D50 or D70

ssgv2 · Dec 29, 2006

It should seem like a stupid question but i cant make my mind up.
On Ebay i have a choice of
A: a D50(body) with extra battery, 1gb SD card and a flash gun for £280
B: a D70(boby only) £270.
The D50 has great stuff for getting started but the D70 is higher quallity.
Cant decide.

RMThompson · Dec 29, 2006

Actually, the only major things that are "higher quality" on the D70 is the higher shots per second on continous mode.

The D50 is actually developed AFTER the D70 and because of which the D50 has a newer processor and considerably less noise in dark situations and less "maze" artifact trouble. Also it has the new Matrix Metering II which is brighter than the D70!

DPreview mentions the D50 not being as sharp or crisp as the D70, so take that into consideration.

Another thing to consider is media! Are you using SDcards already? Then get the D50, which uses those. However locally the "pros" dont consider that "professional" media (i think its silly), and they claim that CF is much more secure and hence "professional".

captbunzo · Dec 29, 2006

Are you talking about the D70 or D70s?

If the D70, I would definitely lean toward the D50 instead. Nikon made a number of improvements to their D70 when they put out the D50 (and then cut out some misc minor features). However, if you are talking
about the D70s, then that isn't an issue as all the same improvements went into the D70s ass the D50, plus more...

I hope that helps a bit...

Also, I'd be wary about purchasing an expensive piece of electronics off of eBay where you will likely have no warranty, etc. Just my opinion....

digital flower · Dec 29, 2006

ssgv2 said:
It should seem like a stupid question but i cant make my mind up.
On Ebay i have a choice of
A: a D50(body) with extra battery, 1gb SD card and a flash gun for £280
B: a D70(boby only) £270.
The D50 has great stuff for getting started but the D70 is higher quallity.
Cant decide.

I would go for the D70s (see post above about D70/D70s). You don't really need the extra battery to get started with (get almost 1000 shots out of mine) and picking up a CF card for the D70 is not a big deal either. Not sure what type of 'flash gun' your talking about. Generally I add the prices of the items separate and if I am not saving quite a lot than it isn't worth it to me to buy the package.

phil-ray · Dec 29, 2006

ive a d50 and i had alot of slepless nights thinking d50 d70 or d70s and it came down to the d50 as the d70s has some features that i will never really use to or never notice. been useing the d50 for just under a year and its a great camera

captbunzo · Dec 29, 2006

phil-ray said:
ive a d50 and i had alot of slepless nights thinking d50 d70 or d70s and it came down to the d50 as the d70s has some features that i will never really use to or never notice. been useing the d50 for just under a year and its a great camera

I agree on that features comment. Basically I decided when I got my D50 that it'd be fine for a LONG time in my life as a photographer. I am getting close, occasionally, to some of those features. I have a friend who just got the D80 (for which I am very jealous). I'd love to lust over that, except the megapixel jump just isn't enough yet.

I am thinking that my D50 will be fine for another 2-3 years until they have a Nikon DSLR in the 18-24 Megapixel range, in their "consumer" line of cameras....

Big Mike · Dec 29, 2006

I suggest you go into a store and hold them both (if you can still find the D70 in a store...if not, it should be similar to the D80). If I'm not mistaken, there is a significant size & weight difference...which is probably more important the the difference in features.

I'd be wary about purchasing an expensive piece of electronics off of eBay where you will likely have no warranty, etc. Just my opinion....

Ebay does offer some protection for buyers. Paypal, I believe, has built in coverage so you don't get screwed. Up until last week, I had never bought anything worth more than $40 on Ebay...but I bit the bullet and spent over $1000 for a new camera & lens. Everything worked out just fine.

fmw · Dec 29, 2006

Big Mike said:
I suggest you go into a store and hold them both (if you can still find the D70 in a store...if not, it should be similar to the D80). If I'm not mistaken, there is a significant size & weight difference...which is probably more important the the difference in features.

Interestingly, the D80 is built in the smaller D50 body. It has a few external details that are different but the size and shape overall are identical.

Big Mike · Dec 29, 2006

fmw said:
Interestingly, the D80 is built in the smaller D50 body. It has a few external details that are different but the size and shape overall are identical.

Interesting...

maybe Nikon is just crazy :lol: