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cadman342001 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #1 · Which back up body ? Hi chaps, Some advice please ! I have a D300 w/grip and am looking to add a back up body. Current lens lineup: nikkor 50mm 1.8 nikkor 17-55 2.8 nikkor 70-200VR 2.8 nikkor 300 2.8 tokina 12-24 f4 sigma 180 macro At the moment I shoot birds, the odd landscape, bit of macro, kids soccer, portraits but have been asked to do friend's weddings etc. on a number of occassions so would obviously require a 2nd / back up body. The 2nd body could also be useful for birding as sometimes the 300 2.8 + 1.7TC is too close. Finances are tight so I was thinking an old used D70 or D70S would be the go but I'm not sure whether I should be looking at one of the newer cheap bodies e.g. D40,D40x, D60, D80 etc. new or used. Is the D70 upgradable to the D70S with just a firmware update ? I should also add I have graduated from the D50 to D200 to D300. The body could also be used by my wife as I'm trying to interest her in photography. I would imagine she would be using it for landscape and/or portraits. Am I right in thinking the 50mm 1.8 wouldn't work for example on the D40 as it's not AFS ? What about the other lenses ? Cheers ! any advice welcomed. Andy Oct 08, 2008 at 12:36 AM

90 5.0 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #2 · Which back up body ? I think i might look at the D40/x/60 line-up for size. It's a ton smaller and you can just throw it in your wifes purse with a kit lens on it and have it around all the time. Plus it might be easier to get used to a smaller camera for her first, but I don't know on she would know that. The 50 will owrk but will not auto focus and isn't that necessary for landscapes or portraits imo. If you think you will be using it more you might want to look at the D80 it has a ton more features and handles much more like the D300 than the 40 series. I am not sure abou the tokina or the sigma, look on the mount and see if there is a little flathead screw looking slot sticking . This is the af drive for af and af-d type lenses and you can tell that way if it's not there then they are af-s style lenses and would work with the 40 series. Hope this helps some what. Oct 08, 2008 at 02:58 AM

Avi B Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #3 · Which back up body ? D70s is a fine camera. Go for it. BTW D70 is NOT f/w upgradeable to D70s. If you didnt care about all your lenses working on it then a D40 would be a good bet too (same sensor as D70s but better JPEG engine). Oct 08, 2008 at 03:23 AM

Chris Langer Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #4 · Which back up body ? D70 might be nice but at the current prices today, is the D80 not much off from the D70? You might want to consider that. If you want a new toy and something new, D60/D90. You mention you shoot birds and have nice lenses, you could buy a D200 for a good price and it could do farely well next to your d300. Hey, you could even wait alittle bit and prob get a used D300 for cheap. Lots of possibilities. Chris Oct 08, 2008 at 03:29 AM

NikonAndy Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #5 · Which back up body ? I just sold my D70 for $200 today. So I'm sure you could find 'em pretty inexpensively. They're a great backup, too, for your current lineup Oct 08, 2008 at 03:32 AM

Chris Langer Offline Buy and Sell: On p.1 #6 · Which back up body ? NikonAndy wrote: I just sold my D70 for $200 today. So I'm sure you could find 'em pretty inexpensively. They're a great backup, too, for your current lineup Really, I sold my D50 early this year for $400. Thats shocking. Chris Oct 08, 2008 at 03:37 AM

Jammy Straub Online Image Upload: On p.1 #7 · Which back up body ? +1 for the D70 I got one with a 18-70 for $350 on the bay. They're a steal these days. Oct 08, 2008 at 04:50 AM

