Would you buy a Nikon D70 for $350?


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SpyGlass

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Yup as stated in thread title.. 2nd hand DSLR Body with extra battery. Condition is good.

Im a total newbie to DSLR since using my Pentax compact for couple of years. Looking to take better photos and wider options.

I understand i will have to buy the lens which will cost a bomb. i'm lookin at wide lenses so any suggestions will be good.

First question..is 6 megapixels enough? can it sharp during printouts?

2) What do i have to look out for when buying 2nd hand cameras? condition good doesn't mean perfect.. could have dust or any problems that i need to worry about?

3) The sale is for the body .. it does not include the stock lens? Lens can be found 2nd hand i believe.. what needs to be taken note of other den scratches and dust ?

4) Once i buy the body and the lens.. do i need to invest in a dust-free cabinet? will normal storage in a dry cool cupboard be good enough?

5) Other accessories aside , i'll be shooting without tripod (basically run and gun type of guy) . Money saved can be used to get a better flash? or other necessary items?

Thanks for browsing my already "discussed to death" newbie questions but would really like a direct answer. Will post more questions once i come to know them :)
 

I'm a newbie myself, but depending on the condition and shutter count, I would think $350 is a good price for D70. 6 megapixels should be enough unless you're of course, you're thinking of printing billboard sized photos.:sweatsm:

Since it's just the body without the kit lens, then you probably have some options on which lens to buy. The kit lens offers quite a good range for a good price also. 2nd hand ones can easily be found on the buy & sell section. Otherwise, you can check out the other lenses available and see what suits your needs and budget.

Having a dry cabinet is a good investment to keep your camera in good condition. Up to the individual I suppose. Maybe you should think first what pictures you want to take before going straight out to buy whatever accessories you will need.

Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps, and I'm sure others here will help you out a bit more.

And since we're all still alive, I guess that's why such 'discussed-to-death' topics are still around. :bsmilie:
 

Yup as stated in thread title.. 2nd hand DSLR Body with extra battery. Condition is good.

Im a total newbie to DSLR since using my Pentax compact for couple of years. Looking to take better photos and wider options.

I understand i will have to buy the lens which will cost a bomb. i'm lookin at wide lenses so any suggestions will be good.

First question..is 6 megapixels enough? can it sharp during printouts?

2) What do i have to look out for when buying 2nd hand cameras? condition good doesn't mean perfect.. could have dust or any problems that i need to worry about?

3) The sale is for the body .. it does not include the stock lens? Lens can be found 2nd hand i believe.. what needs to be taken note of other den scratches and dust ?

4) Once i buy the body and the lens.. do i need to invest in a dust-free cabinet? will normal storage in a dry cool cupboard be good enough?

5) Other accessories aside , i'll be shooting without tripod (basically run and gun type of guy) . Money saved can be used to get a better flash? or other necessary items?

Thanks for browsing my already "discussed to death" newbie questions but would really like a direct answer. Will post more questions once i come to know them :)

1. Yes... 6MP is definately enough. Even when I have a 10MP camera, I normally shoot at medium size (about 5MP) in Fine settings... and you can print pics that are bigger than A4 size already.

2. You need to check the condition of the camera, (i) exterior, and (2) interior. the exterior is easy to check, but interior is not so easy. What you can do is to take some shots of a blank wall at different apertures and see if there is any dust on the sensor, etc. Also, check the shutter count (how many shots have been fired). Look through the viewfinder to see any dust in the view finder or mirror, etc. Refer to this thread in checking shutter count:
http://forums.clubsnap.com/showthread.php?t=306672

3. A checklist in buying 2nd hand lenses can be found in this thread:
http://forums.clubsnap.com/showthread.php?t=311048

4. It is good if you can buy a dry-cabinet, but if not, what I had used for many years is a large Lock-and-Lock box with silica gel. Today, you can find a "wireless dehumidifier" in Home-FixIt or SelfFix for about $20. It is not so much the dust issue (because there will always be dust, and dust would also get into the lens) but the humidity issue. What you want to do is to ensure that fungus do not grow in your cam or lenses.

5. There are many other things you can get, but it all depends on what you shoot and how you shoot. A flash and a tripod are 2 things you can think of getting next, but I would suggest outside of a camera body, the lens is actually one of the most important things... so get a good lens first.

Hope this helps... and oh... $350 for a D70 is a good price...
 

ohh thanks for the replies dudes..this forum really rocks!

ok well if the body is sold with a basic stock lens...how do i test it? i understand the part when checking for dust cos i sneeze at a little dust and that comes in handy!

so what happens when its over 10k shutter count? the mechanism starts to wear down right? Does "No warranty" have a larger impact then i think it does?

