Upgrade from a D70 or wait?

xraymtb

xraymtb

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I know everyone asks the eternal upgrade question but I'm decidedly stuck with my thinking and need opinions (which I'm sure will vary but give me food for thought).

I currently shoot a D70, bought a few months after release. Some entry level lenses (Nikon 18-70 DX, Nikon 28-100 G, Sigma 70-300 APO Macro). Strobist type lighting gear (SB-600, assortment of old flashes, radio triggers and some modifiers). Basic other kit like a Velbon tripod and Jessops filters.

My photography hobby has come and gone as kids, sport, jobs and life in general have drawn me away over the years. Now though I'm starting to get more serious again. Mainly looking at portrait work, landscapes and some creative strobist stuff (cars, sound triggers, light painting night landscapes etc.).

So the question is, do I upgrade the aging D70 to a newer Nikon, buy better lenses, upgrade other kit, or change to a mirrorless setup? Where will I see better value in terms of image quality and ease of use.
 
Probably best, if you can given, an approximate budget.
 
Budget is flexible, anything from a couple of hundred to maybe £1500 if I really want/need to.
 
I still have a D70 (well my youngest has "borrowed" it but ...) the difference between that and the later bodies is very noticeable imo, I think you will gain from upgrading. I've used the 18-70 on a D7000 and it stood up very well.
 
That is my dilemma, if the body was a couple of generations newer then I would spend on lenses. That said I'm not overly tied in to Nikon either...
 
A D300 is a bargain at £250, while the D700 is a steal at £600ish - great options for you. Get a Tamron 28-75 2.8 for £200 and a Nikon 70-300VR for £250 and you have a very good setup for £700-£1050. Plus you can sell your kit for a little!
 
Would agree with Simon. D700 is still a great camera and his choice of lens is spot on.
 
Depends on how seriously you want to get (back) into it, and how much you have to spend. :thinking:

Do you want to stay with a DSLR, and if so do you want to stay DX/APS-C or go FF? If you don't want to stay with a DSLR, then you open up a huge range of CSCs. :eek:

You can buy a new Nikon camera, and your lenses and Flash will be compatible. Don't buy Nikon, and you may have to replace some, or all of your lenses and possibly the Flash.

Go with some of the latest Nikon sensors, and you may have to replace some of the lenses you have. I found the Sigma 70-300mm APO lose some of it's image quality when I went from the D200 to the D300. I imagine the change from 6mp to 24mp will show of any flaws in the cheaper lenses.

A Nikon D5300 or D7100 may be the ones to consider. Both 24mp, both have pretty good AF, the D7100 being the most similar in size to the D70, and has more external controls, but the D5300 has the tilting LCD which may be useful. The D3300 may be a bit too small, though the image quality will be as good as the other two.

As with any choice of camera, it is best to try and handle any cameras you are interested in to see whether it feels right.
 
Going FF could involve new lenses. What about a new or s/h D3200 body? Latest tech and cheap ( and light). Then maybe a Tamron 28-70?
 
Going FF would only involve one new lens and I have the equivalent already (18-70 DX is covered by the 28-100 G). What I would likely want is better lenses as I get the feeling higher MP would show up the low quality of the non-DX lenses. That said, if I think along those lines why not a CSC? New lenses and new body anyway and most of my flash use is manual.

Tried a D3100 in the past, didn't like the lack of controls on the body. The D300 or D600 is tempting as a lower cost upgrade.
 
It really depends on how 'all in' you want to go. The 18-70 is a great lens and would go great with a D7000, it has 'only' 16mp (which is more than enough for 99.99% of people) then you won't feel like your current lenses are falling too far behind. That would bring you right up to date for under £400.

Alternatively, if you want to start from scratch then I keep looking at the new Fuji's, especially for landscape, but not sure what the strobe options are though.
 
dont go for old out of date bodies they do not match the quaity and flexibility of the latest models which will hold value better..how can a D7000 be "right up to date " If you got £1500 You could spend half on a D7100 use your lenses and still have money over.
 
Pistnbroke said:
dont go for old out of date bodies they do not match the quaity and flexibility of the latest models which will hold value better..how can a D7000 be "right up to date " If you got £1500 You could spend half on a D7100 use your lenses and still have money over.
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Newer bodies will lose value the fastest - when you buy an old discontinued body like the d7000 the original owner will have paid a large depreciation cost already, hence why they are so much cheaper now than when new.
 
I would go D300 or better still D700

I bought a D7100, it made me realise what a good body the D300 is and I still go back to it

I then bought a D700 and again it is a marvellous camera and FX which brings the best out of my lens

I only use my D7100 when I want a little extra reach with my longer tele lenses …. (for birds)

A "new" D7000/D7100 and a used D700 will be about the same price ……… I would choose the used D700

I have hesitated to move to a D800/D810/D750 as each time I use the D700 it gives me all I need and more
 
There are plenty of secondhand D7100 bodies available and I'd much rather spend the extra on one of those than on a D7000. Just my personal opinion as I couldn't get on with the D7000 at all.
 