Taylor Barrett Online Buy and Sell: On p.1 #8 · Which back up body ? Used D80 for $400-$500 would be a better deal. Oct 08, 2008 at 05:12 AM

cadman342001 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #9 · Which back up body ? Let's not forget, I'm in australia. Prices are not as cheap as the US, esp. now that the exchange rate has shifted back so much. Not so long back an aussie dollar was almost the same as a US dollar. Now I think it's AUS$1.26 to the US $. D70 go for around $500 on ebay here with the 18-70. I have just sold an 18-70 for $250 so that would be good. I'm pretty sure the D80 goes for way more here on ebay. I like the fact that the D70 has the 2 dials for aperture and shutter speed and is cheap. Good compromise between basic camera for wife and something more pro for me and more available on ebay. Andy Oct 08, 2008 at 05:54 AM

Wingspar Offline Image Upload: On p.1 #10 · Which back up body ? A used D200 can be had for dirt cheap these days. Controls on the D200 are laid out like a D300, so it would be easier to switch back and forth if you need to. It’s nice to have two bodies with like controls. I shot with a D1H and a D2H before I got the second D2H body. Switching between the D1H and the D2H took some paying attention, as the controls were not laid out the same at all. -------- Gary Will Fly for Food Oct 08, 2008 at 06:12 AM

cadman342001 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #11 · Which back up body ? D200 - yes, that would be good as they are very similar. more expensive than D70 though but maybe worth the extra (even though I probably only have half what a d200 goes for on ebay !) Never liked the ISO performance of the D200 though TBH. My D50 seemed better. Andy Oct 08, 2008 at 06:33 AM

NikonAndy Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #12 · Which back up body ? Chris Langer wrote: NikonAndy wrote: I just sold my D70 for $200 today. So I'm sure you could find 'em pretty inexpensively. They're a great backup, too, for your current lineup Really, I sold my D50 early this year for $400. Thats shocking. Chris D50 is arguably a better camera. Having owned both, the D50 was way better at noise and color rendition. D70 was only better in that it has two dials for your aperture/shutter speed and a high flash sync. Oh, and CF cards. I sold my D50 for $350 I think earlier this year, body only. They have more worth than D70s I think. Oct 08, 2008 at 07:13 AM

panos.v Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #13 · Which back up body ? D70s, D2H, D200 depending how much money you have to spend and what features you want. Oct 08, 2008 at 08:10 AM

Scott Grant Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #14 · Which back up body ? cadman342001 wrote: D200 - yes, that would be good as they are very similar. more expensive than D70 though but maybe worth the extra (even though I probably only have half what a d200 goes for on ebay !) Never liked the ISO performance of the D200 though TBH. My D50 seemed better. Andy it may have seemed better but i can guarantee you that it isn't. i was thinking the same until i tested the D50 against the D200. i was very disapointed in the D50's performance. check the shadows shot at ISO 1600. the D50's shadows look like all hell. i use a D300 and D200 for a backup camera at weddings. in doing so 90% of the camera will function like the other except for chimping your photos which is completely different on each camera. however, you get used to the two functioning differently in this regard. also, as a bonus i find skin tones coming out of the D200 are better than the D300. Oct 08, 2008 at 02:51 PM

gt_me_jon Offline Image Upload: On p.1 #15 · Which back up body ? I'll put in another vote for the D40. I think the processing engine in the camera is a notch above the D70s. The D40 was the last camera Nikon made using the 6mp sensor, and I think they were able to juice the last bits of performance possible from it in the D40. I will say that the D70s feels better in my hands, but the D40 is not objectionable at all. Even though it is small, it's still very comfortable and usable. I have shot with the 17-55 on the D40 and the 70-200 on a D300, and that combo is quite capable without having to worry about switching lenses. You end up really supporting the lens on the D40 and kind of just balance the camera with your shooting hand, but it works surprisingly well. It's also a great beginner camera without an overwhelming amount of features, and it has the high sync speed like the D70(s) as well. You'll lose that with the D40x or D60 bodies. Oct 08, 2008 at 04:08 PM

dj dunzie Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #16 · Which back up body ? If you are using it as a lighter travel type setup, I'd personally opt for the D40 rather than the D70. If you are going to require the few extra tweaks the D70 has on the D40, you'll know. Personally I prefer the D40 (I owned several D70-series cameras and now have a D40 as a 3rd camera) for the more updated feel and menu/LCD, but YMMV that's for sure. The D40 is far underrated for image quality too, and better at higher ISO's by a good margin. If you honestly intend on using the backup/2nd body for birding and that type of thing, I'd be looking instead for a used D200 or D80 as they both have significantly better AF performance than the D70 or D40 - although not anywhere near your D300. Oct 09, 2008 at 12:13 AM

cadman342001 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #17 · Which back up body ? Thanks for all the advice guys, I picked up an as new D80 18mths old for $600. Andy Oct 09, 2008 at 10:42 PM

