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  1. #1
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    Nikon D70 good for me?

    I have the opportunity to buy a Nikon D70. I will be shooting theatre.

    Mainly plays and musicals with dance thrown in every now and then. Hence why I need really good low light capabilities. At times I will also need to shoot in bright conditions. Movement will also range from stills to well...dance. I know lenses will play a factor in this hence why I read I need the 50mm with 1.8f under these conditions. I will be shooting from 5'-30' away. Mainly in the middle of that range.

    What should I expect to pay for this with basic kit it came with from store. It is 6 years old. (If there is a better sub $800 camera out there let me know) Thanks for help. If I get this look for me more often.

  2. #2
    Be serious Franglais's Avatar
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    Re: Nikon D70 good for me?

    Quote Originally Posted by nate1714
    I have the opportunity to buy a Nikon D70. I will be shooting theatre.

    Mainly plays and musicals with dance thrown in every now and then. Hence why I need really good low light capabilities. At times I will also need to shoot in bright conditions. Movement will also range from stills to well...dance. I know lenses will play a factor in this hence why I read I need the 50mm with 1.8f under these conditions. I will be shooting from 5'-30' away. Mainly in the middle of that range.

    What should I expect to pay for this with basic kit it came with from store. It is 6 years old. (If there is a better sub $800 camera out there let me know) Thanks for help. If I get this look for me more often.
    Hummm. Difficult to give a simple answer. Let me stick to the cameras I have actually owned.

    The D70 is better than film at low ISO but by today's standards its low ISO performance is poor. It won't go beyond 1600 ISO which is the bare minimum for what you want, and at 1600 ISO there is visible noise - actually it's not unpleasant, I rather liked the D70. I gave it away to my sister who just sold it to buy a megazoom point-and-shoot (sigh). Make sure you get the D70 with the 18-70mm DX lens that is one of the best lenses I have ever owned.

    However in the low-cost arena the D70 has one advantage - it is fully compatible with AF-D lenses which are easy to find second-hand. I use a 50mm f1.8 and a 85mm f1.8 for some stage performances or else the 80-200 f2.8 (see my gallery)

    The more recent low-end bodies have better sensors and image processors so the low-ISO performance is better. The D40/D40x/D60/D3000 all go up to 3200 ISO and the D5000 goes up to 6400 ISO. I have the D60 and the image quality at 3200 ISO is remarkable - better than the D70 at 1600 ISO.

    However the low-end bodies don't autofocus with AF-D lenses. For low light with the D60 I use the 35mm f1.8 AF-S, which has the same "normal" view as a 50mm on 24x36mm film. It's good for views of the stage as a whole but you can't do closeups.

    The ideal solution is to be able to use the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm but this may go over your budget. The D200 (=D80) had better low ISO performance than the D70 but the D300 (=D90) is the best. 3200 ISO looks completely normal and I can push it to 6400 ISO if I need to.
    Charles

    Nikon D800, D7200, Sony RX100m3
    Not buying any more gear this year. I hope

  3. #3
    n8
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    Re: Nikon D70 good for me?

    As is the case with most threads like this, I'd recommend a d90 with your budget. It should be easy to find a body for your budget, if not less, and 2/3 of the lenses Charles is recommending are relatively cheap ($100-200 for the 50mm and 35mm respectively). Since you'll want a short tele, I'd say go for the 50mm first.
    mostly Nikon gear

    Feel free to edit my images for critique, just let me know what you did.

  4. #4
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    Re: Nikon D70 good for me?

    Thanks for the help I have now shifted my focus to be between nikon d5000 vs canon t1i vs nikon d90. I am more leaning toward the canon or d90.

  5. #5
    Be serious Franglais's Avatar
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    Re: Nikon D70 good for me?

    D5000 is one of the low-end bodies that won't autofocus with AF-D lenses. It also has a small viewfinder so you can't see what you're doing. The Ti1 also has a small viewfinder - it's an entry-level model too.

    Go for the D90. Great viewfinder, great low ISO performance, accepts all Nikon lenses except the older manual focus type. Even does video.
    Charles

    Nikon D800, D7200, Sony RX100m3
    Not buying any more gear this year. I hope

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