After two years with my beloved Nikon D70, I decided to sell her off and buy a newer, higher resolution SLR. This review discusses the pros and cons of upgrading from the D70 to the Rebel XSi (450D), as well as what to consider if you’re thinking of making the same (or a similar) change.
The D70 is a solid, well built digital SLR that shoots great pictures and has a fantastic layout. My D70 was my first DSLR and it got me hooked on photography. I took about 13,000 photos with it and owned it for two years. Here are some of the strengths of the D70:
- Excellent layout of commonly used buttons. I could easily turn on bracketing, adjust both shutter speed and aperture, set the timer, adjust the metering, set up a custom white balance or any number of other things without ever entering the menu. I loved the number of buttons on the camera as well as their logical placement.
- Dual Command Wheels. Being able to adjust one setting with your right index finger and the other with your thumb is great. It makes it easy to quickly change two things at once.
- Real SLR Feel. The Nikon D70 is a manly man camera with a full size body. I wasn’t aiming some wimpy point and shoot. I love a camera that feels like it’s expensive. Also, the finger grip area for the right hand is wide and made for hands like mine.
- The Secondary LCD Area on top of the camera. How many pictures do I have left on my card? What are my current settings? How’s my battery? All of this information and more is available on the upper LCD of the D70. I love how the number of remaining shots is always displayed on the LCD, even when the camera is off. The secondary LCD also saves battery power as it does not require the use of the larger LCD display.
Why did I give it up, then? Several reasons. When I considered upgrading, I was mostly looking to get a higher resolution camera. I wanted to be able to print larger images, crop more and have the uber-nerdy rush of shooting 12 MegaPixel images.
The D70 came out in March of 2004, and there have been a lot of changes since then. There are huge screens, faster focus times, new IS (image stabilized) and VR (vibration reduction) lenses, live view (allows you to use the LCD as a viewfinder, like a point and shoot… sort of), better processors and even some new RAW formats. My first thought was to upgrade to a newer Nikon. The D80 looked like a good option but if I was going to get a new Nikon, why not go to the latest greatest D90? Why? Price. The D90 body alone sells in the $1000 range (as of October 2008)- too much for my budget. The D80 is more within my price range, but why settle for a 10 Megapixel Nikon when you can get a 12 Megapixel Canon with a bigger screen and several new features for less money?
Obviously I bought the Rebel Canon XSi or 450D or Kiss X2 (international name). If you’re considering buying one, it might help to know that I scoured eBay, craigslist.org, local online ads, a dozen online stores (including Amazon) and found the best deal on Amazon.com. Here’s what I ended up with:
- Canon Digital Rebel XSi (450D) with 18-55mm IS lens
- Price: $640
- Bought from: Amazon.com
- Condition: New
- Nikon 55-250mm IS Lens
- Transcend 8 GB SD Card
- Price: $17 with Free Shipping through Amazon Prime
- Bought from: (you guessed it) Amazon.com
- Condition: New
So all in all I spent $905 including shipping. Because I’m trying out Amazon.com prime (30 day free trial) I got the camera and SD card shipped for free Second Day Air. If you buy from Amazon and haven’t tried out Prime, give it a go, especially when making larger purchases - there’s nothing like getting free second day air with no strings attached.
So how about this new Canon XSi? I have now officially made the switch from Nikon to Canon. We have a Canon Digital Elph SD1000 point and shoot (that we love) and now the new Rebel. There are several things I noticed when switching from the D70 to the XSi - here’s what I think about the XSi:
- It’s SMALL. Honestly, this is probably the biggest difference to me. I’m 6′ tall and don’t have small hands so the XSi just feels small in my hands. However, I really only notice this when I pick it up and take the first picture. After that, it’s just a camera in my hands. Even after taking a couple hundred shots, it doesn’t bother me. The ISO button is located just behind the command wheel and isn’t very easily accessible to my index finger but it’s nothing I’m going to cry about.
- It’s FAST. The autofocus on this camera runs pretty quickly compared to what I experienced on the D70. For example, to go from an object 20 feet away to an object 6 feet away to an object 13 inches away just takes a split second. I can snap those three images in succession in about 4 seconds (I just timed it). For some reason there is a little bit more of a lag going from very close to very far but it’s still darn fast.
- One (Gigantic) Screen to Rule Them All. First off, the LCD on the XSi is a beautiful thing. Three impressive inches of preview glory. I have to admit, though, that I was very used to using my secondary, top mounted LCD for image specs and settings. I could see everything at a glance and, more importantly, it was always there. With just one screen, the LCD pulls double duty, switching back and forth from preview display to settings display. This is good and bad. It’s good because it’s nice and large and can be seen easily -both for preview and settings. No squinting to see settings. It’s bad because sometimes you have to wait for the preview to go away to see your settings again.
- The Image Stabilization (IS) Works Wonders in Low Light. The reviews I read on Canon’s (and Nikon’s) IS (and VR) were all over the board. It’s worthless, it’s great, it’s mediocre, etc. I have to say, though, I’m impressed. I shoot thousands of photos of my kids playing indoors so low light photography is always an issue for me. The IS comes through. I think it’s really a combination of the IS system and the lack of noise at the higher ISO. My D70 wasn’t a whole lot of good at higher ISOs - too much noise. The Canon XSi does well in this area. There is noise, just not very much. I’ve been shooting all kinds of images in dim light and have had terrific results. The IS won’t work miracles. You’re not going to take pictures of flailing kids in poor light and see freeze stop action, but it definitely improves low light and handheld photography.
- Live View is Fine IF You Need It. This is an SLR, not a point and shoot. The Live View feature, which displays on the three inch screen what it sees in the lens, is handy for when you can’t really put your eye up to the eyepiece, or if you want to check to see if something is in focus. Other than that it’s slow because it doesn’t use the same speedy focusing mechanism as you would without live view. Also it locks mirror for a moment before each photo, causing a lag in shoot time. If you’re comfortable with manual focus, however, it’s not too bad. I prefer not to use it, though.
CONCLUSION: The Canon Rebel XSi is a fine camera at a great price. I definitely miss my D70 and several of its features but I definitely love the screen, resolution and speed of the XSi. I would recommend this camera to others who consider themselves amateur photographers but I can’t imagine it being an ideal choice for professionals. Honestly, if I could afford a Nikon D90, I would have gone that route but it’s just too much. As far as bang for the buck goes, the Canon Rebel XSi gets two thumbs up.
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Tags: Misc. by nils
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1000.jpg "Great color capturing.")
