The day before I left for the east coast, I decided that there were worse things I could do than indulge myself in an impulse purchase. I was going to buy a new digital camera, and that was that. The budget was a wallet-bending $2500 for camera, lens, and memory card.
I'd all but decided on the Canon Digital Rebel, but really wanted to see the more expensive Nikon D70 first. The Rebel seems to be a good all-purpose digital SLR, but the Nikon had been receiving exceptional reviews and offered all of the performance advantages and manual features that the Canon lacked.
It took visits to four different stores to even find a D70 on display (which they refused to sell to me). I'm not sure what availability is like in the US, but neither Future Shop nor Best Buy (in Canada, at least) have any in stock -- anywhere. The anticipated availability date is 6 months. The clerk relayed to me a rather fishy story about someone breaking into a Best Buy in Edmonton, stealing the camera, and leaving equivalent cash in its place.
After fiddling with the D70, the Canon definitely appeared toyish. The difference in build quality is immediately obvious between the two, with the Nikon far superior in terms of materials, feel, and appearance. Despite working out an excellent deal ($1200 CDN for camera, lens, 512 meg Compact Flash card, and tripod), I couldn't bring myself to buy the Canon.
So, for now I'll be sticking with my aging Toshiba 3310, but dreaming of the Nikon. If anyone in the US knows what availability is like in New York, New Jersey, Maine, etc., please let me know. It might be the worth the drive to pick one up.
6 comments for this entry ↓
1 D // Jun 13, 2004 at 3:21 pm
Blasphemy! Good thing my Rebel is in the other room and didn't read what you had to say! ;)
2 Andrew // Jun 13, 2004 at 8:17 pm
The D70 does indeed look like a nice camera. I haven't noticed on in the stores, but I haven't been looking. One camera that I have used and liked quite a bit is the Canon 10D, which, in my opinion, was better than the previous Nikon DSLRs. Anyway, I wish you luck on your trip and your search for a new camera.
3 dennis // Jun 13, 2004 at 8:59 pm
D: Heh, no offense intended! :)
Andrew: The D10 does look very good, as well. As do the models from Sigma. I'll definitely let you know how things work out if I finally buy something.
4 Beerzie Yoink // Jun 15, 2004 at 3:43 pm
I have not used the Nikon D70, but here is my two cents:
I have been using a Nikon Coolpx 5000 for about two years. The pictures I have gotten from it are quite excellent, but I was ready to move up to a digital SLR.
I asked my brother, who is a photojournalist, which camera I should get. He uses a Nikon D1 and D2 (provided by his employer), but he recommended I get a Canon. His reasoning was that Canon had superior lens focusing and exposure technology, which for a novice like me, makes a big difference. Still, I wasn't sure.
I tried out his D1 and was pretty pleased with the results versus the Coolpix's (go figure -- it's a $2500 rig). However, he has been shooting with Canons for years and said he preferred them hand's down. In fact, he hates the Nikons.
And because he had a couple of old lenses I could use and that would work on it, I got the Rebel. I have to say, as far as the design and usability goes -- hands down, the Rebel beats the Coolpix (again, I cannot say if the Nikon D70 is any better than the Coolpix; I suspect it is). The pictures are awesome, too. I'm happy with my purchase.
5 AndrewS // Jan 27, 2005 at 4:21 pm
Anybody know of a good place to buy the D70? I believe that they are now in stores in Canada.
6 dennis // Jan 27, 2005 at 4:47 pm
Andrew: If you're in Canada, Henry's (http://www.henrys.com) is a good bet. There are at least two stores in Ottawa and a bunch more in the GTA. The 18-70mm "kit" lens is a fantastic starter if you don't own any Nikon lenses. You can get away with buying a 512MB memory card to start.
I bought mine at Best Buy only because they were the only place that had one at the time. I wouldn't recommend them (or any other similar electronics store).
Wherever you buy it, beware of the up-sell factor. They will tell you all about additional lenses, filters, etc., etc., but the kit is good enough to get you started.
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