I just picked up this camera today...traded in my new Canon 300D digital Rebel for it. I love this camera...feels so nice in my hands and it is layed out a LOT better than the Canon!
Congrats! From what I've heard it might actually be a tad better than its older brother the D100 (excepting construction quality --- had to cut costs somewhere); tell us how it goes, and put up a few small sample shots!
I had bought mine local...so they have a 14 day return policy. Mine was bought 10 days ago. Nice guys...as long as I didn't open up the software etc they had no problems.
That will be an ideal travel lens and camera combination. I'd go ahead and find a zoom or prime somewhere more in the telephoto range - 200mm+. And, as always, get the cheap 50mm f1.8 -- WONDERFUL portrait lens, esp. with 1.5X factor on the camera. For a zoom, look at www.keh.com for used lenses and glance at a used 70-210 f4-5.6. It's pretty reasonbly priced (very reasonbly priced compared to the 80-200 AF-S and 70-300 VR). But if you can afford something better, go for it. I have an old Sigma 28-200 that came with an N8008s that I still put on sometimes for the sake of portability, even though its quality has much to be desired in comparison with a Nikkor lens.
How does it perform mechanically? I've seen all these images, but no one's really mentioned how quickly the autofocus motor operates and how quiet it is under normal usage.
Keep in mind these were taken with the stock lens...
What are you implying here? The lens is absolutely wonderful. It's the best midrange zoom Nikon has for its D-SLRs. Yes, I'm including all those nice constant aperture ones too.
I'm implying that I didn't buy a lens...just the one that comes with it. I agree..it's a very nice lens! Sorry, didn't mean to come off like it wasn't one.
What mode do you usually leave the camera in, as far as white balance, etc. goes? Seems to do very well -- Nikon's color algorithm is usually more true to life (which means less "exciting" pictures if you compare Canon's disney-saturated shots). The D70 still has all the manual modes, though, right--aperture priority, etc.?
And a second to the idea about getting the goods in-camera above all else -- but levels and curves adjustment in Photoshop is still necessary for my old camera (have new ones gotten that good?). Remember to love overcast days for shooting people outside, though.
P.S. Did Nikon put the 3D-Color Matrix meter in the D70? That little genius of a number...makes one lazy, but brilliant (edit: the sensor is brilliant).
[B]What mode do you usually leave the camera in, as far as white balance, etc. goes? Seems to do very well -- Nikon's color algorithm is usually more true to life (which means less "exciting" pictures if you compare Canon's disney-saturated shots). The D70 still has all the manual modes, though, right--aperture priority, etc.?
Disney-saturated shots from Canon? Quite the opposite, really. The Canon digitals tend to underexpose quite a bit in addition to producing warmer colors. The results are usually very dull looking as a result. The Canon D-SLRs produce quite a bit of edge sharpness, which I guess would make subjects stand out like over-saturation.
The D70 has pretty much everything the D100 has except...an optional vertical grip, PUSH+1 and PUSH+2 (ISO 3200 and 6400), no shutter release port, and TIFF support. If you shoot RAW you can easily mimic ISO 3200-6400 with EV compensation in Nikon Capture.
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And a second to the idea about getting the goods in-camera above all else -- but levels and curves adjustment in Photoshop is still necessary for my old camera (have new ones gotten that good?). Remember to love overcast days for shooting people outside, though.
A Speedlight as a fill-flash makes shooting people outside on a sunny day effortless.
Quote:
P.S. Did Nikon put the 3D-Color Matrix meter in the D70? That little genius of a number...makes one lazy, but brilliant (edit: the sensor is brilliant).
Yes the 1005 pixel metering system from the D2H is there.
Initial impressions from some sample pics I've managed to see around the net suggest that it delivers a substantially better out of box experience than the EOS 300D. It might all come down to the lense, but the body does have better/more features too.
Comments
Keep in mind these were taken with the stock lens...
How does it perform mechanically? I've seen all these images, but no one's really mentioned how quickly the autofocus motor operates and how quiet it is under normal usage.
Yeah...that 50mm lens is one someone else recommended too.
Originally posted by OSXaddict
Keep in mind these were taken with the stock lens...
What are you implying here? The lens is absolutely wonderful. It's the best midrange zoom Nikon has for its D-SLRs. Yes, I'm including all those nice constant aperture ones too.
Overcast day, so pics are a bit underexposed. Didn't have time to improve them with Photoshop yet.
http://dilbert.smugmug.com/gallery/87713
Originally posted by OSXaddict
Overcast day, so pics are a bit underexposed. Didn't have time to improve them with Photoshop yet.
Nail the exposure in the camera, don't rely on photoshop
Oh, and welcome to the Nikon camp. It's better over here.
And a second to the idea about getting the goods in-camera above all else -- but levels and curves adjustment in Photoshop is still necessary for my old camera (have new ones gotten that good?). Remember to love overcast days for shooting people outside, though.
P.S. Did Nikon put the 3D-Color Matrix meter in the D70? That little genius of a number...makes one lazy, but brilliant (edit: the sensor is brilliant).
Originally posted by fred_lj
[B]What mode do you usually leave the camera in, as far as white balance, etc. goes? Seems to do very well -- Nikon's color algorithm is usually more true to life (which means less "exciting" pictures if you compare Canon's disney-saturated shots). The D70 still has all the manual modes, though, right--aperture priority, etc.?
Disney-saturated shots from Canon? Quite the opposite, really. The Canon digitals tend to underexpose quite a bit in addition to producing warmer colors. The results are usually very dull looking as a result. The Canon D-SLRs produce quite a bit of edge sharpness, which I guess would make subjects stand out like over-saturation.
The D70 has pretty much everything the D100 has except...an optional vertical grip, PUSH+1 and PUSH+2 (ISO 3200 and 6400), no shutter release port, and TIFF support. If you shoot RAW you can easily mimic ISO 3200-6400 with EV compensation in Nikon Capture.
And a second to the idea about getting the goods in-camera above all else -- but levels and curves adjustment in Photoshop is still necessary for my old camera (have new ones gotten that good?). Remember to love overcast days for shooting people outside, though.
A Speedlight as a fill-flash makes shooting people outside on a sunny day effortless.
P.S. Did Nikon put the 3D-Color Matrix meter in the D70? That little genius of a number...makes one lazy, but brilliant (edit: the sensor is brilliant).
Yes the 1005 pixel metering system from the D2H is there.
Originally posted by LoCash
Nail the exposure in the camera, don't rely on photoshop
Oh, and welcome to the Nikon camp. It's better over here.
Thanks! I love this camera.
I'm still learning, so give me some slack
Let's see how it stacks up next to the 10D.