This thread is starting to resemble my own internal thoughts! Do I go used 300/700/7000 or new 7100. Or Fuji. I think this is why I've still got the D70 - nothing else has ever stood out for me as the 'right' choice.
 
If you can get one within your acceptable budget, the D700 is the one to go for ……. it is really good to work with

I have all three …… D700...D300 ……………D7100 and I would put them in that order and that distance apart, but that is just my opinion

If I were to start again, maybe I would go the Sony FX mirror-less route …… Sony lens are good ……. the Sony sensors go in Nikon ……. and mirror-less gets rid of some of the disadvantages of a DSLR
 
I'm being drawn towards the 300/700. I think I need to research the mirrorless a bit more and decide on spend.
 
The 700 is still a great camera and well within budget as there are plenty of bargains to be had, that would be my choice
 
Me, I would go grey and get a Nikon D750 and Tamron 28-75mm for your budget. I think your Sigma 70-300 is a FF lens, so you could keep.?? If your getting serious and portrait and landscape are your two main things FF would be nice. If the reviews are right this would possibly stand out as the right choice camera. Would you be wondering, what if, if you took the DX route???????? DX are great if you want the reach, which doesnt seem your case.

With your current kit you could sell and put towards a wide angle, if 28mm isn't wide enough or buy something like the Samyang 85mm f1.4 for your portrait work.

The fuji's are great cameras, I currently have a XT1 and the lenses are superb, with what your main interests are, the Fuji's will be fast enough.

You need to have a play with some of the cameras at your local shop and see what feels right for you. We all have our own opinions when spending someone elses money.:D
 
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I'm starting to get more serious again. Mainly looking at portrait work, landscapes and some creative strobist stuff (cars, sound triggers, light painting night landscapes etc.).

So what can't you get from your existing gear where is it lacking for you .
That would be my first ?
Just take a look on Flickr and you will see some outstanding work taken even today with a D70.
? 2 Do you shoot in very low light without flash
? 3 Do you make or want to make extremely large fine detailed prints on a regular basis.

I would personally suggest you carry on with your renewed interest in photography and only when you feel that you can't get what your trying to achieve from you current gear would I look at upgrading.

When you do, start with your glass buy the best you can afford and buy only what you need.
a Nikon 50mm f1.8 just might be the type of lens your looking for in a piece of high quality glass at a reasonable cost
 
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remember Xray that going from 6mp to 12 is not twice the resolution going 6 to 24 is twice the resolution.

I find with most questions on forums that the poster has already made up there mind and is just looking for someone to agree with them ..ie buy and old D700
 
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Pistnbroke said:
remember Xray that going from 6mp to 12 is not twice the resolution going 6 to 24 is twice the resolution.

I find with most questions on forums that the poster has already made up there mind and is just looking for someone to agree with them ..ie buy and old D700
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My opinions are based on the cameras that I have used ……. I cannot comment on the D800/D810/D750/D600/D610 ……….. but mega pixels are not the answer, glass is what provides the solutions
 
What I feel I am missing is image detail and sensitivity. Some of my shots have looked very nice on a screen or as a 6x4 but not as great printed any larger. I do have some soft shots that I blame on the Sigma lens but to be honest the 18-70 spends more than 95% of its time on my camera.

In terms of sensitivity, the D70 is pretty poor above ISO400 which limits things at times.

I truly haven't decided what to get and that is why I'm loathe to spend too much. £300 on a D300 is money that I wouldn't really miss - £1500 on something newer would be noticed and I would need to be certain it is right.
 
whatever you choose, don't be too quick to let your D70 go, the D70 (and a few others of that era) have an electronic shutter, so you can get nice fast sync speeds with your off camera work
 
xraymtb said:
What I feel I am missing is image detail and sensitivity. Some of my shots have looked very nice on a screen or as a 6x4 but not as great printed any larger. I do have some soft shots that I blame on the Sigma lens but to be honest the 18-70 spends more than 95% of its time on my camera.

In terms of sensitivity, the D70 is pretty poor above ISO400 which limits things at times.

I truly haven't decided what to get and that is why I'm loathe to spend too much. £300 on a D300 is money that I wouldn't really miss - £1500 on something newer would be noticed and I would need to be certain it is right.
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It's one of the reasons I mentioned going grey and getting the D750 with 3 year warranty. I reckon if it wasn't right for you, you could probably sell it on for a little loss, if any, in 12 months time when a similar UK bought cameras warranty runs out (with selling on ebay as they are about £550 cheaper going grey at present). There are people now buying grey and making a businees out of it on ebay. This also comes down to, if your comforatble doing this, I dont want to start a pro & cons argument on here and mess your thread up.

The second hand market for cameras like the D700 & D800 have dropped a lot recently with the release of newer cameras like the D810 & D750. This then makes it a good time for you if you don't mind going secondhand. Myself personally I dont like secondhand cameras, but don't mind lenses.

