Old D70user.net member back into the hobby

[striking]

Hi all,

I used to frequent this site when it was D70users. After my gear was stolen (Mamiya RB 67) I purchased a D70, but lost the love a little and missed that sweet grain and clarity of 50 ISO velvia film

While I was in Hong Kong, I purchased a New Nikon D90 and swapped the kit lens for the AF-s Nikor 18-200 VRII DX ED and the 1.8 nikor 50mm prime.

The gear has renewed my love for the hobby.

Time to dust off the old Monitor spyder and install Aperture and learn the trick of the trade of Post processing!

I have chucked my D70 and kit lens on Ebay, but wondering if I should sell the body only and keep the lens?

[gstark]

Welcome back.

I'd sell the body and grab a D7000.

[striking]

Sell the D70 body or the D90?

[Mr Darcy]

Both probably, but you will probably have to give the D70 away.

I would also seriously consider Lightroom over Aperture. I have both and can't remember the last time I fired up Aperture. The only thing Aperture gives you over LR is face recognition, & that is mostly a gimmick. I have seen some very strange results. Oh and Geotagging, but there is a plug in to remedy that.

[striking]

My D90 is only 4 days old... Will I really gain that much more by selling it now and upgrading to the d7000?

Would I not be better to wait and upgrade to the D9000 or whatever replaces the D7000 in a few years?

Chris O

[Mr Darcy]

Hint: the new website is http://www.dslrusers.com
.net works, but it doesn't remember your login, and makes me forget mine as well. Don't know why, but it does.

As for the camera. I don't have either, but all reports say that the D7000 is a VERY nice bit of kit, especially for the money. I had a quick play with the D7000 but didn't like the ergonomics. I decided to wait for the D400 instead. Its been a LOOOONG time coming. Probably a mistake on my part.

[the foto fanatic]

Greg is right as regards the D70. You won't attract too much attention if you list that because the technology has shifted by a fair margin.

However, some people are converting them to IR bodies. I don't know the cost, but if you search here and on Google I'm sure you'll find out easily enough.

My point is that you may be interested in doing that rather than selling it. Or, if you do sell it, perhaps advertising it as "IR ready".

Glad to have you back.

[striking]

Trevor,

I have read a few posts about people doing the IR conversion, and I must admit, it did spark a thought. I'll have to read up on it before I decide to pull it from ebay.

I am still not sold that it is worth upgrading from the D90 to the D7000. I think my best approach will be to start collecting some FX lenses and eventually upgrade to an FX body.

Unless someone can really sell the idea of selling my D90 body to upgrade to D7000 body so soon. The D90 is already a huge set from my D70.

Chris O

[striking]

Both probably, but you will probably have to give the D70 away.

I would also seriously consider Lightroom over Aperture. I have both and can't remember the last time I fired up Aperture. The only thing Aperture gives you over LR is face recognition, & that is mostly a gimmick. I have seen some very strange results. Oh and Geotagging, but there is a plug in to remedy that.

Mr Darcy, I agree faces is a gimmick, I don't mind the idea of geo tagging though. However it is not a requirement. I have downloaded the 30 day triral for LR3, but I need to spend some more time with it, I find aperture easy to use and the non destructive brushes are simple!

I have very little experience with PP work as I used to shoot slide. I understand the concept of shooting in RAW I just don't know how to process photos yet with PP

[gstark]

My D90 is only 4 days old... Will I really gain that much more by selling it now and upgrading to the d7000?

My question now is why did you buy the D90?

I understand that you acquired in HKG, but the deal would want to have been very attractive to make it a choice over even the D3100, let alone the D7000.

May we please have some insight into your thoughts on this?

Would I not be better to wait and upgrade to the D9000 or whatever replaces the D7000 in a few years?

Well, nothing has been announced, and the release cycle of Nikon seems to have slowed a little. I'm seeing lots of people talking about various new, unannounced possible models, but historically, Nikon's model range has been a very solidly based upon the engineering within their designs, with long model lives. I'm wondering if we are now seeing a slowdown in the new model release cycle, as the products are now starting to mature and the development process yields become less significant?

But basically, and I mean no offence by this, the D90 is quite an old model camera. Still a very competent one, but the D7000 outclasses it in pretty well every corner.

Let's talk about your skillset for a moment, because that is where the real answer will lie: Do you feel that you have sufficient areas of growth available within the D90's featureset, and that you won't be outgrowing it in 18 months or so? And do you feel that you won't become frustrated by the absence of having the D7000's features available to you?

To be perfectly honest, the answer tho that second question, for me, is a yes, and I'm using a D300, so go and figure that one out!

You are the only person with the knowledge to answer those questions, and the only person whose opinion really matters in terms of the answers and decisions in these questions is, of course, you.

[striking]

Gstark,

To answer the question honestly, I bought the D90 with out first researching. I asked the sales rep at the camera store for a replacement to a Nikon D70.

He showed me the D3100, D5100 and D90. I chose the D90 because it can autofocus manual af lenses, which increases me lens choices.

