D70s vs 350D

I am looking to upgrade from my trusty Sony DSC-P71 point-and-shoot that I have had for three and a half years and taken over 9,500 photos with (according to the counter) to something a bit more advanced. With DSLR's priced so low today (compared to when I got the P71), and the fact that they are, well, SLRs, I am considering buying one in the near future, hopefully by the end of summer.

The two that have grabbed my eye are the Nikon D70s and Canon 350D. I am currently trending towards the D70s, even though it is a bit more expensive. The included lens seems to have better zoom (18 - 70mm) and I've heard it's of higher quality, the sensor is larger, and seems to have more controls. But I have tried neither and would be very interested to see what others who have say.

I am primarily into landscape and nature photography, but I like to be versatile and try lots of different things. I also want to get into macro photography. What do you guys think? Is the D70s worth the extra bucks?

 

Check out www.kenrockwell.com he compares the D70s, D50 and the 350d directly. It should answer any questions you have. I currently have a d50 and shoot primarily nature and landscape as well. The D50 is a bit cheaper then the d70 but essentially the same camera minus a few things such as separte wheels for aperature and shutter speed and D.O.F preview. Are you sure the 350d and the d70 have different sensor sizes?

 

The extra MP of the canon would sway it for me. And I know MP count isn't the be all and end all of picture quality, but on a large, high quality sensor those extra pixels will come in handy for shots that you want to crop yet still have high enough resolution to enlarge it. If the higher MP count of the canon doesn't leave it trailing behind the nikon where noise is concerned, it's no contest -- the canon would be my choice. Check the reviews for noise performance between the two.

 

I like the D70 for its heaviness and sturdiness. I like the Rebel for image quality and low noise, and its a Canon. I just do not like the way the Rebel feels, just feels cheap to me. I would end up buying the Rebel in the end, I guess I could get passed the feel of it.

 

I really don't understand why every camera doesn't have this. It's like all the major camera manufacturers have decided the general public can't be trusted to have control over their photos. Anyway before I go off on a rant, the separate controls for aperture and shutter speed may not bother you, but if you have an interest in nature photography I suspect it will, since you'll need to be able to quickly and easily set up the shot while looking through the viewfinder. I'd say the D70 is better, but then it is more expensive - the D70 is more comparable to the 20D, while the equivalent of the 350D is the D50. The D50 is actually significantly cheaper than the 350D (in the UK anyway), so definitely consider that.

 

350d no question

 

cheaper = cheap for a reason.

you get what you pay for