Opinions D70s, D80

[raf2379]

Hello all, I'm just starting to get into photography and am in the market for a great SLR, but I just can’t make a decision on which to get. I’ve held a few different SLR's and Nikon has the best feel and ergonomics I’ve found. The problem at hand is that I don’t know much about the features and how to properly use them, but with time I’ll get there. I did narrow down my choice to the Nikon D70s, D80 or the D200, also the 18mm - 200mm lens.

The D70s can be had for $630 body only plus the $900 18mm - 200mm lens or the D70s kit with 18mm - 70mm lens. How important are the mega pixels 6.1 vs. 10.2 the D80 has to offer?

The other choice is the D80 kit with 18mm - 135mm lens or 18mm - 70mm lens. Or the D80 body with the 18mm - 200mm lens, which will run me a bit over $2000.

The D200 body only is about $1830 but probably too much camera for me.

Could you guys give me your expert opinions and experience with the above cameras and lenses. I've been through bunch of reviews on the net, but it looks like there is a great community here that can help me choose the right camera for me. It seems that most people on here like the Cannon brand.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

OK, both the D70s and D80 have excellent features, and the discontinued D70s is excellent value for money. That being said, I would go with the D80. More or less, it's a D200 in a D50 chassis. The 10MP isn't the big difference over the D70s. The high ISO performance, much better viewfinder, better LCD screen, and other features are worth the price difference, IMO.

As far as lenses go, the 18-200 is a stellar all-around lens, no doubt about it. If you never want to change lenses, that's a great unit. The VR is also an excellent feature.

If that's too expensive, I'd go with the 18-70 and a telephoto. The 18-70 is a much better lens than the price would suggest, and it feels better built than the 18-135. The focus ring on the 18-135 feels especially flakey.

As an aside, if you're planning to shoot in adverse conditions (rain, snow, sand, etc.) the D200 is much better suited to the task. The body is weather-sealed and the magnesium chassis is extremely tough.

[seer_claw]

I bought the D70s in May and I love it but the D80 improves on the viewfinder which you will find a big deal. Although I love the D70s it is lacking on teh high iso performance.

Good luck finding the Nikkor 18-200 VR. They are few and far between, Nikon isn't producing many of them.

The 18-70 lens is much better than the 18-135. The 18-135 just doesn't produce good quality at either end of the focal range.

You might also look at the Nikon D50. Its not as expensive, and you could spend the extra money on good lenses to learn on and upgrade the camera later in the future when you improve beyond the limits of the camera. When just starting the higher end cameras can be a little bit overwhelming with the amount of features that they have. The problem with the D200 is the lack of preset shooting functions that the rest of the lineup have. This makes for a steep learning curve if you pruchase this camera.

[raf2379]

thanx for the opinions, i'll go tomorow to a few diferent places again and play around with the cameras, i wonder if they will let me try out diferent lenses.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

BTW, Photo Experts in TD Square had an 18-200 in stock, but only one, when I stopped by the day before yesterday.

seer_claw: As far as the preprogrammed modes go... I can't give an opinion, as I've never, ever used them! I think they're kinda useless, TBH, but I guess they could help the learning curve some.

[seer_claw]

Originally posted by BerserkerCatSplat
BTW, Photo Experts in TD Square had an 18-200 in stock, but only one, when I stopped by the day before yesterday.

seer_claw: As far as the preprogrammed modes go... I can't give an opinion, as I've never, ever used them! I think they're kinda useless, TBH, but I guess they could help the learning curve some.

I haven't personally used the presets much either but they are handy when you give the camera to someone else to take shots. And shooting in 'P' mode will help you see what changing the setting to a minor degree will do, without losing the picture totally.

[TurboMedic]

FWIW, the D70s is essentially the same sensor and processing as the D50, the primary differences being DOF preview, gridlines in the viewfinder, 3fps continuous, and a larger body. Pictures from the 2 are nearly identical.

[C4S]

Can't go wrong with D80 !

It is good price, good feature, good body!

D70s is nice too, however, for digital, newer is alwasy better!

D200 is amazing camera too! my brother was thinking of D80 and D200 as well, he ended up go for the D200, since it is not big different in price, however, it really depends on your budget!

Again, camera body is the basic, and least expensive part .. lens will be more pricy ..

That is why I suggested my brother to go for Nikon .. cheaper lens then canon.. ( and good too! ) cheaper flashes (and better then Canon! )

Anyway .. enjoy !

[raf2379]

well i've done some shopping around today held a few different cameras, The D80 just felt good and I managed to find the 18-200mm VR lens, so I went ahead and bought the D80 with the lens. what a great camera, I been playing around for a few hours already and I just cant put the camera down

I'll post some shoots later on this week if I can capture some good ones. Thank you all for the opinions and help.

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Awesome to hear, have fun! That'll be a great combination to get you started. (You'll be drooling over the 70-200 F2.8VR before you know it.)