Wingspar Offline Image Upload: On p.1 #18 · Which back up body ? cadman342001 wrote: Thanks for all the advice guys, I picked up an as new D80 18mths old for $600. You made a quick decision. I know nothing about the D80, but after seeing you picked up a used one for $600, I was curious as to what they sold for new, so I took a peek at B&H, and see they have brand new ones in stock with free shipping for $ 569.95. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449061-REG/Nikon_25412_D80_SLR_Digital_Camera.html Hope it works well for you. I’ve received my D300 since I posted in this thread, and while the controls look like they are laid out like the D200, many of the buttons on the left have completely different functions than they do on a D200. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s causing some confusion, but chances are I won’t be using them together much anyway. The D200 will probably go up for sale once I’m comfortable with the D300. -------- Gary Will Fly for Food... and more Nikon stuff Oct 09, 2008 at 11:17 PM

cadman342001 Offline Image Upload: Off p.1 #19 · Which back up body ? Hey mate, So, you noticed that I don't live in the U.S. right ? Does that free shipping from B&H include shipping to Australia ? $569 ? that's US dollars right ? In Australian dollars that equals A$836. I paid $530 US dollars = $787 Australian dollars. The new price of a D80 here is approx. AUS $1050. It is a bummer actually because until recently the AUS $ was almost equal to the US $ but now $1 US = $1.47 AUS ! You noticed also that I may be able to encourage my wife to take up photography at some level. Do you think a D200 would be good for that ? I would have liked a D200 but they go for silly money here used on fleabay. The D300 is an awesome camera, enjoy. you'll soon get used to the slightly altered controls. I did and think they are much better IMO (I upgraded from the D200 to the D300). I think this cos I actually use them now whereas on the D200 I never did ! Andy Wingspar wrote: cadman342001 wrote: Thanks for all the advice guys, I picked up an as new D80 18mths old for $600. You made a quick decision. I know nothing about the D80, but after seeing you picked up a used one for $600, I was curious as to what they sold for new, so I took a peek at B&H, and see they have brand new ones in stock with free shipping for $ 569.95. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/449061-REG/Nikon_25412_D80_SLR_Digital_Camera.html Hope it works well for you. I’ve received my D300 since I posted in this thread, and while the controls look like they are laid out like the D200, many of the buttons on the left have completely different functions than they do on a D200. I wasn’t expecting that. It’s causing some confusion, but chances are I won’t be using them together much anyway. The D200 will probably go up for sale once I’m comfortable with the D300. -------- Gary Will Fly for Food... and more Nikon stuff Oct 09, 2008 at 11:40 PM

Wingspar Offline Image Upload: On p.1 #20 · Which back up body ? cadman342001 wrote: So, you noticed that I don't live in the U.S. right ? Does that free shipping from B&H include shipping to Australia ? $569 ? that's US dollars right ? In Australian dollars that equals A$836. Whoops. No I didn’t notice you were from Australia. My bad. Sorry about that. Can’t say what would be a good camera for your wife since I don’t know her. The D200 is certainly a nice camera, and I think I’ll have a hard time parting with it. I had no trouble parting with my D100 when I bought the D200. I know I’ll get used to the controls on the D300. I just wasn’t expecting it. Part of the fun of a new camera is getting to know it. -------- Gary Will Fly for Food... and more Nikon stuff Oct 09, 2008 at 11:56 PM

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