Help regarding Nikon D70S or Rebel XT

[sarju]

I have to buy a DSLR in 44 hours and I am still contemplating whether I should go for D70S or Rebel XT

<b>My intended use</b> I plan to go on some treks in the Himalayas this summer and want to indulge in lots of <i>low light and night photography</i>. Mountain peaks in the moonlight, star trails, Photography inside the monastaries (low light conditions) and also some people photography.

If you could let me know your views or some readings on internet that can guide me on the pros and cons of both cameras, it will be greatly appreciated.
I also wanted to know the big differences between the sensors. CMOS <i>(used by Canon)</i> and CCD <i>(used by Nikon)</i>. I don't want to buy a very expensive camera either so more expensive cameras are out of consideration.

I might not be able to charge the batteries of the camera for two weeks at stretch as I intend to travel to very remote areas without electricity, so I have to consider the expenses on batteries too.

Your feedback would be greatly appreicated folks ..... have a good day and the weekend.

Hugs for everyone .. and thanks in advance for your feedback
ciao .... Sarju

[mlopes]

Hey Man ;))))))))))) what's UP? ;)

I think this dicussion will be eternal, but in one point everyone seems to agree, Canon delivers far better results about digital noise, i think that for low light photography and indoors you will be better equiped with the XT because noise will be a problem.

Everything else will be scored as a draw, except:
- Prices of the lens
- Capability of "tunning" your camera with the battery grip
- more for less, XT is cheaper and i think it will give you more for your money.

LENS:
The XT will be delivered with the basic 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens, this is not a good option for nightshots (3.5 maximum apperture is not enought), so if you can afford buy a 2.8 zoom, or you can buy the 50mm f/1.8 ... it's a 100$ cheapie ;)

[PixelTerror]

44 hours, sounds like hurry my friend ;-)

Low light and night ? Go Rebel unless you want to buy a Nikon D200. Don't forget the tripod and the RC1 remote control.

And for the monasteries I would suggest investing in a prime luminous lens, for example Sigma 24mm or 30mm in addition to an all purpose zoom like the Sigma 18-200. Count € 300 for each lens. Despite its bargain price under € 100 I did not mention the Canon 50mm f/1.8 because it becomes a 80mm when mounted on the Rebel and this is often too long.

Reviews are plentiful, begin reading on DPReview for cameras, then look at FredMiranda and SLRGear for lenses.
And before you buy anything, go check the camera in a shop to find out if its ergonomy suits you, very important too.

Happy Shopping, JY

[sarju]

Hola Mario and Allo Jean Yves

Thanks for your feedback guys.
Actually there is this nine hour online sale at one canadian store from where I am planning to buy the camera. (it is 15% off on all the electronic equipment) ... that is the reason why I am in a bit of hurry to buy DSLR.

Mario ... about the noise in D70, I am not very convinced that it is better than the Rebel XT. My impression is based on this page in <a href="http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/page14.asp", target="_blank">DP Review</a>.
I would have gone for D70, but I hate the fact that it does not have an ISO setting of 100. It starts from ISO 200. :-(

If you compare noise level at ISO 200 for Rebel XT and Nikon D70, the differnce is kind of minmal. But if you compare noise level of XT at ISO 100 and D70 at ISO 200, XT does come out as a winner by all means. (the best possible options for both the cameras)

The things I like about D70 are its many other options for flash photography and so many other things to play with (grid lines, light metering, dynamic focus). D70 also has much more variable ISO settings as compared to XT.

anyways I am still confused, but I guess if I want to buy a camera with limited budget I will have to make some compromises.

Thanks again for your feedback ... I really appreciated it a lot.
Have a good weekend
cheers .... Sarju

[sarju]

hey I forgot to tell you that tomorrow I am moving to a new house in Quebec. There is a lot of Portuguese community in my neighbourhood.

And another thing ... for the world cup, I will be cheering for Portugal as me and my friend plan to go to Montreal to watch some games in Portuguese pubs.
How are things at your end bro ....
have a good weekend and thanks for the feedback
ciao .... sarju

[rosiegirl]

Hi Sarju.
I have the Rebel XT and it works pretty good. Low light can be a bit of a problem though. Like tonight- I just got back from a Cinco De Mayo party in the park and at around 7:30, taking photos became much more difficult. I tried all sorts of settings, but I can't stand the way flash looks, so I just had to kind of give up. But keep in mind that it was A LOT of movement going on- circling skirts, dancing horses, Mexican roping, etc... If you're thinking still shots in low light, I'm sure you could do it no problem. Over all its a nice camera. I know nothing about the D70S, but I thought I let you know about the Rebel. I also haven't figured out all the bells and whistles- so its probably even better than I know. Hope you have fun going camera shopping.


