Time to sell my D70 for a D-50?

Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 24 Location: Houston, TX

Hey all,

I've had my D-70 for almost a year now and absolutely love it, but in all honesty I'm a very amateur photographer. The only reason I bought it was because of it's blazing fast speed (able to capture my baby daughter in mid-smile). Now that the D50 has come out, it seems to have some advantages over the D-70 like:

improved auto focus especially in the area of motion tracking
it has a new auto AF mode (which automatically switches between single and continuous AF depending on the subject)
spot metering circle is larger
the maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 sec
continuous shooting is 2.5 fps
it has a better viewfinder eyecup
the LCD monitor has increased to 2.0" in size
it's slightly smaller and lighter than the D70
the image processing algorithm has now been tweaked to improve rendition of highlight detail (to clip less and have a softer roll-off to the highlight)

(taken from dpreview.com)

I'm wondering what features of the D70 are actually better than the D50 and if a novice like myself would ever capitalize on them?

I imagine I could sell my D70 and 1GB CF card and get a D50 setup for about the same price (or take a small loss).

What am I missing here?

Thanks,

Russell

Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 333 Location: Allentown, PA

I personally would keep the D70. With the firmware upgrades its the same camera as the D70s except for the slightly smaller LCD which is not enough to buy a new camera over.

As for what you mentioned about the D50,

The D70 has:

1/8000 sec shutter speed
3.0 fps shooting
LCD has a changable cover (D50 has not)
The eyecup can be updated to the newer larger one that come on the
D50 and D70s. (I got one for $7.00)
Only weighs 2 oz more then D50

And like I said the AF issues and algorithm were updated with firmware.

I personally like the size of the D70. Its feels more like my F100 and N90s. I think the D50 and the Rebel XT were designed for Japanese womens hands.

K

Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2005 9:12 pm

My intention is not to shred you commentary.....I just want to help you here. I would keep the D70 without question.

trpltongue wrote:

improved auto focus especially in the area of motion tracking

The D50 and the D70 both use the same AF system. Nikon's CAM900.

trpltongue wrote:

..it has a new auto AF mode (which automatically switches between single and continuous AF depending on the subject)

While this might sound cool, with a bit of time using the camera you'll find this to be a pain. Manually setting this is a better bet.

trpltongue wrote:

spot metering circle is larger

This is a bad thing. The more precise the spot meter the better.

trpltongue wrote:

the maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 sec

Again, bad. the D70 has a 1/8000s shutter. While you will rarely if ever use it, on the D70 you have the option. On the D50 you don't.

trpltongue wrote:

continuous shooting is 2.5 fps

Again, slower. Why?

trpltongue wrote:

it has a better viewfinder eyecup

OK. That's up to you.

trpltongue wrote:

the LCD monitor has increased to 2.0" in size

OK. I'll give you that. But either way this is to look at a histogram and basic composition. You can't use this to judge sharpness. 1/4" is not a big deal.

trpltongue wrote:

it's slightly smaller and lighter than the D70

Yes and this is the reason the build is not as rugged. The D70 will last longer and take more abuse. Not that you abuse equipment, but bumps and bruises are common. Besides, the weight difference is a few ounces! Your pack weighs 10 times that.

trpltongue wrote:

the image processing algorithm has now been tweaked to improve rendition of highlight detail (to clip less and have a softer roll-off to the highlight)

This is matter of opinion. This does not mean the D70 images are not good. In fact, I'd say they are the same.

trpltongue wrote:

What am I missing here?

You have a better camera. I think a better investment would be to ask some questions to get some better use out of the camera you already have. That's free.

The D70 and D70s are both better cameras than the D50. Save the loss of time and money.

Joined: 08 Nov 2004 Posts: 24 Location: Houston, TX

Thanks for the responses!

I didn't realize you could get the new eyecup to fit on the D70, that's something I'll look into for sure.

luisv,

Actually, it wasn't my commentary, it was from the dpreview.com review of the D50 vs. D70. I haven't even held a D50 yet. dpreview.com just listed those as the differences between the 2 models. It sounds like the firmware might have upgraded the D70's autofocus system which I did not know. I need to upgrade my firmware but I'm a bit nervous about doing it. Maybe I'll take it into Wolfe Camera and have them do it for me.

The biggest difference that I saw was the autofocus system and the processing algorithm. However, if they've been upgraded with the new firmware of the D70 then I'm all set.

Thanks again,

Russell

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 2:19 am

Upgrading the firmware is a snap. Just follow the directions step by step. I was nervous doing it the first time on my old, and now seldom used, Coolpix 5400.

As far as the trade-down goes....how much do you think you'd get for the D70 you currently have? Probably just enough to cover a new D50. And also, go and hold the D50 if you get a chance. I picked one up at Best Buy and it just felt different in my hands. Didn't feel as sturdy or rugged to me.

Eyecups? I replaced my D70 eyepiece with an eyecup similar to what the D100 has and love it. Found that on eBay for about $10. Just checked and there are a handful listed now.

Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2005 8:55 am

Where do I find a bigger eye cup for the D70? What about it is bigger? The view? Sorry...I'm new with my D70. I love it by the way!

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 7:38 pm

Newbie, I got one that is shaped like an eyecup (round) vs. what I call an "eyepiece" (square) like the one that comes with the D70. I'm not endorsing this seller but look at the link below and you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-Eyecup-for-D50-D70-D70s-D100-Fuji-S2-S3-F601-NEW_W0QQitemZ7548830827QQcategoryZ43479QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I think which you prefer is just that...preference.

Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 5

I would just like to thank luisv for the information as well. I too was deciding between the two- d50 and d70s. In the end, the lens of the kit and body on the D70s were the deciding factors for me.

Now I'm just sitting here sipping some tea, fidgeting with my n8008 waiting for the kit to arrive. =)

Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:22 am

PhotoNewbie wrote:

Where do I find a bigger eye cup for the D70? What about it is bigger? The view? Sorry...I'm new with my D70. I love it by the way!

The D70, at least mine, does not come with an "eye cup". Or at least not what I would consider a cup.
These are sold at your local camera shop, its a inexpensive enough item why pay shipping/handling.

Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 9

D50 Flash mode doesn't support the "commander mode" as in the D70s.
(TTL, manual) - in manual mode, you can select the flash power [full, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16].

Wirelessly the D70, D70s, and D200 can fire SB600 and SB800 however, neither the D50 nor D100 can and also cannot use Nikons' CLS. To those using external flash that could be important.

To have the D50 or D100 wirelessly fire SB600 and SB800 one would need to purchase a su800 wireless flash commander.

Posted: Fri Feb 17, 2006 8:37 pm

RicD wrote:

Wirelessly the D70, D70s, and D200 can fire SB600 and SB800 however, neither the D50 nor D100 can and also cannot use Nikons' CLS. To those using external flash that could be important.

To have the D50 or D100 wirelessly fire SB600 and SB800 one would need to purchase a su800 wireless flash commander.

This is not entirely correct. The D50 can use the CLS and all it's ability. The limitation is that you would need to have and SB800 or the SU800 controller. In short, you need a commander capable device and the SB800 is there.

The D100 cannot really use the CLS to it's full potential b/c it is not iTTL capable.

Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 9

luisv wrote:

RicD wrote:

Wirelessly the D70, D70s, and D200 can fire SB600 and SB800 however, neither the D50 nor D100 can use Nikons' CLS. To those using external flash that could be important.

To have the D50 or D100 wirelessly fire SB600 and SB800 one would need to purchase a su800 wireless flash commander.

This is not entirely correct. The D50 can use the CLS and all it's ability. The limitation is that you would need to have and SB800 or the SU800 controller. In short, you need a commander capable device and the SB800 is there.

The D100 cannot really use the CLS to it's full potential b/c it is not iTTL capable.

Though the D50 doesn't have "Commander Mode" yes I agree with you the D50 can do CLS using SB800 or SU800. That's why I stated the need for the SU800 wireless flash commander (should have mentioned the SB800 as well). My intention was to illustrate owning a D50 one must purchase additional items to do the same thing the D70, D70s and D200 do natively. My intention is different from the way it came across perhaps. Thank you for your input.

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 11:46 am

RicD wrote:

luisv wrote:

RicD wrote:

Wirelessly the D70, D70s, and D200 can fire SB600 and SB800 however, neither the D50 nor D100 can use Nikons' CLS. To those using external flash that could be important.

To have the D50 or D100 wirelessly fire SB600 and SB800 one would need to purchase a su800 wireless flash commander.

This is not entirely correct. The D50 can use the CLS and all it's ability. The limitation is that you would need to have and SB800 or the SU800 controller. In short, you need a commander capable device and the SB800 is there.

The D100 cannot really use the CLS to it's full potential b/c it is not iTTL capable.

Though the D50 doesn't have "Commander Mode" yes I agree with you the D50 can do CLS using SB800 or SU800. That's why I stated the need for the SU800 wireless flash commander (should have mentioned the SB800 as well). My intention was to illustrate owning a D50 one must purchase additional items to do the same thing the D70, D70s and D200 do natively. My intention is different from the way it came across perhaps. Thank you for your input.

I don't mean to insult but to clear up things that may confuse.

The D100 cannot use the wireless capability from the CLS system regardless of what you use. The D100 is not iTTL capable and in your original post it seemed like it would.

The SB800 was omitted for the D50 and I just wanted to include that, again so everybody was aware of the availibility.

Joined: 12 Feb 2006 Posts: 9

You truly didn't insulted whatsoever. Your following statement is much appreciated: "The D100 cannot use the wireless capability from the CLS system regardless of what you use. The D100 is not iTTL capable and in your original post it seemed like it would. "

One of my brothers has a D100, two others of us have the D70 series. We know the D100 doesn't have commander mode but unaware of your above statement. To him I suggested for on-camera flash either the SB600 or SB800; would you suggest some other flash. That begs the question: for external flash use what should be suggest to him? My thought was the SU800 would work properly with the D100 and could fire either of them. Quite obviously I'm missing something here or is he, with his D100, unable to use external flash?

Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:25 pm

On the D100 the best flash is the SB80DX. These are capable of remote work but the work as slave flashes. They can have power output regulated but it is a manual process. The 80DX and the current 800 are basically very similar in output and specs.

If you want something similar to the CLS on a flash for the D100 there are other options. In specific, Quantum is a manufacturer that has a wireless system that can control power output. They are expensive but are far more powerful and versatile. They are also physically huge and cannot be hot shoe mounted.

Bottom line, the SB80DX has a great feature set and will give you TTL metering on the D100. You can use it in a remote slave setup in a studio type setup. They are very good. I still have my old one. I have the SB800 as well but I still use the SB80DX as a slave from time to time.

I might be willing to sell it. If you are interested let me know. I am going to put it in the forum here "for sale".