (http://www.photo.net/equipment/what-camera-should-I-buy#35mmslr)

http://www.photo.net/equipment/35mm/canon-v-nikon (http://www.photo.net/equipment/35mm/canon-v-nikon)

http://www.photozone.de/bindex2.html (http://www.photozone.de/bindex2.html)
click on CANON vs. NIKON? WHAT ABOUT MINOLTA? AND PENTAX?

Happy shooting,
Yakim.