D70 vs Nikon 8800

Apples and Oranges be damned. Here are my thoughts on both after spending a
whole day with my new D70.

After a disappointing experience with the coolpix 8800 from Nikon I decided to
return the 8800 in favor of the D70 DSLR from Nikon with the Nikkor 18-70mm
lens kit. Like some people, I was under the (silly!) impression that the 8800
could deliver near DSLR like shooting in a more compact camera. Not even
close…especially if you shoot with challenging lighting conditions (low
contrast).
The D70 camera comes packed in a single box with the lens. There is also:
Camera strap, eyepiece cap, body and lens caps, lens hood, LCD protective
cover, battery & Charger, batter tray for spare store-bought batteries. I added
a UV filter of course. The difference in price after rebate was approximately
250.00.
I charged the battery and read the manual, not a careful read, but enough to
get started. On the VERY FIRST SHOT, the D70 was able to photograph by
13-week-old son against a background that gave the 8800 fits. In fact, the 8800
often missed these shots entirely. The D70 focused SO FAST, I was shocked.
There was no hunting. I zoomed in fully and tried again. Another tack sharp
shot. Wonderful. Back at the computer those shots showed an image sharper and
more balanced than the 8800 ever managed and this was on the D70's supposedly
poor AUTO mode.
Encouraged, I switched the camera to manual focus mode and fired off a group of
shots. Again, tack sharp results. The camera will even tell you when it thinks
focus is correct, though you can defeat this if you wish. It seems very
reliable and consistent.
After my first few moments with the camera I noticed something else. As my
son's expressions changed I was able to get those fleeting moments because the
camera had no lag! My wife won't let me open the SB600 until Xmas, but I'm very
excited about how it will expand the flash and focus abilities of the D70. I
love the manual focus. In itself it places the D70 in another league, making
for a truly manual camera. Image quality is superior across the board. Unless
the size of the D70 is too much for you, the D70 is the camera to buy. And
let's face facts here, the 8800 is no lightweight. I simply can't recommend the
8800 for indoor shooting. The 8800 is also a dead end. When the D70 grows old,
you can sell the body and still be ready with lenses!
So far the D70 has addressed all of the 8800's weaknesses and then some. It's
focus is nothing short of amazing. With three poor contrast objects (a bouncer,
gray sneakers on gray carpet, silver tripod folded on gray carpet), the camera
shifted focus instantly and perfectly as I nudged the lens from one item to the
next under poor indirect lighting.
ISO up to 1600…and it's usable through most of the range.
It feels like a real camera and is easier to hold as well. If the Nikkor
18-70mm was the ONLY lens you ever had, it would stand head and shoulders above
the 8800. Some folks with chatter on about comparing apples and oranges. But
these are both expensive cameras (quite close in price really), both fairly
heavy and both for the more advanced shooter. Quite a few folks will look at
the D70 and wonder if the 8800 will keep them just as happy. If you have ANY
doubts, please test the 8800 before buying. If the D70 is a possible
alternative, go for it! You won't be sorry. It's the real deal.

Capt RB

Bobsprit wrote:
I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable camera
for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm wide-angle.

David

Bobsprit wrote:
I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable camera
for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm wide-angle.

David

I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable camera
for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm wide-angle.


You're correct, but I've read that the whole Coolpix series has inferior AF
compared to other cameras. It seems most of the folks who own the 8800 don't
have a Minolta Z3 to test against it. The Z1 even did better on AF. I'm pro
Nikon, but pretty saddened by the 8800.

RB

I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable camera
for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm wide-angle.


You're correct, but I've read that the whole Coolpix series has inferior AF
compared to other cameras. It seems most of the folks who own the 8800 don't
have a Minolta Z3 to test against it. The Z1 even did better on AF. I'm pro
Nikon, but pretty saddened by the 8800.

RB

Bobsprit wrote:
I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable
camera for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm
wide-angle.


You're correct, but I've read that the whole Coolpix series has
inferior AF compared to other cameras. It seems most of the folks who
own the 8800 don't have a Minolta Z3 to test against it. The Z1 even
did better on AF. I'm pro Nikon, but pretty saddened by the 8800.

RB

Well, my tests would have been against the Panasonic FZ20, but I do agree
that the 8800 does not stand up well against some of today's competition.
All my /other/ cameras are Nikon!

