On Wed, 17 Mar 2004 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > From: Chris Brogden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > Things change with the arrival of the D70 > > > > How so? The D70 isn't that much cheaper than the *istD, and it's an > > inferior camera in many ways. It's another plastic DSLR with a lousy > > viewfinder (only .75x magnification instead of Pentax's .95x), and no PC > > socket, .tiff mode, or MLU. It's a good camera for someone looking for a > > better plastic camera than the Digital Rebel, but it's still not built to > > the same calibre as the *istD. > > From what I hear the price difference is $300 or more, which is significant.
We're selling the D70 with lens for $1849 CAN, and the *istD with lens for $2099 CAN. That's around $200 US, which is a pretty small price to pay to move up to a DSLR in the 10D/D100's build quality class. > In some ways the D70 is a superior camera (shutter, meter) and it is > part of what is in some ways a superior system (Nikon). Nikon and Canon > also offer better-built options to the D70/300D level of camera, > although the *istD may be better built than those as well. The merits of the system don't really enter into the question except from a marketing standpoint. The vast majority of people looking for an entry-level DSLR aren't going to spend half as much as their camera cost on AF-S or VR lenses, which effectively eliminates the advantages of a particular system. If anything, the *istD's 11 focusing points (several of which are cross-sensors, I believe) should perform better than the D70's five. > > > > In any case, the *istD won't appeal to people wanting USM/AF-S, IS/VR and > > > > the ultimate in AF performance. But for the 99% of photographers who > > > > don't need those features on a regular basis, it will do just fine, and > > > > will even save them some space and money at the same time. > > OTOH some of us don't need MLU or .tiff mode or makes-it-heavier grips > (which the D70 doesn't have) and are willing to pay whatever absurd fee > nikon charges for the PC-socket-in-hotshoe thingie. It is a question of > what feature set you want or need. Agreed. If you want great AF performance and you're willing to spend the necessary money on lenses that can provide this, then buy a Nikon or Canon and you'll love it. But unless you shell out big bucks for AF-S/USM/VR/IS lenses, you're unlikely to notice any difference in AF performance. > Hopefully for Pentax users the D70 will hasten the appearance of a $1000 > Pentax DSLR with a reasonable feature set, or simply make the *istD > cheaper. The *istD is already cheaper than the 10D and D100, so I'm not sure how much more it needs to drop before people will appreciate it. Not everyone is looking for a camera that tries to maximize every specification and squeeze out every drop of performance possible. Those of use who don't use our cameras for professional work that demands ultra high-tech AF performance may prefer the smaller size, lighter weight, Hyper modes, etc. that the *istD offers over its competitors. chris
