D70 vs. F80 (indirectly film vs digital comparison)

A few people have told me they're surprised I bought a digital camera and they wonder how good my D70 is and if it's worth it. This blog entry will be a comparison of my D70 Digital SLR and my F80 film camera. Many of you won't care, so don't bother reading, but if you're interested, here's a short comparison:

Benefits of F80
- In general, better quality pictures are possible with proper technique, film, etc.
- more reliable
- amazing bright and large view when looking in viewfinder
- able to use AA batteries with add-on vertical grip
- so easy to use, almost intuitive controls
- will never go out of date
- no menus to fiddle around with. Changing settings is quick, direct and easy.
- I love the sound of the shutter when you push the trigger. It sounds solid and professional

Drawbacks of the F80
- film is expensive in the long run compared to digital
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- not the colour 3D matrix meter that D70 uses, only 10 segment matrix meter (not a big deal)
- need filters to change look of pictures
- Flash sync is a slow 1/125 sec. Big drawback compared to the D70

Benefits of D70
- immediate viewing of pictures allows for correcting framing, exposure, etc.
- Uses Nikon's Colour Matrix meter. This is the most advanced metering system in the world, my camera can actually distinguish colours! It measures reds, yellows, green and blues to make them appear as they should
- 1.5X crop factor makes telephoto lenses longer (eg a 200mm lens becomes a 300mm lens for free!)
- ability to change appearance of pictures to simulate all sorts of filters, film types, etc.
- Best flash system in the world. Wireless flash capability when used with Nikon's newest flashes - Can sync to 1/500 of a second with Flash. This is a huge advantage over the F80 and over almost every other digital SLR out there, even the $5000 Nikon D2x
- I can hold 1,200 shots at basic quality or 179 shots in RAW mode on my 1Gb card. That's like 50 rolls of film!!
- unbelievable battery life. I think I can shoot like 2000 shots or some crazy number like that before the battery drains. Lithium Ion rules!
- most important settings are changeable without having to go into menus. (eg. iso, white balance, quality)

Drawbacks of the D70
- doesn't feel as good in my hands as my F80
- learning curve. White balance, colour mode, iso, quality, shutter, aperture...settings go on and on. If you don't understand photography, it'll take you a long time to learn to use the D70 to it's fullest potential
- 1.5X crop factor makes expensive wideangles, not wide (eg. breathtaking 18mm becomes boring 27mm)
- cannot meter with manual lenses
- will be out of date in a year
- post processing necessary to get best quality pics
- no vertical grip available from Nikon (3rd party is available but not an ideal solution)
- some settings are buried in menus. (eg. switch from continues autofocus to single is an option found only in the menus. Can't change it directly.)
- seems to be more susceptible to electronic problems sometimes (not mine, but i've read of some people having problems requiring repair)
- The shutter doesn't sound as refined as the F80

Conclusion
In the end, both cameras are great and they are intended for different uses. If you want to learn the intricacies of photography, go with the F80. it will force you to pay attention to composition and lighting. Digital makes us lazy because if a shot isn't what we want, just press delete and reshoot. If you want to shoot lots and lots of pictures but aren't happy with your dinky point and shoot digital, the D70 is great. I'll explain in a later post why it's so much better than point and shoot digitals.

In my opinion, the D70 is still the best low-end digital SLR on the market. The only other camera that is close is Canon's 20D which might even be better. However, the canon is also significantly more expensive than the D70.

For me, I use both the F80 and D70. For an important stationary scene, the D70 takes the initial shot, allowing me to see how it would look on film and then the F80 takes the money shot.
I like variety and tend to use both cameras a lot.