I did not look at the D7000, though they did have the model available, Given the naming convention I was used to D40-D80, the D90 seemed like the logical choice.

I did not like the 3100 though the 5100 was better.

In hindsight, knowing what I know now, I would probably have chosen the D7000.

Having not picked up a camera in a few years for serious photos, I will probably need a good 6-12 months to find my way again I am sure.

I purchased the D90 and 18-200mm VR II for 13280 HKD $1765 AUD - I am not sure how that compares with local prices or what a similar setup would cost with the D7000...

If it is viable to sell both bodies and by 1 D7000 body, then I may just do that...

[gstark]

He showed me the D3100, D5100 and D90. I chose the D90 because it can autofocus manual af lenses, which increases me lens choices.

By manual af lenses, I'm presuming that you mean lenses without the built in motor, and that's a reasonable point, and especially if you have some legacy glass. I think it's fair to say though that any new glass (as in newly developed, as distinct from older development but still newly purchased) will be AFS.

I did not like the 3100 though the 5100 was better.

Correct, with the 7000 being a further step up in the food chain.

In hindsight, knowing what I know now, I would probably have chosen the D7000.

Having not picked up a camera in a few years for serious photos, I will probably need a good 6-12 months to find my way again I am sure.

As I said earlier, the fact that the D90 is an older camera doesn't diminish its capabilities at all. It's still a damn good camera, but it's just that the technology is starting to show its age ...

If it can present you with sufficient learning challenges for 18-24 months, then it should be ok; the D7000, being newer technology though, is simply more future proof.

I purchased the D90 and 18-200mm VR II for 13280 HKD $1765 AUD - I am not sure how that compares with local prices or what a similar setup would cost with the D7000...

Ok, with the glass, that's probably at the higher end of the scale, and especially for HKG. Still, you have it now, so I'd probably just take it out and shoot.

[Steffen]

If it can present you with sufficient learning challenges for 18-24 months, then it should be ok; the D7000, being newer technology though, is simply more future proof.

And who knows, in 18-24 months there may be a D7100 to jump to. Actually, I think that's quite likely.

Cheers
Steffen.

[Mr Darcy]

If it can present you with sufficient learning challenges for 18-24 months, then it should be ok; the D7000, being newer technology though, is simply more future proof.

And who knows, in 18-24 months there may be a D7100 to jump to. Actually, I think that's quite likely.

Cheers
Steffen.

I wouldn't be too sure of that. It may be the Earthquake, or it may be the maturity of the product, but the timeline for new models seems to have stretched of late.

[who]

On your other question - if your 18-70 kit lens is still in good condition - it could be worth keeping as they are reputed as being very sharp.....

But it is still a slower zoom lens, similar to the 18-200 in that regard. I got sick of my first version 18-200VR and don't use it now. Currently playing with either the 50mm prime or 80-400VR on my D200..... very rarely.

Usually grab my wifes D3100 and 18-55 kit lens to grab toddler photos.

[striking]

Who,

Yeah the kit lens of the D70 was a great lens given it was supplied as a kit, and most reviews gave it solid marks for performance.

However, I don't think it is any sharper than the 18-200 - also reviewed as a great all round lens.

I typically play with the 50mm 1.8 AF (older version to the new AF-s 50mm) which is my favourite lens at the moment.

I had a look at the D7000 - thankfully, I didn't really like its ergonomics. One other thing I noticed, when shooting on CL or CH the colour and exposure shifted between each shot... is this a common problem? this was all try for the Cannon equivalent, this does not occur on the D90...

[aim54x]

If it can present you with sufficient learning challenges for 18-24 months, then it should be ok; the D7000, being newer technology though, is simply more future proof.

And who knows, in 18-24 months there may be a D7100 to jump to. Actually, I think that's quite likely.

Cheers
Steffen.

I wouldn't be too sure of that. It may be the Earthquake, or it may be the maturity of the product, but the timeline for new models seems to have stretched of late.

Yes the product lifecycles seem to have stretched a fair bit lately.

[PiroStitch]

I've only glanced at some of the replies so please excuse me if I've covered old ground.

Firstly, why do you need to sell the D70? It still takes better than decent images given decent glass plus it'll come in handy as a backup.

Secondly, unless you're going to follow Nikon's recent gaffe of an advice, go out there and shoot with the kit you have. Use the gear and explore until it constantly limits your creativity.

The D90 is between the D70 and D7000 when it comes to technology age and development but it won't hinder you in anyway.

[striking]

PiroStitch,


Your response did not cover old ground, thanks for posting.

I considered keeping the D70 and either using it as a backup body, (however that blows the excuse of buying a new body if the D90 dies...) Or alternatively converting it to an IR body, for something creative. Selling it simply allows me to subsidise the purchase of the D90... But looking around on ebay, I am likely to only get 300 for the body and kit lens combo... hardly worth the trouble.

I am not a pro and always careful with my gear, so it is not likely my D90 will be damaged in the field...