Oh the dust problem..im sure i can get somthing to prevent dust in a box. humidity can be solved with THIRSTY HIPPO lol

ok lets say i buy the body at this nice price.. i'm basically a noob looking at lens for sale in the buy/sell section.. the numbers represent something im sure and it seems the bigger the "mm" the higher the prices.. so what lens range can be recommended? ( this way i can start searching for a lens in the comfortable zone of buy / sell)

Cheers!
 

ohh thanks for the replies dudes..this forum really rocks!

ok well if the body is sold with a basic stock lens...how do i test it? i understand the part when checking for dust cos i sneeze at a little dust and that comes in handy!

so what happens when its over 10k shutter count? the mechanism starts to wear down right? Does "No warranty" have a larger impact then i think it does?

Oh the dust problem..im sure i can get somthing to prevent dust in a box. humidity can be solved with THIRSTY HIPPO lol

ok lets say i buy the body at this nice price.. i'm basically a noob looking at lens for sale in the buy/sell section.. the numbers represent something im sure and it seems the bigger the "mm" the higher the prices.. so what lens range can be recommended? ( this way i can start searching for a lens in the comfortable zone of buy / sell)

Cheers!

It really depends on what you want to shoot
If you like landscapes,the nikon 18-70 is not a bad choice
I've seen some ppl selling it for 200+
for portraits,50mm is also a cheap and good option
 

ohh thanks for the replies dudes..this forum really rocks!

ok well if the body is sold with a basic stock lens...how do i test it? i understand the part when checking for dust cos i sneeze at a little dust and that comes in handy!

so what happens when its over 10k shutter count? the mechanism starts to wear down right? Does "No warranty" have a larger impact then i think it does?

Oh the dust problem..im sure i can get somthing to prevent dust in a box. humidity can be solved with THIRSTY HIPPO lol

ok lets say i buy the body at this nice price.. i'm basically a noob looking at lens for sale in the buy/sell section.. the numbers represent something im sure and it seems the bigger the "mm" the higher the prices.. so what lens range can be recommended? ( this way i can start searching for a lens in the comfortable zone of buy / sell)

Cheers!

The life of a shutter is normally somewhere over 100,000... and I've got a friend who has shot over 200,000 shots and the shutter is still going strong. 10,000 is not very much. If the shutter spoils, you can alsways replace it at Nikon Service Centre, but you got to check the price with them.

To clean the sensor at NSC, it would cost about $25+GST.

As for a first lens, I would recommend something in the range of 18-50mm. My recommendation if you can afford is to get the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 as a first lens. It costs about $550 2nd hand.

Do take sometime to read up more on photography. I recommend the "HWM MEGAGUIDE: Digital Photography" @ $18 to be your guide. You can get it at Kinokuniya. It has lots of pics, and makes understanding much easier.
 

I doubt anyone's nose will be so sensitive as to detect dust on lens. If your nose really starts reacting when you are checking out the lens, then for sure you shouldn't buy the lens! :bsmilie:

The shutter will wear after some usage. But 10k should still be sufficient to play with before it 'dies' off. You'd probably be looking for your next camera already before it.

You said you wanted wider options. The 18mm end on the kit lens is wide enough for me, although I'd love to get a 10-20mm of course.

'the bigger the "mm" the higher the prices'
Haha.. I think if you check out the pricelist of the lenses, you would be surprised how mistaken you could be.
 

i would actually suggest not to use thirsty hippo.. get a dry cab or dry box at least.. coz with TH, the hum level will be too low sometimes and will cause the rubber casing to peel off or crack..

ohh thanks for the replies dudes..this forum really rocks!

ok well if the body is sold with a basic stock lens...how do i test it? i understand the part when checking for dust cos i sneeze at a little dust and that comes in handy!

so what happens when its over 10k shutter count? the mechanism starts to wear down right? Does "No warranty" have a larger impact then i think it does?

Oh the dust problem..im sure i can get somthing to prevent dust in a box. humidity can be solved with THIRSTY HIPPO lol

ok lets say i buy the body at this nice price.. i'm basically a noob looking at lens for sale in the buy/sell section.. the numbers represent something im sure and it seems the bigger the "mm" the higher the prices.. so what lens range can be recommended? ( this way i can start searching for a lens in the comfortable zone of buy / sell)



Cheers!
 

going strong? you've got to becareful what going strong means to different people. The shutter make be flicking up and down, but it might not be opened for the pre-defined time it's supposed to, eg: 1/25 the shutter may open for 1/22 or 1/20, as the shutter age, the mechncal parts wear out and makes the timing inconsistent.

However, "good news" (to some) is that the D70 uses an electronic shutter. Meaning it doesn't really need a shutter to open/close for correct exposure, but it's controlled by electronics to on/off the sensor.

