Okay so I'm pretty sure I'm going to make the switch over to Canon, I have a D70 kit with 70-300mm, I love it. But I need something for bigger prints and more detail and a faster shutter actuation speed, there is a little bit of a lag between actuation and shot. Is the 20D better for the job, of motorsports and sports photography?
The other question is the asking price, or trade value?
Well thats kind of what I'm asking do you think it's a good idea? 20D is faster than the D70, 8mp over 6mp, heard nothing but good things from the reviews of the 20D.
Well, you don't have a ton of nikon glass so the switch should be pretty easy. I'd pick up a used 20d on this forum the fall around 1200-1300. I see D70s go for around $1000 with the kit lens. Plus I think you'll like how the 20d fits in your hand.
The 20D has no discernable shutter lag. It also has good high iso qualities which'll be nice for your sports shots.
As far as detail, I think the biggest problem is your lens lineup. I'm sure if you picked up some faster nikkor zooms, you would definitely see a major improvement. If you buy a 20D with the Canon equivalent lenses to what you own, you would probably be disappointed (except the 17-85 has image stabilization).
Jon Arno wrote:
Well thats kind of what I'm asking do you think it's a good idea? 20D is faster than the D70, 8mp over 6mp, heard nothing but good things from the reviews of the 20D.
What don't you like about the D70? It is a great camera.
Ok, first off, I don't subscribe to the N vs. C controversy. I was a Nikon shooter for about 20 years, film up to the D2H (and shot the D2X a couple of times to try it out.)
I just switched to Canon. Was a HUGE decision and very expensive one, as I had some glass to consider.
In your original post, you asked about sports photography; if you are going to be shooting indoors a lot, be warned, the D2H and D2Hs do not perform well in low-light,High ISO situations: Can you say NOISE? Guess you could shoot everything raw, but damn that is a hassel if you are working against a deadline. My co-worker shoots a 20D and it is THE camera for low light in my opinion. His images are consitently great and no noise at 1600 and minimal at 3200.
As far as print size is concerned, pixel count isn't as important as post-processing and what lab does your large prints. I have 20x30's and 24x36's from the 4.1 Mega Pixel D2H that are flawless. They are professionally printed at a lab with a RIP, but it can be done.
So it all depends upon what you plan to shoot. If you will need the high ISO, I suggest Canon, it will kick Nikon's ass in that area. (I have shot both side by side too, and compared the results.) The 20D is a pretty impressive little camera and well worth the money.
The 20D is a better camera than the D70 so if you can do it you will be happier in the long run. The 20D has better dynamic range than the D70, in fact it is near the top in dynamic range and the D70 is about in the middle but definitely above the D100.
Dynamic range is what will get you the better looking pictures and not the jump from 6mp to 8mp. Going from 6mp to 8mp is not going to hurt, but the results are going to come from the better sensor giving you less blooms and better DR. The 20D is a real steal and can enter into the pro area because it is unusually good. Where the 20D has a weakness is in it's JPG processing system. It could have been much better proven out by the advances in the new 350D. Shoot RAW or tweak your 20D and you will be getting very solid stuff to work with.
Since you don't have much Nikon glass then I guess switching to Canon woulden't be a big deal, However have you concidered the Fujifilm S3 pro? This has the capabilities of producing 12mp images! The camera itself is quite nice, If I was a Nikon user this would be the camera I would go for!
Another option is to buy some interpolation software which will allow you to increase the print size of your D70 images. A much cheaper option than buying a whole new camera (and lenses if you choose to buy into Canon)
Don't get me wrong, I love my 20D its a great camera, But if you like the Nikon system then there are other ways to get larger prints without defecting!
EOS20 wrote:
Since you don't have much Nikon glass then I guess switching to Canon woulden't be a big deal, However have you concidered the Fujifilm S3 pro? This has the capabilities of producing 12mp images! The camera itself is quite nice, If I was a Nikon user this would be the camera I would go for!
I would not recommend the S3 to anyone who wants to shoot sport, unless he specialises in chess...
The camera is much tooooo slooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
Honestly I don't see a big advantage of the 20D over the D70 in regard to the needs you've described. Some additional speed with better high ISO capabilities, but then if you were to get the Nikkor 80-200 AFS vs your current zoom, I think you'd get great image quality plus significantly faster auto focus.
Although I am solidly in Canon's camp, I would wait to see the D70 replacement later this month before doing anything. 20D is fantastic but could be the same with the new D70.
If you are a Nikon user the only reason I could see for switching to Canon (Pre D2X) was that for sports etc the 1D2 with Canon's Long white IS glass was an unbeatable combination,
However Nikon is beginning to address the IS issue with their VR glass and the D2X seems to be a pretty capable camera.
Unless you really need FF I'd think very carefully about switching systems (and I'm a very satisfied Canon user). Canon IMO certainly had the edge until recently but currently with the D2X Nikon certainly is still offering a decent alternative.
Decide what exactly you want to shoot and then choose appropriately.
I love my series -1 cameras but whether switching to a 20D from a D70 is worthwhile -- I really couldn't say.
If however you want to get a series-1 camera (1D2 / 1Ds 2) then that's a different matter.
You still might be better - especially for a long time Nikon shooter with Nikon glass to really consider a D2X or do what a previous poster suggests --wait for the D70 replacement..
I tested both the D70 and the 20D before choosing the 20D.
the reason? shutter action
the D70 could do a burst alright, but whether you took one picture or five, after you let off on the shutter release you gotta wait before you can take another. that really sucked.
the 20D's shutter action I'de liken to a semi-automatic rifle; it will take a picture, reload, and be ready as fast as you can press the trigger again. also if you do bursts, you can do the same thing (assuming your buffer isn't full!).
get at 20D and see if you can get yourself a magic drainpipe or one of it's successors to go with it;
80-200mm f2.8L
70-200mm f2.8L
70-200mm f2.8L IS
set the camera to use just the centre focusing point and you'll be happy.
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