Looking for an upgrade Nikon D70 to ??

caribb

caribb

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Doug
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Hi - I'm new to this forum, an amateur photographer using a Nikon D70 with an Nikkor DX AF-S 18-135mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED lens. I also have a Sigma APO DG 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 lens. Lastly my original lens I got with the D70, an AF-S Nikkor 18-70mm 1:35-4.5G ED broke on a recent trip to San Francisco and was replaced in a hurry (unfortunately) prior to a European trip with the 18-135 mentioned above. I'm not getting very sharp results with the new lens and there seems to be a lot of what I would call ghosting (red flare) in many of the wide angle pictures I've taken. I still haven't experimented enough with it to know if it's the lens or me but I never had this issue with my 18-70mm.

Despite all this I feel it's time for an upgrade. I have horrendous dust problems on my sensor and I know there are higher megapixel cameras with bigger sharper sensors out there today. I've been looking at this site http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/NikonD70/ to review my options.. I'm kind of leaning towards the Nikon D300 but I've seen some good prices locally for the Canon 50D.

My hobby and main use for my camera usage is aviation (commercial) photography as well as travel, architectural and urban photography. For aircraft shots I'm looking for sharpness and more balanced lighting results. I want to be able to highly crop some photos so low noise is a must and of course none of this ghosting I'm getting now. Just looking at photos on airliners.net or Flickr.com I tend to feel the Canon shots have a more overall balanced lighting than the Nikon photos I've seen. Nikon images have more contrast and shadows.. perhaps that's just me or the photos I've selected to view but it is a remark I've made to myself for a few years now.

I'm just curious as to what anyone out there would suggest for me.. sticking with Nikon or moving over to Canon? Looking at the reviews on the sight mentioned above the 50D despite the 15MP doesn't seem to be as impressive as the 10MP 40D whereas the 12MP D300 is getting a really good review all around. I'm getting the feeling the Megapixel levels really aren't all that crucial at this level.

Lastly, any suggestion for the lower level lens (in the same sort of price range)? I was happy with the 18-70 and in fact might just get it repaired.. but if someone has a better suggestion I'm open to it. There is a Tamron model that was an option when I purchased the 18-135 Nikkor but it wasn't available in the store and I was leaving for Europe the next day.

Ok phew.. hopefully all that's clear and makes sense. Thanks in advance.

Doug
 
First off, welcome to the forum :thumbs:

Whichever way you go, Canon or Nikon .. or even the others, they are all great cameras. None is specifically better than the other, they just leap-frog each other.

That said, you've already nailed something ... your 18-70 AF-S is a very sharp lens, and a fantastic one for the money paid.

If you're going to upgrade to the D300 then that's a fantastic camera by all accounts; but so are a multitude of other bodies.

Personally, I upgraded my D70 to the D200 (just before the D300 came out), and subsequently to the D300. These are fantastic bodies, simply fantastic ... just make sure you get the better glass to match it to.
 
go for a D200 for the body and a nifty1.4 then get yourself a good 70-200f2.8 and you are laughing

then if you really want go for the 18-70 as mentioned above

Awesome kit
 
Hi Doug, :welcome: to TP

I'd suggest getting something like a D80/90 or Canon 450D and some decent glass, rather than spending the bulk of your money on a body and then buying cheap glass....
 
Wail - Thanks for the welcome, much appreciated :-) I sense the same thing about companies just leapfrogging each other. No matter what something better will come along just after the new camera is delivered. I think on my part I just want to get as close to the current standard as possible if not exceed it a little to give me some buffer before the next best thing comes around as my newbie becomes antiquated. That being said the loss of my 18-70 AF-S is heartbreaking. I've both spilled orange juice on it and knocked it around.. the zoom is jammed and it's sticky (go figure)... I'm still tempted to have it repaired or go hunting on E-Bay. Thanks for confirming my thoughts on it.

Dangermouse1964 - Glad to hear you confirm the D200/300 series, thanks! Any suggestions on a new 70-200f2.8 lens? My Sigma lens is just ok, it does the job it's intended to do although I have some issues with it too but overall they are workable. It's more my everyday lens I'm concerned about.

Flash In The Pan - Thanks, good advice. The D90 was my other Nikon option. It's getting a lot of press over here in Canada. I'll have to weigh this option.. makes a lot of sense. At least now I'll have the time to think all this out and not make a hasty decision under pressure.

towershot - Thanks very much - Good to hear someone confirm that has legitimate value. I wasn't sure if it was gimmicky or really useful. A dirty sensor is one of my biggest issues right now and that feature on the D300 drew my curiosity to it.

Thanks again guys.
 
you're unlikely to find a camera with a 'sharper sensor' than a D70. They have an exceptionally this AA filter on them, making the images straight out of camera some of the sharpest out there.
 
You can always have the sensor cleaned... ;) But if you're gonna change, yes there is leap-frogging, but only between Nikon and Canon. Right now, I think Nikon is ahead with the D90/D300, or D700/D3 right at the top, but my Canon's are none too shabby either :D

What's you budget? If aircraft photography is a priority, probably stick to DX format and maybe build your system around a really good lens, perhaps Nikon 80-400mm, but the money will rack up sharpish when you've got that on a D300 just for starters.

So, budget?

Cheers,

Richard.
 
ruvor - That's an interesting comment. Perhaps along with Flash in the Pan's remarks it might be better to go for say a D90 and a much better standard zoom lens.. or even just go for the lens alone.. although the dust reduction feature really draws me.

HoppyUK - Cleaning my sensor in Canada is around $150 CAD.. in comparison to a D300 body that's cheap, no doubt. I must admit I love my D70. Budget... I'd be willing to go as far a $2500 CAD ( £1,389.35, €1,461.21, $2,048.76 USD) but the less the better of course. Prices for the D300 body here in Montreal are now as low as $1499.00 CAD (£834.00) at the moment. A good price I think. What is it in the UK?
 
Doug, I'm not seeing anything that says you need a new camera. Clean the sensor on your D70, and don't get hung up about megapixels - you can print as big as you like with 8MP, why do you need more?

Having said that, if your main thing is aviation photography and you really fancy a different camera then you should be loking at Canons. Not because they're better cameras, but because they give you lots more lens options for your specialism. For example:
* EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
* EF 300mm f/4 L IS USM
* EF 400mm f/5.6 L USM
Nikon doesn't really have anything that stands up to comprision with any of them.
 
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