Rosie

[PixelTerror]

Happy Moving Sarju, my new cyberfriend in QC :-)

Rosie, low light is one Canon strength, just move up the ISO, you can go up to 800 and keep quality decent, even 1600 with a bit of PP is acceptable.

[cam]

Hi Sarju
Welcome to Quebec,that must be Hull or the Ottawa area.
So you are getting closer to me.
I can not answer to your question,as I did not work with either camera,I admit having a biais towards Canon.
Sorry,but I used this thread as a means to say hello,it has been a long time.
Good weekend
Charles

[sarju]

Allo Charles
I am very happy to hear from you, infact I am very touched by your gesture.
You are right about Hull. My new house is only two km from where I am staying right now but it is in QC. It is very close to the Museuem of civilisations.
you have a good weekend too, i hope the weather is good in your part, over here it is raining today.
ciao .... sarju

[cam]

Hi Sarju
It is raining also here,that is why I am at the computer.
Close to the civilization museum!Well,it is my destination once or twice a year,I will surely call you next time if you do not see any problem with this.
When are you leaving for India?
I wish you a good trekking in the Himallayas,and I admit a little bit of envy.
Well,I am preparing a trip to France this summer with my two daughters,their first trip to Europe for them.We are going 2 weeks in the massif central and 1 week in Paris.Should be fun for them.

Good WE to you
Amitié et à bientôt
Charles

[sarju]

HI Guys
thanks everybody for the advice. Unfortunately, I was not able to buy the camera this weekend as I was way too busy with so many other things.
Yesterday I moved to Hull in Quebec, and I am loving this new place. People seem to be so much more lively and friendlier. I was kind of mad at myself for not making this move three years ago ... lols
I love the fact that I can buy beer and wine at depaneaur, and the girls are so much more prettier .... yes, for me it is like heaven ... lols.
Thanks a lot people, I will eventually buy camera and I will keep your advice in my mind
cheers .... sarju

[david]

http://www.dpreview.com

the best site online for camera information ... they have a 10 page full review (with sample pictures) for most cameras. the information is unbiased and very high quality.

definitely worth checking out.

cheers

david

[mlopes]

Hi Sarju,
that's what i've said... D70 is lot worse in noise levels than canon... canon is the only entry dslr capable of dealing with noise up to 1600 (still a bit shitty in 1600).

You better be supporting portugal :D or else i have to go there and spank you :P

[andrewgg]

I am delighted with my Canon 350D at 1600 ISO in most situations, and don't know of any other camera at this price that can compete. You can also use the noise reduction feature of some programs to improve results even more. I'm generally very happy with the noise filter in Photoshop CS2, but for those few shots where it is more noticeable, I've had even better results with Breeze Browser RAW comverter, although the version that I've got won't batch convert, and it's a pain waiting for each one to process before clicking on the next, so I normally use the CS2 RAW converter, except for those special cases.

The main point here, though, is to remind you that you can improve the already excellent high ISO performance of this camera even more.

Andrew.

[sarju]

Hi Folks

I would like to give a litle update on my side about the camera as all of you have been pretty helpful.

<b>I got a 350D on a two week trial</b>, and so far I am pretty happy with it. I like the performance of 350D at high ISO as the <b>noise levels are pretty low</b> (I believe that noise is much better than the D70S).

One thing I would like to point out is that although many people say that XT is cheaper than D70S, I really don't agree with it as the lens you get with D70S is far better than the kit lens of 350D.
According to my limited knowledge, although D70S has presumably sharper pictures and colours, I think if you shoot in RAW with 350D and do some PP on the photos, 350D is pretty good.

Few <b>things that I still desire from D70S</b> would be its light metering capabilities. I find 350D a bit labour intensive when you want to get the right exposure.
D70S also has a better auto focussing performance,
but since I generally indulge in landscape or slow shutter speed photography, that thing does not appeal to me much. And finally D70S is a good option when it comes to flash photography.

But I really like the fact that <b>350D performs better at low low light conditions</b> and that is what matters a lot to me.
Now if I can make up my mind on which lenses to buy for 350D, I think I will stick with this camera. With Nikon, i know which lenses I needed. but with Canon, I have to do my readings and start from pretty much square one.

Thanks a lot for your feedback guys.
It would have been a very tough decision for me without your help
cheers ..... sarju

PS: If I stick with 350D, I would like to buy one prime and one zoom lens with a budget of 1000 dollors for both