Fuji FinePix S700 vs Nikon D70?

[Sebastian]

First and foremost, you can not even compare the two. Image quality will be better on the SLR simply due to the larger sensor. Bigger pixels equal better pixels, whcih add up to be a better quality image.

Now, the lenses..."D" series means that the lens transmits distance information to the camera. Almost all the AF lenses are D lenses, all new ones are, and many have been for years. That is all it means, there is no quality difference between D and non-D lenses, the D lenses just transmit the extra info for marginally better flash calculations. Now the sensor on the Nikon DSLRS is smaller than a 35mm frame, so it crops off the edges of the image the lens creates. This lets you use the center of the lens for most of the image, and the center is always the best performing area of a lens, as sharpness and light both fall off towards the edges with a lot of lenses.

Now you seem to be on a tight budget...The Slr will cost you the body, a new flash because the only compatible flashes are the SB800/SB600 andRAW software if you want to use it, and you would want to use it if you want highest quality. That means you're looking at 1500 dollars already, not counting any other upgrades to computers or software.

I suggest you sell some photos before you worry about getting hardware good enough to maybe sell photos soemtime down the line. A good rpint can be made from many diferetn cameras, work on your skills and vision and only upgrade when you really need it.

[PuckJunkey]

Pretty much what Seb said. The bottom line is, even if the sensors were equal, there is no way the glass would be. A DSLR will always beat out fixed lens cameras... especially ones with big focal ratios (28-200mm type deals).