Canon 20D -VS- Nikon D70S

[J Gontesky]

I'm currently planning on purchasing either the Canon 20D or the Nikon D70S and would love to gather as much input on these two as possible. I've researched them extensively online and have been tending toward the Canon, although I just came across a great deal on the Nikon (~$1k for the body and 18-55mm lens or ~$1200 for both of those with an additional lens that goes up to 200mm) whereas the Canon would run me in excess of $1500 for the body and necessary lenses.

Has anyone worked with both and has a preference one way or another?

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

I'd suggest going to a camera store and handholding them... which feels more comfortable? Keep in mind the replacement for the 20D is already on the shelves (30D). Pretty much same camera, it just has more user friendly options. Look at what choices you have for glass down the road. Either way, both cameras will produce great prints. I'm a fan of Canon for image quality (low noise for long exposures/high ISO). Nikon probably has them beat slightly for user friendliness.


Aaron

 

[Mark Farnik]

I have a Nikon D70S and I can say that am truly and absolutely in love with it. I've already taken over 600 photos with it just in the first 4 months I've had it. My parents bought it for me for my sixteenth birthday. i thought about a Digital Rebel XT as well as the 20D, but the Digital Rebel was way too small for my big hands and the 20D (back in December) was out of reach of my parent's budget, so I got the body, 28-80mm and 70-300mm lenses, some lense filters, a semi soft carrying case, and a five year Mack extended warranty for just over $1200 from Cameta Cameras (Ebay power seller). They were great to work with and I recieved the camera in a week with no problems whatsoever. They had a wide selection of other DSLR's including 20D's. and their pricing was near or better than pretty much every other camera retailer on the net B) (excluding the skanky ones run by the Mob wops and you can't trust them as far as you can throw them; I dealt with two of those outfits before I found Cameta Cameras :angry: ).
The D70S and 20D are fairly proportionate in size and features. I found the D70S to be more intuitive than the 20D. Your choice, but the D70S is a really fantastic camera and still a very solid player in the DSLR market. Don't forget that if you're going to get a DSLR, it will be cheaper to stay with the brand of the one you buy now in the future, so you will just have to buy new camera bodies and not have to buy both a new body and new lenses every time you want to upgrade.

 

[Hank Baker]

This is a good question and has been anquished over a trillion times. I would pick up a used D70 for about 600.00 and put a lens on it for about a 100.00 if your on a tight budget. There is no difference in the D70 and D70s except the lcd screen size of 1.8 or 2.0.

Also canon is about to release the 30d which is lowering the prices of the 20D, used 20d are about 900.00 now. the new 30d will be 1399.00 for a new body.

I believe overall the most camera for the buck is the Nikon D200, 1600.00 range. If your not in that range then you wont go wrong with either the D70s or the 20D. The canon is like driving a Lexus, the Nikon like driving a Humvee. It depends on which egronomics you like better.

 

[Kurt Silvey]

I agree with most of what everyone has said above. It basically comes down to which one feels right to you. I have used the Cannon Digital Rebel at work and thought it was a very good camera. I never had any issues and from the pictures posted on this board you can see what a great job it does. But, I recently acquired a D70 for myself and am really impressed with it. The size and functionality just seem to work better for me. I think Nikon has a better selection of lens in the lower price range. The 18-55, and the 18-70 both will do a pretty decent job for not a lot of money. I would highly recommend going to a camera store and putting your hands on both, just to see which one fits you. I think Hank’s Lexus / Hummer analogy is very fitting.

 

[Andrew Khan]

Glass IS the most important thing, really. The D70s, is probably much more comfortable in the grip/handling but, the 20D has an awsome grip on it, plus you can get the BG-E2 grip as an add on for vertical shooting with a shutter button there two. The 20D is great for low light situation, and is as well for sports photography. The D70s I have heard is not much better than the D70 and has noise problems....the 20D is excellent with long exposures and noise control.

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

I'd suggest going to a camera store and handholding them... which feels more comfortable? Keep in mind the replacement for the 20D is already on the shelves (30D). Pretty much same camera, it just has more user friendly options. Look at what choices you have for glass down the road. Either way, both cameras will produce great prints. I'm a fan of Canon for image quality (low noise for long exposures/high ISO). Nikon probably has them beat slightly for user friendliness.
Aaron
[/b]

Just a heads up that if you get a 30D, Photoshop is yet to support the RAW files that come out of that camera. Not sure when they'll support it, but since I love Photoshop I would never buy a camera that made files that Photoshop couldn't read.