I hope TS isn't choosing a system based on how cheap it is..:sweat:
 

i would actually suggest not to use thirsty hippo.. get a dry cab or dry box at least.. coz with TH, the hum level will be too low sometimes and will cause the rubber casing to peel off or crack..
after all the 'stories' i heard on this, I have never had this happen to my cam or telescope which is placed in a big tupperware 'pail' with 2 thirsty hippo eqivalents inside.

The reverse was true, some rubber trimmings on the knobs of my ballhead had cracked when they have never been into my dry cab.
 

............... 5) Other accessories aside , i'll be shooting without tripod (basically run and gun type of guy) . Money saved can be used to get a better flash? or other necessary items?

Thanks for browsing my already "discussed to death" newbie questions but would really like a direct answer. Will post more questions once i come to know them :)

For running and gunning, I would get the new 16-85mm VR lens that is coming out. If you are on a budget, the 18-55mm VR lens is an option as well. The 18-70mm kit lens is good however I have lost track of how many shots I would have recovered if it had VR.
 

For running and gunning, I would get the new 16-85mm VR lens that is coming out. If you are on a budget, the 18-55mm VR lens is an option as well. The 18-70mm kit lens is good however I have lost track of how many shots I would have recovered if it had VR.
why VR? correct basic hand holding is still important. at 85 or 55mm, i don't see how much VR really helps.
 

TS stated interested in wide lens (shooting landscape?) but dun want to buy a tripod (Run and Gun?) so TS, do you really know what you want at this point in time?

Are you going to be shooting landscape purely handheld? Even at night?

End up you might spend more money when you start to realised you are short of this and that.
 

well thanks for the replies guys but sadly the camera body was sold already..guess the price was too good!

anyway i meant wide lens but i didn't mean landscape shooting only... maybe its portrait? ..well what do you call taking pictures of "people in a background"? portrait landscape?

yes i meant running and gunning becos i don't want to use a tripod system to set up a shot.. it'll be used on holiday trips and impromptu sessions so its most hand held taken shots.

i am new to this so i can't spend a bomb not knowing what i really want..so yeah i'm choosing a system based on how cheap it is before i get in deeper and start expanding. Gotta walk before you run right?

so far from what i noticed , my budget of $600 can get me a 2nd hand system with lens probably with high shutter count of over 10k so ill focus on that beginner setup . anyone have something that fits do let me know k? i'll be scouring the classifieds just in case someone loses interest and wants to let go reasonably

Sorry if anyone was expecting anything.. Just wanted to try my hand and not get burnt yet =) Not everyone's born with a silver spoon yeah?
 

well thanks for the replies guys but sadly the camera body was sold already..guess the price was too good!

anyway i meant wide lens but i didn't mean landscape shooting only... maybe its portrait? ..well what do you call taking pictures of "people in a background"? portrait landscape?

yes i meant running and gunning becos i don't want to use a tripod system to set up a shot.. it'll be used on holiday trips and impromptu sessions so its most hand held taken shots.

i am new to this so i can't spend a bomb not knowing what i really want..so yeah i'm choosing a system based on how cheap it is before i get in deeper and start expanding. Gotta walk before you run right?

so far from what i noticed , my budget of $600 can get me a 2nd hand system with lens probably with high shutter count of over 10k so ill focus on that beginner setup . anyone have something that fits do let me know k? i'll be scouring the classifieds just in case someone loses interest and wants to let go reasonably

Sorry if anyone was expecting anything.. Just wanted to try my hand and not get burnt yet =) Not everyone's born with a silver spoon yeah?

well honestly, $600 is a pretty tight budget to be working with
i guess for the kind of pics u will be taking, an 18-55 lens shld be adequate. of course the VR will be a + point too if u can afford tt lens.

most cams (d70s, d40x, d80) arent nearly as cheap as $350 from wat i see. i think for $600, ur better off going for a d40 with its kit lens. otherwise, a d50 might be worth considering too. the main diff would be ISO and technology i guess. oh, and other brands r worth considering too (eg canon), though i find nikon the most suitable for me ;)
 

Hmm.. This here seems be around your budget.
 

Thanks for the reference! but i guess ill just try my luck posting there.. the budget just went down due to the missus not being supportive..
 

Do check out my WTB thread . Appreciate if anyone's giving up their beginner kits
 

Thanks for the reference! but i guess ill just try my luck posting there.. the budget just went down due to the missus not being supportive..

How to get the missus to be supportive?
Start taking great pictures of the missus with whatever camera you have... print out the pics... give it to her... tell her how beautiful she looks... ;) Then tell her how much better pics you can have with a DSLR, and nice prime lens, that would produce nice bokeh... hehe... :bsmilie:
 

lol..can give that a try la.. currently now looking at two beginner models... Nikon D40 and Olympus E330
 

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