Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Goodbye my trusty D70


CIMG1130
Originally uploaded by goan_in_q8.
After taking some really great pictures with the D70, I made up my mind to "upgrade" to it's big brother, the D200.
It was not an easy decision to make. The D70 served me well, and there wasn't anything lacking in it as far as my needs are concerned. Shooting in RAW mode, I could extract every last bit of detail from the images that it brilliantly captured. Most importantly, the D200 is not cheap and represents a significant investment at $1340 + shipping.
But after getting comfortable with the D70, I felt I could use some of the pro features that the D200 brings to the table. Here are some of the reasons that I decided to upgrade. The values in bracket represent comparison with the D70.
- 10.2 megapixel sensor (6mp)
- Faster shooting at 5fps (3fps)
- Faster focusing with Multi-CAM 1000 (Multi-cam 900)
- Rugged Magnesium alloy body (plastic)
- Wider ISO range from 100-3200 (200-1600)
- Auto bracketing upto 9 shots (3)
- Ability to shoot RAW+JPEG fine (RAW+JPEG basic)
- Mirror lockup (Not available)
There are dozens of tiny improvements which makes the D200 a very superior piece of technology. And I wanted some of it!
It is probibitively expensive to buy it from the local dealer. He listed KD 570/- (after discount). That is just ridiculous as the on-line price from Amazon works out to KD 390/-. I decided to place my order with Amazon and the D200 is now on it's way.

8 comments:

CyberRowdy(Q8TechDrive) said...

mabrook!

Anonymous said...

you know i was this close buying a d70 which was absoultley off the hook but got financially broke ,,, and sice your a photographer, please recommend something for a feloow begginer ;P

Cajetan Barretto said...

bb,
it all depends on your shooting style and needs.
D70 (and most dSLR's) require conscious effort because it is not something you can slip in your pocket. You also need good lenses to complement the body.
If you are only into casual shooting a Canon Powershot S3 is more than enough for most needs.

Mathai said...

wow ! thats a neat cam.
So i guess we'll be seeing you back in action in flickr.

Marzouq said...

Congratulations buddy! I know how difficult it is to change cameras once you get used to it! I still love my Rebel XT and I still find it has features I am still learning to use. Let us know how it is!!

What are you doing with your D70 now? Are you selling it somewhere?

Anonymous said...

$1340 isn't that expensive for a camera

Cajetan Barretto said...

mark,
$1340 is kind of a mid-range price for what is effectively a mid-range camera.
The Hasselblad 39 Megapixel camera, at $31,000, on the other hand, is an expensive camera.

Anonymous said...

I'm waiting for the D200.
I was toying first with the new Canon and then with the D80, but now it's the D200.
If I go DSLR one day, than directly the right way.
Hopefully until then this Baby will be a tad cheaper :P
And I thought the prices were cheaper over here than normally :(
That's a bummer!