D50 Or D70

[konastab01]

Im in the market for a descent camera.
I have used a point and shoot bad boy for a while and with me getting good pictures.They are sometime few and far between due to the lens etc.
I want either a D50 or a D70
I am looking on ebay as the prices are not much diffrent between the 2.
I am shooting action and race shots.Eg Mountain biking,Snowboarding,motorbikes etc.
Any help on either two and which one would be better for my needs.
Yhanks In advance
S

[Yandros]

Either would do actually. The D50 has a very slightly slower frame rate 2.5 frames per second, compared to 3 frames/sec for the D70, and you get a 1/4000th sec highest shutter speed on the D50 vs 1/8000th on the D70. So two points to the D70. However, the D50 has a marginally better image processor, since it's slightly newer, and a bigger screen (2" vs 1.8").

The D70 has a heavier but more rugged (and larger) body, and a few features that you'll probably not use for sports (flash commander and depth of field preview for example). The kit lens for the D70 is the superior 18-70, compared to the shorter and lower quality 18-55 on the D50. However, I'd guess you'll be mostly using a longer telephoto lens anyway.

To be honest, if you're shopping around for a bargain, if you see a good deal on either, you'll be ok. Of course ebay is full of dodgy kit, so you might want to see if any forum members here are getting rid of their D50s after impulse buying a D300 (not thinking of anyone in particular *cough* Biscuit761 *cough*)

[Biscuit761]

Did I hear my name mentioned ?

Have decided to keep the D50 at present as a back up and to save swapping lenses at sports stuff, its still a good camera after all.

I would definitely recommend the D50 but get a better standard lens than the kit one.

And to be honest the D300 was not an impulse buy in the truest sense of the word, had been discussing it / searching fr cheap deals since it came out, Jessops chap just caught me at the right time. Bet he didnt expect a big sale 30 minutes before closing time !

Bill

[senu]

Why D50 or 70?
Get a D80
It really is a seriously sorted camera which , getting now should be VFM
I use Canon at leisure and a D200 at work ( for now) but we had a much loved D80 before that ( Which was nicked)
I honestly rate it above the 50 or 70 ( which is a few years old now)

[Biscuit761]

Would probably agree with Senu if you can stretch to it, was thinking about the D80 but decided to go (nearly) all the way

Bill

[kevin glover]

Given that you can get a D70 body for £150-200 with a warranty from LCE and how well built it is, coupled with it's features and the ability to use a wide range of lenses I would say buy one without hesitation.
I bought one for my wife when she wanted to take photography more seriously and it has travelled all over the world with us and never let us down, I have also had one at work as a back up to the D1X which has now been replaced by the D3 (awesome bit of kit!) and again the D70 has never let us down, either way good luck.

[konastab01]

Think Im gonna go for a 50,newer and its got all the stuff I need.
What lens would you recommend/
I will have a 18-55 but from what i have read they aint too great.

[Yandros]

Actually the 18-55 isn't too bad by all accounts.

You say it'll mostly be used for snowboarding, bikes etc. How close do you generally get to the action? It's possible that the little kit lens will be sufficient, but my guess is that you'll need something longer as well

You've got three choices of lens really. You could add a 55-200 (with or without vibration reduction), a 70-300 (again with or without VR), or a superzoom like a Nikon 18-200VR. The 18-200VR is the best option if you want to travel light, and be able to switch very rapidly from wide angle to telephoto (which might be what you need if you're quite close to the action).

What compact camera do you have at the moment, and how does that zoom range cope?

[konastab01]

I have the now a Canon powershot A75 but It seems to have died today.
So now I need to buy a camera.
I do hate spending money....
But back onto the camera.
I have a few in my eyes.
These ones what you recon?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D50-Digi...QQcmdZViewItem

This one althought I think it maybe a little to much £££ and Im not really a fan of silver but I could live with it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D50-Digi...QQcmdZViewItem

Or just some nikon d50 with 18-55 lense around 200ish.
Cheers

[Yandros]

The A75 is a 35-105mm lens.

Just to complicate things, the D50 is what's known as a 'cropped sensor' DSLR, which means it adds extra magnification to the lens (1.5x). So the 18-55 kit lens is actually a 27-83mm. So you gain a bit more wide angle, and lose out at the long end. A 55-200 is a 83-300mm, and the 70-300 is really a 105-450mm. So when using a 70-300mm, it STARTS at the very highest zoom of your A75.

Any of these would work frankly (I'm not a fan of the silver though). The other ones to consider is the rather good value Nikon 55-200VR, and the Sigma 70-300mm APO DG Macro. The VR lens is only a few quid more than the bog standard version, but gives you anti-shake.

[konastab01]

You think the black at £265 posted is worth it?
Or should I get a d50 and 18-55 lens and buy the other lens later.
Or is that stupid because the lens will be a few hundred its self?
Sorry for so many question.
You know what your talking about...
S