Comparing the Canon 20D to the Nikon D70:
For in-depth reviews of these cameras I recommend you log onto:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews
... and click on the names on these cameras in the menu on the left side of the page. I found both reviews to be excellent and helpful. Printed out, they make great supplements to the user manuals for the cameras.
As outstanding as these reviews were, I didn't get much a feel for the differences between how the cameras felt in-hand. That's what this page is for: to provide a side-by-side comparison of how the cameras look and feel. (Note: these are strictly my impressions from handling the two cameras at the same time.)
...............................
...............................
What was compared.................Nikon D70..........................Canon 20D
appearance.......................more
complicated, bulky,.........slightly
smaller, simpler
......................................more
professional looking
In-hand
feel....................much
more comfortable grip.......Grip
too small, fingertips
.................................
...both weigh about
the same........jam
slightly into body
On/Off switch.................Close
to the shutter release......Very poor
placement, must
....................................comfortable,
natural access......use two hands to turn on,
......................................................................................awkward
design
F-stop and shutter...........Both
same size, shape, and........each
differently shaped
speed controls...............horizontal
near shutter release.......and
positioned, much
.......................................very
easy to confuse..............clearer
which is which
Main mode dial....................Larger,
turns smoother,......Subtle gritty feel
when turned
.............................................better
detents
Rocker control switch............Larger, easier to use..........Very small, harder to locate
Full-auto shutter lag time...........1/4-1/2 second.............Almost imperceptibly slower
Full manual shutter lag time....Almost instantaneous.............Maybe slightly slower
Shutter release sound.............softer, lower "click"..............Louder, sharper "click"
Recovery time......................Almost instantaneous..........Too close to tell difference
LCD screen..........................same size, resolution..............same size, resolution
Cost, body only............................$800.00..............................$1300.00
Cost, in kit with lens.....................$1000.00.............................$1400.00
Kit lens................................18-70
zoom, looks............18-55 zoom, looks
and feels
.........................................good
and feels solid.............cheap, floppy
front lens, ................................................................................cheapens
entire camera
Effective pixels........................6.1 megapixels.......................8.2 megapixels
Conclusions:
All-in-all I'd have to give the nod to the Nikon D70 as having a
slightly better feel, though the similar shape and orientation of the
shutter speed and aperture controls makes them easy to confuse. When
considerations of cost are included it is the clear winner,
especially if you're going for a kit because the Nikon's kit lens is
much better than the Canon's. The Canon's higher pixel count may only
be important to someone making a lot of very large prints (16 x 20 or
larger) or people doing a lot of near microscopic photography where
much of the frame will be cropped away. (The big advantage the Canon
may have for this last use is that Canon makes a 5X macro lens.)
Two of the nice features of the Sony DSC F-707, 5-megapixel camera, my last camera, was that the lens could be tilted relative to the body to place the view screen in a convenient viewing angle and that you could use the LCD screen as a viewfinder so that you see how the exposure changed as shutter speed and aperture were adjusted. While I acknowledge these would be difficult to design into high-end cameras like the Nikon and Canon and still retain the use of an optical viewfinder, they would be great features to have.
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