Canon 350D or Nikon D70?
Discussion
Thanks for all the replies chaps!
In the end, I've gone for a 350D. Why? Because I already have a 300D, and I have sold that to my practice as a camera for taking macro photos of medical stuff, and obviously the camera handling will be similar.
It arrived yesterday, so I've not had much chance to have a go. First impressions compared to 300D:-
It's black
The rough finish to the body makes it much more obvious that it's plastic, rather than the faux metal silver of the 300D, but the metal function dial is more solid. In particular the flash cover feels plasticky, though still nice and solid.
The body is TINY in comparison - at least a third smaller. It makes the 300D look enormous and clunky, whereas the 350D feels more like a high end "virtual SLR" type - like the top end Finepix or Dimage EVF models.
Startup is virtually instant - click the on switch and it's ready long before you get eye to viewfinder - very impressive.
Focussing is much quicker, more accurate and better in low light. Focus assist from the flash is much quicker to operate as well. I know it's the same standard lens, but it does seem a lot quicker - tweaked perhaps?
The shutter is slightly noisier, but seems more rapid in response to pressing the shutter release - it snaps into use (excuse the pun!) much more readily, rather than the slightly lazy feel to the 300D.
Some of the function buttons have migrated to the backplate - exposure compensation etc. I've not had enough time with the camera to get a feel for whether this has improved function/ergonomics.
In summary, everything feels better except the surface finish. All functions feel quicker, sharper and more accurate, and the camera feels smaller, lighter and much more nimble in handling.
All I need to do now is match my photograhic skills to the camera (that should keep me busy for at least 20 years!!)
In the end, I've gone for a 350D. Why? Because I already have a 300D, and I have sold that to my practice as a camera for taking macro photos of medical stuff, and obviously the camera handling will be similar.
It arrived yesterday, so I've not had much chance to have a go. First impressions compared to 300D:-
It's black
The rough finish to the body makes it much more obvious that it's plastic, rather than the faux metal silver of the 300D, but the metal function dial is more solid. In particular the flash cover feels plasticky, though still nice and solid.
The body is TINY in comparison - at least a third smaller. It makes the 300D look enormous and clunky, whereas the 350D feels more like a high end "virtual SLR" type - like the top end Finepix or Dimage EVF models.
Startup is virtually instant - click the on switch and it's ready long before you get eye to viewfinder - very impressive.
Focussing is much quicker, more accurate and better in low light. Focus assist from the flash is much quicker to operate as well. I know it's the same standard lens, but it does seem a lot quicker - tweaked perhaps?
The shutter is slightly noisier, but seems more rapid in response to pressing the shutter release - it snaps into use (excuse the pun!) much more readily, rather than the slightly lazy feel to the 300D.
Some of the function buttons have migrated to the backplate - exposure compensation etc. I've not had enough time with the camera to get a feel for whether this has improved function/ergonomics.
In summary, everything feels better except the surface finish. All functions feel quicker, sharper and more accurate, and the camera feels smaller, lighter and much more nimble in handling.
All I need to do now is match my photograhic skills to the camera (that should keep me busy for at least 20 years!!)
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