Second Camera Dilemma

[travis_reynolds]

Here is my situation.

[Chad Simcox]

Do you see yourself using it much? How important is auto focus to you? Do you have the expendable income to buy it, or could the money be used elsewhere? It sounds like if you bought this camera, it would become your primary shooter due to it’s focus options.
Most importantly, I’d find out how many shots have been taken on the camera and see if it’s possibly close to the end of it’s shutter life. I’d also run it through tests to make sure everything is running properly on it and the files come out fine.

http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.

http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram

[Neal Osborn]

A few thoughts . . . Things a D70 can do that you might not know (or haven’t thought important). . .

1.  The D70 can run any lens vs the limited capability of the D40 – you know that already.

2.  The D70 has the ability to be a master flash trigger for the Nikon creative lighting system.  This is a big deal if you plan on doing off camera flash, for example fly tying shots or product shots that are often discussed/shown here.  That alone is a reason to get the D70.  

3.  The D70 processes pictures faster than D40; not much but still helpful.

4.  The D70 requires less menu manipulation to change manual settings – this allows for faster manipulation during “must get” shots (i.e. on the water shots of trophy fish).

5.  The sigma wide angle lenses typically range from $200-$400, so depending on the lens he is including that might be a good investment.  However, if it is the Sigma 18-50 that is not a high quality glass and goes for less than $100 on ebay; make sure you know which one is on the body.  

overall, with all the upcoming Nikon body changes you might be better off waiting until you know exactly what you need, but that is a personal thing and tough to define.

[mick mccorcle]

I’m a big fan of the D70.  I got my start in digital on that camera and still rely on it as my carry-around camera (or did, see below).  It’s very solid, uses battery power sparingly, and takes great photos.  I’ve used it on everything from the standard 18-70 kit lens to a Nikon 300/2.8 AF-S lens with no problems and good results.  

On a sad note, my teenager is now taking photojournalism in high school and has “borrowed” my D70 to use for his class.  He now loves it, too, so I may not get it back. :-[

[Author]

Posts