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Just a heads up that if you get a 30D, Photoshop is yet to support the RAW files that come out of that camera. Not sure when they'll support it, but since I love Photoshop I would never buy a camera that made files that Photoshop couldn't read.
[/b]

It's a non issue....

http://avondale.typepad.com/rawformat/2006...icial_phot.html

Same deal when 20D came out. You can use the unoffical hack until the "official" patch comes out.

Aaron

 

[Andrew Khan]

I've held both, and I think they both feel similair, the D70s a tad bit more comfortable in the hand, the 20D is not by any means uncomfortable...but with the BG-E2 Battery Grip it is a dream.

http://www.canon.co.jp/Imaging/eos30d/index.html
http://www.photo.net/equipment/canon/30D/
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06022114canoneos30d.asp
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/eos_30d-review/ <-----Has tests with it already!

I would LOVE that HUGE LCD screen on the 30D, and the spot metering, but the upgrade just doesn't seem like it has to many things different than the 20D, so I don't think I will be doing it...if I did it would be perhaps the 5D or 1Ds.....

PS: Something to consider a plus with the 20D/30D VS. the 350D is the magnesium body under the plastic grip, which is great for protection...if you drop a 350D...it's pretty much gone.

 

[J Gontesky]

After a great deal of research and thought, I've decided to go with Canon. Additionally, I'm going to take that extra step to the new 30D.

After checking out my purchasing options, I'm contemplating RitzCamera.com for the order. It is available with the 18-55mm lens for $1499, no tax and free shipping...so a true $1499.

My last question is this: Has anyone had ANY experience with RitzCamera.com, good or bad? Thanks again to all those who posted valuable input.

 

[Greg Campbell]

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1274.html :unsure:

Save yourself some grief and visit http://www.bhphotovideo.com or http://www.newegg.com/

I understand that the 'kit' lens may not worth the extra $100; you might be better off getting a basic 50/1.8 and saving for better glass. Just a thought...

-Greg

 

[Ryan McGinnis]

After a great deal of research and thought, I've decided to go with Canon. Additionally, I'm going to take that extra step to the new 30D.

After checking out my purchasing options, I'm contemplating RitzCamera.com for the order. It is available with the 18-55mm lens for $1499, no tax and free shipping...so a true $1499.

My last question is this: Has anyone had ANY experience with RitzCamera.com, good or bad? Thanks again to all those who posted valuable input.
[/b]

RitzCamera is great if you want to get ripped off. The rule of thumb is this: if a company will sell you the camera for significantly less than what B&H or Adorama will sell it for, it's a scam. Every time.

I personally prefer B&H. Their customer service is almost hard to describe. I recently had an 7-month-long issue with a third party extended warranty (one of those Mack Camera warranties) that I purchased through them almost five years ago. (The issue was that the warranty company was taking 7 months to repair my lens!) They don't run the warranty service any more than they make the cameras that they sell, so really any issue I had with the warranty they weren't obligated to handle. However, when I contacted B&H about the issues I was having with the warranty company, a higherup in the company heard my complaint and contacted the warranty company. A day later, my problem was resolved. That's service!

BTW, ditto on the kit lens. It's absoloute garbage. I wouldn't buy one new for $20, let alone $100, unless I was going to unload it on someone on Ebay for profit. You're better off getting a Rebel XT and then using the money you would have used to get the 20D and purchasing a couple nice lenses. The 17-40 f.4L would be a great start and would be all that you'd need (storm photography wise) for a while. I rarely use the telephoto with storm photography; it's only useful if you see a tornado like 7 miles away and want it to fill the frame.

 

[J Gontesky]

Thank you very much again for all the great info. I certainly won't be going with RitzCamera!

I'm likely going to go with B&H.

But before I do, it looks like a little more research into the lens options is in order. I'm not all that familiar with the options that are out there, but would welcome more input on a good starter lens. Since I'm dropping quite a chunk on the camera, I'm looking to start out with a fairly low-cost, but decent quality lens. I won't be spending a grand, but just need something to get started with this camera. Brands/models, etc... Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks again. Hopefully you all will be the beneficiaries of some late spring chases in the form of photos I can post here with the new equipment.

 

[Kurt Silvey]

If you looking for a quick delivery, you may want to place your order soon, as B&H will be closing for holidays from 4/12 till 4/21.

 

[J Gontesky]

If you looking for a quick delivery, you may want to place your order soon, as B&H will be closing for holidays from 4/12 till 4/21.
[/b]

Whoa - thanks for the heads-up!