[raf2379]

wow thats a sweet looking 1700 dollar lens. I got to ask tho since i'm still new to photography, whats the main purpose of that lens? the zoom range?

[BerserkerCatSplat]

The main purpose of the 70-200 F2.8 is the large F2.8 max aperture throughout the zoom range. This allows for the use of very fast shutter speeds, which is excellent for sports and other action shooting where freezing the subject is important. Also, it is a heavy-duty pro lens, and has some of the sharpest glass Nikon produces. It's a phenomenal lens!

[TurboMedic]

Congrats on the camera! I'm picking up my D80 finally in the next day or two! You picked a great lens, very compact for the range!

[clem24]

Congrats on the D80.. But if high ISO is of concern, I'd just skip Nikon and go Canon. Boy do those Canons have low noise. Nikon cannot touch the Canon. I see so many jump ship from Nikon to Canon, but not many going the other way.. I think I am one of those that have invested in too many lenses to jump, otherwise I'd been gone long ago.

I'd be careful about the 70-200 2.8. It's a hard lens to use. The focal pane is gonna be really shallow at 2.8 (probably inches), so it takes some experience to actually get good pics out of it. Otherwise, it is a fantastic piece of glass. Definitely gonna be my next lens (which is be a LONG time)...

[CK4500]

I just picked up a D80 a week ago. So far I love it. It's been a while since I've used an SLR, and never since I've used a DSLR! I've got a lot to learn! So far I am very happy with my images!

I paid $1499 for mine, with the 18-135 lense. Price just dropped where I bought it, to $1331, so I'm going to get some more goodies with the difference! Can anyone tell me if the 55-200 or 70-300 are any good? Both are Nikkor, and both are priced at $199.

Here is one of my favorite shots so far, of my baby girl!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by clem24
Congrats on the D80.. But if high ISO is of concern, I'd just skip Nikon and go Canon. Boy do those Canons have low noise. Nikon cannot touch the Canon. I see so many jump ship from Nikon to Canon, but not many going the other way.. I think I am one of those that have invested in too many lenses to jump, otherwise I'd been gone long ago.

It certainly used to be that way, but it's gotten to the point where today's sensors are as close as makes no difference. In the tests I've looked at, the Nikons and Canons handly noise a bit differently, but not better or worse. Canon has a tendency to have reduced chroma noise but reduced detail ,while Nikon generally has a bit more chroma but retains more object detail. It's really give-or-take, especially when 99% of noise can be dealt with using a simple Photoshop plugin or NeatImage.

[clem24]

I don't know about that one. On the tests of the D200, it still showed way more noise at 1600 than the older Canon. One thing too, is that many test (like dpreview) love to show you a tiny little portion of the frame and go "see, noise is maybe higher, but mostly comparable". But the problem is, take the entire picture and the Nikons get owned big time. Yes, Nikon has done a lot of improvements to high ISO noise in the D200 and D80, but they are still behind Canon (and I shoot Nikon too).

[raf2379]

It will take me a bit to get good pics out of any lens right now as I am totaly new to the whole SLR cameras, and photography. i'm still at the point where I just leave it on auto and just point and shoot. I need to go through tutorials of all the features and where to use them and how to use them properly, also need to learn all the little tricks, composition of the photograph and more, but with experiance and time I hopefuly will get there. I am happy with the D80 right now, but once I get more into it. in a year or two i'll probably upgrade.

[TurboMedic]

Originally posted by clem24
I don't know about that one. On the tests of the D200, it still showed way more noise at 1600 than the older Canon. One thing too, is that many test (like dpreview) love to show you a tiny little portion of the frame and go "see, noise is maybe higher, but mostly comparable". But the problem is, take the entire picture and the Nikons get owned big time. Yes, Nikon has done a lot of improvements to high ISO noise in the D200 and D80, but they are still behind Canon (and I shoot Nikon too).

to your post. I hate fanboi's... If you can take good pics with your camera, great. I can take great ones with mine.



And to the original poster, congrats on getting WHAT YOU WANTED, not what everyone told you to get. FWIW the 55-200mm lens is not a great lens. The 70-300mm is cheap as well, but I think its marginally built better (I use it, and its a great affordable tele). If you want a good one, get the 70-200mm VR, sure it costs more, but VR is well worth it. At that point you may as well fork for the 18-200mm VR, and get a good range. check out nikonians.org and join the community!

[clem24]

Eh? What's a fanboi? Anyway, the only reason why I point this out is b/c there are 2 features I *hate* about my D70 that I have to live with. And that is ISO noise and poor automatic white balance. I shoot a lot of low light and I just wish the ISO performance was better. My D70 also can't pick the correct white balance under artificial lighting and flash. A D50 also exhibited this same behaviour. While the Canon's were just vastly superior in both these respects. Esp. when those 2 settings are some of the most used..