As I mentioned earlier, it should come down to what is comfortable in your hand, so try them all out if you can.
 
minnnt said:
For what reasons @Snapsh0t ? What would make the 7100 different?

Been considering getting a 7100 to go with my 7000.
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It overexposed almost as often as the D80 I used to have and I never felt in control of where it was going to focus. I feel more confident about getting the intended results with the D7100.
 
If you feel you have to upgrade a S/h D700 will probably serve you well along with a Nikon AFD 24mm f2.8,Nikon AFD 50mm f1.8, Nikon AFD 85mm f1.8.
The whole kit should come well within your budget and you can use your SB600 and Sigma Apo 70-300mm along with the 28-100mm G lens that you have.
Perhaps get a body first and just use the later two lenses mentioned that you already own.
And leave the 18-70mm on the D70 as a back up ?
 
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minnnt said:
Excellent, thankyou. Have you found it a decent enough upgrade other than the things you've already mentioned?
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If you're happy with your D7000 then I'm not sure it's worth it. I sold my D7000 fairly quickly and went back to a D90 then bought the D7100 when it came out so I can't really give a direct comparison.
 
To throw another thought into the mix - camera recommendations on a forum only help so far.

The best source of data i found was handling the various cameras. I went into a camera shop a little over a year ago to look at the various fuji csc's (i had an x100 and a d7100 at the time). Didn't really like the handling of the fujis, but fell in love with the olympus em5. It handled like a mini-dslr, exactly the type of thing i was looking for. Twin control wheels, tilt screen, touch screen, very customisable, amazing range of prime and zoom lenses, and brilliant image quality. I can carry 2 bodies, with an additional lens or 2, all the batteries i need in the smallest think tank bag.

Now i am not trying to recommend this specific camera, what i am saying is to get as many camera into your hands as possible. How it feels and how much it suits you is more important than the vast majority of differentiating factors discussed on forums - which to be honest is really deciding between 'amazing performance' and 'stupendous performance' in this day and age.
 
Pistnbroke said:
remember Xray that going from 6mp to 12 is not twice the resolution going 6 to 24 is twice the resolution.
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Up to a point Lord Copper. In linear terms it is, but surely you can make a print four times the size at 24mp as you can at 6mp and retain the same level of detail? (3000 x 2000 vs 6000 x 4000) Or am I missing something?
 
Ed Sutton said:
Up to a point Lord Copper. In linear terms it is, but surely you can make a print four times the size at 24mp as you can at 6mp and retain the same level of detail? (3000 x 2000 vs 6000 x 4000) Or am I missing something?
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No you are not missing anything.

Technically, resolution is measured on a single dimension (ie line pairs per mm). Using this definition, to double resolution you need to go from 6 to 24 mp (there are some assumptions to go alongside this, but lets not confuse matters...).

But the more common use (and technically incorrect use) is calling the camera megapixel measurement its 'resolution'. And you are correct, going from 6 to 24mp allows you to make a print with 4 times larger in area. Now some people don't like calling this increase in size a 4 times increase - some will say it is a doubling in size, forgetting that a print is a 2 dimensional object and not a 1 dimensional, linear object.
 
I still love the D70, it's a camera I would go back in a heartbeat. but as said above. I would go down the D700 route, maybe a couple of primes to start - my 35mm f/2 lives on the D700, with 50mm and 85mm when needed. keep the D70 and 18-70mm for dx zoom when required..
 
Rapscallion said:
To throw another thought into the mix - camera recommendations on a forum only help so far.

The best source of data i found was handling the various cameras. I went into a camera shop a little over a year ago to look at the various fuji csc's (i had an x100 and a d7100 at the time). Didn't really like the handling of the fujis, but fell in love with the olympus em5. It handled like a mini-dslr, exactly the type of thing i was looking for. Twin control wheels, tilt screen, touch screen, very customisable, amazing range of prime and zoom lenses, and brilliant image quality. I can carry 2 bodies, with an additional lens or 2, all the batteries i need in the smallest think tank bag.

Now i am not trying to recommend this specific camera, what i am saying is to get as many camera into your hands as possible. How it feels and how much it suits you is more important than the vast majority of differentiating factors discussed on forums - which to be honest is really deciding between 'amazing performance' and 'stupendous performance' in this day and age.
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Handling in a shop will only go so far. Coming from dslr it took me a while to use the Fuji comfortably as it was different. Same way that I used my d700 on last job as I am still getting used to the differences with my d750.
 
cambsno said:
Handling in a shop will only go so far. Coming from dslr it took me a while to use the Fuji comfortably as it was different. Same way that I used my d700 on last job as I am still getting used to the differences with my d750.
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Agreed, but it will tell you more than reading about them...
 
suggestions all going the wrong way for me ...buy an out of date camera and buy primes ....yes dont forget the camera bag for all that weight and Ibrupafen for the bad back ....One good camera and one good zoom is all you need ( not tamron or sigma ) match the lens to the brand and if you shoot jpeg up the sharpness to +9

and if you really want bad advice buy a tripod
 
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