D70 Better than 300D?


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ChrisYeo

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Mar 22, 2004
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Just from observing the sale of used 300Ds compared to D70s, I get the impression the the Nikon is a better buy than the Canon. No one seems to be selling off their D70 (although to be fair the 300D came out on sale earlier) so it must be good enough to keep? Any basis of truth in this or is this pure conjecture on my part? :think:
 

Can't really tell it this way, unless 300D users are dumping the cameras for D70. Some sellers might be changing to a higher end Canon body or decide that a DSLR is too bulky to carry around.

but features wise, D70 is a better body (eg in terms of flash sync/write speeds/buffering/fast startup) compared to 300D and even the higher end D100. However, D70 does have some quirks, e.g. lack of vertical grip, no support for wired release (both available for D100 and 300D), slightly slower AF with kit lens vs 300D, etc. Image quality wise, both are more than good enough for general usage.
 

Yeah, can't gauge it by the sale of used 300Ds. Actually the recent spate of users selling 300D might be due to them anticipating new product announcements from Canon. Selling now they get a better price than they would when new products are announced. (Just my guess anyway)

Edit - same applies with all the 10Ds being sold now.
 

Yes, spec-wise, the $2100 D70 is better than the $1700 300D.

It doesn't guarantee you better photos though.
 

mpenza said:
but features wise, D70 is a better body (eg in terms of flash sync/write speeds/buffering/fast startup) compared to 300D and even the higher end D100. However, D70 does have some quirks, e.g. lack of vertical grip, no support for wired release (both available for D100 and 300D), slightly slower AF with kit lens vs 300D, etc. Image quality wise, both are more than good enough for general usage.

The higher flash sync speed of the D70 is irrelevant. I might point out that the minimum ISO on the D70 is ISO200. It's max flash sync is 1/500s. The minimum ISO on the 300D is ISO100. It's max flash sync is 1/250s. There is therefore no advantage for the D70's higher flash sync speed.

For those who don't follow my argument, read on. Imagine a situation (say, bright sunlight) where you need to fill flash. You have closed down the aperture as far as it will go (F/22) to try to get shutter speed slow enough to flash sync. With a 300D, you can go as low as ISO100, allowing you to shoot at 1/250. With a D70, the minimum ISO is ISO200, meaning that you will have to shoot at 1/500 under the same lighting conditions.

The 300D has a further advantage: FP flash mode. Just flick the switch on your flashgun to FP mode, and shoot at shutter speeds up to 1/8000s.

The D70's real advantages are:

1. It is faster. Faster startup, faster shot to shot speed, better buffering.
2. Better metering and better white balance.
3. Better ergonomics (although you could argue this point). I like the D70's front and rear dial. I prefer the image playback functions on the 300D.
4. D70 has an intangible "feelgood" factor. It feels more expensive than the 300D. (Doesn't mean it's built better though).

Why do people sell their 300D's? Because Canon's upgrade path is clearer. 10D is definitely a better camera than the 300D. 1DMk2 is better again. If you own a D70, and you want to upgrade and stay within the system, you are looking at the D2h!
 

A minor correction.... 300D's flash sync speed is 1/200s. It doesn't affect much of the argument raised though.

Amfibius, what you said is applicable for fill-in flash under bright daylight condition.

However, there're also times when the photographer need/want to use fast shutter speed with flash indoors with the subject more than 10m away and a long lens, sometimes without adequate support. This is where the 1/500s comes in handy (and the FP flash mode is not useful). With my old camera S602Z, I was able to get sharp images indoor by holding the camera overhead (340mm equivalent field of view) and shooting at 1/1000s with external flash providing the main illumination.
 

Amfibius said:
The higher flash sync speed of the D70 is irrelevant. I might point out that the minimum ISO on the D70 is ISO200. It's max flash sync is 1/500s. The minimum ISO on the 300D is ISO100. It's max flash sync is 1/250s. There is therefore no advantage for the D70's higher flash sync speed.

For those who don't follow my argument, read on. Imagine a situation (say, bright sunlight) where you need to fill flash. You have closed down the aperture as far as it will go (F/22) to try to get shutter speed slow enough to flash sync. With a 300D, you can go as low as ISO100, allowing you to shoot at 1/250. With a D70, the minimum ISO is ISO200, meaning that you will have to shoot at 1/500 under the same lighting conditions.

Hmm... I believe the 300d syncs at 1/200s ? not that its alot of difference really. Your theory is partly true. But, @f22, on the d70 (iso200), you get double the flash distance then on a 300D (@iso100), simply because of the more sensitive ISO setting. At f22, where flash power is required in massive dosage, especially if u are fighting with the sun, it could be pretty important. If I were to change to a d70, it'll be because of flash sync, and its sharper image quality.

Other important advantages...
1) d70 has a much much better write time than the 300D.
2) d70 has no dummy modes
3) d70 is keenly priced
4) d70 shares the same RGB metering as the f5 that recognises colour
5) d70 has very advance multi flash control
6) d70 supports cordless ttl flash (i think)
7) its a Nikon (haha... kidding LAH!)
:)

Hey, Keith, we'll shoot someday soon again.
 

Thanks mpenza and marcwang for pointing out my mistake. You are both right, 300D syncs at 1/200s.

marc, yeah we should go and shoot again. I might be free this weekend.
 

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