Cheers,
David

Bobsprit wrote:
I simply can't recommend the 8800 for indoor shooting.

I would have thought that the 8400 would have been a more suitable
camera for indoor work with its fast auto-focus and 24mm
wide-angle.


You're correct, but I've read that the whole Coolpix series has
inferior AF compared to other cameras. It seems most of the folks who
own the 8800 don't have a Minolta Z3 to test against it. The Z1 even
did better on AF. I'm pro Nikon, but pretty saddened by the 8800.

RB

Well, my tests would have been against the Panasonic FZ20, but I do agree
that the 8800 does not stand up well against some of today's competition.
All my /other/ cameras are Nikon!

Cheers,
David

Well, my tests would have been against the Panasonic FZ20, but I do agree
that the 8800 does not stand up well against some of today's competition.

Let me add that it DOES stand up well in situations that don't challenge it's
AF system.

RB

Well, my tests would have been against the Panasonic FZ20, but I do agree
that the 8800 does not stand up well against some of today's competition.

Let me add that it DOES stand up well in situations that don't challenge it's
AF system.

RB

Actually, the apples and oranges analogy is a good one, since your initial
purchase was an apple, but you really needed an orange...
I believe the 8800 has a focus assist light...did it not work in the
situations you described?
cheers...MTB


"Bobsprit" wrote in message
...
Apples and Oranges be damned. Here are my thoughts on both after spending
a
whole day with my new D70.

After a disappointing experience with the coolpix 8800 from Nikon I
decided to
return the 8800 in favor of the D70 DSLR from Nikon with the Nikkor
18-70mm
lens kit. Like some people, I was under the (silly!) impression that the
8800
could deliver near DSLR like shooting in a more compact camera. Not even
close.especially if you shoot with challenging lighting conditions (low
contrast).
The D70 camera comes packed in a single box with the lens. There is also:
Camera strap, eyepiece cap, body and lens caps, lens hood, LCD protective
cover, battery & Charger, batter tray for spare store-bought batteries. I
added
a UV filter of course. The difference in price after rebate was
approximately
250.00.
I charged the battery and read the manual, not a careful read, but enough
to
get started. On the VERY FIRST SHOT, the D70 was able to photograph by
13-week-old son against a background that gave the 8800 fits. In fact, the
8800
often missed these shots entirely. The D70 focused SO FAST, I was shocked.
There was no hunting. I zoomed in fully and tried again. Another tack
sharp
shot. Wonderful. Back at the computer those shots showed an image sharper
and
more balanced than the 8800 ever managed and this was on the D70's
supposedly
poor AUTO mode.
Encouraged, I switched the camera to manual focus mode and fired off a
group of
shots. Again, tack sharp results. The camera will even tell you when it
thinks
focus is correct, though you can defeat this if you wish. It seems very
reliable and consistent.
After my first few moments with the camera I noticed something else. As my
son's expressions changed I was able to get those fleeting moments because
the
camera had no lag! My wife won't let me open the SB600 until Xmas, but I'm
very
excited about how it will expand the flash and focus abilities of the D70.
I
love the manual focus. In itself it places the D70 in another league,
making
for a truly manual camera. Image quality is superior across the board.
Unless
the size of the D70 is too much for you, the D70 is the camera to buy. And
let's face facts here, the 8800 is no lightweight. I simply can't
recommend the
8800 for indoor shooting. The 8800 is also a dead end. When the D70 grows
old,
you can sell the body and still be ready with lenses!
So far the D70 has addressed all of the 8800's weaknesses and then some.
It's
focus is nothing short of amazing. With three poor contrast objects (a
bouncer,
gray sneakers on gray carpet, silver tripod folded on gray carpet), the
camera
shifted focus instantly and perfectly as I nudged the lens from one item
to the
next under poor indirect lighting.
ISO up to 1600.and it's usable through most of the range.
It feels like a real camera and is easier to hold as well. If the Nikkor
18-70mm was the ONLY lens you ever had, it would stand head and shoulders
above
the 8800. Some folks with chatter on about comparing apples and oranges.
But
these are both expensive cameras (quite close in price really), both
fairly
heavy and both for the more advanced shooter. Quite a few folks will look
at
the D70 and wonder if the 8800 will keep them just as happy. If you have
ANY
doubts, please test the 8800 before buying. If the D70 is a possible
alternative, go for it! You won't be sorry. It's the real deal.

Capt RB